Track Listing

1. Prelude (Sonnenaufgang)
2. Von den Hinterweltlern
3. Von der großen Sehnsucht
4. Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften
5. Das Grablied
6. Von der Wissenschaft
7. Der Genesende
8. Das Tanzlied - Das Nachtlied - Michel Schwalbé, Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan
9. Das Nachtwandlerlied
10. Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks (Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche), Op. 28
11. Don Juan, Op.20
12. Salome's Dance of the Seven Veils

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4197 in Music
• Released on: 1995-09-18
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds
• Running time: 79 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Herbert von Karajan was a Strauss specialist, and if ever composer and conductor were united in musical philosophy, then these two were. Both favoured making a beautiful, creamy, homogenised sound over just about all else, and von Karajan clearly relished the opportunities this music offered for playing that combined both tonal opulence and virtuosity. His Zarathustra (aka 2001: A Space Odyssey) is, along with Fritz Reiner's, probably among the two or three best performances preserved on disc, and von Karajan is nearly flawless on the other works as well. More good news: DG has given him warm, rich sound that is much better than their Berlin average. An essential Strauss collection. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Aboslutely stunning!!
I bought this recording when it first appeared on vinyl. At the time, provided that you had a decent quality turntable, cartridge and tone arm, connected to a decent amplifier and speakers, it was utterly enthralling. The recording is incredibly rich and the full detail of the orchestra can be clearly discerned.

What was, for me, uncanny, was the reverbaration and echo in the recording hall that was clear on the disc. The dynamic range was huge, yet the detail was amazing.

The transfer to CD is a masterpiece. It has lost none of the presence and immediacy of the vinyl recording and there is reduced 'background noise'.

This is the 'Also sprach' to buy. You owe it to your neighbours to play it loudly and let them enjoy this stunning recording.

Music of the spheres
Thirty years later, there still hasn't been a better sounding "Zarathustra". There have been more analytical recordings (including Karajan 1984), and higher-fidelity, but the beauty of the sounds that emerge from the speakers transcends any technical considerations. (It is earphone-safe too, with no peaking or distortion.) More importantly, the music ebbs and flows naturally, like the thoughts of a great mind: Karajan was a Strauss master, and so, it seems, was every member of the Berlin Philharmonic. (Special praise to the concert master, Michel Schwalbé, who delivers the Tanzlied with admirable purity of tone and Viennese Schwung and yes, a sense of ecstasy.) This is exhilarating stuff, whether you want to commune with the spirit of Nietzsche, or revel in orchestral virtuosity, or watch galaxies form.

Excellent recording
The best recording of this under-rated piece of work from Richard Strauss. It is so much more than just the opening piece.