An excellent two-disc mid-price Hindemith collection containing some pretty impressive performances.
The Philadelphia recordings are very fine: both Ormandy and Sawallisch demonstrating a real feel for this colourful (and much underrated) music. The glorious Philadelphia Sound pays huge rewards in these scores. The Karajan Mathis also shows off a great orchestra, and the conductor's skill at bringing out the atmosphere of a work is a real plus here.
Tabea Zimmermann isn't as forceful a soloist as the composer in Der Schwanendreher but she and David Shallon emphasise the work's lyrical qualities, and find an appealing delicacy in the piece. Hindemith himself directs the Philharmonia (then on top form) in the rarely heard Symphonia serena and draws some magnificent playing from this outstanding ensemble.