Puccini: Tosca (Live, 1989) | Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic

Orchestra pit camera of Herbert von Karajan conducting the entire opera of Puccini's Tosca, in March 1989.
This is with the Berlin Philharmonic, and would be his last opera concert at the Salzburg Easter Festival.
Concert details: discoverkaraja...
Act 1: 1:48
Act 2: 50:40
Act 3: 1:36:59
Karajan is evidently quite frail but in full command of the orchestra and it's fascinating to watch him conduct a whole opera from the orchestra pit
Cast (copied from concert details link above):
Alain Fondary
Scarpia
Zurich Boys' Choir
choir
Piero de Palma
Spoletta
Gottfried Hornik
Cesare Angelotti
Walter Zeh
Closer
Tammy Hensrud
Shepherd
Luciano Pavarotti
Mario Cavaradossi
Josephine Barstow
Floria Tosca
Wolfgang Scheider
Sciaronne

[@lesterrosa-santos5641]

I couldn’t believe my eyes: Karajan unedited! Thanks so much! A treasure…

[@nigelshoreoboe5398]

Wow, thank you! I have been looking for a recording of this performance for ages, as I was playing in it as a young orchestral musician and will never forget it!

[@peterclemenz881]

Toll. Wie haben Sie sein Dirigat empfunden? Wie er auf die Bühne kam, körperlich ein Haufen Schrott, aber dann, wenn er erst einmal stand, diese kräftigen und ausdrucksvollen Bewegungen... "es musiziert", hier scheint es mit tatsächlich erreicht zu sein.

[@atuttostatutto4506]

Bravissimo!!! Salzburg 18.03.1989, 18:00 Uhr Großes Festspielhaus TOSCA Dirigent: Herbert von Karajan Berliner Philharmoniker Inszenierung: Herbert von Karajan Bühnenbild: Günther Schneider-Siemssen Kostüme: Magda Gstrein Chordirektor: Helmuth Froschauer Floria Tosca: Josephine Barstow Mario Cavaradossi: Luciano Pavarotti Scarpia: Alain Fondary Cesare Angelotti: Gottfried Hornik Sagrestano: Italo Tajo Spoletta: Piero de Palma Sciaronne: Wolfgang Scheider Carceriere: Walter Zeh Patorello: Tammy Hensrud Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor Zürcher Sängerknaben

[@atsumoritokyo1101]

To think he passed away just four months after this performance... May he rest in peace. Because he himself directed with supervised the operas, he had to constantly watch the movements of the singers on stage, so Karajan's belief was that he should conduct the performance completely from memory, and that was his normal way of doing things. A genius. He was truly a genius of hard work. It was Karajan who brought his Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra into the orchestra pit for the first time in the orchestra's history. I experienced their performances in Japan tour in 1979, 1981, 1984, and 1988. It was as if he was surrounded by a halo. Your presence will never fade. Rest in peace.🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@dvorakslavenskiples]

this is from 1989 because Pavarotti sung in Karajan's last opera production. This is definitely the last video of the late great maestro! Thank you for the upload!

[@novagerio]

We all can hear it's Luciano. Wasn't Josephine Barstow Tosca?

[@MrThepresident2009]

​@@novagerio Yes, Barstow was Tosca...

[@paules3437]

Just for your knowing, the word you want is "definitely." This is a word that even native English speakers misspell. Something about it makes it hard. I've seen is spelled 'defanately" difinitiely' and, worst of all "defiantly." It has the word "finite" in it, if that helps. Meanwhile, always great to hear Pavarotti! Glad you enjoyed this.

[@wwung1801]

It was NOT Pavarotti's voice. It was not in Berlin, but Salzburg.

[@novagerio]

@wwung1801 yes it was Pavarotti. Check the attached link

[@ootamanabu]

superb!!!!! ultimate special live final season video !!!!!!

[@neo5982]

暗譜だ

[@mediolanumhibernicus3353]

This is a most extraordinary document. I did not know it existed and am very grateful to the uploader. Without exaggeration, I think this is one of the most important uploads in decades. I am astonished at Karajan’s total control, and how much he communicates technically and expressively with his beautiful gestures. The body was frail, but the mind is frighteningly alert, and his powers of memory and utter self -confidence would have been the envy of Toscanini. I am subscribing immediately to the channel. I don’t know how the uploader got access to this, - but I’m sticking around to see if there’s more. I’m also saviing this immediately just in case the Karajan estate have it taken down. Though why they should I can’t imagine. It shows the Maestro in the most flattering of lights. What a pleasure!

