Kurt Masur held the position of Kapellmeister at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig from 1970 to 1996. Following his retirement, Masur was named as the first Conductor Laureate in the history of the orchestra. In 1998, he became the chief conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra in September 2000. Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Symphony No. 4 in a major, Op. 90, "Italian" the work demonstrates a romantic moodscape of his journey through Florence, Rome and Naples. A sunny melody dominates the first movement (allegro vivace), uniting artistically with the idyllic second theme in the course of the movement, and leads to an impassioned finale. The present recording thus completes a circle for the Gewandhaus Orchestra under the baton of Kurt Masur. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) Pictures at an Exhibition: In the present recording with the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, Mussorgsky describes ten paintings by his friend Hartmann and frames them by the "Promenade," which guides the viewer on his way round the exhibition.