Herbert von Karajan

Herbert von Karajan was born in Austria on 5 April 1908. He debuted at the Salzburg Festival during the Nazi era and conducted the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Berlin State Opera through World War II. From the mid-1950s until his death on 16 July 1989, he was the principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years, a controversial but dominant figure in European classical music. He made an extraordinary number of recordings - by one estimate, 200 million sold - and their prominence during his lifetime cemented his reach. He is generally regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century.