[@IrishVader]

@@mediolanumhibernicus3353 Thank you for the great comment. I agree it's a precious document of Karajan at work. I found it on a non KZbin streaming site so I am resharing from there but I wanted this to be available to as wide an audience as possible, it's a great educational material as well as the performance itself

[@ericleung4313]

@@IrishVadernon-YT may I know which site?

[@kchichon]

@@IrishVader Hello Michael - what is the name of the no youtube streaming site? thank you

[@robertvandertoorn3306]

Absolute super , thank you very much , i was inside in both Tosca performances in 1989

[@hanscastorp2652]

this document is gold. Thank you so, so, so much.

[@larsschabel7637]

Karajan suffers obviously from intensive back pain an has got steroids froms his docs. Impressive performace - thanks a lot for uoloading!

[@christophwendel8227]

Habe diese Tosca als Gesangstudent des Mozarteums hören dürfen. Danke heute noch der Chorsängerin der Wiener Staatsoper, welche mir am Abend vorher unbekannter Weise die Karte geschenkt hatte❤ Unvergesslich ....

[@angelodias243]

This vídeo is a treasure. Watching Karajan dealing full time with the uncertainties of an opera performance. And with his eyes open!!! And from memory!!! God bless who had this insight back in 1989.

[@ludwigna78]

Save this video before it gets removed!

[@papagen00]

already downloaded and saved.

[@grillotalpa96]

The BOSS absolutely. With the limits and the richnesses of his age. Unbelievable! ❤ upload unexpected as much as welcome! Immeasurable treasure! Thank you!

[@MrThepresident2009]

Thank you very much, I tried to find videos of this last Karajan Tosca, but never found one... You gave me a joy I cannot describe!

[@ヘクトル-x2e]

パヴァロッテイの声をバックに(!?)「星は光ぬ」を指揮するカラヤンの姿のみを見ることができるなんてなんという贅沢だろう！

[@paolo8888]

Incredibile!!! Tutto a memoria, a quell’età e a poco dalla morte…

[@柳瀬春彦]

これは記録映像か何かでしょうか？貴重映像に驚いています。

[@PaoloLucci]

E' incredibile come Karajan abbia potuto dirigere un'opera cosi impegnativa a pochi mesi dalla morte!! Una tempra d'acciaio!

[@siegfriedenea]

1:12:03 … and “L’alba vindice appare” where is gone? Whatever the best Scarpia’s murder and final as On act ever!

[@DanielKirillov-iv3ww]

Absolute gem

[@pawelpap9]

This is an interesting take on opera experience. Normally we see singers, chorus, and staging. Conductor and orchestra or invisible from most sits as they are hidden in the pit. Here we exclusively get to see the conductor. As the music is barely audible so it all adds to a fascinating and novel experience.

[@БорисШалагінов]

Да, это богатейший материал для комментариев специалистов. Но где же они? Я заметил, что Караян фактически не даёт певцам никаих отмашек. Как это объяснить?

[@iwasglad122]

As a fledgling conductor (retired now!) I was taught that even if you never use a baton conducting choirs and/or orchestras, one should ALWAYS use a stick if conducting in the pit - because it's very often the only thing your players can see!! HVK's hands and stick are beautifully illuminated!!

[@pedrov8868]

@@iwasglad122i can see that for choirs but for orders most use baton. Just hands is rare for symphony orchestra although there are exceptions (eg gergiev)

[@kanishknishar]

​@@pedrov8868I cannot comment for Operas as I dislike vocal singing but as an orchestra guy I can tell you using hands only is definitely not rare or restricted to Gergiev... The toothpick is though lol

[@ianng9915]

Manifesting for more like this. Thank you so much

[@こういち-y1x]

（1:19:32)Vissi d'arte （1:46:35)E lucevan le stelle

[@maestroclassico5801]

And the King of Comprimario! Piero di Palma! The man was on 130 Opera recordings!

[@naogotoh912]

Unbelievable!!!

[@jetuber]

Pity that this production wasn't filmed for Telemondial. I would have rather had it than the Rosenkavalier.

[@TheWolfD]

Exist the dress rehearsal from 1988 in color.

[@charlescoleman5509]

Amazing that Karajan is conducting this without a score!

[@herbertstrenn1635]

he never used a score when conducting a performance

[@gunnarmerkert2118]

Sensationelle Aufnahme. I love it.

[@Tenortalker]

Absolutely fascinating to watch von Karajan. I am not sure how often Josephine Barstow sang with Pavarotti. ( She has just celebrated her 84th birthday by the way.) It would have been good to have a second recording which shows the stage view. It was a wonderful cast ... Fondary and Piero De Palma the king of the comprimari.

