Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 2 (Herbert von Karajan)

Information

Composer: Jean Sibelius

• Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43

Berliner Philharmoniker

Herbert von Karajan, conductor

Date: 1981 / 2026

Label: Warner Classics

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This legendary 1980 recording of Jean Sibelius’s Second Symphony by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic brilliantly validates the composer's declaration that Karajan uniquely understood his music. Defying the traditionally lean, austere approach to Nordic repertoire, Karajan directs the orchestra with titanic, elemental power. The performance seamlessly navigates from the brooding mystery of the inner movements to a shattering, triumphant finale. This account perfectly exemplifies the monumental and thrilling "Karajan Sound," standing as spectacular proof of the profound artistic bond between the conductor and the composer in a definitive, deeply moving interpretation.

Herbert von Karajan was born in Salzburg on 5 April 1908. Initially a gifted pianist, he turned to conducting at the encouragement of Bernard Paumgartner and studied with Franz Schalk in Vienna. He began his professional career in 1929 at the Ulm Opera, later becoming music director in Aachen and joining the Berlin State Opera in 1938. After the war, he recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic under producer Walter Legge and led London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. In 1955 he succeeded Wilhelm Furtwängler as director of the Berlin Philharmonic and later directed the Vienna State Opera. Internationally renowned for his recordings and technological innovation, Karajan died in 1989.