Karajans film legacy at DGG?

I am amazed that, with the DVD format now already some years old, Deutsche Grammophon are apparently so reluctant to reissue their filmed archive of Herbert von Karajan. Though I know he is not always flavour of the month on this discussion board, Karajan still commands a large post mortem following and DGG are being singularly perverse in not releasing his filmed archive. Sony have quite a few of the later performances on current release, but DGG are neglecting arguably their biggest hitter in their churlish approach. I long to see the 'Early Images' Beethoven 5/Schumann 4/Dvorak 9 coupling and the Schumann full rehearsal. What about the Walkuere from the late 60s, not forgetting the Brahms, controversially-shot Niebling Beethoven etc. Anyone know the rationale behind DGG's stance? And if you can hear a whirring in the background, it's not a faulty disc, it's Karajan spinning in his grave!

grave!

I would assume that they don't think the audience is there

As yet no plans for HVK videos from DG. Anyhow, as they are all from the bankrupt Unitel, they may be some time coming... and from where? In the meantime, they are just about all available from Japan. Including one or two never issued here on LD but missing, as far as I can see, both the VSO B&W, the early years, and the Salzburg documentary including the rehearsal with Jesse Norman. A DVD containing The Light Cavalry, Der Freischutz, Tannhauser Overture, etc is all live in concert and not acted out later. A brilliant disc. UCBG-1061. bvs

Nope. Know a lot abot their irrationale, though.

In fact, Universal's rights to these Unitel productions were all set to expire in the past year. Back in 2001, I worked for a brief time for a non-Universal video company that has talks with Unitel on the fate of these videos.

I don't know who has the rights to them at this point.

Perhaps whomever owns the rights to the films wants more than a pittance to license them.

I look forward to the release of these and many other Karajan concerts from Continental and Japanese brodacasters.

Universal which owns DG, Decca and Philips has a problem now that Unitel has been sold off. If you read the small print on their latest UK DVD catalogue for all Unitel derived releases it says 'whilst stocks last'. This means that there are limit stocks of the Boulez Ring, the Karajan Boheme and many other items in this catalogue. My dealers advice is if you want any of them you should get them NOW (he would say that wouldn't he <G>.

I have many of the Unitel concerts you mention on Laserdisc - and they are worthy of re-release - but the sound on some of them is pretty poor, the Brahms 1 for example.

But whilst we chastise DGG one should be grateful to EMI their March batch of archive releases on DVD includes a Karajan concert (does anyone know the programme?)

But Sony should not get off so easily - we await, in UK, the Alpensinfonie. I have it from the US and its a monumnetal reading and a real live document of HvK at work complete with him wincing in pain at some parts as his body buckles in the heat of the moment. But where is the Heldenleben, Metamorphosen (another great reading - better even then the 1982(?) DG CD), T&V and Don Q. Where is the glorious ASZ coupled with a Mozart Divertimento ? Many of these are out in Japan. I suspect there's also a late Brahms cycle in the vaults somewhere - we need that because like the Beethoven it will be in better sound than the equivalent DG releases. There's also a Pictures and more Ravel, not to mention a Bruckner 8.

There may aso be from French TV a Mahler 5 - there's certainly a rehersal.

I share your pain.<G>

Apparently Karajan hated the 'Karajan in Salzburg' documentary - so we may never see it. It is a million times better than the 'official' biography DVD.

Shame that the Salzburg doc. will not get an airing because it has him auditioning Bartoli and Sumi Jo for the B Minor Mass that never was, that beautiful footage of Norman singing the Liebestod and Rammey doing teh only realistic version I have ever heard of Don Giovanni's descent into the abyss<G>

(Good observations forcefully succumbed to the el snipo)

I too wish the Karajan DG video catalogue would be made available (at a reasonable price) to the West. Are you listening Kultur? How about it?

Is the 'official' documentary the same one that aired on PBS shortly after Karajan's death? I liked that one. Although it didn't tell us anything we didn't already know (and also wrongly left out criticism of Karajan's nazi membership I believe) it did offer some very interesting film snippets; among those, Karajan 'advising' a young (student?) Colin Davis on how to conduct Till Eulenspiegel in front of the Berlin Philharmonic. Also, Karajan rehearsing the Beethoven Seventh in Bejing (I think). And a short press interview with Karajan speaking in a timid English upon his arrival in the U.S for his first BPO tour in '55.

following letters to be typed in

Isn't it, and pardon me in advance for saying this, Sony?