After cutting his teeth leading second class orchestras, Wilhelm Furtwangler"s reputation grew quickly and by the late 1920"s he was considered one of the world"s musical stars. But the Nazi era forced him to make a choice. Furtwangler opted to stay in Berlin as an exile in his own country. With the end of the war, he was given the opportunity to rejoin European musical culture, promoting humanity in music. But times were changing and he was perceived more than ever as disconnected from "modernity." Today, these performances sound somewhat anachronistic, but aptly demonstrate the full-blooded romantic style that was Furtwangler"s forte.