Naxos: 8111004

Volume 3 of The Early Recordings is a welcome reminder that Furtwängler’s musical sympathies went beyond Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner and Wagner, the composers with whom he is most closely associated.

The remake of the overture to Weber’s Der Freischütz (Furtwängler’s 1926 recording is available on Naxos 8111003) smoulders with anticipation, a real theatrical prelude. Invitation to the Dance is lovingly turned at the opening and close, with plenty of heady excitement in between.

Berlioz’s Hungarian (Rakoczy) March is nimble and athletic, remarkably ‘straight’ but thrilling in its own right. The account of the Overture to Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is notable for its translucent delicacy.

Producer and Audio Restoration engineer: Mark Obert-Thorn