Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra

Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra

This vinyl edition of an iconic Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra performance of Richard Strauss' works has been transferred directly from the original tapes of Deutsche Grammophon and Decca, with no intermediate digital processing. This process is a personal mission of Heinz Lichtenegger, Pro-Ject Audio Systems' company founder and an analogue fanatic, to re-release 12 legendary recordings of the world-famous Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra from the analogue era.

Pro-Ject Audio Systems have unrivalled dedication to the analogue experience, and part of that devotion transfers to pressing high-quality records. Pro-Ject Records are true, "analogue only" experiences that set the standard of achievable sound quality. 

The selected recordings in the series are amongst the best performances attributed to the VPO and were captured using the best equipment and most respected audio engineers of the time. With this series, Pro-Ject Audio Systems and Heinz Lichtenegger want to capture the original condition of these irreplaceable recordings as part of Austria's cultural heritage, for posterity.

Together with a team of specialists, Lichtenegger chose Herbert von Karajan conducted performances for the release of this LP. Counting all concerts, operas, tours and recording sessions together, the Vienna Philharmonic performed around 700 times with Herbert von Karajan, beginning in 1934 and ending with the conductor‘s death in 1989.

These tone poems by Strauss constitute striking examples of the unique artistry of Karajan‘s interpretative powers. They were recorded in Vienna‘s Sofiensäle in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and attest to nothing less than Karajan‘s exceptional feeling for sonority, balance and, above all, expressive depth.

As Lichtenegger says: “We produce the best possible quality for our customers and, while the original tapes continue to age, the vinyl records document their acoustic condition from 2019.”

Track Listing:

The Vienna Philharmonic & Herbert von Karajan
Richard Strauss: Don Juan, Tod und Verklärung, Also Sprach Zarathustra

A Don Juan, Op. 20 17:04

B Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24 23:55

C Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 [1-7]

1. Prelude [Sonnenaufgang] 1:45
2. Von den Hinterweltlern 3:35
3. Von der großen Sehnsucht 1:56
4. Von den Freuden und Leiden- schaften 1:55
5. Das Grablied 2:24
6. Von der Wissenschaft 4:18
7. Der Genesende [Teil 1] 1:43

D

7. Der Genesende [Teil 2] 3:36
8. Das Tanzlied 7:43
9. Das Nachtwandlerlied 4:35

The Process:

Georg Burdicek, widely known sound engineer and recording guru of the “Tonzauber” studio, was commissioned to carry out the important task of tape copying and mastering for this LP. The astonishing find during this commission was the unexpectedly high quality of the original tapes, which are still in excellent condition even after 60 years.

Burdicek processes the original master tapes for perfect 1:1 transfers. According to Burdicek, the sound is astonishing because of its dynamic range, which is far greater than indicated by the measured values: True dynamic range of 35 – 40 dB and frequencies up to 15 kHz can be achieved. Among other things, this can also be attributed to Burdicek’s solid-tube mixing console and analogue equaliser.

A vinyl series like this is no mass market product, and is manufactured with a high degree of care. Georg Burdicek has no doubt that the LPs of the Vienna Philharmonic he is helping produce for Pro-Ject Audio Systems easily rival the original source tapes, and even outperform them when it comes to dynamic range and quiet playback.