Herbert von Karajan Strauss: Tod und Verklarung / Vier letzte Lieder (Original Source Series) Numbered Limited 180g LP

TAS Rated 5/5 Music, 4/5 Sonics in the October 2024 Issue of The Absolute Sound!

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The recordings of Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic are legendary - as is the interpretation of Richard Strauss's tone poem "Death and Transfiguration" and his "Four Last Songs," a reference recording with the singular soprano Gundula Janowitz, released in 1974. Since David Bowie's confession that this was one of his 25 favorite records, it even achieved cult status far beyond the borders of classical music.

For its 125th birthday, Deutsche Grammophon is releasing legendary recordings in the highest sound quality: the new audiophile vinyl series The Original Source presents outstanding recordings from the 1970s in a whole new sound quality. For this, the renowned Emil Berliner Studios have remastered and edited the original four-track tapes in 100% analogue quality (AAA) using technologies specially developed for the production of the series. The sonic differences to the original releases are considerable: greater clarity, more subtleties and improvements in frequency response, at the same time less background noise, distortion and compression allow for an audiophile listening experience like never before.

On 180g vinyl records and in a deluxe gatefold edition with original covers and lyrics, the copies of this series are released limited and numbered, accompanied by additional photos and facsimiles of the recording logs and band boxes, plus an article explaining the exact technical background.

The Original Source Series:

The Original Source is one of several new initiatives introduced by Deutsche Grammophon in 2023 as part of its 125th-anniversary celebrations. The Original Source draws on the technical innovation that has been part of the label's identity ever since it was founded in 1898 by Emil Berliner, inventor of the gramophone.

"Deutsche Grammophon's distinctive nature was forged by iconic classical artists of the past, whose recordings are of timeless quality," notes Dr. Clemens Trautmann, President of Deutsche Grammophon. "Everything we do today is embedded in the wonderful 125 years of history we're celebrating this year and, in this new series, exceptional creative content goes hand in hand with the finest engineering techniques. We're delighted to present great music to our listeners in a unique audio format that will invite them to engage in a conscious listening experience."

Rainer Maillard, recording producer and managing director of Emil Berliner Studios, explains more about the process involved in creating The Original Source series:

"Sometimes many years have to pass before old treasures are rediscovered. For its 125th anniversary in 2023, DG will be reissuing a series of legendary recordings from the 1970s, cut for the first time directly from the 4-track ½-inch masters, rather than the stereo ¼-inch tape copies. The result will be the highest possible, audiophile quality, giving listeners the chance to enjoy this repertoire as never before.

"In order to better understand the background to this extraordinary series, it is worth looking at DG's technical developments in sound recording. It started recording for quadraphonic surround sound as early as 1970. The format was 4-track analogue tape, with left, right, front and rear channels. After the recording was finished, the 4-track tapes were edited in the studio at DG's site in Hannover. The various takes were cut with scissors and joined together again with sticky tape.

"Back then, however, there was no consumer format ready for quadraphonic playback, so DG was producing for the future. The label did release these recordings on regular vinyl LPs in stereo, of course, which meant the engineers had to create a stereo downmix of the 4-track master tape. For international distribution, DG made copies of this copy and sent them around the world for local manufacturing.

"A tape copy can never sound as good as the original master tape, so the idea was born to make a product of the highest quality by using the original 4-track masters instead of the 2-track copies for lacquer cutting. They sound sensational, thanks to the expert team involved back in the day, and the analogue recording technology they were using.

"For the new releases, two technical aspects have to be taken into account. Firstly, 4-track tape is twice as wide as the usual 2-track tape, therefore we need a special tape machine. This has to be able to deliver a so-called preview signal, which allows the disc-cutting lathe to etch a perfect groove on the disc. Our tape machine had to be modified for this purpose and is probably the only one of its kind in the world right now. Secondly, we need to mix the front and rear channels down to stereo in real time. A completely new, custom-built mixing desk was required for this project. Emil Berliner Studios have designed a passive mixer, which renders the highest quality without introducing any additional noise to the signal.

"The Original Source Series means: no tape copies used, no unnecessary devices in the signal path and, of course, no digital sound processing. This is the shortest possible way from the original master to the cutter head.

"Compared to the original releases, the advantages in sound for the vinyl reissues are outstanding: greater clarity, more details and a better frequency response; less noise, less distortion, less compression… Enjoy!"

With over 50 recordings to suit virtually every taste and temperament, Karajan and Janowitz bring an Olympian perspective that emphasizes the sheer sonorous, sensual beauty of the songs, the vocalist taking on the character of an instrument, 'personal' expressiveness minimized. Karajan's goal of maximum smoothness, textural blend, and tonal richness has never been more persuasively essayed than here and in Death and Transfiguration, written 60 years earlier and quoted in the fourth song. Tempi are slow, but breathtakingly controlled with playing of a luminosity and radiance little short of miraculous. The original sonics mirrored the interpretive approach: a little distant, tonally thin at the bottom, with some oddities of balance and perspective. The superb OSR team of Rainer Maillard and Sidney Meyer have improved the sound quite a bit, notably in dynamic range, so do not allow my reservations to deter you. This is one of the glories of the gramophone, and still my favorite recording of both works.