Rudolf Kempe belonged to that increasingly rare breed of conductors for whom musical mood and content rather than individual temperament dictate how a performance should sound. ICA’s double release is at its most compelling in the 1957 Mahler Fourth, a reading of the utmost delicacy and sensitivity that pre-dates the ‘Mahler revival’ and where seamless transitions and the well-chosen tempi that lead to them are characteristic of the best elements in the Austro-German conducting traditions. Take the rise and fall of the opening theme, so shapely in its phrasing and effective in its tonal projection, the subtle pointing of the second movement or the profound simplicity of Kempe’s handling of the high string-writing after the slow movement’s explosive outburst. Granted, not everything is perfectly executed and soprano Joan Alexander, good though she is, doesn’t quite suggest the childlike innocent one ideally needs for the sublime finale but these are minor quibbles in a performance that is characteristic of a notable conductor in prime professional condition.

Both the symphony and a worthy reading of Wagner’s Parsifal Prelude from eight years later are with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, whereas Kempe’s uncommonly urgent (and brightly lit) reading of Mendelssohn’s Ruy Blas Overture from 1967 is with the LSO. Both made more of an impression on me than a Royal Festival Hall concert reading with the RPO of Wagner’s Tannhäuser Overture from 1973 as featured on the DVD, efficiently played, energetic for sure but lacking in sweep and subtlety.

How different Kempe’s Bamberg Brahms Second from the same year, where the city’s Symphony Orchestra respond to Kempe’s clearly defined gestures with dedication and unanimity, whether in the taut arguments that dominate the outer movements (the first movement’s development section is especially impressive) or in the weighted, aching textures of the Adagio non troppo slow movement. The camerawork is often more effective too, more revealing of detail, lingering on Kempe’s quizzical expressions between the first and second movements, which suggest a combination of inner satisfaction and (perhaps) pensiveness about what’s to come. No worries there, with an account of the Allegretto grazioso third movement that features an especially fiery middle section, while the finale, which exits in a super-swift blaze of glory, is played with great intensity (especially by the brass), a true summation, just as it should be. So an enthusiastic thumbs-up for Mahler, Brahms and Mendelssohn, while, to be truthful, Wagner is better served elsewhere.