About

Known credits:
94
Birthday:
1908-04-05
Place of birth:
Salzburg, Austria
Website:
N/A

Herbert von Karajan

Overview

Herbert von Karajan (born Heribert Ritter[a] von Karajan; 5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and during the Second World War he conducted at the Berlin State Opera. Generally regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, he was a controversial but dominant figure in European classical music from the mid-1950s until his death. Part of the reason for this was the large number of recordings he made and their prominence during his lifetime. By one estimate, he was the top-selling classical music recording artist of all time, having sold an estimated 200 million records.

The Karajans were of Macedonian Greek ancestry. Herbert's great-great-grandfather, Georg Karajan (Geórgios Karajánnis, Greek: Γεώργιος Καραγιάννης), was born in Kozani, in the Ottoman province of Rumelia (now in Greece), leaving for Vienna in 1767, and eventually Chemnitz, Electorate of Saxony.

His last name, like several other Ottoman-era ones, contains the Turkish language prefix "kara", which means "black".

He and his brother participated in the establishment of Saxony's cloth industry, and both were ennobled for their services by Frederick Augustus III on 1 June 1792, thus adding the prefix "von" to the family name. This usage disappeared with the abolition of Austrian nobility after World War I. The surname Karajánnis became Karajan. Although traditional biographers ascribed a Slovak and Serbian or simply a Slavic origin to his mother, Karajan's family from the maternal side, through his grandfather who was born in the village of Mojstrana, Duchy of Carniola (today in Slovenia), was Slovene. Aromanian heritage has also been claimed. Through the Slovene line, Karajan was related to the Slovenian-Austrian composer Hugo Wolf. He also seems to have known some Slovene.

Heribert Ritter von Karajan was born in Salzburg, Austria-Hungary, the second son of senior consultant Ernst von Karajan (1868–1951) and Marta (née Martha Kosmač; 1881–1954) (married 1905). He was a child prodigy at the piano. From 1916 to 1926, he studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with Franz Ledwinka (piano), Franz Zauer (harmony), and Bernhard Paumgartner (composition and chamber music). He was encouraged to concentrate on conducting by Paumgartner, who detected his exceptional promise in that regard. In 1926 Karajan graduated from the conservatory and continued his studies at the Vienna Academy, studying piano with Josef Hofmann (a teacher with the same name as the pianist) and conducting with Alexander Wunderer and Franz Schalk.

Karajan made his debut as a conductor in Salzburg on 22 January 1929. The performance got the attention of the general manager of the Stadttheater in Ulm and led to Karajan's first appointment as assistant Kapellmeister of the theater. His senior colleague in Ulm was Otto Schulmann. After Schulmann was forced to leave Germany in 1933 with the NSDAP takeover, Karajan was promoted to first Kapellmeister. ...

Source: Article "Herbert von Karajan" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Known for

