Paul Kletzki

Polish conductor and composer Paul Kletzki leads the Philharmonia Orchestra in this rousing legacy rendition of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings. The piece was composed in 1880 and is written in standard 4-part Serenade form, with fast movements bookending slower and more romantic middle movements. Tchaikovsky intended the first movement to be an imitation of Mozart's style, and it was based on the form of the classical sonatina, with a slow introduction. The second movement, Valse, has become a popular piece in its own right.

Recorded between 1964 and 1968, Paul Kletzki's respected cycle of Ludwig van Beethoven's symphonies on Supraphon rightly should be classified as a historical item for specialists, rather than as a recommended option for anyone seeking a great (and great sounding) modern set. Kletzki was an admired and popular conductor, noted for working with both European and American orchestras, and his interpretations of Beethoven are intelligent and insightful, regarded by some reviewers as among the finest of their time; the performances are still valuable for their musicality and significance among mid-20th century offerings.

The first complete Schumann symphony cycle on disc, this set was recorded in Tel Aviv in 1956 by one of the most highly respected conductors of the post-war period. Paul Kletzki (1900-1973) brings out the fundamental strangeness and feverish excitement of Schumann's orchestral writing. His readings of these iconic works are key to understanding the path they have travelled towards the recognition they enjoy today.

The first complete Schumann symphony cycle on disc, this set was recorded in Tel Aviv in 1956 by one of the most highly respected conductors of the post-war period. Paul Kletzki (1900–1973) brings out the fundamental strangeness and feverish excitement of Schumann’s orchestral writing. His readings of these iconic works are key to understanding the path they have travelled towards the recognition they enjoy today.

In this era of homogenized classical collections, it is great to see Testament rescue gems from the vaults of labels like EMI and reissue them on CD. This title presents the great violin virtuoso Johanna Martzy performing Concertos by Mendelssohn and Brahms. Both Concertos feature Paul Kletzki conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra, and both recordings are in mono, the Brahms from 1954 and the Mendelssohn the following year. These performances are first-rate, yet I am withholding a fifth star, despite the fact that I love Kletzki and am becoming a big fan of Martzy.

EMI Classics is proud to release the complete EMI recordings of one of the most well-known pianists, Samson François. This exclusive 36-CD box set includes all his early recordings that were mainly devoted to Frédéric Chopin. The height of Samson's art is probably to be found in the ballades (recorded between 26 and 28 October 1954, and first issued as an immensely successful 10" LP) and the dazzling interpretation of the nocturnes (recorded in May and June 1966). In the ballades and the nocturnes Samson establishes an allembracing color with the aid of the loud pedal, although he modulates its power and creates a rainbow effect through the highly skilled, yet quite unpredictable use of the soft pedal.

Johanna Martzy (1924-1979) became a cult figure on the basis of a handful of recordings – but only after her premature death, an event that passed almost unnoticed. The meteoric career of this distinguished ambassadress of the Hungarian violin school in no way foretold her posthumous idolisation. And yet her historic recordings of the Bach Sonatas and Partitas and stunning readings of Schubert’s complete works for violin and piano, together with a few first-class concerto discs, make up a legacy whose scarcity has driven prices sky high. At last, collectors can stop trying to outbid one another: remastered in high definition from the original tapes, this priceless treasure trove is now available to all.