Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. 1. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
2. 2. Andante cantabile con moto - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
3. 3. Menuetto (Allegro molto e vivace) - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
4. 4. Finale (Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace) - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
5. 1. Allegro con brio - Berliner Philharmoniker, Elsa Schiller, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven
6. 2. Marcia funebre (Adagio assai) - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven
7. 3. Scherzo (Allegro vivace) - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven
8. 4. Finale (Allegro molto) - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven

Disc 2:

1. 1. Adagio molto - Allegro con brio - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Guenther Dieckmann, Ludwig van Beethoven
2. 2. Larghetto - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Guenther Dieckmann, Ludwig van Beethoven
3. 3. Scherzo (Allegro) - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Guenther Dieckmann, Ludwig van Beethoven
4. 4. Allegro molto - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Guenther Dieckmann, Ludwig van Beethoven
5. 1. Adagio - Allegro vivace - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven
6. 2. Adagio - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven
7. 3. Allegro vivace - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven
8. 4. Allegro ma non troppo - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven

Disc 3:

1. 1. Allegro con brio - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
2. 2. Andante con moto - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
3. 3. Allegro - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
4. 4. Allegro - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
5. 1. Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande: Allegro ma non troppo - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
6. 2. Szene am Bach: (Andante molto mosso) - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
7. 3. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute (Allegro) - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
8. 4. Gewitter, Sturm (Allegro) - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
9. 5. Hirtengesang. Frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm: Allegretto - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven

Disc 4:

1. 1. Poco sostenuto - Vivace - Berliner Philharmoniker, Elsa Schiller, Herbert von Karajan, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
2. 2. Allegretto - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
3. 3. Presto - Assai meno presto - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
4. 4. Allegro con brio - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Ludwig van Beethoven
5. 1. Allegro vivace e con brio - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Guenther Dieckmann, Ludwig van Beethoven
6. 2. Allegretto scherzando - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Guenther Dieckmann, Ludwig van Beethoven
7. 3. Tempo di menuetto - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Guenther Dieckmann, Ludwig van Beethoven
8. 4. Allegro vivace - Berliner Philharmoniker, Otto Gerdes, Günter Hermanns, Herbert von Karajan, Guenther Dieckmann, Ludwig van Beethoven

Disc 5:

1. 1. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven
2. 2. Molto vivace - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven
3. 3. Adagio molto e cantabile - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven
4. Presto - - Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan, Elsa Schiller, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Günter Hermanns, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Volker Martin, Ludwig van Beethoven
5. Presto- "O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!" -Allegro assai - Elsa Schiller, Gundula Janowitz, Hilde Rössel Majdan, Otto Gerdes, Otto Ernst Wohlert, Waldemar Kmentt, Günter Hermanns, Walter Berry, Berliner Philharmoniker, Rolf Peter Schroeder, Herbert von Karajan, Volker Martin, Wiener Singverein, Reinhold Schmid, Ludwig van Beethoven

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15169 in Music
• Released on: 1999-10-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: .41 pounds
• Running time: 330 minutes

Customer Reviews

What a Karajan...

This set of 5 CDs, which are sometimes confusingly referred to as the Karajan `1963 version' of Beethoven symphonies, are in fact recordings of performances between December 1961 and November 1962. This is according to the sleeve notes, which also state the publishing date of 1963 so I assume this is the cause of the mis-quotes.

The collection has also received much criticism for its quality of recording, but I couldn't hear any evidence of this on my set. Maybe recording techniques have improved since the 1960's but I would find these CD releases difficult to fault, and while the much-hyped vinyl pressings of these performances may have great nostalgic value and appeal more to the audiophile, I would find them rather difficult to play while driving to work!

It is worth remembering too that Karajan was a key figure in the development of the CD format, where he attended the first press conference announcing this new medium, although the decision to extend the maximum playing time of CDs from 60 minutes to 75 minutes in order to accommodate Karajan's rendition of Beethoven's Ninth may be a little fanciful.

This is a lovely packaged set of CDs, neatly presented in a slim-line box with 52 page booklet (21 pages in English), and including the words to Schiller's `Ode to Joy' in case you want to sing-a-long.

My favourite of the set is the powerful, yet immaculately controlled and refined, Ninth symphony.

The conductor is dead, long live the recordings...

Beethoven and Karajan, a perfect union
To a certain extent everyone is familiar with these symphonies,as over the course of them Beethoven transformed the classical style and pushed it to it's limits eventually culminating in the Romantic style. The playing and inerpratation on this collection is flawless, perhaps a little understated in the 2nd symphony but overall an unbeatable collection, showing both Beethoven and his interprater(Karajan)at their very best. I don't understand the comments regarding the quality of Deustche Grammophon's recording! I have found the digital restoration to be fanatastic and actually enhanced my enjoyment, definetly not a cause to discard the collection. Whatever your musical backgroung this collection is true MUST HAVE.

Classic Recording.
This is the better of the 2 recordings which Karajan did. This was the 1963 version, which is without doubt one of the best renditions I have every heard, the energy with which karajan takes the orchestra through the entire set of symphonies is amazing. When I first heard this recording, I was a bit indifferent as it sounds somewhat faster than a lot of other conductors have paced it at, but after a while, it grows on you and you will want to listen to nothing but Karajan. Without a doubt this is singly the best version of #9 I have heard.