These recordings were all made in the mid-1950s in Cologne, where the great German conductor Otto Klemperer's work for the local radio station was a key element in his career. His work with the orchestras of the Cologne radio station produced benchmark performances of Classical and Romantic works, some of which are featured here on recordings of public concerts.

Here is Klemperer in his element, for as he said himself, he needed the concert atmosphere "to be in top form". This 4-CD set includes outstanding recordings of Mahler's Fourth Symphony and Kindertotenlieder, Brahms' Requiem, and Beethoven's Missa Solemnis and Ninth Symphony.

Personnel: Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer (conductor)