Beethoven / ajkovskij / Bruckner / Wagner / Korte – 6 CD

This six-CD box set presents the first complete release of Supraphon recordings by the legendary conductor Lovro von Matai with the Czech Philharmonic. The historic recordings, made between 1959 and 1980, capture six major Romantic symphonies and other orchestral works. Matai, born in Croatia and trained in Vienna, became a charismatic conductor who inspired orchestras around the world, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Munich Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony and NHK Symphony Orchestra. The collection includes Beethovens Symphony No. 3, Eroica; Tchaikovskys Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6, Pathtique; Bruckners Symphonies Nos. 7, 5 and 9; Wagners orchestral suite from Twilight of the Gods; and Oldich F. Kortes symphonic drama The Story of Flutes. The Bruckner recordings, especially the Seventh, Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, represent highlights of late Romanticism and offer a distinctive view of the orchestra associated with the Anerl and Neumann eras.