Furtwangler: Symphony No. 2 (CD, Br-Klassik)

Wilhelm Furtwängler himself would have liked to trade his fame as a conductor for international recognition as a composer. However, performances of his works are still considered rarities in concert life. A few days before the performance of his 2nd symphony by Eugen Jochum and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Furtwängler died unexpectedly, so that the concerts in December 1954 turned into unplanned funerals for the great musician. Furtwängler’s compositions are in the tradition of Bruckner, Wagner and Reger. His 2nd symphony, composed in Switzerland in 1944 and 1945, goes beyond the dimensions of most Bruckner symphonies and takes the musical material of the late romantic era in gigantic architecture to the limits of its carrying capacity. Eugen Jochum founded the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra on behalf of the broadcaster in 1949 and was its chief conductor until 1960. Even in this first phase of its existence, the orchestra welcomed important guest conductors such as Igor Markevitch, Ernest Ansermet, Ferenc Fricsay and Clemens Krauss to its podium.