CD: Historic Performances – Kletzki

Paul Kletzki
Schweizerisches Festspielorchester

Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op. 98
Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 7 in B minor, D. 759 Unfinished
Ludwig van Beethoven
Leonore Ouverture No. 3

(recording: Lucerne, 1946)

A rediscovery of a conductor who nowadays is considered an insider’s tip: having fled fas¬cism and Stalinism, Paul Kletzki arrived in Switzerland in 1939 and advanced to become one of the leading conductors after the Second World War. This Lucerne live recording shows Kletzki at the height of his art: exciting interpretations, characterised by expressiveness and a stupendous sense of musical architecture.

Supplemented with photos from the Festival’s archive – some of which had never before been published – the CD comes with a 32-page booklet in three languages that contains extensive information about Kletzki’s work in Lucerne and the context of this performance.

The Historic Performances CD series presents live concert recordings of influential Festival artists. The sound quality of the original tapes has been painstakingly restored, and each release is accompanied by extensive documentation of its historical as well as artistic significance, together with photos and historical material from the LUCERNE FESTIVAL archive – a history of the Festival in sound.