Complete Remastered Edition 1

A few years ago, when I first started noticing the availability of what now seem ubiquitous, mega-box sets with 50 or more discs, often selling for a buck a disc (or less), I thought that they were too good to pass up, and whenever possible I'd grab them. Sets like the Decca, Mercury Living Presence, and so forth. Toscanini, 72 volumes in 85 discs from RCA! How could I resist? (Well, I couldn't, as it happens). I figured - get them while I can. It can't last forever! Can it?Well, here we are, and these mega boxes keep coming. And I keep buying them, go figure. I saw this Karajan box, selling for under a buck a disc when I managed to grab it, and once again I found it irresistible.Now, aside from justifying this purchase solely on that basis, as if a hundred bucks is something most people can casually throw away, bargain or not, I can see a few logical reasons to consider obtaining this box set:1) If you're a big Karajan fan, and don't already have many or most of these performances (or you have them in earlier non-remastered form), then this is probably a must-buy.2) If you're new to classical music, or still building a collection and want a good cross section of orchestral music, in excellent performances from a master conductor leading the best orchestras of our time, this is also a great value. It would similarly make a superb gift for someone who is beginning to explore classical music.3) If you're an established collector with an already generously filled music library, as I am, you might find this to be a worthwhile addition due to the broad coverage of music in performances that are almost all worth hearing, at a price that is very modest for what you get. In particular, although the music here is largely familiar works by well-known composers, there are a number of performances of music that I at least have not heard before. For example, the recording of Kurt Leimer's two works, the Piano Concerto in C Minor and his Piano Concerto for the left hand, with Leimer himself performing on piano the work that had ben premiered with Karajan at the Musikverein in Vienna in 1953 (disc 7 of Box 2, recorded in 1954 at Kingsway Hall in London). How fascinating is that?!This box set contains all of the thirteen (13) of the individual box sets previously released by EMI/Warner to collect Karajan's performances over the years (1946 through 1984) with that label. Here are the full contents, with links to the separate releases and a brief description of what is contained in each box included here:Box 1:  J.S. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms: Choral Music, 1947-1958, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic and the Philharmonia Orchestra (5 CDs) Box 2:  Karajan and his Soloists I, 1948-1958, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, and Philharmonia Orchestra, (8 CDs) Box 3:  Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, R. Strauss: Opera Arias, 1946-1949, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, (10 CDs) Box 4:  Orchestral Spectaculars from Handel to Bartok, 1949-1960, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, (13 CDs) Box 5:  Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky, Borodin, Balakirev, Stravinsky, 1949-1960, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, (7 CDs) Box 6:  Beethoven: Symphonies 1-9, Overtures, 1951-1955, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra, (6 CDs) Box 7:  Mozart, Schubert, Brahms, J. Strauss, Wagner, R. Strauss, 1951-1960, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra, (12 CDs) Box 8:  Karajan and his Soloists II, 1969-1984, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra de Paris, and Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, (10 CDs) Box 9:  Berlioz, Franck, Debussy, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Bartok, 1970-1981, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orchestra de Paris, (7 CDs) Box 10:  Haydn, Mozart, Schubert Symphonies, 1970-1981, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, (8 CDs) Box 11:  Brahms, Bruckner, Wagner, R. Strauss, Schmidt, 1970-1981, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, (6 CDs) Box 12:  Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, Choral Music, 1972-1976, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, (5 CDs) Box 13:  Sibelius, 1976-1981, Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, (4 CDs) The entire collection is housed in a heavy cardboard box, open to one side for easy access to each of the smaller boxes. Those individual boxes hold the CDs securely (they are not open at the end but open book-like), and also include individual booklets written for each of the 13 smaller collections. Each of those small booklets includes a short essay on the particular performances in that box, in four languages and including the dates and venues of each of the recordings.As a final comment, although I have not yet sampled all of the discs in the first several boxes here, the recording quality of the very early performances is quite satisfactory to my ears. I do note that some of the reviewers mention some audible hiss or perhaps other defects present in some of the early recordings.Overall, a very considerable bargain for a broad collection of worthwhile music and performances.

