Among the great conductors of the second half of the 20th century, Sergiu Celibidache was without a doubt a most unusual personality. Even his fierce opponents hardly denied that he was exceptionally gifted as a musician and conductor – a gift he had consciously developed to absolute perfection.

Like no one else he stood for rigorous rejection of records and studio recordings, seeing in them nothing but a ‘by-product’ fully unable to provide an adequate impression of the actual performance. However, it was mostly radio orchestras that were willing to meet Celibidache's demand for extensive rehearsal time, asking him therefore, in turn, to allow concerts or studio performances to be recorded and broadcast. Thus, what he regarded as ‘by-products’ became archive gems that have survived the course of time, preserved for posterity.

The repertoire on this album is no exception: it dates from 17 September 1959, when Celibidache conducted a studio concert at the legendary broadcasting studio of the Villa Berg in Stuttgart.