Herbert von Karajan recorded the complete Symphonies of Beethoven no fewer than four times for DG, but his first recording, made in 1963, was financially the most daring, artistically the most radical, and commercially the most successful.

It was estimated that over 100,000 boxes would have to be sold if Deutsche Grammophon’s gargantuan 1.5 million Deutschmark investment was to be recouped. The head of a rival company predicted that Deutsche Grammophon was heading for “a colossal financial catastrophe”.

By 1973 nearly one million sets had been sold, ten times the original break-even estimate. 50 years on from its original launch, the set remains the best-selling Beethoven cycle of all time.

The 1963 Berlin set dazzled like no other, aided in no small measure by the clean, clear, daringly “lit” recordings made in Berlin’s Jesus-Christus-Kirche by the young Günter Hermanns whose debut as Karajan’s principal recording engineer this was.

Critics and the record-buying public were enthused above all by the urgency and beauty of the music-making and by a fierce sense of joy which reached its apogee in a thrillingly played and eloquently sung account of the finale of the epic Ninth Symphony.

Limited-edition of 1,200 numbered 8-LP sets of Karajan’s famous 1963 Beethoven Symphony cycle presented in a luxury black linen set newly designed by artist Gregor Hildebrandt. The top of the lift-off lid box functions as a piece of art, when mounted to a wall.

Includes 9 Leporellos presenting reproductions of original art specially commissioned for this set from Gregor Hildebrandt; where the artist has created a visual representation of each symphony + reproduced a portrait of Karajan using cassette tape as his choice of media.

Two art prints of Karajan portraits by Siegfried Lauterwasser, with special artistic intervention by Gregor Hildebrandt.

24-page facsimile booklet of the original release with new cover art by Hildebrandt. The photos by Fayer of the soloists in Symphony no.9 have also undergone artistic intervention by Hildebrandt.

Additional liner notes by Richard Osborne.

Mastered from original ATP files and pressed on eight 180gsm heavyweight vinyl at OPTIMAL.

Engraving in the final groove of the final disc: “wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt”

Download voucher which allows consumers to download the symphonies as mp3 files OR in 24bit/96kHz for free.