Commanding the podium with his slender figure, theatrical shock of hair and
penetrating blue eyes, Herbert von Karajan projected the hieratic image of
the conductor as officiant of some quasi-mystic rite. And anyone who ever
saw him conduct live or on his many audiovisual recordings will agree that
in his performances, music did indeed become a religion and Karajan its
high-priest. Karajan (1908-1989) embodied classical music in the general
consciousness as an epoch-making conductor, media star, opera producer,
festival director and festival founder. But in spite of his Promethean and
widely varied activities, he remained a superb conductor, with a grasp of
the standard orchestral and operatic repertory from Mozart to Schoenberg
that was unsurpassed among his peers. The Symphony No. 2 was recorded live
at the Berlin Philharmonie in 1973.