Austrian conductor Carlos Kleiber was enigmatic, moody, but touched by genius. He gave very few symphonic concerts and seldom made recordings, so when he did, it was an unmissable moment. One such event occurred in 1981, when he reunited with the great Wiener Philharmoniker—with whom he’d recorded a now legendary Beethoven Fifth—for this Brahms Fourth. The adrenalin is palpable: This is high-octane playing, fierce yet noble, and the orchestra responds magnificently to Kleiber’s direction. Theirs is very classy playing; the strings are ravishing, and the Viennese horns have real personality. And everything is done with a passion that just leaps out at you.