An excellent bargain any way you look at it. Great transfers. Everything has been written about this set so I won't even go there. I do like the smaller glossy boxes that house the individual recordings and appreciate the double and triple set recordings housed in separate cardboardsleeves rather than those bulky and difficult folders. Discs fit loosely in their sleeves and are easy to remove. Each set contains a booklet describing the era and recording enclosed. I had no problem with the pre-fifties recordings and thought the transfers were in excellent mono. You don't find outstanding bargains that often so you better grab it now. Would be a great introduction to the classics. The never before released Beethoven 9th in early stereo is a big plus as well. I also have the pre-sixties Membran set which includes all of von Karajan's early opera sets as well as a few broadcasts in good sound including Don Carlos, Aida, Siegfried and a Die Walkure from La Scala. A fun box as well with comparable transfers and a mono 9th to compare with the newly released stereo bonus in the commercial box. It is financially another winner as well and will give you enough von Karajan to last through the ages.

This is a great set. It has some of Karajan's best recordings. Some I'd heard before and some were a revelation. I picked this up for about $1 a disk, and at that price, you can't go wrong even if you don't like half of it. I don't care for Bruckner, and Karajan is not my pick for anything written before Beethoven. But I was pleased to hear some old friends in new re-masterings that sound quite good. Certainly you can't do much with pre-stereo recordings, but they did about as much as possible, and many are better than expected. I grew up listening to the 50s recording of Beethoven's 5th, and I hadn't heard it for many decades, so that was a nostalgic treat. I realized that this recording was imprinted into my young mind as the way the piece goes! This set is that it is missing some of Karajan's best work with Vienna including  Dvorak: Sym No 8 / Brahms: Sym No 3  circa 1960 on Decca. That recording of Dvorak #8 is still my favorite. For those you need to acquire Karajan: Legendary Decca Recordings .

This set is a fine collection: 5 Strauss tone poems, 2 symphonies each of Mozart, Haydn, Brahms, 1 each of Dvorak and Beethoven, Ballet suites of Adam and Tchaikovsky, Overtures and concert pieces of the Josef and Johan Strausses, Holst's Planets and Grieg's Peer Gynt suites. Vocally there are 2 operas of Verdi (Aida, Otello), 3 of Puccini (Boheme, Tosca, Butterfly), plus Fledermaus, Boris, Carmen, and Figaro (that's right, only 9 not 10 operas).There is not a bad set in the lot. Well worth your time and money. All are stereo; all are classic performances.

These are originally EMI label recordings, not DG. There's about an equal mix of mono and stereo. The mono recordings are often the superior performances, though the sound quality differs from stereo. The better quality player you have, the better the mono will sound. In some cases, it's hard to tell the difference. There's some duplication of works. But the interpretations differ, making it interesting to see which one likes better.

I tried. I really tried, but I still don’t get the adulation that has been accorded to Karajan. There is no question that he is a fine conductor, but I hear only the head, not the heart. There are still good reasons to order the set: horn players can revel in Dennis Brain’s fabulous orchestral playing, and the Schubert box is simply the best I’ve ever heard. Then there’s the surprise of hearing some of the best baroque trumpet playing I have ever heard in his excellent early recording of Bach’s B minor Mass. When all is said and done the box is still worth having. But it doesn’t generate for me the same level of excitement as did Sony’s Bernstein sets.

Say what you may about Karajan: and I think he is the victim of much snobbery: he did produce many, probably too many, great recordings. These with Decca seem to represent Karajan at his peak. Each recording is beautifully packaged and the box is strong. A little bit over-priced but a lovely thing to own and listen to. I copied to my hard-drive and found one disc would not rip. However: it matters not. I will view these as a treat rather like listening to vinyl but without the oft-forgotten warps, clicks, vulnerability to damage, and surface nose that used to spoil my listening experience. Vinyl is a lovely product to own but that aside: todays digital sound is, in my view, impeccable.

