Various Orchestras/Rudolf Kempe EMI Classics 692 5572 ****

German conductor Rudolf Kempe (1910-76) may be best remembered for his survey of the hubristic Richard Strauss, and two CDs here are devoted to his much-praised, painstakingly revealing handling of Strauss with the Dresden Staatskapelle. But he was at heart an unassuming musician. You can hear that very clearly in his approach to the waltzing Strausses, who feature in two affectionate CDs of lighter repertoire, made with the Vienna Philharmonic. His Beethoven (Symphonies 1, 3, 5 and 6 froma pioneering, early 1970s, quadraphonic cycle with the Munich Philharmonic) will still be rather mild-mannered for many tastes. But his Brahms has a firmer bite, and the excerpts from Wagner's Lohengrinand Die Meistersingerare extremely gripping. Overall, a set that's somehow more than the sum of its parts. See url.ie/57cs