Wilhelm Furtwängler & Berliner Philharmoniker – Schubert: Symphony No. 9 “The Great” (Remastered) (1942/2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Wilhelm Furtwängler & Berliner Philharmoniker – Schubert: Symphony No. 9 “The Great” (Remastered) (1942/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 49:11 minutes | 841 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Alexandre Bak – Classical Music Reference Recording

The Symphony No. 9 in C major, D 944, known as The Great, is the final symphony completed by Franz Schubert. It was first published by Breitkopf & Härtel in 1849 as “Symphonie / C Dur / für großes Orchester” and listed as Symphony No. 8 in the New Schubert Edition. Originally called The Great C major to distinguish it from his Symphony No. 6, the Little C major, the subtitle is now usually taken as a reference to the symphony’s majesty. Unusually long for a symphony of its time, a typical performance of The Great lasts around one hour when all repeats indicated in the score are taken. The symphony was not professionally performed until a decade after Schubert’s death in 1828.

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Wilhelm Furtwängler – Wagner: Siegfried by Wilhelm Furtwängler at Milan (2023 Remastered, Mian 1950) (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Wilhelm Furtwängler – Wagner: Siegfried by Wilhelm Furtwängler at Milan (2023 Remastered, Mian 1950) (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 03:47:45 minutes | 3,59 GB | Genre: Classical, Opera
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Alexandre Bak – Classical Music Reference Recording

His first engagements took him to Berlin as 2nd repetiteur in 1906, to Zurich as choirmaster via Breslau in 1907, and then back to Munich. In 1910 Hans Pfitzner engaged him as 3rd Kapellmeister in Strasbourg. In 1911 he went to Lübeck[2] as successor to Hermann Abendroth and conducted the orchestra of the Verein der Musikfreunde there. As the sponsor of the concert orchestra made available to the opera, the Verein was already enforcing that the director of the theater had to employ Hermann Abendroth as its conductor as well. The constant criticism from Lübeck, intrigues, many hickhacks and the deficit-ridden theater attacked his health to such an extent that the director resigned after three years and died shortly thereafter. When Stanislaus Fuchs was appointed as his successor, this practice was maintained. Furtwängler, who became Abendroth’s successor in the association at almost the same time, was to be employed as conductor of the opera of the theater, which was already in deficit without him.
Igor Stravinsky (left) and Furtwängler, 1930

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Yehudi Menuhin, Wilhelm Furtwangler, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – Beethoven & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos (Remastered) (1966/2012) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Yehudi Menuhin, Wilhelm Furtwangler, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – Beethoven & Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos (Remastered) (1966/2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:04:57 minutes | 639 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

Acclaimed violinist Yehudi Menuhin delivers first-rate performances of Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor and Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No.2. His stunning tone, intensity and overall virtuosity are engaging and warm. Menuhin is joined by noted conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia Orchestra. The set will go down as one of the finest violin performances of all time and Menuhin remains one of the most accomplished violinists of the century.

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Wilhelm Furtwängler – Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 “Choral” (Live) (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Wilhelm Furtwängler – Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 “Choral” (Live) (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:33:17 minutes | 1,77 GB | Genre: Classique
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

Wilhelm Furtwängler leads the venerable Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele in this legacy programme of Beethoven! The music sounds better than ever thanks to the new remastering from original tapes in HD 192kHz/24-bit done for Warner’s upcoming Furtwängler box!

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Wilhelm Furtwängler – Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 3 “Eroica”, 5 & 6 “Pastoral” (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Wilhelm Furtwängler – Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 3 “Eroica”, 5 & 6 “Pastoral” (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 02:09:24 minutes | 2,74 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

A florilegium of Beethoven symphonies conducted by one of the masters of the baton, with the Berliner Philharmoniker for the Fifth (recorded in 1937) and the Wiener Philharmoniker for the “Eroica” and “Pastoral” (performed in the 1950s).

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Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Elisa Cavelti, Ernst Haefliger, Otto Edelmann, Luzerner Festwochenchor, Philharmonia Orchestra- Lucerne Festival Historic Performances Vol. VI – Wilhelm Furtwängler conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Elisa Cavelti, Ernst Haefliger, Otto Edelmann, Luzerner Festwochenchor, Philharmonia Orchestra- Lucerne Festival Historic Performances Vol. VI – Wilhelm Furtwängler conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:16:18 minutes | 460 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Audite Musikproduktion

Fanfare Review by Henry Fogel :: This famed performance was Furtwängler’s last of the Ninth; he died a few months later. I have reviewed it many times in Fanfare: Music & Arts releases in 17:4, 19:3, and 31:6, and a Tahra reissue in 32:4. I find no Fanfare review, from me or any other critic, of Pristine’s version. Now we have this “official” Lucerne Festival release, part of an important series of reissues of great Lucerne Festival performances on Audite taken directly from the Swiss Radio masters. (Tahra claimed that as the source too, and it wouldn’t surprise me given the fine quality of that release; Pristine did not indicate a source, but its version also has very good sound). This recording, in fact, boasts top quality monaural broadcast sound from that era—some of the finest sound quality given any Furtwängler performance.

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Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwangler – Bruckner: Symphony No.4; Wagner: Parsifal (2016) SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwangler – Bruckner: Symphony No.4; Wagner: Parsifal (2016)
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 01:17:00 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 1,06 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 1,34 GB

Recorded in 1951, this recording features Wilhelm Furtwängler leading the Wiener Philharmoniker in one of the most infamous readings of Bruckner’s Symphony No.4. The legendary maestro is also joined by the Berlin Philharmonic for the Good Friday Music from Wagner’s Parsifal.

