>>127263910 (OP)for many years they were good but by no means the best
even nowadays they aren't necessarily the best
but the Karajan era was a very demanding era, where they had the best demanded of them on a regular basis from an incredibly driven and passionate conductor.
to be clear, don't like many Karajan recordings. but he was one of those personalities that brought the best out of people.
Berlin under Rattle though is an example of the opposite.