Otto Klemperer’s complex artistry combined a remarkable understanding of architectural structure, a loving attention to detail and immense subtlety. Nowhere was this more evident than in his authoritative and compellingly lucid readings of Beethoven’s music. This 1955 Eroica is a notable example, the young but fully seasoned Philharmonia Orchestra responding superbly to Klemperer’s weighty and deliberate conception, which is yet rhythmically buoyant and filled with dynamic contrast. The highlight of this recording is the second movement Funeral March, solemn, tender and noble, whose universal pathos never lapses into sentimentality.