Herbert von Karajan’s Bruckner: Symphonies nos. 4 & 7 couples two cornerstone works of the late-Romantic symphonic repertoire in performances by the Berliner Philharmoniker recorded in Berlin’s Jesus-Christus-Kirche in 1970–71 and newly remastered in high resolution for hybrid SACD and other formats. The album presents Symphony no. 4 in E-flat major “Romantic” in the 1881 Haas edition (four movements from the “Bewegt, nicht zu schnell” opening to the energetic finale) alongside Symphony no. 7 in E major, WAB 107, in a version that emphasizes Bruckner’s long, arching lines, organ-like orchestration, and broad spiritual atmosphere. Together, they show Karajan at the height of his interpretive powers with this orchestra, demonstrating his command of large-scale form and his ability to shape Bruckner’s expansive structures into clear, flowing narratives.These recordings are often cited as exemplary of Karajan’s “Berlin sound” of the 1970s: the pitch slightly higher than traditional German practice, the palette lightened and balanced in the medium-high range, and the strings cultivated into a supremely legato, blended body that plays almost as a single instrument. Under Karajan’s direction, the Philharmonic eliminates overt soloistic tendencies; critics at the time likened the orchestra’s unified sonority to a vast organ, an analogy that suits Bruckner’s writing particularly well. Writers such as Richard Osborne and Gramophone’s reviewers describe the Seventh here as “lucidly shaped and luminously played,” music that unfolds with proper Brucknerian spaciousness yet maintains definition and drive in the scherzo and finale, producing an effect “like musical hypnosis.” In the remastered edition, engineered from the original analogue tapes, that combination of architectural clarity, glowing tone, and near‑“unearthly” perfection of ensemble is preserved and enhanced, making this album both a touchstone in Karajan’s Bruckner discography and a compelling entry point into the Fourth and Seventh for listeners drawn to sumptuous, long-breathed symphonic sound.
