CDs give Karajan edge over Solti in milestones

Both the London (British Decca) and Deutsche Grammophon labelsare owned by Polydor, the German giant of the record industry. Intheory, they are independent and, indeed, compete with each other inthe international market. Recent events prove quite clearly that thetwo companies can take such different approaches to similar events.

Last autumn, Georg Solti, who has been a British Decca artistsince he began making records as a pianist in the late 1940s, markedhis 75th birthday. London/ Decca released three Compact Disc sets toobserve the occasion, but an autumn Solti release of three new itemsis not sufficiently out of the ordinary to receive a great deal ofattention. The …