Gustavo Dudamel reveals debut album with Berlin Philharmonic

Marking the 150th anniversary of Richard Strauss' birthday in 2014, the conductor's latest recording features some of the composer's best-known works.

Conductor Gustavo Dudamel has announced his debut album with the Berlin Philharmonic, set for release in September this year. It will feature Strauss' epic Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which rose to wider public consciousness after being featured in 2001: A Space Odyssey, as well as Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegel.



The recording was captured during concerts in 2012 and 2013, and marks an important release in the label's history. Dudamel is following in the footsteps of legendary conductor Herbert von Karajan, whose benchmark Strauss recordings are still highly esteemed by classical musicians across the world.



"Performing Zarathustra with the Berlin Philharmonic has been an honour, first and foremost, as well as an amazing and unique challenge," said Dudamel. "As soon as you think of Zarathustra, you think of the Berlin Philharmonic, and of Karajan – there’s a direct relationship between them."



He added: "I think we’ve achieved something very special in our live recording, which I see as a key moment in my life – one of those peaks you dream of, something you might think was an impossible dream, but which then comes true."