Complete Studio Recordings On DG 1951-1953

Only four recordings were made by star conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler and "his" Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon in the post-war era. All of them were works from the conductor's core repertoire and recordings that became legendary: Schubert's "Great" C major Symphony (No. 9), Schumann's Symphony No. 4, the Haydn Symphony No. 88 and the Maestro's own Symphony No. 2. All four recordings, made between 1951 and 1953, bear witness to Furtwängler's passionate approach to this music and to his conducting peculiarities, such as the famous and incomparable legato bows that distinguished him. Even today, almost seven decades later, the recordings have lost none of their fascination. Deutsche Grammophon is now reissuing them in a limited and numbered vinyl deluxe edition (4 LP). All records have been made from masters of the original tapes as 180 g pressings and each comes with its own sleeve modelled on the original record sleeves. As a bonus, the box contains facsimiles of the original recording logs.

Tracklist:

LP 1

SCHUBERT Symphony No. 9 ‘Great’

Side A: Mvt I & II ∙ Side B: Mvt. III & IV

“Unstoppable momentum and expressive intensity” (The Guardian)

LP 2

SCHUMANN Symphony No. 4 Side A

“From beginning to end it is an incandescent performance, one which should always be available” (Gramophone 1978)

HAYDN Symphony No. 88 Side B

“Deservedly one of (Furtwängler’s) most famous recordings” (The Penguin Guide)

LP 3

FURTWÄNGLER Symphony No. 2 Beginning

Side A: Mvt I ∙ Side B: Mvt. II

''The man who can write a score as rich as [this] is not to be argued about. He is of the race of great musicians' (Arthur Honegger)

LP 4

FURTWÄNGLER Symphony No. 2 Conclusion

Side A: Mvt III ∙ Side B: Mvt. IV

Wilhelm Furtwängler, Berliner Philharmoniker