Karajan conducts Verdi's Requiem

Few contemporaries surpassed Herbert von Karajan in the Austro-German symphonic repertoire, but he was also an unrivalled interpreter of Verdi, whether in the opera house or on the concert platform. Verdi's Requiem, in particular, was a touchstone throughout his long career, and this 1984 performance with the Vienna Philharmonic is the culmination of a lifetime's love affair with a masterpiece that has been described as "an opera in ecclesiastical garb". Unsurprisingly, at this point in his career, Karajan could name his own cast, and the quartet of soloists is little short of stellar: an unrepeatable line-up, captured here at the peak of their vocal splendour.

Soloists: 

Anna Tomowa-Sintow (Soprano), Agnes Baltsa (Mezzo-Soprano), José Carreras (Tenor), José van Dam (Bass)

Ensembles: 

Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor, Wiener Philharmoniker, Sofia National Opera Chorus

Conductor: 

Herbert von Karajan