The members of the Berlin Philharmonic have voted for more than a century on who may join them. In 1982 the chief conductor, Herbert von Karajan, brought in the clarinetist Sabine Meyer. The orchestra’s members then voted against her appointment by a large majority. Karajan sought complete power over auditions. Serious differences followed between him and the orchestra. The orchestra’s own history says that the collaboration of the late years was overshadowed by disputes and estrangement.