A ce prix extrêmement raisonnable , voila une vue d'ensemble exaltante sur la carrière de Karajan avec le Philharmonia , puis avec Vienne ( peu , ici ) et Berlin .Le prix n'a pas flambé , pour l'instant , et tout mélomane amoureux de musique symphonique , en particulier , devrait se précipiter .Un boitier solide , des coffrets en carton solide , des notices en français ( de moins en moins fréquent ! ) et la belle et bonne idée : sur les pochettes , une multitude de photos noir et blanc de Karajan dirigeant , émouvantes et révélatrices !Les notices ne sont pas systématiquement élogieuses : surprenant mais intéressant ...Une lacune : l'absence d'un index général par compositeurs , qui aurait bien facilité la recherche et les comparaisons entre époques d'enregistrement .J'en profite pour souligner une lecture indispensable : la biographie ( non traduite ; en anglais ) , faite par John Osborne : " Karajan A Life in Music " , qui apporte beaucoup d'éléments sur les choix de direction de Karajan ,sa technique , ses goûts musicaux ...La qualité sonore : excellente voire superlative pour les sessions avec Berlin .Je souligne aussi que les enregistrements mono des années 50 avec le Philharmonia sont très satisfaisants , vivants , pleins de relief , et n'ont vraiment pas grand chose à envier aux prises des débuts de la stéréo .Seuls les enregistrements de la fin des années 40 ( peu nombreux : surtout le coffret avec Vienne 1946/1949 ) peuvent être ingrats . ( Ecoutes faites avec des enceintes hdg qui ne laissent rien passer des défauts ) .Les commentaires de chacun vont évidemment varier en fonction de ses centres d'intérêt pré-existants à l'écoute .Commençons par les réserves et les déceptions , grandes ou relatives .Ainsi , la Missa Solemnis et le Requiem Allemand , enregistrés deux fois ici , ne m'ont jamais véritablement intéressé , quels que soient le chef et les solistes , car leur caractère hybride , ni sacrés ni totalement profanes , me gêne et ôte l'émotion .Les symphonies de Haydn ( peu nombreuses : toujours les plus connues ! ) , de Mozart ( peu nombreuses : toujours les plus connues ! ) , de Schubert et de Brahms bénéficient évidemment d'une grande mise au point technique et se situent à un niveau élevé , que ce soit avec le Philharmonia , Vienne ou Berlin , mais sans creuser l'écart , me semble-t-il , avec les versions d'autres grands chefs de l'après-guerre . Nous les avons tellement écoutées , ces oeuvres ...Il ne m'a jamais semblé que Karajan ait des affinités très profondes avec le XVIII ° siècle , bien qu'il fut un grand chef d'opéra mozartien ( Cosi , Noces ... ) ; ses Schubert et Brahms ne témoignent pas d'un engagement particulier , à l'écoute , et n'emportent pas l'auditeur .Les concertos pour piano de Beethoven : Gieseking n'enchante pas mais le pire , et de loin , ce sont les versions avec Weissenberg : je crois que je n'avais encore rien entendu d'aussi froid et peu expressif . Que trouvait donc Karajan à Weissenberg ? Mystère .La Symphonie Fantastique : elle est certes handicapée par une prise de son qui ne peut rendre la rutilance et la sauvagerie de l'orchestre ; cependant , je crois que Karajan , malgré l'excellente mise en place , est resté un peu en dehors de l'oeuvre , échouant à rendre complètement son caractère emporté , fantasque ...Il n'est vraiment plus possible , en 2020 , d'écouter Water Music sur une grande phalange orchestrale et Vivaldi , Telemann , pas davantage ...Les compagnies de disques souhaitaient qu'il enregistre " tout " , mais , en fait , en privilégiant d'abord les classiques éprouvés , les " inusables " et les chevaux de bataille ...D'où beaucoup de disques mais un répertoire de Karajan finalement pas si vaste que cela ...Les piliers de ce somptueux monument , qui , pour moi , justifient totalement l'achat :Avec Lucerne : Lippati dans Mozart , malgré la prise de son ...Avec Vienne : les Metamorphoses de StraussAvec le Philharmonia , de 46 à 61 , pour l'essentiel :- les symphonies 4 , 5 , 6 de Tchaikovsky : épurées , d'une grande hauteur de vue , gommant les attendrissements et la guimauve . Bref , classiques !