Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra; Till Eulenspiegel; Don Juan; Salome: Salome's Dance

This is the best of the three ASZ recordings that Karajan made. His first with the VPO from 1959 was used in 2001 A Space Odyssey. The digital remake from the early 80's was nothing special. The remaining items on this well-filled disc receive superb performances along with a detailed and spacious sounding recording. Worth having along with the Reiner/CSO from 1954.

A good recording of a couple favorites pieces that are hard to find. Everyone knows the initial fanfare from "Also Sprach Zarathustra," but few know the entire piece.

Such a delight!!! Great music at the very best of karajan !!!!Any karajan or strauss lover should buy this cd!For me the beet in this cd is Don Juan!!! - I’m still speechless... I can’t describe the beauty of this recording.

The popularity of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey stimulated an unprecedented level of public interest in Strauss' interpretation of Friedrich Nietzsche's novel. The vinyl LP market wasn't quite flooded with knockoff "budget" versions of Also Sprach Zarathustra, but I purchased several of the newer versions and re-releases of earlier recordings that suddenly appeared on store shelves. I'll keep this review brief by just saying that this 1973 treatment is the recording that Richard Strauss himself would probably have been mout proud of.

Deutsche Grammophon did a wonderful job in digitally remastering this thirty-year old recording which features Richard Strauss's greatest orchestral works. Moreover, this recording also represents Herbert Von Karajan at his best. The conducting and playing of Also Sprach Zarathustra seems perfect and stunning. Clarity and luster always seem to be at the forefront of a Von-Karajan conducted orchestra, and here there is no exception. Easily a top-100 all-time recording.

One of the most moving pieces of music ever written, in my opinion. The story Strauss tells matches perfectly Nietsche's book.As to the recording, I have listened to numerous ones, before deciding, and this one has to be the ultimate Zarathustra! Karajan is superb! He has different recordings of the piece as well, but this one eclipses all others.

There are some, I do mean many good recordings of this out there and if you just stick to the reviews on Amazon you won't go wrong. This is one of the definitive recordings . . . C'mon, Berliner and Karajan !

"A sumptuous tone and virtuosity of the highest order make the Karajan an electrifying Zarathustra" — so wrote Edward Greenfield et al. in "The Penguin Cassette Guide". This remastering of Karajan's work with the Berlin Philharmonic is an extremely worthwhile addition to any record library.

I can't comment on the orchestration compared to other recordings, as this is the first recording of "Also Sprach Zarathustra" I've owned.However, it didn't disappoint. Through what I consider to be a pretty good system, it sounded fabulous. Spacious, clear and with a good tonal range. The music itself is captivating, with the opening movement being repeated in one way or another throughout the whole work. Anyone buying it because they enjoyed the opening music to 2001 and want to listen to the whole thing should be quite happy.I went for this as it was the cheapest version I found. By all means follow other reviewer's advice for better recordings if you're familiar with this music, but anyone new to it (and like me, maybe not so well educated in the classics) should be completely satisfied.

I first heard the opening music of Also Sprach Zarathustra when I saw the film "2001, A Space Odyssey". I never really understood the film but enjoyed the sly joke about the computer's three character name. Having listened to the recording of Also Sprach Zarathustra from start to finish I find it immensely enjoyable and look forward to hearing other orchestral music composed by Richard Strauss.

This is a very good version of 'Also Sprach Zarathustra' by an excellent conductor and Orchestra. The addition of 'Till Eulenspiegel', 'Don Juan' and the excerpt from 'Salome', gives value for money extending the total playing time to just over 79 minutes. Karajan was well noted for his interpretation of the works of Richard Strauss.

It’s an audio cd! What would you expect me to use it for, washing the dishes?

This is exactly the quality you expect from DG recordings and Karajan and the Berlin Phil.