Herbert von Karajan's 1962-1963 recordings of the
Beethoven symphonies are almost universally praised, with the rendition of the Symphony No. 9 in D minor singled out as one of this conductor's greatest achievements. Over 20 years later,
Karajan and the
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra took on the Ninth again, in this digital recording that would be his last statement for Deutsche Grammophon of this great symphony. By this time in his career,
Karajan was a legend and he could ask anything of the BPO, so in this performance he emphasized the polished sound of the orchestra rather more than the energy and excitement of the music. Deutsche Grammophon's reproduction reflects the limitations of early digital technology, with a shallow surface quality and overly bright sonorities, so perhaps what
Karajan heard in the orchestral sound is not preserved in this CD.