Karajan: R. Strauss Alpensinfonie Op. 64 (rec. 1980) - DG 2532 015 (DDD)
$20.00 USD
Jacket NM / LP NM / German pressing
This handsome LP from Deutsche Grammophon (2532 015, German pressing, white circle label, DDD stereo) features Herbert von Karajan and the Berliner Philharmoniker's arguably unsurpassed account of Richard Strauss' Eine Alpensinfonie Op. 64, sumptuously recorded at the Philharmonie, Berlin in December 1980 (director of production: Gunther Breest; recording supervision: Michel Glotz; sound engineer: Gunter Hermanns). Incidentally, the organ part was taken here by David Bell. This is a visionary performance, richly evocative, powerfully atmospheric - truly extraordinary from first bar to last with wide-ranging sound of great amplitude to match - one of the best things to come of Karajan's late Richard Strauss series.
The beautiful cover photo was taken by Bert Leidmann, ZEFA. On the reverse side of the jacket are printed insightful liner notes in German, French, and Italian (by Peter Petersen), as well as in English (by William Mann).
CONDITION:
The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.
The condition of the jacket is near-MINT. There is slight corner wear, but that is all. There are no seamsplits, bends, owners' markings, or other defects, and the album remains solid, bright, glossy, and very striking in appearance – overall, a fine collector's copy.
The condition of the LP itself is near-MINT. Although surfaces are not absolutely silent (and thus I have rated it NM vs. MINT), really this is a very fine copy and playback is truly superb. However, if you must have absolutely perfect surfaces, then please do not buy this LP. Overall, this rates as a very fine collector's copy.
