To celebrate what would have been Carlos Kleiber’s 80th birthday, Deutsche Grammaphone has consolidated his entire discography into one collection. Known for refusing more engagements than he took, Kleiber maintained an esoteric mystique while solidifying his reputation as a foremost conductor of the 20th century.

Though his recording career was neither long nor prolific, what he did he put on tape were all compelling performances of monolithic works in the repertoire. The four operas in the collection are Der Freischütz, Tristan und Isolde, Die Fledermaus, and La Traviata. Accompanied by three CD’s worth of symphonies, the collection outlines Kleiber’s sparse but extraordinary career.

Though the maestro took a lifetime to conduct the same number of performances Toscanini practically did in a year, the precision, elegance, and involvement in the music is evident in what Carlos Kleiber’s legacy.

Buy the CD here or see article on The Guardian.

Posted on July 30th, 2010 at 12:10 am | Filed under General |