Search - Otto Klemperer :: The Klemperer Legacy - Overtures / Nilsson, Philharmonia

A Collector's Jewel!

R. Q. Hofacker Jr. | Basking Ridge, NJ USA | 01/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The original LP releases of these works scattered them across six vinyl discs, so having them all on one CD is a joy. The recordings are all in excellent stereo, dating from 1958 (the Beethoven overture and incidental music to "Egmont" with vocals by Birgit Nilsson, text included) to 1965 (the Mozart overtures for "Don Giovanni" and "Le nozze di Figaro"). Maestro Klemperer and the Philharmonia (two performances are by the New Philharmonia, a 1964 metamorphosis after EMI ended their sponsorship) are in fine fettle throughout. The "Fidelio" overture is a truly great contribution to the catalog, and note that most critics rate Klemperer's "Fidelio" as the finest on record. (Beethoven's three earlier overtures for the same opera, known as "Leonore", are grouped on CD no. 5 in the 9-CD set of the 9 Beethoven symphonies plus 5 piano concerti performed by Klemperer and the Philharmonia/New Philharmonia. This box-set is also offered by Amazon and I rate it 5-star.) Add to that the relatively rarely recorded Beethoven overture to "King Stephen" which Angel issued in 1960 on the B side of Beethoven's No. 5 symphony by Klemperer and his Philharmonia. And Beethoven's final overture, "The Consecration of the House" (opus 124) gets a splendid performance. An additional goodie is the Mendelssohn "Hebrides Overture," a wonderful seascape, beautifully played and recorded in 1961. (On LP, it was issued as a leader to the Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3, the "Scottish," also performed by Klemperer and the Philharmonia. Amazon has that on CD as well,coupled with the Schubert No. 8, the "Unfinished," both by the Klemperer/Philharmonia team.) All in all, this CD is worth every penny (American or Euro) you pay for it."