Recorded live at Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall, London on 24 November 2004 (Symphony No. 3) and 27 November 2004 (Symphony No. 5).

This recording features former Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra Kurt Masur, who conducted more than 150 performances in London and internationally during his tenure.

Masur inaugurated the launch of the LPO’s own label in 2005 with live performances of Shostakovich’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 5.

Kurt Masur was renowned for conducting Beethoven with insight and cohesion; these concert performances were conducted from memory. He sadly passed away in December 2015; this captivating pair of concert recordings from 2004 pays tribute to his musical legacy.

The concert performances of these symphonies were praised at the time. The Daily Telegraph said of the Fifth Symphony “it was the joyous conclusion of the Fifth, with all Beethoven’s guns blazing, that left the packed audience in a euphoric mood… Masur shaped the whole symphonic drama... with the hands of a master.” - The Daily Telegraph