Herbert von Karajan’s EMI-era recordings with the Berliner Philharmoniker return to streaming with a four-week exclusive on Apple Music and Apple Music Classical. Beginning October 31, 2025, Warner Classics is making ten remastered albums—originally recorded between 1971 and 1981—available in lossless formats up to 96/24. The releases follow a prolonged absence of these titles from major streaming platforms and focus on repertoire Karajan recorded with the Berlin orchestra during his long tenure as principal conductor from 1956 until 1989. Karajan died in 1989; these issues document late-LP projects that became fixtures of his discography.

All ten albums were recorded in analogue for EMI (now part of Warner Classics) and have been newly remastered at Abbey Road Studios. The partnership with Apple Music Classical is positioned as the first phase of a broader digital rollout: Warner Classics indicates that additional Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker albums from across more than three decades will follow later this year. The present group concentrates on core Austro-German repertoire (Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner) alongside French, Czech, and Nordic programs (Bizet, Debussy, Ravel, Berlioz; Dvořák, Smetana; Sibelius), reflecting the range the conductor maintained with the orchestra in the 1970s.

The ten albums are streaming only on Apple Music for the first four weeks, after which they are expected to appear on other platforms. Apple Music Classical is featuring dedicated pages with background on Karajan and on the specific albums. No physical reissue is announced in conjunction with this digital window.

Karajan’s studio approach in these years—large-scale orchestral forces, carefully balanced sections, and a focus on blend—was closely tied to production practices of the time. The remastering aims to present those qualities with greater clarity than previous digital transfers, without altering the underlying analogue aesthetic. For catalogue watchers, several of the programs in this set sit alongside Karajan’s earlier Philharmonia and later digital-era Berlin accounts, allowing comparisons across decades within the same conductor’s discography.

A further tranche of Karajan/Berliner Philharmoniker titles is planned before year’s end, according to Warner Classics. For now, the ten albums below are live on Apple Music and Apple Music Classical. The Classic Review will update this post when additional releases are confirmed.

The Ten Albums (With Links):

Sibelius: Finlandia, En Saga, Tapiola, The Swan of Tuonela & Karelia Suite (recorded 1976–1981)

Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos — Alexis Weissenberg (recorded 1974–1977)

Karajan in Paris: Bizet, Chabrier, Gounod & Berlioz (recorded 1978–1979)

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, Bassoon Concerto & Oboe Concerto (recorded 1970–1971)

Mozart: Concerto for Flute and Harp; Flute Concerto No. 1; Sinfonia concertante for Wind Instruments (recorded 1970–1971)

Karajan Conducts Music of Johann Strauss: On the Beautiful Blue Danube; Emperor Waltz; Overture, Die Fledermaus (recorded 1960–1975)

Karajan Conducts Wagner, Vol. 1: Tannhäuser; Lohengrin; Tristan und Isolde (recorded 1960–1974)

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 40 & 41 “Jupiter” (recorded 1970)

Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”; Smetana: Vltava (recorded 1976–1978)

Ravel: Boléro — Debussy: La Mer; Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (recorded 1977–1979)

Top image: ©️ Warner Classics