As a two-disc summary of Herbert von Karajan's career with Deutsche Grammophon, this set, called Karajan Gold, can't be bettered. Though the choice of repertoire emphasizes the Austrian maestro's lighter side -- there's no Bruckner or Mahler here to disrupt the flow of instantly identifiable masterpieces -- the selection still highlights what Karajan could do with an orchestra. Drawn predominately from his work with the Berliner Philharmoniker from the later part of his career, these recordings show that few conductors had such consummate control of their forces as Karajan. From the whiplash tutti crash of Bizet's Carmen Prйlude through the smooth string legato of the Valse from Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, the adeptly modulated crescendo of Ravel's Bolйro and the starkly sculpted structure of the Allegro con brio from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony to the richly flowing sonorities of the Moldau from Smetana's Mб Vlast, Karajan is clearly in complete control of every aspect of the music-making. And with that control, Karajan creates performances of unsurpassed sumptuousness. The tonal opulence of his Vivaldi, Bach, and Pachelbel may seem overdone to fans of the purer tone of historically informed performance practice and the sonorous depths of his Grieg, Suppй, and Offenbach may seem over-plumbed to fans of more lively performance styles. But few would argue that the result is not 21 tracks of purest Karajan gold captured in either splendid stereo or deluxe digital sound.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1
Georges Bizet
01. Carmen: Prelude (2:27)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
02. Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major ("Eine kleine Nachtmusik"), K. 525: 1. Allegro (5:46)
Ludwig van Beethoven
03. Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61: 3. Rondo (10:27)
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
04. Serenade for strings (or piano, 4 hands) in C major, Op. 48: 2. Valse (4:15)
Pietro Mascagni
05. Cavalleria rusticana, opera (melodramma) in 1 act: Intermezzo sinfonico (3:37)
Johann Strauss II
06. An der schцnen, blauen Donau (On the Beautiful, Blue Danube), waltz for orchestra (with chorus ad lib), Op. 314 (RV 314) (11:52)
Johann Strauss I
07. Radetzky-Marsch, for orchestra, Op. 228 (2:31)
Antonio Vivaldi
08. Violin Concerto, for violin, strings & continuo in E major ("La Primavera," The Four Seasons; "Il cimento" No. 1), Op.8/1, RV 269: 1. Allegro (3:32)
Johann Sebastian Bach
09. Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068: 2. Air (6:10)
Edvard Grieg
10. Peer Gynt Suite for orchestra (or piano or piano, 4 hands) No. 1, Op. 46: 1. Morning Mood (4:10)
Maurice Ravel
11. Bolero, ballet for orchestra (15:47)

Disc 2
Gustav Holst
01. The Planets, suite for orchestra & female chorus, Op. 32, H. 125: Mars, the Bringer of War (7:22)
Ludwig van Beethoven
02. Symphony No. 5 in C minor ("Fate"), Op. 67: 1. Allegro con brio (7:12)
Antonin Dvorak
03. Symphony No. 9 in E minor ("From the New World"), B. 178 (Op. 95) (first published as No. 5): 1. Allegro con brio (12:28)
Johann Pachelbel
04. Canon and gigue, for 3 violins & continuo in D major, T. 337 (7:09)
Gioachino Rossini
05. La gazza ladra (The Thieving Magpie), opera: Overture (9:59)
Jules Massenet
06. Thais, opera in 3 acts: Meditation (6:05)
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
07. Nutcracker, suite from the ballet, Op. 71a: Valse des fleurs (7:10)
Franz von Suppe
08. Light Cavalry, overture to the operetta (7:40)
Jacques Offenbach
09. Les contes d'Hoffmann, opera in 4 acts: Barcarolle (3:35)
Bedrich Smetana
10. Vltava (The Moldau), symphonic poem (Ma Vlast No. 2), JB 1:112/2 (12:35)

Total length: 2:31:50