CPO is renowned for revivals of some of the most forgotten composers and this disc is no exception. The Viennese Bruno Walter was both a conductor and composer. When he succeeded as a conductor his compositions were cast aside and have long been forgotten. After conducting the premiere of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony he stopped composing entirely in the certainty that he would never achieve such a musical peak himself.

His D-minor symphony is nonetheless an awe-inspiring masterpiece, which is neither backwards-looking nor – in spite of Mahler-like details – an imitation of Mahler. It is rather an original symphony which provides a link to Expressionism, which was emerging at that time.