Another instalment in SWR Classic's Hans Rosbaud Edition. Contains all the Brahms recordings Rosbaud made for SWR. The recording of Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 in December 1962 was Rosbaud's penultimate recording; he died a few days later. Includes the Piano Concerto No. 1 with Walter Gieseking, which was available only on a single LP in the 1960s. Most of the recordings have never been previously released.

Johannes Brahms had a principal focus of interest for the conductor Hans Rosbaud, alongside the music of Mozart. He recorded all four of his symphonies (Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 twice), the two serenades and the two piano concertos. The recordings of Symphony No. 1 were produced in 1955 and 1960 and that of Symphony No. 2 in 1962 (this was one of the last recordings Rosbaud made before his death).

Interestingly, the interpretative approach for the first recordings of Brahms’ Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 is markedly different from the second: the earlier recordings focus on details of form, contrapuntal structure and on instrumental transparency, while in the later recordings Rosbaud provides a more compact overview of the works.