For those not in the classical know, Rafael Kubelik was a Czech-born conductor and composer. As a composer, Kubelík wrote in a neo-romantic idiom. His works include five operas, three symphonies, chamber music, choral works, and songs.

Son of a well-known violinist, Jan Kubelík, he was trained in Prague, and made his debut with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 19. Having managed to maintain a career in Czechoslovakia under the Nazi occupation, he refused to work under what he considered a "second tyranny" after the Communist Czechoslovak coup d'état of 1948, and took refuge in Britain. He became a Swiss citizen in 1967.

Kubelík was music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1950–53), musical director of The Royal Opera, Covent Garden (1955–58), and music director of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (1961–79), and was a frequent guest conductor for leading orchestras in Europe and America.

International, inclusive, creative and principled, Rafael Kubelík truly remains a conductor for here and now, with classic Beethoven, Dvořák and Mahler cycles that deserve to be revisited time and again.

His infinitely malleable approach to phrasing and keen attention to orchestral inner parts such as woodwind and viola lines left no musical stone unturned.

Kubelík is the last of the great conductors from Deutsche Grammophon’s early stereo age to receive the “Complete Edition” treatment here on the just-released Rafael Kubelik - The Complete Recordings On Deutsche Grammophon 64 CD + 2 DVD Limited Edition Box-Set.

Contents:

Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra, BB 123, Sz.116
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík

Tcherepnin: Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 26
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Alexander Tcherepnin (piano)

Tcherepnin: Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 96
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Alexander Tcherepnin (piano)

Beethoven: Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21
London Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 'Eroica'
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam
Rafael Kubelík

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B flat major, Op. 60
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík

Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík

Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 'Pastoral'
Orchestre de Paris
Rafael Kubelík

Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92
Wiener Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Beethoven: Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. 93
The Cleveland Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 'Choral'
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Berg: Violin Concerto 'To the Memory of an Angel' (1935)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Henryk Szeryng (violin)

Martinon: Violin Concerto, Op. 51
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Henryk Szeryng (violin)

Dvorak: Symphonies Nos. 1-9 (complete)
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: Scherzo capriccioso, Op. 66
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: My Home Overture, Op. 62
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: Hussite Overture, Op. 67
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: In Nature's Realm Overture, Op. 91
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: Carnival Overture, Op. 92
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: Othello Overture, Op. 93
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: The Water Goblin, Op. 107 (B195)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: The Noon Witch, Op. 108 (B196)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: The Golden Spinning Wheel, Op. 109
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: The Wild Dove, Op. 110 (B198)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: Symphonic Variations, Op. 78
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: Slavonic Dances Nos. 1-8, Op. 46 Nos. 1-8
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: Slavonic Dances Nos. 9-16, Op. 72 Nos. 1-8
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: Stabat Mater, Op. 58
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Edith Mathis (soprano), Anna Reynolds (mezzo-soprano), Wieslaw Ochman (tenor), John Shirley-Quirk (baritone)

Dvorak: Legends, Op. 59
English Chamber Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík

Dvorak: Serenade for Strings in E major, Op. 22
English Chamber Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík

Kubelik, R: Quattro Forme per Archi
English Chamber Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík

Falla: Noches en los jardines de Espańa
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Martinů: Piano Concerto No. 5, H366 'Fantasia concertante'
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV351
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Hartmann, K: Symphony No. 4
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Hartmann, K: Symphony No. 8
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Stravinsky: Scherzo a la Russe
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Stravinsky: Circus Polka
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Haydn: Mass, Hob. XXII: 9 in C major 'Paukenmesse'
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Handel: Ombra mai fu (from Serse)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík Fritz Wunderlich (tenor)
(sung in German)

Handel: Piů che penso alle fiamme del core (from Serse)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Fritz Wunderlich (tenor)
(sung in German)

Handel: Se bramate d’amar chi vi sdegna (from Serse)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Fritz Wunderlich (tenor)
(sung in German)

