The Tchaikovsky studio recordings presented here were made in 1962 (Symphony no.5) and 1969 (Symphony no.6) with the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg (known at the time as the Südwestfunk Symphony Orchestra), and in 1979 (Nutcracker Suite) with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra. Witold Rowicki made many other appearances with German orchestras, each of them enthusiastically greeted by the press and the public.

Witold Rowicki, one of Poland’s most important conductors of the 20th century and a leading figure of his generation, was internationally recognised, not least for his recordings of the complete Dvořák symphonies with the London Symphony Orchestra, and for his impulsive Tchaikovsky performances. In his native country he was admired as the conductor to whom Witold Lutosławski dedicated his brilliant Concerto for Orchestra and as someone who passionately promoted the music of his compatriots.