Fritz Reiner was internationally renowned as one of the outstanding conductors of his time. A time that not only celebrated him as "the greatest conductor technician", but also as a musician "who knew everything", as a member of the New York Philharmonic put it. After completing his studies in Budapest (where he had sat on the piano bench next to Bartok), he traveled via Dresden to the USA (Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, New York) and then on to Chicago, where he began collaborating with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1953 – the crowning glory of an already brilliant career. Under Reiner's baton the orchestra became the best orchestra in the world in the eyes of many. Stravinsky praised it as the "most precise and flexible orchestra in the world and an effective antidote to the windmill school and gimmickry."

This documentation of original albums pays homage to this great "conductor’s conductor" and his orchestra. Choosing from the abundance of extraordinary and groundbreaking recordings presented quite a task – his Strauss recordings especially wrote recording history. Reiner had been in close contact with the composer during his Dresden years and received influential inspiration from him for his legendary conducting style. "Reiner's rhythm, slight as it was, had infinite nuances. The tip of his baton gave everyone their impulses, holding the beat, forming phrases, anticipating any and all challenges. "(H. C. Schonberg) Reiner's reading of the works of Bartok are no less celebrated; the recording of the "Concerto for Orchestra" from 1955 remains a milestone of precision and strength to this day. The Tschaikowsky and Brahms concerts with Jascha Heifetz and Emil Gilels as well as

Rachmaninow with Byron Janis are among Reiner’s other highlights in this boxset – shining brightly in terms of variety and quality among his outstanding discographic heritage.