Rudolf Kempe - Haydn: Symphony No.55; Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.4; Mozart: Symphony No.39 - Import CD

Credits:

Rudolf Kempe

Description:

1 By the summer of 1962, Rudolf Kempe had reached the first peak of his international career. His long experience with Wagner in East Germany had finally culminated in an appearance at Bayreuth. —He had conducted *The Ring* three times by then, but his interpretation had felt hampered by the peculiar casting choices of Wagner’s grandson. —At the same time, he had assumed the position of music director of the Royal Philharmonic, the prestigious London orchestra founded by Sir Thomas Beecham. Furthermore, his relationship with the Berlin Philharmonic had developed to the point where he was able to make regular guest appearances. Kemp’s work with top-tier orchestras in (East) Berlin began in 1955. In 1954, Wilhelm Furtwängler died, and Herbert von Karajan, who was tacitly regarded as his successor, had begun to consider recording with the Berlin Philharmonic for Deutsche Grammophon. Fritz Gans of EMI recognized the crisis of losing an experienced conductor who could record the “core” repertoire with the Berlin Philharmonic. Gans commissioned Kempe to conduct some of the sessions and repertoire that had been scheduled at the time of Furtwängler’s death. These included a cycle featuring Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau in Brahms’s German Requiem and Mahler’s “Song of a Dead Child” (the choir’s schedule was fully booked for the entire day, so the recording was carried out early in the morning), Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, Schumann’s “Spring,” as well as a cycle including Mozart’s Requiem and Brahms’ Piano Concerto in D minor, a collection of overtures, the “New World” Symphony (a piece Kempe was particularly fond of), selections from Wagner, and (inherited from Furtwängler) the complete “Meistersinger.” This was already Kempe’s second recording of *Die Meistersinger*. The Berlin orchestra members, with their metropolitan airs, were somewhat prone to mocking Kempe’s Saxon accent, but not a single one of them could mock his musical artistry. During rehearsals, Kempe was always quiet, and it was his custom to offer few specific instructions. —This was true both at London’s Covent Garden and during his production of “Lohengrin” in Vienna with an all-star cast—yet when the situation demanded it, he would suddenly transform into a figure of great dignity. (Continued) Testament

Tracklisting:

1. Symphony No. 55 in E flat major 'The Schoolmaster': 1. Allegro di molto
2. Symphony No. 55 in E flat major 'The Schoolmaster': 2. Adagio, ma semplicemente
3. Symphony No. 55 in E flat major 'The Schoolmaster': 3. Menuetto & Trio
4. Symphony No. 55 in E flat major 'The Schoolmaster': 4. Finale: Presto
5. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58: 1. Allegro moderato
6. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58: 2. Andante con moto
7. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58: 3. Rondo: Vivace
8. Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K 543: 1. Adagio - Allegro
9. Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K 543: 2. Andante con moto
10. Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K 543: 3. Menuetto: Allegretto & Trio
11. Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K 543: 4. Finale: Allegro