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Wilhelm Furtwängler – Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 by Wilhelm Furtwängler (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Wilhelm Furtwängler – Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 by Wilhelm Furtwängler (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 37:38 minutes | 659 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Alexandre Bak – Classical Music Reference Recording

Wilhelm Furtwängler wurde 1886 als Sohn des Professors für Klassische Archäologie Adolf Furtwängler und dessen Frau Adelheid (geborene Wendt, Tochter von Gustav Wendt) am Nollendorfplatz in Schöneberg geboren, das erst 1920 Berlin angegliedert wurde.

Er verbrachte seine Jugend in München, wo sein Vater an der Universität lehrte, und besuchte ein humanistisches Gymnasium. Frühzeitig begeisterte er sich für Musik. Ab 1899 erhielt er Privatunterricht in Tonsatz, Komposition und Klavier. Seine Ausbildung zum Pianisten übernahmen Joseph Rheinberger, Max von Schillings und Conrad Ansorge.

1900 führte, wie Karl Alexander von Müller berichtet, der Münchner Orchesterverein ein Klavierquartett und eine Ouvertüre des jungen Furtwängler auf, wobei er letztere selbst dirigierte. Im Jahr darauf wurde im Haus des Bildhauers Adolf von Hildebrand ein Streichsextett aus seiner Feder gespielt, das „wahrhaftig Schuberts würdig“ gewesen sein soll.

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Wilhelm Furtwängler, Philharmonia Orchestra – Beethoven Symphony No. 9 “Choral” in D minor, Op.125 (1954/2010) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Wilhelm Furtwängler, Philharmonia Orchestra – Beethoven Symphony No. 9 “Choral” in D minor, Op.125 (1954/2010)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:16:11 minutes | 781 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Pristine Classical

XR Remastering from a radio broadcast by Sottens Beromünster and Monte Ceneri. Recorded live at Lucerne Festival in Switzerland on August 22, 1954.

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Elisabeth Schwarzkopf & Wilhelm Furtwängler – Hugo Wolf Recital – Salzburg, 12/08/1953 (Mono Remastered) (2019) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf & Wilhelm Furtwängler – Hugo Wolf Recital – Salzburg, 12/08/1953 (Mono Remastered) (2019)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:05:08 minutes | 620 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

It is perhaps the songs of Hugo Wolf that most closely define Elisabeth Schwarzkopf’s subtle art as a recitalist. At the Salzburg Festival in 1953 she marked the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death in a memorable collaboration with Wilhelm Furtwängler, who – having conducted her frequently in opera and oratorio – here became her accompanist. As the producer Walter Legge wrote: “We must be grateful that this extraordinary occasion was recorded not only for us but also for posterity.”

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Wiener Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwängler – Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 (1952/2012) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Wiener Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwängler - Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 (1952/2012) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Wiener Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwängler – Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3 (1952/2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:18:00 minutes | 794 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © EMI Classics

Esteemed conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra delivers a definitive reading of Beethoven’s Symphonies No. 1 & 3. Performing on authentic instruments, the musicians play with sensitivity and skill. Furtwangler, a Beethovenian, brings a sense of excitement and first-class direction. With its impeccable sound quality, this is a worthwhile listen!
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Wilhelm Furtwangler, Berliner Philharmoniker – The Radio Recordings 1939-1945 (2019) [22x SACD Set] SACD ISO + FLAC

Wilhelm Furtwängler, Berliner Philharmoniker – The Radio Recordings 1939-1945 (2019) [22x SACD Set]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 21:42:34 hours | Scans NOT included | ~ 52,3 GB
or FLAC 2.0 (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | Front, Scans NOT included | ~ 26,4 GB

The radio recordings between 1939 and 1945 with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Wilhelm Furtwangler are among classical music’s most compelling sound documents. Created at the peak of the collaboration between orchestra and conductor, Furtwangler’s artist personality is conveyed more vividly than anywhere else. What can be heard is music in which inspiration and the expressive will know no bounds and in which, not least, the existential experience of the Second World War reverberates. For the first time, the Berliner Philharmoniker are releasing a complete edition of these recordings.

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Wilhelm Furtwängler – Wagner: Siegfried-Idyll & Orchestral Excerpts from the Operas (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Wilhelm Furtwängler – Wagner: Siegfried-Idyll & Orchestral Excerpts from the Operas (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:21:23 minutes | 1,62 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

Wilhelm Furtwängler leads the venerable Wiener Philharmoniker in this legacy programme of Wagner! The music sounds better than ever thanks to the new remastering from original tapes in HD 192kHz/24-bit done for Warner’s upcoming Furtwängler box!

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Wilhelm Furtwängler – Wagner: Prelude & Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, Prelude & Good Friday Music from Parsifal (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Wilhelm Furtwängler – Wagner: Prelude & Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde, Prelude & Good Friday Music from Parsifal (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 43:02 minutes | 796 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

Legendary conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler leads the Berliner Philharmoniker in this programme of Wagner. The music sounds better than ever thanks to the new remastering from original tapes in HD 192kHz/24-bit done for Warner’s upcoming Furtwängler box!

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Wilhelm Furtwängler – Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings, Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6 “Pathétique” (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Wilhelm Furtwängler – Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings, Symphonies Nos. 4 & 6 “Pathétique” (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 01:54:47 minutes | 2,09 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

We release, for the first time in digital, Wilhelm Furtwängler’s Tchaikovsky recordings, including a fiery Pathétique with the Berliner Philharmoniker, the fourth symphony with the Wiener, and large excerpts from the Serenade. Notably, a play-through of the third movement has been exhumed from the archive, its existence being unknown before the beginning of the project!

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