Karajan conducts Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4

Herbert von Karajan conducted the Berliner Philharmoniker in Tchaikovsky’s three final symphonies in a series performances in 1974, filmed in concert at the Philharmonie in Berlin. The first of that final triptych, the Fourth, was slow to achieve its present popularity but is now firmly established as a repertoire favourite, immediately recognizable thanks to the “Fate” theme with which it opens and which reappears in dramatic style in three of the four movements. Karajan conducts the work with a thrilling sense of drama and authority, while also giving full expression to the lyricism and – in the pizzicato-dominated Scherzo – wit that offer relief from the intensity.

Ensemble: 

Berliner Philharmoniker

Conductor: 

Herbert von Karajan