- les autres compositeurs russes du XIX ° siècle- la Messe en Si , surtout pour les lumineuses interventions de Schwarzkopf- sa première intégrale des symphonies de Beethoven : je les ai toutes , pour Herr Karajan , et celle-ci reste ma préférée avec la version des années 70 que pourrait accompagner celle du début des années 60 ... C'est un Beethoven aux vifs contrastes dynamiques , clair et net , sans pathos et emphase , enlevé , avec un orchestre engagé et survolté et qui sait ce qu'il doit à Karajan qui l'a mené au plus haut niveau ...La remastérisation est nouvelle mais ne m'a pas semblé supérieure à celle de mon coffret EMI Angel de 2009- les symphonies 2 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 de Sibelius ( 52 , 53 , 55 , 60 ) : affinités évidentes de Karajan avec cette musique , qui rejoignait ses préoccupations spirituelles- la musique pour cordes , percussion et celesta de Bartok- les trois suites de Bizet , somptueusement valorisées- d'excellents Debussy ( La Mer ) , Roussel , Ravel et Chabrier- d' impressionnantes Variations sur un thème de HaydnAvec Berlin , de 57 à 81 :- la symphonie n° 9 de Dvorak , d'une rare intensité ( 57 ; bien plus intense que la version de 79 ! )- le Concerto pour clarinette avec le grand Karl Leister : un sommet lumineux et serein- toujours excellent chez Debussy ( La Mer ) , rendu avec tous ses infinis miroitements- les symphonies 4 , 5 et 6 de Tchaikovsky ( mais sans retrouver peut-être la tension et la vision épurée de 52 , 53 et 56 , avec le Philharmonia )- les symphonies 4 , 7 et 8 de Bruckner ( puissantes , construites , d'une inspiration élevée ; quel dommage qu'il n'ait pas enregistré avec le Philharmonia ...)- Une Vie de Héros , de R.Strauss : sommet d'intensité et de tension , orchestre galvanisé . Et l'on retrouve le travail sur les basses initié par Futwängler et poursuivi par Karajan , ce quatuor de contrebasses de Berlin qui procure cette assise , cette ampleur , cette puissance tellurique , avec le reste de l'orchestre évidemment ... Je ne vois rien de comparable , dans les autres grandes phalanges occidentales , pour Brahms , Wagner , Bruckner , Sibelius .- Les Saisons : très belle vision de l'oratorio de Haydn , où nous retrouvons une Gundula Janowitz rayonnante et d'une impeccable sûreté vocale . Karajan hausse la partition vers la grande musique symphonique , le grand classicisme , en ne privilégiant pas le côté rustique populaire et pittoresque descriptif . On pourra aussi aimer ce qu'ont proposé Marriner , Armin Jordan et Jacobs . Devant de tels chefs d'oeuvre , il y a place pour de multiples talents .- les symphonies 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 et 6 de Sibelius et six poèmes symphoniques : le son est d'une splendeur inégalée . L'orchestre semble ne plus former qu'un seul instrument sous la baguette de son Chef . Opulence , sérénité , beauté quasi apollinienne ...Sibelius , vu par Karajan , rejoint la grande lignée austro-allemande : Beethoven , Brahms , Bruckner et Mahler ( d'ailleurs absent de cet énorme coffret ...) . il n'est plus question des lacs et des cygnes , de la forêt mais d'une musique quasi pure et intemporelle .Ce qui n'exclut nullement les versions des années 50 avec le Philharmonia , plus abruptes , moins " aimables " pour l'auditeur car moins poncées .

