Herbert von Karajan

His great-great-grandfather Georgios Karajannis was born in the Ottoman province of Rumelia, today West Macedonia in Greece, and emigrated to Saxony, where his surname became "Karajan" (1792).

Son of Ernest Theodor Emanuel (1868-1951) and Martha Kosmac (1881-1954).

Studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg between 1916 and 1926.

Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for thirty-five years - from 1954 until 1989.

Perhaps the most controversial conductor of the 20th century, he is both admired and reviled for his insistence on technical perfection in an orchestra (often, his detractors say, at the expense of everything else, bringing a dehumanizing quality to his music-making). His wartime membership in the Nazi party has contributed a great deal to the unfavorable opinion some critics have of him. From 1955, when he became conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, until his death in 1989, he was well-known as the most powerful musical influence in Germany.

It is an unfortunate aspect of the present day that there are those who cannot necessarily see and appreciate pure greatness when it stares them in the face. The excuse usually given is that some people could not forgive, let alone understand, why he joined the Nazi Party. However, Karajan never was an active party member. He did it to get a job. More unfortunate is that Karajan's marvelous legacy is unparalleled. Aside from its sheer breadth, the "rightness" of practically everything should be obvious upon the most cursory listening. One can depend on a consistently high level of musicality, tempo, phrase, light and shade in everything Karajan touched. His mastery of the music was inexplicable, memorizing virtually everything note for note-to the degree that it can be compared to knowing where every grain of sand is in a building. His ability to transmit his consummate musicianship through his motions, critical ear and carefully chosen words are virtually unmatched. Can anyone listen to his 1960 recording of Sibelius' Second Symphony and remain less than convinced the ultimate has been achieved? Can anyone watch his late performance of Wagner's Lieberstod with Jessye Norman, and not feel moved to tears.

Ardent proponent of advancing sound recording technology. He eagerly supported high-fidelity studio recording technology and actively encouraged Sony and Philips to commit to developing and marketing the compact disc in the early 1980s.