“At the age of 9, he made his conducting debut with the LA Philharmonic, and at 11 Toscanini invited him to conduct the NBC Symphony Orchestra: Lorin Maazel is undoubtedly one of the greatest conductors of his century. His first album with Deutsche Grammophon was a celebrated Tchaikovsky recording, followed by many collaborations with the Berlin Philharmonic, the RSO Berlin and other renowned orchestras.

“For the first time, Deutsche Grammophon is now releasing all of Lorin Maazel’s recordings in a limited complete edition. 39 CDs with original covers are accompanied by an 80-page booklet with a new essay by Tully Potter [entitled A Meticulous Master of Preparation and Precision]. Highlights of the collection include his critically acclaimed recordings of the Ravel operas L’Enfant et les sortilèges and L’Heure espagnole.” (Presto)

From child prodigy to renowned if opinion-dividing international maestro, Lorin Maazel (1930-2014) made many recordings, some of the earliest being for DG. He also recorded for Decca (when music director of the Cleveland Orchestra), EMI, RCA, Sony and Telarc. This DG box includes three approaches to Romeo and Juliet – from Berlioz, Prokofiev, and Tchaikovsky -, a sackful of Symphonies, including time-honoured accounts of Mendelssohn’s ‘Reformation’, Franck’s D-minor, Rachmaninov’s Second – thrilling and moving, unfussy, wholesome, direct, uncut, the very end of the first movement played as writ – part of Maazel’s Berlin Philharmonic survey of the composer’s three Symphonies and the Symphonic Dances, and an exciting/passionate Tchaikovsky Four. With the Vienna Philharmonic three discs of Strauss Family delights and (unrelated) Richard Strauss blockbusters including a compelling Zarathustra, as well as Dvořák 7-9. There’s a relative rarity in the form of Zemlinsky’s Lyric Symphony, and some lighter Beethoven. Apart from the Ravel operas there’s Verdi’s Luisa Miller with Domingo.

Maazel was one of the most technically gifted of conductors, a forensic studier of scores, a commanding figure, and if his interpretations could sometimes veer to the mannered, rather than interventionist, he was capable of greatness, and there are quite a few examples of such success in this set. Consistently the music-making is never-less than interesting and involving. Maazel knew what he wanted and how to get it. DG 486 3243 (39 CDs).

Lorin Maazel rehearses Beethoven’s ‘Eroica’ Symphony; New York Philharmonic; undated.

CD 1 
HECTOR BERLIOZ
ROMEO ET JULIETTE OP. 17 (EXCERPTS)
ROMEO AND JULIET | ROMEO UND JULIA
SYMPHONIE DRAMATIQUE
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 2 
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
ROMEO AND JULIET  
SERGEI PROKOFIEV
ROMEO AND JULIET
EXCERPTS FROM SUITES NO. 1 (OP. 64A) AND NO. 2 (OP. 64B)
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 3 
IGOR STRAVINSKY
L’OISEAU DE FEU – THE FIREBIRD 
LE CHANT DU ROSSIGNOL – THE SONG OF THE NIGHTINGALE 
POÈME SYMPHONIQUE
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

CD 4 
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN C MINOR OP. 67
OVERTURE “THE CONSECRATION OF THE HOUSE” OP. 124
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 5 
JOHANNES BRAHMS
SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN F MAJOR OP. 90
TRAGIC OVERTURE OP. 81
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 6 
OTTORINO RESPIGHI 
PINI DI ROMA
MODEST MUSSORGSKY
NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN  
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
CAPRICCIO ESPAGNOL OP. 34
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 7 
FRANZ SCHUBERT
SYMPHONY NO. 4 IN C MINOR “TRAGIC” D 417
SYMPHONY NO. 8 IN B MINOR “UNFINISHED” D 759
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 8 
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
SYMPHONY NO. 1 IN E FLAT MAJOR K 16
SYMPHONY NO. 28 IN C MAJOR K 200 (189K)
SYMPHONY NO. 41 IN C MAJOR “JUPITER” K 551
Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion-Television Française

