| HVK is unquestionably one of the giants. His leadership of the Berlin Philharmonic produced, first and foremost, a catalog of recordings that include some of the most significant renditions of such works as Debussy's "La Mer", Sibelius' Fifth Symphony, Strauss' "Ein Heldenleben" and "Also Sprach Zarathustra" and Mahler's Ninth.
I think it's fair to say that his recordings are what made him famous, and rightly so. While some criticize a "cool" approach to music-making (whatever that means!) I nearly always find myself enamored by the sound of his recordings. He helped the Berlin Phil. develop the sound they are known for, which is probably singular in its beauty, power, clarity, and refinement even today. Furthermore, he helped advance recording technology in ways that led to digital recording media becoming the standard.
He definitely propagated the "Maestro" image, and fostered a cult of personality. For better or worse, though, he was the real deal - a musician of the calibre that we will not see very often. I wish I had been able to see him conduct live.
For an interesting bit of reading, check out "The Glenn Gould Reader" which contains collected writings by the great pianist. At one point, he describes witnessing Karajan conducting the Sibelius Fifth - and it's some of the best writing about what makes a compelling performance that you'll ever read. |