Handel: Crude furie degli orridi abissi (from Serse)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Fritz Wunderlich (tenor)
(sung in German)

Handel: Svegliatevi nel core (from Giulio Cesare)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Fritz Wunderlich (tenor)
(sung in German)

Handel: Son nata a lagrimar (from Giulio Cesare)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Fritz Wunderlich (tenor)
(sung in German)

Handel: L'angue offeso (from Giulio Cesare)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Fritz Wunderlich (tenor)
(sung in German)

Gluck: Iphigénie en Tauride: Pylades' arias
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Fritz Wunderlich (tenor)
(sung in German)

Janáček: Concertino, JW VII / 11
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Janáček: Capriccio for piano (left hand) & chamber ensemble, JW VII / 12 'Vzdor'
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Janáček: Sinfonietta
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Janáček: Taras Bulba
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Janáček: Glagolitic Mass
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Janáček: The Diary of One Who Disappeared
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Mahler: Symphonies 1-9 (complete)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream - incidental music, Op. 61
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
(plus rehersal extracts

Mozart: Serenade No. 7 in D major, K250 'Haffner'
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Mozart: Mass in C major, K317 'Coronation Mass'
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Edith Mathis (soprnao), Norma Procter (mezzo-soprano), Donald Grobe (tenor), John Shirley-Quirk (baritone)

Mozart: Missa Brevis in C major, K220 'Spatzenmesse'
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Edith Mathis (soprano), Tatiana Troyanos (soprano), Horst Laubenthal (tenor), Kieth Engen (bass)

Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A major, K622
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík
Karl Leister (clarinet)

Weber: Clarinet Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 73
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík
Karl Leister (clarinet)

Orff: Oedipus der Tyrann
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Pfitzner: Palestrina
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Nicolai Gedda (Palestrina), Brigitte Fassbaender (Silla), Helen Donath (Ighino), Hermann Prey (Graf Luna), Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau (Carlo Borromeo), Karl Ridderbusch (Christoph Madruscht), Heribert Steinbach (Bernardo Novagerio), Bernd Weikl (Giovanni Morone)

Schoenberg: Gurrelieder
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Hertha Töpper (mezzo-soprano), Kieth Engen (baritone), Lorenz Fehenberger (tenor), Hans Herbert Fiedler (speaker), Herbert Schachtschneider (tenor), Inge Borkh (soprano)

Schoenberg: Piano Concerto, Op. 42
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Alfred Brendel (piano)

Schoenberg: Violin Concerto, Op. 36
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Zvi Zeitlin (violin)

Schumann: Symphonies Nos. 1-4 (complete)
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Schumann: Genoveva Overture
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Schumann: Manfred Overture, Op. 115
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík
Geza Anda (piano)

Grieg: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík
Geza Anda (piano)

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Wilhelm Kempff (piano)

Schumann: Introduction & Allegro appassionato in G major, Op. 92
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Wilhelm Kempff (piano)

Smetana: Má Vlast
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík

Smetana: Richard III
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Smetana: Wallenstein's Camp
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Smetana: Hakon Jarl
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Smetana: The Prague Carnival - Introduction & Polonaise
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Verdi: Rigoletto
Teatro alla Scala
Rafael Kubelík
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Rigoletto), Renata Scotto (Gilda), Fiorenza Cossotto (Maddalena), Carlo Bergonzi (Il Duca), Ivo Vinco (Sparafucile), Mirella Fiorentini (Giovanna), Lorenzo Testi (Monterone), Virgilio Carbonari (Marullo), Piero De Palma (Borsa), Alfredo Giacomotti (Conte di Ceprano)

Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg: Overture
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Wagner: Lohengrin: Prelude to Act 1
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Wagner: Siegfried Idyll
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde: Prelude & Liebestod
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík

