The latest release in the Remastered Classics series is Rafael Kubelik's sprited and acclaimed reading from the 1970s of Beethoven's first and fourth symphonies, performed with the London Symphony Orchestra and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.
Delightful, infectious and witty, the opening Adagio which starts in the wrong key and the final movement which struggles to get started at all.
Beethoven's cheerful and optimistic fourth has been described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" for its mix of engaging melodies, lurching rhythms, pungent dissonances and its vigorous orchestral writing.
Rafael Kubelik recorded his acclaimed cycle of Beethoven symphonies in the 1970s for Deutsche Grammophon, each with a different orchestra to dazzling effect. Using state of the art technology which avoids the need for re-mixing, PENTATONE's engineers have remastered the original studio tapes to bring the performances to life as originally intended: in compelling and pristine multi-channel sound.