Surprising Von Karajan for those mo

Surprising Von Karajan for those more familiar with his later DGG Beethoven cycles although he was known for Bach in the '30s apparently. This is still early in his career soon after WW2 when Vienna must have been still been in ruins so there is a kind of intensity to the recordings especially if you listen to the rehearsals with Kathleen Ferrier on disc 2 where it feels like you are just sitting there in St. Stephan's or wherever. Amazing.EMI are slightly cagey about who is playing where but according to the Naxos notes it's members of the Vienna Philharmonic in Vienna, but not mentioned is that they cheated by re-recording sections in London with different players at Abbey Road in parts they weren't happy with. Not sure whether there are several versions and we are going back to the original in the remaster or whether the addition of the rehearsals is just to give that impression. In any case very interesting and beautiful recordings well worth a listen.