As music director of the Berlin Philharmonic for 35 years, Herbert von Karajan remains one of the most discussed, analyzed and written-about conductors of all time. He was called the ‘General Music Director of Europe,’ leading orchestras and opera houses in Berlin, London, Vienna, Milan and Paris to become one of the most respected, yet intimidating, conductors of the 20th century. Yet behind his imperious, enigmatic face, who really was Herbert von Karajan? For many, he was the epitome of classical music—for others, the last dictator among orchestral conductors, as well as one of the post-War era’s most commercially successful classical music entrepreneurs. Yet all agree that in everything he did, he was ahead of his time.