[@luiseduardosanmodesto7538]

Gracias.

[@TheWolfD]

Also exist video in color of the 1988 dress rehearsal (with Fiamma Izzo d'Amico, Luis Lima and Franz Grundheber). The sets by Günther Schneider-Siemssen are amaizing: An opulent production. Also exist fragments of Parsifal (1980, black and white) and the complete Carmen (1986) also from the pit like this Tosca.

[@IrishVader]

@@TheWolfD I have seen the Parsifal but not the Carmen, please share the details if it is available on KZbin or elsewhere

[@kchichon]

Hello. Could you kindly advise where it is possible to view the Carmen 1986 footage of Karajan? Thank you very much.

[@TheWolfD]

@@kchichonsearching in Österreichische Mediathek. There is the footage and the complete dress rehearsal with Schneider-Siemssen sets.

[@kchichon]

@@TheWolfD thank you very much! I am guessing you have not seen it, since you have to go in person to view such documents?

[@solcarzemog5232]

There is no Tosca beguining like that of James Levine, it's unsurmontable.

[@maestroclassico5801]

Wow 4 months before his death.....I notice he doesn't look down at the score much if at all. Karajan Tosca with Pavarotti! If he only couldve had him on his studio recordings.

[@jacobtapianieto9655]

He's conducting entirely by heart (from memory).

[@mediolanumhibernicus3353]

@@maestroclassico5801 There is no score to look down at. It's all in his head.

[@maestroclassico5801]

@@mediolanumhibernicus3353 I wonder how many times he conducted it in his life?

[@kenhunt278]

More than necessary. Puccini not his thing (though there were some good Bohemes back in the day).

[@mediolanumhibernicus3353]

@@kenhunt278 Rubbish

[@kollovia]

Il sacrestano è Italo Tajo.

[@Yves_Ka]

1:49:31 Karajan obviously objects to the loud bravos and turns around and his facial expression is a clear signal to the audience to shut up! 😀😀

[@ギターナオ]

これは貴重

[@Jerkyhammerstopwatch]

Ja, till the very end!

[@PHILDEPRYCK]

Dear Michael Callaghan, I discover this recording today, thanks a lot for release this one, and unfortunately, the last one of Karajan Salzbourg festival. Regards, PHILIPPE BELGIUM.

[@jameslamendola7843]

Wow ! Thank you.

[@mbgvoice]

Just thanks with all my heart ❤

[@RobertoPasquini-dt6nw]

1:44:14 cello quartet

[@guidoboselli1171]

Un Miracolo

[@kiyotakatokyo]

振り方がオーケストラコンサートの時と違う、眼も閉じていないし手の振りも大きい。元々歌劇場でキャリアを積んだからこれが本来の指揮なのか？この振り方でオーケーストラコンサートを聴きたかった！

[@christopherbuilder5354]

fantastic to see this!! Love every second

[@Dylonely42]

Nice.

[@michaelpapadopoulos5450]

😮😮😮❤❤❤

[@danielreiss-cy4zr]

Monodrama for Conductor.

[@yaelpalombo4093]

Stupendo!

[@massimofolpini7830]

Grandissimo direttore!🌹

[@Robert...Schrey]

2:00:12 4 o‘clock 😢

[@Dizzyfingers2]

Considering this man died in July 1989 - he conducted right up until the very end - even with heart and back troubles.

[@Robert...Schrey]

43:50 the tedeum.

[@wisjoh1]

Absolute Wahn-sinn !! Karajan und Pavarotti !!!

[@paologuiotto2344]

Wonderful document. What an incredible voice Pavarotti had when he was still singing!

[@skks2343]

演技じゃないカラヤンの指揮姿は貴重だね

[@STEPHANM0ELLER]

Thank you very much for uploading; this video awakens fond memories; I was working as a rehearsal pianist for the Salzburg Easter Festival back then!

[@IrishVader]

Thank you for sharing. It looked to be a very successful performance

[@miisan0409]

C‘est manifique!

[@TheLastOfTheFinest80]

It looked like Karajan was leaning on a prop behind him during this performance.

[@IrishVader]

This was how he conducted for the last 4/5 years, it was like a bicycle seat where he could discretely sit for the performance

[@antoninopirrone2541]

❤❤❤

[@Robert...Schrey]

53:33 profonda miseria. 😂

[@JanPBtest]

Lower case "von".

