WILLIAM STEINBERG

The 17-CD box set of William Steinberg’s complete recordings for Command Classics are now available, following the earlier digital release of 11 albums from the edition for the first time. Steinberg, an American conductor of German origin, was the music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1952–1976, which he turned into one of the top orchestras of the time. While his Beethoven and Brahms symphony cycles are undoubtedly the highlights of the edition he also made fascinating recordings of works by Rachmaninoff, Stravinsky, Ravel und Tchaikovsky as well as rarely performed orchestral arrangements of Gershwin, Loewe and Rodgers.  

After founding Command Classics, producer and record executive Enoch Light signed William Steinberg as a conductor for the label. Working with engineer Bob Fine, Steinberg recorded  some remarkable albums on 35mm – a technique that offered a distinct improvement in sound over Steinberg’s previous recordings.