Karajan conducts Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 "From the New World"

Some pieces are classics for a reason, but although Dvořák's Ninth Symphony is charged with all the creative energy and melodic inspiration of the New World, its roots are planted firmly in the heart of Europe. The Wiener Philharmoniker is famous for its glowing sound and lilting, instinctive way with a dance rhythm, and it's hard to think of a non-Czech orchestra better suited to Dvořák's music. Herbert von Karajan loved this orchestra and this symphony too well to hold back. There's grandeur, too, of course – all of Karajan's command of symphonic structure is in play here, and this performance is often thrilling. But there's also real warmth about this interpretation, filmed in 1985 in the golden hall of the Vienna Musikverein.

Ensemble: 

Wiener Philharmoniker

Conductor: 

Herbert von Karajan