Herbert Von Karajan

When the conductor Herbert von Karajan was the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, which was the size of the orchestra? How many musicians of each instrument were there? What was the layout, he preferred? I know that the number of members in an orchestra depends on the orchestra itself, then what was the size of the Berlin Philharmonic during his time? Then it was his ideal size of the orchestra? In addition, the layout may also depend on the orchestra, so what does Karajan layout used most often, and he preferred to use? If someone has a diagram, it might help. Thank you.

Look for pictures of old archives of the Berlin Philharmonic that time. There will probably a publicity stunt of the orchestra in their room in the house. This will show the available sections of the orchestra.

The provision of placing players in a room has a lot to do with the private room, and is not dictated by arbitrary preferences. This means it is quite possible the positioning is different when recording in this room, another, or a sound recording studio.

Karajan was noted for its full, it is out of this orchestra. Much of this can be achieved with the technique from the players and the approach of the conductor. I found the thickness of its quite inappropriate for Mozart, for example. We use to call that quality (if we were for or against) The Wall of Sound ".

Best, Petr B.