Beethoven: Fidelio (Klemperer)

2CDs
1962 Recording
Time 142 Minutes

EMI’s “Great Recordings of the Century” series stretches to well over 150 titles across all genres of classical music.
By reappraising their unparalleled catalogue of performances going right back to the earliest decades of ‘electronic’ recording, EMI have produced a range which is outstanding in its scope and unequalled in the quality of artistry on display
At mid-price, and with the most up to date remastering available having been employed to produce astounding depth and clarity of sound these discs represent fabulous value for money and are thoroughly recommendable

Review

Klemperer's great set of "Fidelio", now rightly reissued as one of EMI's "Great Recordings of the Century", has been freshly remastered.......the quality of the splendid 1962 Kingsway Hall recording is very apparent, with the voices beautifully caught in relation to the orchestra, all within a glowing ambience. The result is a triumph to match the unique incandescence and spiritual strength of the performance, superbly cast, which leads to a final scene in which, more than in any other recording, the parallel with the finale of the Choral Symphony is underlined. It remains first choice. The documentation, including a full translation, is in everyway excellent.
(3 Stars and Rosette)
The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs and DVDs