Wagner: Lohengrin
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
James King (Lohengrin), Gundula Janowitz (Elsa), Gwyneth Jones (Ortrud), Thomas Stewart (Friedrich von Telramund), Karl Ridderbusch (König Heinrich), Gerd Nienstedt (Der Heerrufer des Königs)

Weber: Oberon Overture
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Weber: Der Freischütz Overture
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Weber: Preciosa, Overture J279 (Op. 78)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Weber: Jubel-Ouvertüre, J245 (Op. 59)
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Weber: Oberon
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Donald Grobe (Oberon), Plácido Domingo (Huon), Birgit Nilsson (Reiza), Julia Hamari (Fatima), Hermann Prey (Sherasmin), Marga Schiml (Puck), Arleen Auger (Mermaids)

Mozart: Symphony No. 38 in D major, K504 'Prague'
Wiener Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík
(DVD Video)

Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3, Op. 72b
Concertgebouw Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík
(DVD Video)

Beethoven: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
Concertgebouw Orchestra
Rafael Kubelík
(DVD Video)

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 'Eroica'
Berliner Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík
(DVD Video)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in Eb Major 'Romantic'
Wiener Philharmoniker
Rafael Kubelík
(DVD Video)

Mozart: Ave verum corpus, K618
Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík

Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Rafael Kubelík
Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau (baritone)

Now, as for all the glorious music contained within this simply divine box-set, well, obviously I can't go into detail about it all, but suffice to say a few of my own stand out favorite moments (and ones that are the usual go-to works) are as follows:

And there truly is no better place to start than the beginning, in this instance for his "Bartók: Concerto for Orchestra" is a wondrous five-movement musical work for orchestra. Composed by Béla Bartók in 1943 it was not only one of Bartók's best-known, most popular and most accessible works, but Kubelik soon became renowned for his own work with its regard.

Best-known of a number of pieces that have the apparently contradictory title Concerto for Orchestra, this is in stark contrast to the conventional concerto form, which features a solo instrument with orchestral accompaniment.

Kubelik once said that he called the piece a concerto rather than a symphony because of the way each section of instruments is treated in a soloistic and virtuosic way.

Kubelik's "Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, Op. 55 'Eroica'" is yet another uproarious moment here, for this performance is truly first-rate. Indeed, Kubelik prided himself in a direct, straightforward reading of Beethoven's Symphonies without any extra bells and whistles for emphasis.

While it was the ninth symphony that became the work the Romantic age wrestled with for decades, it was the third symphony with which Beethoven broke with the past and announced himself a revolutionary.

A great deal has been made of it being originally inspired by Napoleon or at least dedicated to him. Whatever the truth is, the name was crossed out and the name of the E-flat third symphony became Eroica (Italian for Heroic).

Next up, for me, of course, as your own tastes will plot your individual course through this wondrous box-set, is "Berg: Violin Concerto 'To the Memory of an Angel'" (1935). Berg's Three Orchestral Pieces of 1913-15 rank along side Stravinsky's Petrushka and The Rite of Spring as one of the most remarkable and explosive large-scale orchestral works of the early 20th century.

The sound world, although Mahler-esque in places, is Berg's unique voice: highly chromatic, dark, brooding, wistfully melancholic, often romantic. Here, and without a shadow of a doubt, Kubelik's "Violin Concerto" (1935), with the dedication "to the memory of an angel", seems to have flown sky high above all other standard repertoires.

Written after the death of the young Manon Gropius, daughter of Alma Mahler-Werfel and Walter Gropius, it is a work of constant elegy sometimes tempered with praise of a beautiful young soul, but at other times giving in to the darkest feelings of mourning and catastrophe.

Indeed, and much like in all his work, Berg uses the twelve-tone system inherited from his teacher Arnold Schoenberg, but with strong echoes of traditional harmony. Kubelik remains true to those codas and never wavers when it comes to the reminiscing without overly judging or redefining their preordained course.

