During the early 1950s, before the Karajan era, the conductor Hans Knappertsbusch (1888-1965) worked intensively with the Berlin Philharmonic. The core period of this cooperation, from 1950 until 1952 in particular, is documented by high-quality recordings made by RIAS Berlin - of both live concerts and studio productions. For the first time, the original tapes from the RIAS archives have been made available, which means that these CDs offer the highest possible technical quality.

This 5-CD set includes on the one hand a variety of symphonic works and on the other ‘light music’: two differing facets of Hans Knappertsbusch’s repertoire. The recordings convey a fascinating view on Knappertsbusch’s art.

The comparison of live and studio recordings illustrates the influence of medium on Knappertsbusch’s interpretational aesthetic: in concert, he takes greater liberties in tempi and dynamics than in the more objective studio location. This is demonstrated in the concert and studio recordings of Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ Symphony and Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony - two key-works in this edition.

At the same time, the recordings disprove the one-sided view of Knappertsbusch as a master of slow tempi. Although he has a more expansive take on time in Beethoven’s Eighth Symphony, he tends to choose even more fluid tempi in his interpretations of the great Bruckner symphonies than Bruckner specialists such as Gunter Wand.

Contents:
CD 1:
- Bruckner: Symphony No.9
- Schubert: Symphony No.8 ‘Unfinished'
28/1/1950

CD 2:
- Bruckner: Symphony No.8
8/1/1951

CD 3:
- Beethoven: Symphony No.8
- J Strauss II: One Thousand and One Nights – Intermezzo
29/1/1952

- Nicolai: The Merry Wives of Windsor Overture
- Haydn: Symphony No.94 ‘Surprise'
Live recordings: 1/2/1950

CD 4:
- Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite
- J Strauss II: Die Fledermaus Overture, Pizzicato Polka
- Komzak II: Bad’ner Mad’ln
Live recordings: 1/2/1950

- Schubert: Symphony No.8 ‘Unfinished'
Live recording 30/1/1950

CD 5:
- Bruckner: Symphony No.9
Live recording 30/1/1950