From the CSO’s Archives: The First 130 Years

Reiner Rarities

May 25, 2021 — 1 hr 45 min listen

Fritz and Carlotta Reiner

During his tenure as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s sixth music director, Fritz Reiner recorded an extraordinary array of works, including the first recordings of Hovhaness’s Second Symphony (Mysterious Mountain) and Liebermann’s Concerto for Jazz Band and Orchestra. The CSO also made its first recording of a symphony by Gustav Mahler under Reiner’s baton, the Fourth, with soprano Lisa Della Casa.

Kabalevsky Colas Breugnon Overture
Fritz Reiner conductor
March 1959 (RCA)

Hovhaness Symphony No. 2, Op. 132 (Mysterious Mountain)
Fritz Reiner conductor
April 1958 (RCA)

Weinberger Polka and Fugue from Schwanda the Bagpiper
Fritz Reiner conductor
January 1956 (RCA)

Liebermann Concerto for Jazz Band and Orchestra
Fritz Reiner conductor
Sauter-Finegan Orchestra
December 1954 (RCA)

Mahler Symphony No. 4 in G Major
Fritz Reiner conductor
Lisa Della Casa soprano
December 1958 (RCA)

From the CSO’s Archives: The First 130 Years—featuring recordings from the CSO’s vast discography, including releases on CSO Resound—is a cultural and community partnership between the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association and WFMT, Chicago’s Classical Music Station.

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