Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert von Karajan - Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan (1994) CD-Rip

This last recording of Zarathustra by Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic is truly stunning. As pure sound it's heavenly, the recording is rich and the interpretation has a depth and otherworldliness that other versions lack. Some might prefer the leaner, faster Reiner version from 1954 but it's kind of cold and efficient and doesn't embrace the human as much as Karajan does in this performance. Karajan certainly embraces the human and the superhuman in this luscious, grandiose tapestry of sound. If you want to buy several versions, this Karajan version is probably second only to Karajan's 1974 version, which is very famous in it's own right and third place would be Reiner 1954, followed by Reiner 1962, Karajan 1959, Solti in the 1990's with Berlin, Haitink in the 1970's, or whatever other interpretation you prefer. Just make sure you have this Karajan Gold disc in your possession if you care about Also Sprach Zarathustra. I think Karajan's 1974 recording is the finest, but Karajan is basically competing with himself in this music. Only Reiner is in the same elite class, yet his interpretation is markedly different.

The Don Juan is also terrific here and together makes this a must purchase for the fan of Strauss, Karajan or classical music in general. I agree with other people that Karajan's recordings in the 1980's were not always the finest when compared to his previous versions of the same music, however this performance can be placed among his best from the 1980's.