Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 1770 – 26 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music, and remains one of the most acclaimed and influential composers of all time.
Born in Bonn, Beethoven moved to Vienna in his early twenties and settled there, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. His hearing began to deteriorate in the late 1790s, yet he continued to compose, conduct, and perform, even after becoming completely deaf.
Herbert von Karajan (5 April 1908 – 16 July 1989) was an Austrian orchestra and opera conductor and one of the most renowned conductors in music history. His obituary in The New York Times described him as “probably the world’s best-known conductor and one of the most powerful figures in classical music.” Karajan conducted the Berlin Philharmonic for thirty-five years. He is the top-selling classical music recording artist of all time, with record sales estimated at 200 million( ~ like The Rolling Stones in their career).
We can enjoy today a masterpiece, the 5th symphony in a very old and rare film, no longer in print, recorded in 1966.
Karajan – Beethoven Symphony No. 5 – Part 1 (Movements 1 and 2)
Karajan – Beethoven Symphony No. 5 – Part 2 (Movements 3 and 4)
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