Herbert von Karajan & Berliner Philharmoniker – Bruckner: Symphonie No. 9 D-Moll (SHM-SACD single layer)

The “Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, WAB. 109”, is the last symphony on which Anton Bruckner worked. The last movement remained unfinished at the time of his death in 1896; Bruckner dedicated it to “the dear Lord”. The work of the Austrian composer represents an important link, especially structurally, between late Romanticism and Modernism. To mark the 200th anniversary of Bruckner’s birth, the German star conductor Herbert von Karajan recorded Bruckner’s 9th Symphony twice with the Berlin Philharmonic: the first recording took place in March 1966 in the Church of Jesus Christ in Berlin and is now being released for the first time by Universal Music Japan and Deutsche Grammophon as a strictly limited, high-resolution SHM-SACD (non-hybrid).

The almost mystical acoustics of the location audibly benefit from Karajan’s confident performance. Although this is an unfinished work, the degree of completion is remarkable: the solemn rendering of a devout prayer full of resignation and the sublime sound, which seems to reach great heights, make this a highly emotional event, thanks to the Berlin Philharmonic and Karajan. For the exclusive SHM-SACD version of “Bruckner: Symphony No. 9 D Minor”, the DSD master was created from the original tapes in 2024 at the Emil Berliner Studios.

Anton Bruckner (1824 – 1896):
–    Symphony No. 9 D Minor, WAB. 109

Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
Orchestra: Berlin Philharmonic
Recording: March 1966, The Church of Jesus Christ, Berlin (Germany

This title is an SHM SACD. This format is the further development of the single-layer SACD and uses a particularly light-transparent plastic (Super High Material). It allows a much better readability of the pit-land structures on the surface than is possible with hybrid SACDs. Universal’s SHM SACDs are generally re-digitized to DSD from the albums’ master tapes without any changes. SHM SACDs can be played on any SACD player. Please do not use L’Art du Son or alcohol-based cleaning agents. – Please note: All titles are designed by Universal Music as limited edition collector’s items for the Japanese market.

Lista pieselor

1.    1. Satz (Feierlich. Misterioso)
2.    2. Satz (Scherzo. Bewegt lebhaft)
3.    3. Satz (Adagio. Langsam, feierlich)