Karl Bohm - The Unreleased Berlin Recordings 1962

180-gram gatefold double LP

Limited numbered edition

Previously unreleased!

Karl Böhm was 68 years old when, on October 29, 1962, he took up the baton in the legendary Saal 1 (Studio 1) of the broadcasting corporation on Kaiserdamm Strasse in Berlin to conduct the Radio-Symphonie-Orchester. The program comprised Symphony No. 4 by Johannes Brahms and Tod und Verklärung ("Death and Transfiguration"), a tone poem by Richard Strauss. For decades, Böhm had finely worked each melodic line, each harmony, each tempo.

Born in 1894 in Graz, Austria, Karl Böhm lived through most of the twentieth century, leaving us an oeuvre which honours both the traditions of German music and the outstanding treasures of the finest musical aesthetics of his century. Böhm began his musical studies at the conservatoire of Graz before going on to Vienna to study under Eusebius Mandyczevski, a composer, musicologist and close friend of Brahms. In 1921, under the guidance of Bruno Walter, his career truly took off when he entered the Munich Opera. With his volatile temperament, irascibility, and a perfectionism that left him perpetually dissatisfied, he tended to terrify the musicians, who nicknamed him "Herr Doktor."

His encounter with Richard Strauss in 1931 in Hamburg heralded the start of an artistic collaboration — one as rare as it was prolific — that continued until Strauss died in 1949. Perhaps it was thanks to this relationship in particular that Böhm gained his unique mastery of tempo, balance and colours. Christa Ludwig, the great mezzo soprano, threw light on this aspect when she said, "With him, we could always detect the value of the notes..."

After more than sixty years, the Berlin original tapes of these unforgettable recordings have been meticulously restored, bringing to light the warmth and brilliance of Böhm's performance. With the first and second movements of Brahms's Symphony No. 4 carefully cut on separate sides to optimize sound quality, this release promises an audio experience for one of the first stereo recordings in music history.

Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration), one of Strauss's early tone poems, is performed with a clarity and emotional depth that only Böhm could achieve. Having lived in Strauss's world, Böhm brings a unique interpretation to this work, navigating through the dying artist's final hours with a mastery that is both clear and deeply moving.

This double vinyl release of Karl Böhm  — The Unreleased Berlin Recordings 1962 not only pays homage to a legendary conductor but also offers listeners a chance to experience an adventure into sound and metaphysics with a supremely masterful guide at its helm.

 

Disc 1

1. Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

I. Allegro non troppo

II. Andante moderato

Disc 2

2. Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98

III. Allegro giocoso

IV. Allegro energico et passionato

3. Strauss: Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24

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