Strictly limited edition that will be deleted as soon as our stock is gone
“He only needed to stand before us for our playing to be transformed.”
This 24-SACD Hybrid Edition in 16 Volumes brings back to life one of the most fascinating and deeply rewarding conductor-orchestra relationships of the second half of the 20th century, when between 1946 and 1964 Otto Klemperer conducted the Concertgebouw Orchestra in a total of 120 concerts.
Based on sources assiduously collected over the years by the label archiphon, high-end state-of-the-art restoration of all surviving recordings now enables us to offer these legendary concerts in sound quality of exceptional vividness and authenticity that even succeeds in preserving some of the famous acoustics of the Concertgebouw’s Main Hall .
The set is designed chronologically and follows the concert programs as Klemperer conducted them. A total of ten concerts appear here complete for the first time on CD. Individual items include a blazing performance of Janáček’s Sinfonietta, an incisive account of Bartok’s Viola Concerto with William Primrose, Stravinsky’s Symphony in 3 Movements, Hindemith’s Nobilissima Visione Suite and Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night in a hauntingly taut yet lyrically responsive performance by the Orchestra’s strings.
Beethoven’s Ninth (1956) and his Missa Solemnis (1957) are only two of the obvious high points of this collection.
“I still see him standing there, with his hands raised high and looking at us with those pitch-black eyes the moment when the chorus sings that one word “Gott!” in the Ninth Symphony – something goes right through you, the world vanishes... Those are the most beautiful moments you can experience as a musician.”
A richly illustrated volume (in English, German and Japanese) contains a full listing of all works included, a full-scale article on Klemperer’s Amsterdam years and a shorter exposé of the ironic relationship between Klemperer and Walter Legge, his record producer at EMI.
Our Edition is dedicated to the memory of Lotte Klemperer, the conductor’s daughter and the guardian of his legacy:
“My father was not really a studio conductor. For him there was no such thing as a definitive interpretation. Somehow this belated record fame is a mistake. Artistically, for me all live performances – with all their blemishes, audience noises and technical shortcomings – are a hundred times more interesting and valuable. For they keep alive what I believe is the real OK.”
