Otto Klemperer belongs to an elite pantheon of historic conductors that also includes Furtwängler, Ormandy, Reiner, Toscanini, Karajan, and others. Each of these great musicians has a musical personality that is quite distinguishable and bridges different orchestras in much the same way that many instrumentalists are easily identifiable regardless of the instrument on which they are performing. His interpretations are less overtly romanticized than many of his contemporaries as he was more concerned with producing a true ...
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Otto Klemperer belongs to an elite pantheon of historic conductors that also includes Furtwängler, Ormandy, Reiner, Toscanini, Karajan, and others. Each of these great musicians has a musical personality that is quite distinguishable and bridges different orchestras in much the same way that many instrumentalists are easily identifiable regardless of the instrument on which they are performing. His interpretations are less overtly romanticized than many of his contemporaries as he was more concerned with producing a true representation of the score. Klemperer's performances were also rarely in danger of being too fast; his tempo choices were generally conservative and regimented. The present recording breaks away slightly from some of these generalities, most likely because it is a live performance with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra. Live recordings seem to lend themselves to a bit more spontaneity than might normally be associated with Klemperer, and the result is quite satisfying. Though his...
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