Karajan’s Bruckner cycle with the Berliner Philharmoniker, recorded between January 1975 and January 1981 is a landmark in the history of Bruckner recordings. Marked by Karajan’s deep sensitivity to the undercurrents of the music these recordings are among Karajan’s best performances and are perhaps the most profound Bruckner interpretations ever engraved. “[…] a wonderful reading it is, as authoritative as its predecessors and every bit as well played but somehow more profound, more humane, more lovable […] For it is the sense of the music being in the hearts and minds and collective unconscious of Karajan and every one of the hundred and more players that gives this performance its particular charisma and appeal […] The "Scherzo" is full of treasurable instrumental detail. You could surely guess the Vienna Philharmonic was at work from the cushioned pulse, the upbeat touched in but not insisted upon, the mellifluous, Brahmsian cellos and softly hooting clarinet […] In both "Adagio" and finale Karajan turns up the temperature at unexpected points. I'd call it inspired, inward, almost Verdian conducting of Bruckner […] at its best, the recording surges with an almost animal impulse that recreates the pull of a live performance and puts most recordings -- by anyone, including Karajan himself in the shade.” GRAMOPHONE on Symphony 6 “Karajan's understanding of the slow but powerful currents that flow beneath the surfaces of symphonies like the Fifth or Nos 7- 9 has never been bettered, but at the same time he shows how much more there is to be reckoned with: strong emotions, a deep poetic sensitivity […] and a gift for singing melody that at times rivals even Schubert. […] there was a side to [Karajan] that could only be described as 'visionary'. […] A landmark in the history of Bruckner recording.” GRAMOPHONE MAGAZINE, 2010