Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and during World War II he conducted at the Berlin State Opera. Generally regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, he was a controversial but dominant figure in European classical music from the mid-1950s until his death. Part of the reason for this was the large number of recordings he made and their prominence during his lifetime. By one estimate, he was the top-selling classical music recording artist of all time, having sold an estimated 200 million records.
Herbert von Karajan in 1938
Herbert von Karajan's parents, Ernst and Marta (née Kosmač)
Herbert von Karajan conducting in 1941
Karajan's headstone in the graveyard of the Heiliger Oswald church in Anif, Austria, just outside Salzburg
The Berlin Philharmonic is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.
Sir Simon Rattle conducting the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006
Berliner Philharmonie, home of the orchestra
Waldbühne, site of an annual summer concert