The conductor André Cluytens studied at the Flemish Royal Conservatory in his hometown Antwerp and was afterwards employed as a répétiteur at the theatres of Antwerp, Toulouse, Lyon and Bordeaux. In 1947 he became music director of the Opéra-Comique in Paris and was named successor to the chief conductor Charles Munich at the “Concerts de Conservatoire”. Over the period that immediately followed the Second World War he was to become one of the foremost conductors on the European scene. His tours brought him great celebrity, and he became particularly fond of Italy and from 1948 he conducted many orchestral concerts there.

This new “Archive” CD features two of the major Italian orchestras of the period under the great conductor, in classic performances of three of the most popular pieces in the repertoire. They were captured on tape in 1962 when Cluytens was at the height of his career, and has now been carefully remastered using crystal clear 24 bit / 96 kHz technology.

Stravinsky 'Firebird' is played by the Orchestra Sinfonica RAI di Torino, other pieces by the Orchestra Sinfonica RAI di Milano.