Repertoire
At the centre of the concerts conducted by Hindemith were – alongside his own works – primarily compositions of Bach, Mozart, Bruckner and Reger. However, he methodically expanded his repertoire with works he believed to be neglected, such as Beethoven's ‹Great Fugue,› Op. 133 in a version for string orchestra, Mendelssohn's ‹Fingal's Cave› Overture and ‹Scottish Symphony,› Liszt's ‹Orpheus› and especially overtures of Cherubini which he held in very high esteem. Of the twentieth century, he conducted works of Bartók, Blacher, Berg, Dallapiccola, Genzmer, Hartmann, Heiller, Honegger, Milhaud, Oboussier, Petrassi, Piston, Prokofiev, Schönberg, Schreker, Stravinsky, Walton and Webern. He generally opened a concert with an overture or a brief symphony, followed by a work of his own and concluding with a weighty work of the 19th century.
The point of emphasis of his repertoire shifted during the late 1950s. Hindemith now frequently performed works that had no chance in the music business due to problems of instrumental combination, but with which he could press ahead thanks to his authority; he took up choral music and combined Early Music with the latest music. He did not only conduct at these concerts but also played Early Music on an historical instrument. In this way, Hindemith wanted to rid performances of Early Music of their museum-like character and liberate new music from the ghetto of special events. A substantial unity of the music could be sensed at his concerts through all the genres and styles. Hindemith was the last musician in the twentieth century who mastered and performed the entire musical repertoire.