CD 9 
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
SYMPHONY NO. 6 IN F MAJOR “PASTORAL” OP. 68
12 CONTREDANSES FOR ORCHESTRA WOO 14
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 10
MAURICE RAVEL
L’ENFANT ET LES SORTILEGES
Chœur et maitrise de la Radiodiffusion-Television Française
Chorus Master: Rene Alix
Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion-Television Française

CD 11
FELIX MENDELSSOHN
SYMPHONY NO. 4 IN A MAJOR “ITALIAN” OP. 90
SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN D MAJOR “REFORMATION” OP. 107
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 12
FRANZ SCHUBERT
SYMPHONY NO. 5 IN B FLAT MAJOR D 485
SYMPHONY NO. 6 IN C MAJOR “THE LITTLE” D 589
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 13
CÉSAR FRANCK
SYMPHONY IN D MINOR
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

CD 14
BENJAMIN BRITTEN 
THE YOUNG PERSON’S GUIDE TO THE ORCHESTRA OP. 34
VARIATIONS AND FUGUE ON A THEME OF PURCELL 
SERGE PROKOFIEV
PETER AND THE WOLF OP. 67
A MUSICAL TALE FOR CHILDREN 
Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion-Television Française

CD 15
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
SYMPHONY NO. 4 IN F MINOR OP. 36
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 16
FRANZ SCHUBERT
SYMPHONY NO. 2 IN B FLAT MAJOR D 125
SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN D MAJOR D 200
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 17
MAURICE RAVEL
L’HEURE ESPAGNOLE
Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion-Television Française

CD 18
MANUEL DE FALLA
EL AMOR BRUJO
DANCES FROM EL SOMBRERO DE TRES PICOS
Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

CD 19-20
GIUSEPPE VERDI 
LUISA MILLER 
Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Chorus Master: John Barker
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

CD 21
BÉLA BARTÓK 
CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA SZ 116
TWO PICTURES SZ 46 (OP. 10)
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 22
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
CONCERTO FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA IN D MAJOR OP. 35
SÉRÉNADE MÉLANCOLIQUE FOR VIOLIN AND ORCHESTRA
IN B FLAT MINOR OP. 26
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 23
NEW YEAR’S CONCERT 1980
Wiener Philharmoniker

CD 24
NEW YEAR’S CONCERT 1981
Wiener Philharmoniker

CD 25
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK
SYMPHONY NO. 8 IN G MAJOR OP. 88
Wiener Philharmoniker

CD 26
ALEXANDER ZEMLINSKY
LYRISCHE SYMPHONIE OP. 18
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 27
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF
SYMPHONY NO. 3 IN A MINOR OP. 44
THE ISLE OF THE DEAD OP. 29
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 28
NEW YEAR’S CONCERT 1982
Wiener Philharmoniker

CD 29
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK
SYMPHONY NO. 9 IN E MINOR “FROM THE NEW WORLD” OP. 95
CONCERT OVERTURE “CARNIVAL” OP. 92
Wiener Philharmoniker

CD 30
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF
SYMPHONY NO. 2 IN E MINOR OP. 27
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 31
NEW YEAR’S CONCERT 1983
Wiener Philharmoniker

CD 32
LIVE IN VIENNA
Wiener Philharmoniker

CD 33
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK
SYMPHONY NO. 7 IN D MINOR OP. 70
Wiener Philharmoniker

CD 34
RICHARD STRAUSS
ALSO SPRACH ZARATHUSTRA OP. 30
MACBETH OP. 23  
Wiener Philharmoniker

CD 35
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF
SYMPHONIC DANCES OP. 45
INTERMEZZO FROM THE OPERA ALEKO 
VOCALISE OP. 34 NO. 14 
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 36
RICHARD STRAUSS
SYMPHONIA DOMESTICA OP. 53
Wiener Philharmoniker

CD 37
HECTOR BERLIOZ
HAROLD EN ITALIE OP. 16
LE CARNAVAL ROMAIN OP. 9
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 38
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF
SYMPHONY NO. 1 IN D MINOR OP. 13
THE ROCK OP. 7
Berliner Philharmoniker

CD 39
NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV
SCHEHERAZADE OP. 35
Berliner Philharmoniker