Music Man.

Herbert von Karajan was born 100 years ago, which seems a good enough reason to celebrate his work - or not, depending on how you view him. Like most successful people, he attracted the envy of those who couldn't match him, and the dislike of those who found him arrogant. And then of course, he was a member of the Nazi party - possibly twice - which in itself is sufficient to put him beyond the pale for many people. For myself, I couldn't give two hoots for all that - he produced some of the most wonderful sounds from the orchestras he conducted of any I've heard. The string sound of the Berlin Phil under his baton has in my book never been bettered. Whenever I was looking for a recording of anything, one of the first things I always asked was "has Karajan recorded it?". For me he is a member of that very small and elite club: The Great Conductors.