When the beginning of Heinz Winbeck’s First Symphony descended upon the listeners at the Donaueschingen Festival on 19 October 1984, the audience experienced many listening experiences.

A relentless orchestral unison with brutal intervening blows, a nightmare of annihilation, crushing everything, a booming pounding tutti, interrupted by rests nourishing the deceptive hope that the hurricane might be over, only for it to then start to rage with renewed strength, again and again, manic, breathless, never ending.

That was when the audience experienced not only the prelude to an intense, exciting and uncompromising orchestral work, but also the birth of a great symphonic composer, a composer who revived the old form with inner truthfulness, existential urgency and masterful craftsmanship.

This complete edition on 5 CDs is the first publication of all five symphonies in one volume – interpreted by renowned soloists, conductors, choir and orchestras, for the first time allowing a large audience to also hear and experience them on CD.