Furtwangler

After Berlin, Vienna was the music centre to which the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler had the closest artistic connections. Under his direction the Vienna Philharmonic made a whole series of radio recordings that have now, for the first time, been carefully edited under the auspices of the Furtwängler specialist Gottfried Kraus and released by Orfeo on 18 CDs. The series commences with recordings from 1944/45, including one of Mozart s g-minor symphony K550 in which Furtwängler demonstrates his clear sense of form from the very first bars.

For anyone interested in the music of Brahms, the conducting of Furtwängler, the history of performance traditions, or simply in hearing great music being made in a uniquely personal way, this set is essential.

Conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler already enjoyed a worldwide legendary standing during his lifetime - he was considered the German conductor and performances were greeted with rapturous applause. Today, more than 50 years after his death, Wilhelm Furtwangler is still an icon and his work has become an integral part ofthe music scene.

This 1950 performance is the only live complete recording of The Ring conducted by the legendary Wilhelm Furtwängler. Although it has been available on several labels in the past, this is its first appearance at budget price. At last, this “crucial, living document,” as opera critic Robert Levine called it, has been made affordable by Falcon Neue Medien!