Klemperer recorded just one Brahms symphony cycle, which was made near the beginning of his association with the Philharmonia Orchestra, in 1956-7, at a time when the great conductor was at the height of his Indian summer. In fact this was exactly the right time, since it was just late enough for all the symphonies to be recorded in stereo: if the cycle had been recorded in mono only we should have had stereo remakes from a later period, when Klemperer's energies were on the wane. Fortunately the sound is everywhere more than acceptable; not particularly seductive, but clear and immediate, with wind instruments to the fore, as was his norm.

In the First Symphony's opening movement his conducting has a massive, uncompromising quality. His view of the score is lofty and unbending, and the music unfolds in very deliberate fashion. The pulse is fairly constant, but Klemperer's strength of character is such that it never seems dull or metronomic. In its own way the slow movement has considerable power of expression but in the third he relaxes a little and crossrhythms are neatly pointed. The finale has superb line and tension, and grows cumulatively to a magnificent climax. His account of the Tragic Overture is intense, highly dramatic and thrilling, while in the Academic Festival Overture his bluff straightforward approach pays rich dividends.

The Second Symphony finds Klemperer in more lyrical mood, as befits the nature of the work. Here there are some changes of pulse in the first movement, and moments of real warmth and tenderness. The slow movement, too, has considerable depth of expression, as well as underlying strength, and there is no lack of tenderness in the Allegretto. The finale has plenty of energy and excitement, but a superb sense of proportion. Overall this is a gloriously ripe, experienced reading. The Alto Rhapsody was recorded some six years later than the other works. Ludwig sings superbly, and her interpretation is more overtly expressive than that of many other famous singers in this work.

The Third Symphony is a comparative disappointment. It is the only one in which Klemperer takes the first movement repeat. But there's a hint of reserve in his conducting, and tempos by and large seem to be just a little on the slow side. It's a good, sound performance, but he seems less than at ease throughout the work. In the Fourth Symphony he regains his best form to provide a powerful, very expressive account of the first movement, a beautifully balanced, eloquent slow movement and a third where, despite the insertion of some unmarked commas, there is strong, rugged impetus. The last movement was surely made for Klemperer's objective, architectural style, and he holds the episodes together magnificently in pointing the way to a glorious climax.