Mr. Fasano’s English Class

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Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian orchestra and opera conductor, one of the most renowned 20th century conductors. Karajan began his conducting career in 1927. After World War II his reputation spread through Europe to the United States. He toured with various orchestras (notably the Berlin Philharmonic) and participated in many of Europe’s music festivals. He was musical director of the Berlin Philharmonic and was artistic director of the Vienna State Opera (1956–64). He was a remarkable conductor, but his dictatorial style made him controversial.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 is the top-selling classical music recording artist of all time, estimated at 200 million records sold. He is perhaps best known for his 1962 Berlin Philharmonic recordings of Beethoven’s symphonies, and for his expertise in conducting the music of Brahms, Bruckner, Richard Strauss and Sibelius.