Karajan Conducts Wagner I & II

Sixth release in Warner Classics’ series of Herbert von Karajan Hybrid SACDs with a new HD 192/24 remastering from the original tapes. Few conductors are as inseparable from their orchestra as Herbert von Karajan was from the Berliner Philharmoniker, where he served as director for more than thirty years, until his death in 1989. During his tenure, Karajan deeply transformed the orchestra, working tirelessly to achieve it’s characteristic colour, that massive, brassy ‘Karajan sound’ with it’s voluptuous strings. By the early 1970s, the transformation was complete, and the orchestra had become a magnificent powerhouse, capable of tackling any repertoire with ease and enjoying a string of artistic and commercial successes. With their meticulousness and constant attention to developments in music engineering, Karajan and Berlin brought classical recordings into the modern era. “Karajan is a fine Wagnerian and, with the orchestra he has fashioned so completely to his own vision, he gives superlative performances.” Gramophone