Schoenberg : "Verklarte Nacht"
Webern: "Passacaglia"
Berg: "3 Orchestral Pieces"

Herbert von Karajan
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra
Deutsche Grammophon masterpiece collection.

This re-master is an ESOTERIC exclusive production and very limited quantities were produced.

The reissuing of the Decca masterpiece series has attracted a lot of attention both for its uncompromising commitment to recreating the original master recording and for using our hybrid Super Audio CD/CD re-mastering technology to improve sound quality. Now the time has come for the release of Deutsche Grammophon's finest. This series marks the first hybrid SA-CD/CD release of two selections that have been mainstays of the Deutsche Grammophon catalog since their initial release on LP, later making their way on to CD. These new audio versions feature DSD mastering of the original recordings.

Experience by yourself...

Experience the legendary performance in this new Super Audio CD/CD format. Not only for new followers, but also for well experienced followers of these recorded materials. All will be equally impressed by the "soul" hidden within the notes, but never before found in previously released recordings.

ESOTERIC equipment used for re-mastering

The criterion of re-mastering is to faithfully capture the quality of the original master tapes. ESOTERIC's flag ship D/A converters, model D-01VU, Rubidium master clock generator model G-0Rb and ESOTERIC MEXCEL cables, were all used for this re-mastering session. This combination of highly advanced technology greatly contributed to capturing the high quality sound of the original master tapes.

This album presents Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) at their height, bringing out the pure euphoria and sensuality of the Second Viennese School. Listen to the pinnacle of orchestral art, fully restored from DG's original analog recordings through state-of-the-art DSD mastering technology.

The seminal works of Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at their height

The 4 LP box set "Second Viennese School (Berg, Webern, Schoenberg)/Karajan & Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra," originally released by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) in 1975, is a pivotal masterpiece that fully captures the superb collaboration of Karajan and the BPO at its height in the 1970s. The box set contains nine representative orchestral works by Schoenberg, Berg and Webern, and was recorded in between live performances held from December 1972 to February 1974. This set rivals the LaSalle Quartet's "Second Viennese School - String Quartets" (5 LP box set from DG, released in 1972) as one of the landmark collections of the 1970s. Likewise, the vinyl release of these composers' works helped them to earn greater recognition. At the time this collection was made few actual recordings of these works existed, and with little commercial profit to be expected from their release, it could be said that Karajan himself made an investment in these recordings.

Greatest orchestral works of the Second Viennese School

This album features three representative orchestral works of three composers from the box set, brilliantly capturing the lingering afterglow of the late Romantic School. This marks the first time, through the days of LP and CD, that a compilation of these works has been released. Only the genius of Karajan fully exploiting the powerful and broad dynamic range of the BPO could produce such a rich and textured sound. Particularly inspiring is the BPO string section's performance of "Verklarte Nacht" written for string orchestra, a piece reminiscent of "Tristan und Isolde". The BPO string section magnificently depicts the rich luminance of the late Romantic School, fully demonstrating the true worth of the orchestra. In Berg's "3 Orchestral Pieces" and Webern's "Passacaglia", which were composed for large triple-wind orchestra, the stunning contrast between the subtle tone variations of soft muffled sections, as light as lithophane, and the overpowering sound of the orchestra in tutti is truly remarkable. It is only fitting that these recordings be considered masterpieces, for they left an indelible mark on the celestial art of orchestra in the 20th century.

Super Audio CD/CD brings out the distinct differences of each recording site

For the three works featured in this album, the Berg piece was recorded at the Jesus Christ Church in Berlin's Dahlem district in 1972, while the Schoenberg and Webern pieces were recorded at the Philharmonic in Berlin. Though the Jesus Christ Church had served as DG's principal recording site for Karajan and the BPO, around that time the decision was made to conduct recordings at the Philharmonic, the BPO's home concert hall. This "Second Viennese School (Berg, Webern, Schoenberg)" reflects this transition. As was done with the ESOTERIC project in the past, uncompromising efforts were made at each stage of the SA-CD hybridization process to recreate the original sound, from selecting the master tape for the recording to the final DSD mastering. ESOTERIC's top grade equipment, such as the carefully adjusted D/A converters, rubidium clock generator, and MEXCEL cables, were fully-utilized in the DSD mastering to store all of the information from the original analog master onto disc. This technology allows one to distinguish between the two recording sites more clearly than ever: the Jesus Christ Church - one of the few sites capable of producing rich reverberation and capturing the minute differences in sound, yet plagued by poor insulation and noise from planes flying overhead - and the Philharmonic - a first-class concert hall that brilliantly captures even the faintest pianissimo.

Breathtaking beauty and the intense dramatic tension of the string ensemble (Minao Shibata)

The performance of "Verklarte Nacht" by Karajan and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra at the NHK Hall in 1973 was undoubtedly the climax of the orchestra's Japan tour. The beauty of the string ensemble coupled with its intense dramatic tension took my breath away. I was completely overwhelmed by both its severity and tremendous aesthetic quality. When I first put the needle on "Verklarte Nacht", I yearned to experience that the awe and emotion I first felt when I heard the piece performed. I have listened to numerous live performance and recordings of "Verklarte Nacht" by various conductors and orchestras, and each time I have discovered something new, or some deeper sense of expression. However, I'm afraid that this new recording by Karajan may have forever denied us the chance to experience such new encounters and thrills. Though we can't really predict the feelings and emotions with which human beings will listen to music centuries from now, we do know that Karajan explored every facet of this score possible in our time, giving us the sound we hear now.

(Minao Shibata, from the liner notes for the first Japanese version LP