Karajan recorded this monumental work four times, but it is his first version from 1947 to which we constantly return. It possesses a mystical quality and is a miracle of musicality and balance. Despite the age of the recording, the Vienna Choir and Philharmonic, as well as the soloists, sound with impeccable clarity. Karajan brings out extraordinary nuances, highlighting with light and precision the intricate melodic and polyphonic textures, even in the densest passages (the introduction of the third movement "Herr, lehre doch mich" and the D major fugue of the sixth movement "Denn wir haben hier").

Hans Hotter's voice is at its peak, and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, then at the beginning of her career, is astonishingly flexible. The purity of their diction, for both of them, has likely never been surpassed (the sublime "Ihr habt nun Traurigkeit"). Karajan’s interpretation already asserts itself as one where beautiful singing is seamlessly woven into the symphonic fabric. The rubato, used extensively, even in the sublime timpani rolls of the third movement, is never exaggerated. The tempo, ample without excess, perfectly follows the rhythmic fluctuations of the score. A desert island recording...