Kleiber conducts Beethoven: Symphony No. 4

In his performances, Carlos Kleiber radiates joy in music, passion and elegance – in other words, (apparent) effortlessness; and yet, as his fame grew, his appearances became increasingly rarer. That is why Kleiber only realised two concert programmes, each with the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and only one with the legendary Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. With the latter, the conductor interpreted Beethoven's Seventh Symphony in 1983, as well as his Fourth Symphony, which can be heard here. With its rapid changes of mood and witty punch lines, the work ideally suits Kleiber's genius.