[@wordsworks7084]

Danke! Danke! Danke! Was für ein Begleiter und wie souverän!

[@meisterwue]

Thanks for sharing ❤❤❤

[@БорисШалагінов]

Да, запись уникальна! Существуют исследования о технике конкретных дирижёров. Хотелось бы, чтобы в обсуждение это ролика тоже включились специалисты. Я, например, заметил, что Караян фактически не даёт певцам никаих отмашек. И как бы даёт спектаклю идти своим чередом. Очевидно, я неправ. Но как тогда объяснить его некоторое невнимание именно к певцам?

[@meisterwue]

He died in July same year

[@davidebalocco7330]

😅L

[@YM-xp2os]

March 18？ or 24？ 音源は両日とも残っているらしい。

[@amedeofolco9988]

Pazzesco sto documento. Chi era il resto del cast??

[@IrishVader]

I've added the details to the description

[@RobertoPasquini-dt6nw]

At 1:44:00 he looked furiously at someone in the orchestra who was out of time... dictator look

[@RobertoPasquini-dt6nw]

1:46:35 Karl Leister solo

[@giandomenicogalluzzi7015]

Potrebbe essere anche l'altro primo dei Berliner......comunque il solo è molto bello grazie anche a come è stato guidato in modo incredibile da Karajan......

[@MarshallArtz007]

Was it the steroids he was prescribed for back pain that caused the facial swelling? I see from another comment that he also suffered a stroke, which also could have caused the problem.

[@larsschabel7637]

Steroids are until nowadays the orthopaedic surgeons last hope against pain. And I think they were much more back in the 80s. Nowaydays we have got much more refined operations and Imaging (MRI) and its still tricky to treat spinal pain. There are private photos from 1970. (Karajan rehearsing Meistersinger at Dresden) where you can see massive postural problems in his Lumbago spine!

[@GerganaIvanov]

Despite the Maestro's obviously grave condition, OR, more so, the musical world has

[@paules3437]

What happened at 1:12:02? Right after Pavarotti sang "Vittoria!' for the second time, it seems he lost his place and didn't sing the next line? Or maybe it was the sound? Curious. Check it out. Also, the lighting in the pit of von Karajan makes his face look misshapen!

[@mediolanumhibernicus3353]

You are absolutely right. Pavarotti doesn’t sing the four bars after a wonderfully sung ‘Vittoria!’. When he does come in on the fifth bar, he rushes ahead of the orchestra. Karajan’s calm and control here is awesome. Most other conductors here would have panicked. Karajan remains completely impassive. Already shortly before, at ‘m’hai tradita, maledetta!’, Karajan comes off the notes and is dodgy rhythmically. The truth is that,- for all his magisterial beauty of sound and unmatchable text projection, Pavarotti was what they refer to as a ‘mine vagrante’, - a ‘floating mine (as in landmine’). The Italians use this term to describe a musically unpredictable singer that could ‘go off’, or ‘explode’ at any moment. This is in no way meant to distract from Pavarotti’s awesome talents. Few could deal with this issue as effectively as Karajan, and it shows how much he valued this tenor that he was prepared to deal with this defect, which with any other singer he simply would not have accepted.

[@mediolanumhibernicus3353]

Forgive the error. Obviously I meant ‘PAVAROTTI comes off the notes’, - not Karajan.

[@paules3437]

@@mediolanumhibernicus3353 Interesting. I did not know that "mine" expression. I do consider Pav the greatest singer of the 20th century, altho just two days ago a friend said he didn't care for Pav, preferring Domingo (the old debate... I myself used to cringe when Domingo had a high note coming up). I wonder what happened to Pav when he lost his way there...

[@MrThepresident2009]

No, Pavarotti turned down the notes, singing "l'alba vindice appar" with low tone, so he could improve his breath to sing with full voice the remaining lines... Pavarotti had this behavior often in "Tosca"... If you watch other Big Luciano's plays in "Tosca", you'll see this particular thing I told you

[@edoardojanniello4863]

Immenso, divino, inarrivabile il gesto... non doveva lasciarci! Senza di Lui Euterpe dispera!

[@SilfredoSerrano]

Wait, we never actually see the stage. Only him!

[@georgie5700]

It's the old man's very last performance, conducting during 2 hs by heart and months prior to his death. Why would anyone want to watch anything else?

[@fritzpoppenberg3921]

It was not recorded for publication. But all we want to see is Karajan anyway!

[@renzo6490]

@@fritzpoppenberg3921 That comment doesn’t speak for me.

[@atsumoritokyo1101]

To think he passed away just four months after this performance... May he rest in peace.

