I have been listening to classical virutually my whole life. At around thirteen, I dove in head deep and started buying CDs like mad until I had a collection of over 500 classical and opera CDs. If one were to browse this collection it would be immediately apparent that I have more Herbert von Karajan recordings than I do of any other conductor. I suppose I just dig his style. There are many detractors to Herbert von Karajan's style, apparently. Most of the criticisms I've read pertain to the orchestral sound being too glossy or lethargic, for Karajan had a prediliction for perfection from his players and typically employed broad and expansive tempi that in some cases could drag the music down.These criticisms are valid to some degree with certain recordings, but on the whole I believe Karajan created a wonderful catalog of his own, offering most of what comprises the standard repertoire, with good to excellent performances and generally excellent sound quality. There are some true gems in Karajan's catalog, and I think most of his recordings of Richard Strauss's works with the Berlin Philharmonic are among them.

Herbert von Karajan was an up-and-coming young celebrity when he first met Richard Strauss in 1940, nine years before the composer's death. He looked up to Strauss very much, already a great admirer of his music. Strass was attending a performance of his own opera Elektra, conducted by Karajan. Strauss later told him it was the best performance of the opera he had ever heard, and was even more impressed that Karajan could conduct the entire score from memory, without the assistance of the score in front of him during the performance. Karajan had occasion to meet Strauss later and received a few pearls of wisdom regarding music and conducting that he later admitted had an influence on his own approach to conducting.

Karajan and Strauss also shared another similarity in their personal histories: they were both involved with the Nazi party in Germany. Richard Stauss served for a time as the President of the Music division of the Reichskammerkultur, a branch of the Nazi government tasked with identifying what was to be considered "degenerate art" in Nazi Germany. At first, Strauss accepted this position in an effort to reign in the growing atonal movement, due to the backlash against Romantic music it had created. Strauss was never an actual member of the Nazi party, and he did not last long in the position of president, due to the fact that he continued to collaborate with Jewish artists during his tenure. Considering Strauss's own wife was also Jewish, it seems clear that he did not buy into some of the Nazi party's more nefarious ideals, but simply felt a duty to his country to oversee the quality of music that was to be played in Germany. He became disenchanted with the Nazi party, but managed to survive the war years with his family intact.

Karajan joined the Nazi party in the early 1930s, presumably in order to remain in Germany under Nazi leadership and continue to further his ambitions. While he conducted several concerts for Nazi politicians and added the requisite fanfares to the beginning of concerts, there is little indication that Karajan had any real political aspirations. Furthermore, his wife at the time was of partial Jewish descent, and in fact he later became unpopular amongst the higher echelon of Nazi power players. This may have been influential in his decision to spend a few years in England developing his craft with the newly formed Philharmonia Orchestra, before ultimately taking over the directorship of the Berlin Philharmonic in 1955, a post he was to hold until 1989.

To this day, much has been said of Karajan and Strauss's involvement with the Nazis. Several famous musical figures, such as Itzhak Perlman and Isaac Stern, refused to work with Karajan throughout his life as a result of his Nazi membership. Despite the moral judgments people make decades after the fact, it seems clear to me that both Strauss and Karajan were men of their time; they loved Germany and they loved music. While many conductors and composers fled Germany in protest of Nazi leadership, for better or worse, these men stayed and continued to make music. Whatever one may say about them as men, I for one can enjoy the music as the gift they gave the world despite their human flaws.

Whatever one may say about Karajan's recordings, most would agree that he had a special affinity with the works of Richard Strauss, and honestly I cannot think a more powerful and successful combination than Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic performing the works of Strauss. Karajan recorded most of Strauss's works during his time with the Berlin Philharmonic. I am particularly fond of the tone poems, especially the EMI recordings made in the mid-70's, due to their opulent, warm and sometimes ethereal sound quality. Furthermore, the EMI recordings also feature Karajan's account of the Wagner Overtures and Preludes recorded in the Philharmonie in the 70's. I cannot imagine a better overall introduction to Strauss and Wagner than these three EMI issues. However, there are also some excellent recordings available on Deutsche Gramophon. Below I have provided a breakdown of my favorite recordings, all featuring Herbert von Karajan conducting the Berlin Philharmonic.

The EMI recordings:

Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica / Wagner: Tristan und Isolde-Prelude and Liebestod & Lohengrin-Preludes to Act I and III

Sinfonia Domestica is a symphonic representation of the tempestous family life Strauss led with his wife Pauline, whom he loved very much, but with whom he argued and fought infamously. It is a lush work, with the love theme dominant throughout, and showcases a frenetic and powerful finale. Karajan's performance is typically fine, with strings soaring above the orchestral textures like a flock of birds above water. The brass and percussion come through very well, although the overall sound scape is a bit dryer than the others due to the fact that it was not recorded in the Philharmonie, but it is still an excellent recording. Likewise, the selections from the two Wagner operas provide a tremendous and generous supplement. The Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde is earth-shattering in its final release, and the performance of the opening prelude from Lohengrin is so soothing and rich it will have you floating on air. As with all of these EMI issues, labeled "The Karajan Edition," the original recordings were remastered using Abbey Road Technology, and feature some of the best sound engineering of their day.

