Haydn: Sinfonie Nr.101 / Brahms: Sinfonie Nr.4 (CD, Br-Klassik)

Otto Klemperer was one of the most important German conductors of the 20th century. After his return from emigration, he was guest conductor of some of the most important German orchestras, including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. However, he did not take up a chief conductor position in his home country again: he strangled with post-war Germany; he was also very old and in poor health. In April 1956, Klemperer stood at the podium of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for the first time: it was the debut of an almost seventy-one year old. Until May 1969 he was to conduct a total of eleven evenings in Munich. The audience was always just as enthusiastic as the specialist criticism. The euphoric reviews emphasized the highest perfection of the interpretations; it was known that the Munich concerts bore the seal of the unrepeatable, that those fortunate enough to hear these concerts would remember them for life. The new CD from BR Klassik features Klemperer’s interpretations of Haydn’s Symphony No. 101 Die Uhr (recorded in the concerts on October 18 and 19, 1956) and Brahms’ fourth symphony (recorded on September 26 and 27, 1957) . Both belong to the core of the classical and romantic symphonic concert repertoire, with which Klemperer and his Munich ensemble were very familiar.