Celibidache, The Complete Rias Recordings  Audite 21-406 (3 CDs) * * * *

Romanian Sergiu Celibidache (1912-96), famous for his slow speeds and high salary withthe Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, came out of nowhere to take charge of the Berlin Philharmonic in 1946 while Wilhelm Furtwängler was being de-Nazified. His relationship with the orchestra lasted for seven years and some 400 concerts, and this new set collects recordings by the Berlin station RIAS of concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic as well as the city's Western radio orchestra, including a 1957 programme celebrating the work of his teacher, Heinz Tiessen. Celibidache's penetrating vision is brought to other rare repertoire as well, by Schwarz-Schilling, Genzmer and Busoni, plus Hindemith's Piano Concerto, a finely manicured Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue (both with Gerhard Puchelt), and a full-blooded Copland Appalachian Spring. See audite.de