アンチカラヤン派の方にもぜひ聴いて欲しいです。

Poco que añadir a opiniones anteriores. Simplemente recalcar la INMENSA calidad del reprocesado. Poseedor de versiones anteriores he comprado esta nueva edición aprovechando una bajada a 97€ de Amazon (0,96 €/CD......."igualito" que los Bruce Springsteen, U2 y Madonna de turno......) y, ciertamente, me he quedado sorprendido e impresionado. Fluidez, desaparición de ruido de fondo (salvo alguna excepción), calidez...realmente han revivido las grabaciones y me sigo sorprendiendo de la calidad alcanzada por una "banda" creada en plena posguerra de prisa y corriendo para vender discos de EMI convertida por el "cacique" austríaco en una auténtica orquesta afinada como una máquina (hablo de la Orquesta Phillarmonia). No hay más que añadir a otras opiniones ni a los múltiples análisis llevados a cabo de Karajan y su obra como Director. El reprocesado 2.014 cubre con creces el adquirir el pack.Por poner una pega desde un punto de vista editorial no habría estado de más juntar los diferentes "libretos" (uno por cada "pack parcial" de CDs) en uno solo. Los cofres de Sony en este punto son el modelo a seguir (pienso en el de Murray Perahia (ASIN B008NBEY3C) o el Leonard Bernstein Edition (ASIN B00LL4U1TE) por ejemplo).

Let's clear up a few things at the start: these are not reissues of the DG recordings, which already have had a number of boxes (one per decades, really) released already: these are recordings made pre-DG when Karajan was signed with EMI. That means most of these recordings are quite old, ranging from the start of Karajan's recording career in 1947 through to the late 70s or very early 80s, after which he signed exclusively with DG. That also means these are quite dated recordings, quite a few in mono although the majority in stereo.Two things to consider in a monumental box like this one: the music and the recordings. Let's start with the recordings. EMI always had superb engineering, and it shows here. Yes, you can tell these are not as dynamic as some of the very late recordings Karajan did with DG, especially the earlier work, but these discs all sound much better than most people would expect. A lot of that is due to the skills of the EMI engineers of the day, but the remastering engineers, working from original sources, have done a superb job of bringing these recordings to life. They are dynamic, with nice soundstaging (except on the monos, obviously), and quite a quiet background on almost all the discs. The remastering engineers truly deserve credit here: I compared some of the remasters to my original LPs (and some CD reissues) and the difference is immediately noticeable, and advantageous. Really superbly done by the team who put this box together, and a great example of what can be done with aging recordings to bring them to life today!As for the music, well, it's Karajan (which implies a particular style and interpretation) but it's also early Karajan when he was forming his musical style. There's a lot of music here, spread over 101 discs, separated into genres by box. There's decent notes with each disc, and the covers are reproduced from the originals. There's several orchestras represented here, from BPO to VPO and the Philharmonia, all playing up to their reputation and delivering on Karajan's vision. In some ways, as a Karajan fan for many decades, it's enlightening to go back to some of these early recordings and compare them with his later works on DG to see how he evolved and how his vision changed, but there's no implication in that statement that anything here is less than stellar. Even the recordings of the war-horses sound interesting. There's Karajan's first Beethoven symphony cycle, which got overshadowed by his later three cycles, but listening to this early set shows his musical interpretations starting off right.There's a huge scope of music here, all of which is solid and should be in every collection. Despite the recording dates, these are not "historical" (read "poor quality") recordings in any way: these are discs that stand up well against any of today's releases. And the value! At 101 discs for the money, this is a no-brainer, and a great way to start building a classical library (if that's the situation) or expand one to include some seminal recordings by one of the great conductors the world has seen. After going through this box once, I've now been bouncing between this and the later DG reissues to listen to Karajan old versus new, and it's an interesting exercise. And it shows just how great these remastered recordings are. Hats off to Warner for going the extra step with these recordings. Truly a bargain, and a great set of music.