Both "Dvorak: Slavonic Dances Nos. 1-8, Op. 46 Nos. 1-8" and "Nos. 9-16, Op. 72 Nos. 1-8" are pure hypnotic works of musical wonderment also. If you were not in the know, the Slavonic Dances are a series of 16 orchestral pieces composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1878 and 1886 and published in two sets as Op. 46 and Op. 72 respectively.

Originally written for piano four hands, the Slavonic Dances were inspired by Johannes Brahms's own Hungarian Dances and were orchestrated at the request of Dvořák's publisher soon after composition.

The pieces, lively and full of national character, were well received at the time and today are considered among the composer's most memorable works, occasionally making appearances in popular culture.

The Op. 46 set is listed in the Burghauser catalogue as B. 78 in the original piano four hand version, and as B. 83 in the orchestral version. The Op. 72 set is catalogued as B. 145 in the piano four hand version, and as B. 147 in the orchestral version.

Dvorák's music, here brought to life once more by some highly impressive Kubelik conducting, is often a source of sheer warmhearted joy. Even the sadder moments in these gorgeous dances come with a hidden smile and a gracious sense that all is right with the world.

In "Handel: Svegliatevi nel core" (from Giulio Cesare), and everything here from the three-act opera, is superb also. Indeed, Giulio Cesare is one of Handel's most renowned operas and the role of Giulio Cesare is considered to be one of the most beautiful roles in the baroque opera.

Kubelik's compositions on Giulio Cesare manages to combine serious insight with entertainment, bringing Handel's masterpiece to life in a powerful, convincing and highly intelligent way. In every line of the complex narrative the subtle nuances are apparent, reflecting perfectly the transparent and exquisite nature of Handel's musical expression.

Next I would like to draw your attention to "Mahler: Symphonies 1-9" (complete), yet another incredible inclusion on this tremendous, and expansive box-set. While each performance faces stiff competition, Kubelík's late sixties/early seventies Mahler cycle, taken as a whole, remains the most consistent in the DG catalog.

He is also one of the only Mahler conductors on record to divide first and second violins left to right, as was the composer's practice. Newcomers wishing to acquire all the symphonies cheaply in one place won't be disappointed here.

It's an oversimplification to say that Kubelik, as a Czech, brought out the Bohemian lineage of Mahler's music rather than its Austrian-German traditions (the village in which Mahler was born is now part of the Czech Republic), but that does go some way toward identifying the lyricism, rusticity and naturalness in these performances.

Lyricism and naturalness don't preclude making a cumulative impact, and Kubelik brings out the mystery and angst in this music as well as its beauty.

Finally, and please know there is so much more to explore here, I would plum for "Smetana: Richard III." I find Smetana's orchestral works, particularly his symphonic poem compositions, to be rather enjoyable at all times.

I've always loved "Má Vlast," of course, and while I have several recordings of that, I also have sought out some of his other music; and I've enjoyed it all.

Smetana wrote his three early, historical symphonic poems between 1858 and 1861, while he was working in Gothenburg and after having encountered Liszt's works in the format.

Thus they predate all of his operas, for instance, and were in many ways the works that marked the transition from Smetana the composer of salon piano pieces to the composer of high-romantic, larger-scale works.

On this recording, Kubelik leads the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in the single most thrilling recording that I have heard in my lifetime. Each symphonic poem is characterized by spectacular orchestration, interpretation, performance, and sound. Bravo. Truly, Bravo, Mr. Kubelik.

The entirety of Rafael Kubelík's recordings for the Yellow Label, united for the first time in one edition can be found here on Rafael Kubelik - The Complete Recordings On Deutsche Grammophon.

• Featuring his justly-famed Beethoven cycle with nine different orchestras
• Pioneering cycles of Dvořák’s and Mahler’s symphonies
• Standard-setting recordings of works by Janáček, Orff and Smetana
• Original cover art on sleeves
• 120-page booklet with new liner notes by Rob Cowan

Official 'Rafael Kubelik - The Complete Recordings On Deutsche Grammophon' Box-Set Purchase Link

www.kubelik.org