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Deutsche Grammophon is to produce a full programme of CD and DVD titles to mark the centenary of Herbert von Karajan.
Born on April 5, 1908 Karajan's status as the most prominent and best-selling of all DG artists - and the best-selling of all conductors - has continued well after his death in 1989 and the yellow label's 'Karajan Year' will bring his interpretations to an ever-widening global audience.
Events get underway this autumn with a special limited edition CD/DVD sampler and a 10 CD digipack focusing on Karajan recordings from the 1950s and '60s. Entitled 'Karajan Master Recordings' the digipack set includes a number of the maestro's most famous interpretations including Symphonies by Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms, the Mozart Requiem, Strauss' 'Ein Heldenleben', Bartok's 'Concerto for Orchestra', Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring' and many more. The CDs, which will also be made available singly, will have the original LP cover artwork while the set comes with a 36 colour booklet replete with a newly commissioned essay along with several photos and illustrations.
That's just for starters: Karajan aficinados who have felt a bit starved in recent times (DG's sparse coverage of the conductor over the last two years can be put down to preparations for 2008) can now reap an exceptionally rich harvest - with the pick of the crop on DVD.
Famously passionate about new recording technologies, Karajan's primary objective during his career was that of documenting his most important interpretations on film. Consequently, DG will release a number of the conductor's Unitel productions on DVD for the first time. These include:
* Wagner's 'Das Rheingold'. Made in 1979 and directed by Karajan himself, this title appeared briefly on Laserdisc in 1990 and has never been published on DVD before. Boasting a distinquished cast including Brigitte Fassbaender, Peter Schreier and Zoltan Keleman, this was the conductor's last Unitel project.
*The famous 1968 'Cav' & 'Pag' films from La Scala, Milan. Featuring Jon Vickers, Firenza Cossotto and Peter Glossop.
*A number of titles from the 1970s with the Berlin Philharmonic including Beethoven's 'Missa Solemnis', the four Brahms Symphonies and 'Ein Deutsches Requiem', Tchaikovsky's last three symphonies and a 2DVD compilation 'Karajan in Concert' which includes favourite orchestral works by Beethoven, Berlioz, Bizet, Liszt, Mascagni, Ravel, Rossini, Richard Strauss, Suppe, Verdi, Wagner and Weber, together with a complete performance of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2 with Alexis Weissenberg.
*Bruckner concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic. The 1979 St.Florian performance of the 8th Symphony and a 1976 concert of Symphony No.9 and the Te Deum from the Musikverein.
*A Karajan documentary.
There will be more CDs as well including a 3CD 'Festpiel-Dokumente' release of the famous 1965 Salzburg production of Mussorgsky's 'Boris Godunov' with Nicolai Ghiaurov in the title role. Meanwhile, the famous 'Karajan Gold' title will be resurrected for a 2CD 'Best of Karajan' compilation and there's a multi-capbox 'Karajan Symphony Edition' in preparation.
Ever the devotee of new technological developments, Karajan would doubtless have been interested in the advent of the Internet. As it happens, DG will be catering nicely for the iPod generation as a selection of his classic recordings, 'Karajan Masterworks - His Greatest Tracks', will be made available as a special download project. In addition, the complete Karajan catalogue will be made available to purchase from Deutsche Grammophon's new web shop, along with more than 20 deleted CDs now available only as downloads.
Meanwhile, Soundings will provide full coverage as events develop during the 'Karajan Year' of 2008, as the legacy of this extraordinary man and musician not only lives on but gathers new momentum.
Robert Kenchington.
