Furtwängler was a German conductor and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest symphonic and operatic conductors of the 20th century. By the time of Furtwängler's conducting debut at the age of twenty, he had written several works but they were not well received. Financial insecurity of a career as a composer led him to concentrate on conducting. Towards the end of the war, under extreme pressure from the Nazi Party, Furtwängler fled to Switzerland. It was during this troubled period that he composed what is largely considered his most significant work, the Symphony No. 2 in E minor. He resumed performing and recording following the war, and remained a popular conductor in Europe.

Click on image for full size printable inlay image