[@brunofrediani9323]

Splendido ed emozionante documento degli ultimi respiri artistici del più grande direttore di tutti i tempi, di un fenomeno musicale che ha segnato per sempre la storia della musica al pari dei più grandi compositori...inimitato ed inimitabile

[@JeanPaul-Hol65]

Non sono affatto d’accordo che sia rimasto inimitato. Tutt’altro: fu imitatissimo, sia da giovani che da maturi direttori d’orchestra di tutto il mondo. Però ha ragione quando lo definisce inimitabile: concezione e stile direttoriali erano troppo personali per essere condivisi e trasmessi ad altri. HvK è stato unico.

[@LeonardoMazzucato]

@@JeanPaul-Hol65 Perché fare classifiche ed elargire gratuitamente superlativi ! Cosa vuol dire “il più grande direttore di tutti i tempi “? Il maestro Karajan si definiva , e lo era , un kappelmaister , parola che esprime un mestiere , un’arte che si esprime con il lavoro e lo studio quotidiano . dire che un musicista è il più grande e’fargli un torto ed essere miopi. W la musica , w lo spettacolo , w l’arte , w i grandi maestri (e ce ne sono stati tanti …). LM

[@brunofrediani9323]

Ovviamente rimango della mia idea..tutti lavorano sui cantanti e sul suono, anche se ora si lavora molto meno nella preparazione delle opere, ma poi bisogna vedere quali sono i frutti di quel lavoro...tanti direttori amo: Bernstein, Walter, Kleiber...ma l influenza che ha avuto lui con le sue vette interpretative è immensa

[@Luceoriensis]

Eigentlich spielt das Orchester, wunderbar auf die Sänger hörend, selbstständig! Karajan ist hier eher zweitrangig...dem Alter oder der Gesundheit entsprechend...

[@larsschabel7637]

Hat mir ein damals junger Wiener Philharmoniker erzählt: Probe Rosenkavalier 1983: Maestro wir wissen schon was wir spielen und Sie kommen auch wieder d‘rein! Karajan hat ihn aufgrund seines Ausspruchs nicht aufgefressen, im Gegenteil sehr geschätzt!

[@herbertstrenn1635]

@@larsschabel7637 I doubt very much that any musician would have had the courage to say that to Karajan!

[@larsschabel7637]

⁠Believe it or not. It happend at the beginning of act 3 - at a tricky part indeed- changes of metre and an orchestra behind the stage.

[@papagen00]

Is this real or AI ?

[@gaetanomariapiscopo5637]

Un personaggio unico. Ma rimane il fatto che, come dicevano decenni fa, non esistono grandi direttori ma grandi orchestre.

[@herbertstrenn1635]

But the great orchestras were shaped by great conductors

[@MorganHayes_Composer.Pianist]

Lots of different viewpoints which need to merge together in some way or other. That’s where the conductor comes in .

[@andreaguarino8207]

Io adoro questo grandissimo direttore, ma qui il gesto è veramente incomprensibile

[@mediolanumhibernicus3353]

Non sa di cosa si parla. Il gesto di Karajan qui è di una chiarezza, di una limpidezza incomparabile.

[@MrThepresident2009]

Karajan aveva problemi di artrite reumatoide, si operò 2 volte alla schiena, ma le operazioni non andarono al meglio... Tanto che dal 1985 fino alla fine era quasi impedito nei movimenti, e solo nelle braccia, quando dirigeva, trovava la sua forza, reagendo al dolore... In più, in questa ultima Tosca, era stato colpito da un ictus poco tempo prima, palese perché il labbro è a dir poco storto. Arrivarci in quelle condizioni, a dirigere per due ore e mezza, sfidando i malanni e un dolore atroci.

[@armandogabba2769]

It was the orchestra conducting Him…with due respect to one of the greatest conductor

[@mediolanumhibernicus3353]

This is simply an ignorant comment, and clearly from one who understands nothing of conducting. Karajan is totally in control, and with a security that few conductors of any age could match.

[@mediolanumhibernicus3353]

Please indicate a place where Karajan is being ‘conducted by the orchestra’. What an inane comment.

[@stephenchen7491]

That’s an insult to the great maestro.😢

[@matthewbbenton]

He’s mostly in control, but he does cause a bit of a train wreck at 1:24:55.

[@fritzpoppenberg3921]

Even if this were true…which it isn’t… two things: Karajan worked to shape this orchestra in every detail. And contrary to views of him as a dictator he always gave ample space to the musicians, it was a symbiosis.