A violinist-conductor who understood orchestras from the inside out: commanding power and Viennese warmth in the complete Decca symphonic recordings of Walter Weller.

As the youngest ever leader of the Vienna Philharmonic, Walter Weller quickly established a natural rapport with orchestras at home and abroad when he swapped bow for baton in the late 1960s. Engaged as a regular conductor by the Vienna State Opera, he made his debut as a conductor in the studio with a 1970 recital of arias with the Spanish soprano Pilar Lorengar.

As leader of the Weller Quartet, he was no stranger to Decca’s studios, but he disbanded the quartet to focus on conducting. In Geneva with the Suisse Romande orchestra, then in London with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra, he brought his insider’s knowledge of orchestral technique to bear on mostly Russian symphonies through the course of the 1970s. Critics identified Weller’s total grasp of complex scores and his ability to get a rich yet transparent sound from his orchestras.

The First and Ninth symphonies of Shostakovich in 1971 were followed up by equally acclaimed complete cycles of Rachmaninov and Prokofiev. In 1974, Weller also made a compelling account of the Symphony by Paul Dukas, in this underrated work’s first recording on a major label. Decca’s full-frequency sound complemented the burnished gleam of string timbre which Weller elicited wherever he went. He proved a sympathetic and alert accompanist to Pascal Rogé in a 1974-76 cycle of the Bartók piano concertos, and then drew on his own Czech heritage for a broad and loving traversal of Smetana’s Ma vlást with the Israel Philharmonic.

Near the close of his relationship with Decca (1979-82), Weller then returned to the repertoire he had grown up with as the son of a Vienna Philharmonic violinist, recording the Hungarian Dances of Brahms and the violin concertos of Mozart with the Japanese soloist Mayumi Fujikawa. This set stood out from the competition by including the two concertos published under Mozart’s name after his death, later deemed spurious, but highly attractive in their own right. Accompanying this Original Jackets collection, Peter Quantrill contributes a new essay on Walter Weller’s life and career, paying tribute to a true son of Vienna.

“Weller does things with tempos that you won’t hear on any other disc … Weller is the only conductor I have ever heard to take the third movement at a true Presto, resulting in a mercurial and exhilarating brilliance that carries through the entire movement.” – High Fidelity, August 1973 (Shostakovich: Symphonise nos. 1 & 9)

“An exceptionally fine version … Weller, Austrian as he may be, never takes his Brucknerian approach to the point where Rachmaninoff’s Slavonic passion is underplayed or an element of stodginess introduced. Far from it.” – Gramophone, November 1973 (Rachmaninov: Symphony No. 2)

“Weller has the LSO playing brilliantly for him, and the recording is superb, especially in its clarity of detail … Weller’s orchestral imagination and perception of detail [are] always a delight.” – Gramophone, May 1975 (Prokofiev: Symphonies nos. 1 & 7)

“[Weller] makes The Sorcerer’s Apprentice sound as dangerous a liability to the sorcerer as ever, in fresh and glowing colours – the LPO at their best.” – Gramophone, June 1976 (Dukas)

“A crisp and totally committed performance … via Weller’s unflinchingly dynamic interpretation … Weller’s Sorcerer’s Apprentice brought chills to my spine for the first time in many, many hearings of this work.” – High Fidelity, September 1976 (Dukas)

“Deeply felt performances in the European symphonic tradition. But they have considerable subtlety too and a special delicacy of feeling … The recording is superlative even by Decca’s high standards.” – Gramophone, September 1976 (Rachmaninov: Symphonies, The Rock)

“Some of the most electric, fiery Bartók one can remember for a long time… Rogé becomes first choice here by a substantial margin.” – Classical Music Weekly, 1977 (Bartók: Piano Concerto no.1)

“In No. 1, there is welcome depth and tenderness to the Larghetto … Weller’s pacing is broad and steady, his rhythm strong. The Seventh emerges as a more dignified and subtle work.” – High Fidelity, June 1977 (Prokofiev: Symphonies nos. 1 & 7)

“Walter Weller’s account of this perennially fresh and touching score is sprightly and vital … Tempi are well chosen, rhythms clearly articulated and keenly alive … It is hard to beat.” – Gramophone, July 1979 (Grieg: Peer Gynt)

“Weller is sensitive to detail and dynamic nuance, and the strings produce a particularly cultivated sound under his baton.” – Gramophone, April 1980 (Prokofiev: Symphony no.2)

“[Fujikawa’s] unusually sweet tone suggests a well-controlled bowing arm and a superb instrument, and her intonation is remarkable accurate, her technique adroit … The B flat major Rondo is wholly entrancing.” – Gramophone, June 1982 (Mozart: Violin Concertos)

“[Fujikawa’s] Mozart gives very great pleasure … Walter Weller’s sympathetic polished accompaniments, the RPO’s most elegant playing and the splendid Decca sound.” – Gramophone, May 1994 (Mozart: Violin Concertos)

“The First has real fire, while the Third is structurally strong, and features some of the best sound yet given to this late work … [Weller] puts pedal-to-the-metal in the quick music, and still coaxes confident phrasing from the British fiddles in the fast finale.” – Fanfare, September 2008 (Rachmaninov: Symphonies)

“Pascal Rogé’s playing has an attractive lustre, and the straightforward performance benefits enormously from the lovely orchestral sound, making it one of the more satisfactory readings on disc.” – Fanfare, July 2010 (Bartók: Piano Concertos nos. 1 & 2)

“Fujikawa couples a commanding technique with expressive simplicity, never allowing the one to overrun the other … Urgently recommended.” – Fanfare, September 2015 (Mozart: Violin Concertos)