Strauss: Ein Heldenleben / Wagner: Der Fliegende Hollander-Overture & Parsifal-Preludes to Acts I and III

Strauss's tone poem "A Hero's Life" depicts the man himself as artist and national figure, with movements dedicated to his critics, his wife, his works of war, his works of peace and his "retirement from the world." All of these episodes are presented with gloriously full-bodied sound, in a performance that is taut, powerful and romantic. The final brass chorale at the end will send shivers up and down your spine. Add to that a truly epic performance of the Flying Dutchman Overture and a haunting rendition of the Parsifal preludes, and you have a set that will have you basking in aural pleasures for years.

Strauss: Don Quixote / Wagner: Tannhauser-Overture (Paris Version) & Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg-Overture

This is easily the best of the three EMI issues; this performance of Don Quixote is as whimsical, mystical and opulent as one could expect, especially given the inspirational source material by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. Variation III, depicting the hero's love interest, is some of the most ravishing music ever written. The strings simply shine and flow like liquid, and the theme builds up to a heart-rending climax that proves that Strauss was one of the best composers of love themes to ever grace the world. The solo cello contribution of Mstislav Rostropovich is as successful as it is impeccable. All in all, this is the finest performance of the three tone poems offered by EMI, as are the two Wagner overtures coupled on this disc. The 24 minute opening overture to the paris version of Tannhauser is simply amazing, leading to an ethereal closing thanks to distanced chorus and gentle strings and woodwinds. One almost wishes an entire performance of the opera itself would ensue. The disc's final track, the overture to Die Meistersinger, is the perfect encore piece. A bold and expansive performance with a thrilling finale, adding an extra cymbal crash than is customary for good measure.

On Deutsche Gramophon:

Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra & Don Juan

This is easily one of Karajan's most popular and successful recordings. This early digital account of Thus Spake Zarathustra, inspired by the book by Nietzche, is my favorite of all. I know of no other recording that will so successfully demonstrate the qualities of a stereo system from the very depths of its bass capabilities to the highest notes in the spectrum. The opening introduction (made famous by its use in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey-also a Karajan recording I might add) will leave you breathless. The impact achieved by the combination of full orchestra, bass drum roll and pipe organ will shake the foundations of your home. The entire performance offers excellent pacing, expert balance with clear inner detail and warm, full sound quality. As remastered using DG's Original-Image Bit-Processing, one would never guess this was recorded over 20 years ago. Likewise, the performance of Don Juan is overwhelmingly romantic and powerful, with a finale that will really get your heart racing.

Strauss: Eine Alpensinfonie

This work depicts the expedition of a group of men hell-bent on climbing to the summit of a massive peak in the Alps. Performed, like all of Strauss's tone poems, without a break, it flows from one episode to the next as the group sets out on their journey through lush valleys, climbing their way to the summit, and battling a severe storm during their descent. It is a truly beautiful symphonic poem with a lot of emotion and some of the most lyrical moments Strauss ever wrote. Karajan's performance with the BPO offers a bold, in-your-face performance, that yet has room to breath and expand as necessary. Karajan handles the lyrical moments with typical ardor and the overall balance is very close, allowing one to relish all of the ingenious orchestral color. Highly recommended.

Strauss: Tod und Verklarung & Metamorphosen

Death and Transfiguration depicts the dying moments of an old man, stricken with illness, as he remembers back on his life and finally dies, only to be transfigured in death and rise above all of life with beauty and grace. This piece represents some of Strauss's most passionate writing, featuring a wonderfully soaring love theme and a truly spiritual climax as the transfiguration theme reaches an overwhelming crescendo before quietly drifting away in soothing C major chords. Indeed, Strauss said the impetus for writing this piece was simply to write a piece that ended in C major. His later work, Metamorphosen, is a work for string orchestra that borders on the kind of atonal chromaticism that he so passionately resisted as an older man. There is a DG recording of these two works available on CD, however I prefer the DVD offering, as it allows one to experience Death and Transfiguration in Dolby Digital Surround Sound, which is a real treat. DG also coupled Death and Transfiguration with a later recording Karajan made of Ein Heldenleben in digital format. The performance is excellent, however the sound quality does not match some of DG's other recordings of the same time period, and overall the EMI Ein Heldenleben is a better bet. However, this coupling does offer the remastered version of Death and Transfiguration, which sounds better than the original issue.

References

Kennedy, Michael. Richard Strauss: Man, Musician, Enigma. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1999.

Osborne, Richard. Herbert von Karajan: A Life in Music. Boston: Northeastern UP, 1998.