Ferenc Fricsay died of a tragic illness at the age of only 48. Although his career was thus of very short duration, he is considered a legend: a conductor of exacting musicality and personal warmth, and - with his lean and elegant conducting style - a pioneer of informed music-making practice.

In the short period of time available to him, Fricsay succeeded in producing a wealth of recordings for Deutsche Grammophon, which are now being published collectively for the first time in a complete edition of 86 CDs and a DVD. The highlights span the much-praised recordings of Mozart's symphonies, operas and concerti, symphonies by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky, and reference recordings of works by Bartók and Kodály. These recordings are accompanied by a 212-page booklet with texts by Fricsay specialists Tully Potter and Gottfried Kraus, Fricsay’s producer Elsa Schiller as well as his daughter and his artistic collaborators Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Yehudi Menuhin. Further completing the collection are numerous rare photographs and a DVD featuring an interview about his life and rare rehearsal footage.

Ferenc Fricsay’s career as a recording artist lasted barely 12 years, yet connoisseurs consider him a legend whose conducting style paved the way for many facets of what we consider informed conducting today. Fricsay's definitive Bartók and Kodály interpretations, still considered the reference recordings of these composers’ works.

Highlights:

- The famed Fricsay Mozart: Symphonies 29 (twice), 35, 39, 40, 41 (twice), as well as legendary concerto recordings with Clara Haskil

- Mozart Operas: Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Die Zauberflöte, Don Giovanni, Idomeneo, Le nozze di Figaro + the Requiem and the Mass in C minor

- The "Mozart Radio Broadcasts", 4 discs of live Mozart interpretations from 1951–54, that were unheard since their original broadcast until DG released them in 2018

- Tchaikovsky: Symphonies 4–6

- Two sets of Strauss waltzes (mono and stereo)

- Two recordings of Verdi’s Messa da Requiem (1953 & 1960)

- Two recordings of Haydn’s Die Jahreszeiten (1952 & 1961)

- Wagner’s Der fliegende Holländer

- An interview with the artist: Fricsay talking about his life (in German – with an English summary in the booklet)

- A bonus-DVD featuring rare films of Fricsay in rehearsal and performance

- A 212-page booklet featuring an abundance of newly commissioned and classic texts by Fricsay aficionados Tully Potter and Gottfried Kraus, as well as by Fricsay's daughter, Elsa Schiller, president of DG president at the time, and his legendary collaborators Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau & Yehudi Menuhin

- Numerous rare photographs