Herbert von Karajan

Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian conductor born in Salzburg in 1908. He rose to prominence in the 1930s and became one of the most recorded classical musicians of all time. Karajan served as principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic from 1955 to 1989 and also held posts with the Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival. His interpretations of the core Austro-German repertoire, especially Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Richard Strauss, remain benchmarks. He recorded extensively for Deutsche Grammophon and EMI, shaping the label’s classical catalogue for decades. Karajan was known for his precise technique, meticulous rehearsals and pioneering use of film and digital recording technology.