Acting
2020 Sternstunden der Musik: Der Rosenkavalier mit Karajan in Salzburg 1960 Actor dirigent N/A
N/A
2020 Beethoven · Missa Solemnis - Herbert von Karajan Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
2019 Karajan: Portrait of a Maestro Actor Self - Music Conductor (archive footage) 59
Average
2019 Rostropovich: L'archet Indomptable Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
2017 The Clouzot Scandal Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
2017 Karajan - Der Maestro und sein Festival Actor Self (archive) N/A
N/A
2015 Verdi: Falstaff Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
2012 Herbert von Karajan – The Second Life Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
N/A
2010 Karajan dirigiert Beethovens Siebente (Directors Cut) Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
N/A
2009 Karajan: Beauty As I See It Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
N/A
2009 Eroica - Director's Cut Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
2008 Inside Karajan Actor Self N/A
N/A
2008 Karajan - Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies DVD Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
2008 Herbert von Karajan: Maestro for the Screen Actor Self (archival footage) N/A
N/A
2008 Beethoven · Missa Solemnis (Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan) Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
2007 Karajan Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4, 5 & 6 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
2007 Rostropovich Life & Art Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
2007 Karajan - Bruckner - Symphonies Nos. 8 & 9 Actor Self 59
Average
2005 Karajan: Beethoven - Symphonies 1, 2 & 3 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
2005 Karajan: Beethoven - Symphonies 4, 5 & 6 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
2005 Karajan · Die Symphonien Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
2005 Karajan: Beethoven - Symphonies 7, 8 & 9 Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
2004 Karajan: Bach: Violin Concerto No. 2: New Year's Eve Concert 1984 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
2003 Karajan: Opening Concert - Berlin 750 Years Actor N/A
N/A
2003 Herbert Von Karajan: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
2000 Herbert Von Karajan: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1999 Karajan: 1988 New Year's Concert - Prokofiev & Tchaikovsky Actor N/A
N/A
1999 Herbert Von Karajan: Dvorák - Symphony No. 9 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1999 Vivaldi - The Four Seasons / Von Karajan, Mutter, Berlin Philharmonic Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1993 The Art of Conducting: Great Conductors of the Past Actor Self (archive footage) 59
Average
1987 Don Giovanni Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
1987 Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker 1987 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1987 Herbert Von Karajan - New Year's Concert Vienna 1987 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1986 Herbert von Karajan conducts Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 Actor Self N/A
N/A
1986 Don Carlo Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1985 Karajan: Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 Actor Self N/A
N/A
1985 Dvorak: Symphony No. 9: From the New World Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1985 Karajan: Brahms: German Requiem Actor Conductor N/A
N/A
1984 Der Rosenkavalier Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1984 Karajan: Beethoven: Symphony 1 & 8 Actor Self N/A
N/A
1984 Karajan: Beethoven: Violin Concerto Actor N/A
N/A
1984 Karajan: Strauss: Death and Transfiguration & Metamorphosen Actor dirigent N/A
N/A
1984 Herbert von Karajan: Verdi: Requiem Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1984 Beethoven: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 61 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1980 Brahms: The Symphonies Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
1979 Karajan conducts Ravel and Debussy Actor Self N/A
N/A
1978 Wagner: Das Rheingold Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1978 Impressions of Herbert Von Karajan Actor Self N/A
N/A
1978 Karajan Brahms En Deutsches Requiem Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1978 Il Trovatore - Verdi Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
1977 The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert: 1977 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1977 Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1974 Madama Butterfly Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
1973 Karajan dirigiert Beethovens fünfte Symphonie Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1973 Otello Actor Conductor N/A
N/A
1972 Eroica Actor Conductor 59
Average
1971 Beethoven - Symphony No. 7 Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
1971 Beethoven - Symphony No. 8 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1971 Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 Actor Self N/A
N/A
1970 Von Reinhardt bis Karajan - 50 Jahre Salzburger Festspiele Actor Self (archive footage) N/A
N/A
1970 Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
1967 Pastorale Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
1967 Herbert von Karajan, Symphonie n°5 Beethoven Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1967 Verdi – Messa da Requiem Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
1966 Karajan: Mozart Violin Concerto No 5, Dvorak Symphony No.9 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1966 Yehudi Menuhin und Herbert von Karajan – Mozart: Konzert für Violine und Orchester Nr. 5 Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
1965 Karajan in Rehearsal Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
1965 La Bohème Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
1962 Der Rosenkavalier Actor Self - Conductor 59
Average
Herbert von Karajan: Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 Actor Self - Conductor N/A
N/A
Karajan: Mozart - Coronation Mass Actor N/A
N/A
Clouzot filme Karajan : la Symphonie du Nouveau Monde de Dvořák Actor Chef d'Orchestre N/A
N/A

Directing
2017 Wagner: Die Walküre Directing Director 59
Average
2008 Beethoven · Missa Solemnis (Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan) Directing Director 59
Average
2007 Karajan Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4, 5 & 6 Directing Director N/A
N/A
1986 Don Carlo Directing Director N/A
N/A
1984 Der Rosenkavalier Directing Director N/A
N/A
1984 Karajan: Strauss: Death and Transfiguration & Metamorphosen Directing Director N/A
N/A
1980 Brahms: The Symphonies Directing Director 59
Average
1978 Wagner: Das Rheingold Directing Director N/A
N/A
1973 Karajan dirigiert Beethovens fünfte Symphonie Directing Director N/A
N/A
1970 Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci Directing Director 59
Average
1967 Bizet Carmen Directing Stage Director 59
Average
1967 Bizet Carmen Directing Director 59
Average

Production
1965 La Bohème Production Producer 59
Average

Sound
2020 Beethoven · Missa Solemnis - Herbert von Karajan Sound Orchestrator 59
Average
2008 Karajan - Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies DVD Sound Music N/A
N/A
1987 Don Giovanni Sound Music Director 59
Average
1978 Il Trovatore - Verdi Sound Music 59
Average
1977 The Berliner Philharmoniker’s New Year’s Eve Concert: 1977 Sound Conductor N/A
N/A
1973 Otello Sound Conductor N/A
N/A
1970 Cavalleria rusticana / Pagliacci Sound Conductor 59
Average
1967 Pastorale Sound Music 59
Average
1967 Bizet Carmen Sound Conductor 59
Average