In the days of the great conductors, many were appreciated, admired, even idolized. Bruno Walter was loved. He was as severe in rehearsal, as demanding of his musicians, as any conductor, but he projected an air of beneficence. In a way, this corresponds to Walter’s special affinity for Viennese classical music, especially Mozart, whose symphonies, concertos, operas, and sacred vocal music were staples of his repertoire. What Walter once said of Mozart applies equally to his own performances: “With him, everything was dramatically true: nobility as well as baseness, kindness as well as malice, wisdom as well as stupidity, and he turned all truth into beauty.” This set – with remasterings previously released in Bruno Walter – The Complete Columbia Album Collection – brings together some of the most treasured symphonic works by Mozart and Haydn, including two violin concertos by Mozart, played by the great French virtuoso Zino Francescatti.