Otto Klemperer (1885-1973) was born in Breslau and studied in Berlin making his conducting debut in 1906. He met Mahler and through him obtained an appointment at the German Opera in Prague in 1907. Through Mahler’s help, he had a succession of positions, notably in Cologne (1917-24) coupled with frequent guest conducting. In 1927 he was director of the Kroll Opera in Berlin (1927-1931). With the rise of the Nazis, he left Berlin and fled to Austria, then Switzerland, followed by Los Angeles (1933-1939) where he conducted all the main US orchestras. After the war, he returned to Europe coming to London in 1947. He settled in Zurich and in the mid-1950s gave a large number of superb concerts with the Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, his old orchestra, a period when Klemperer emerged as one of the truly great conductors of his generation along side Erich Kleiber, Bruno Walter and Wilhelm Furtwängler. It was at this time that Walter Legge appointed him to be principal conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1959, where he remained until 1971.

Klemperer was especially known for his performances of Beethoven and Brahms. His commercial studio recording of Beethoven's Egmont Overture from 1957 is still available as is his Brahms Symphony No.1 recording from 1956/1957, both having been reissued many times. The Cologne live performances made one to two years earlier, when Klemperer was at his peak, have an extra energy and more spontaneity and are certainly a valuable addition to the Klemperer discography and to collectors worldwide. These recordings are from the original master tapes and are of superb quality throughout.

Klemperer's close association with Gustav Mahler during the period 1905 to 1910, the last three years assisting the composer with the rehearsals of his later symphonies, makes Klemperer's interpretation of Mahler truly authoritative.

Klemperer never officially recorded Mahler's Kindertotenlieder – an unofficial 1951 recording with the Concertgebouw with Ferrier is the only known performance. Again, the WDR original master tapes are of superb quality. This recording of Kindertotenlieder featuring the great Canadian born bass-baritone George London (1920-1985) will be of great interest to fans of this singer whose career finished prematurely with a paralysed vocal chord in 1967. He made his European debut in 1949 as Amonasro in Aida at the Vienna State Opera. His success was immediate, and he soon was heard in most of the important musical centres. In 1960 he was the first North American to sing the title role in Boris Godunov at the Bolshoi Opera, Moscow. He was a prolific recording artist for Decca and Sony.

Beethoven: Egmont Overture

Recording: Saal 1, Funkhaus, WDR Cologne, 28 May 1955

Brahms: Symphony No.1 / Mahler: Kindertotenlieder

Recording: Saal 1, Funkhaus, WDR Cologne, 17 October 1955

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Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Klemperer conducts Beethoven, Brahms & Mahler

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