Samuel Barber was an American composer, pianist and conductor, one of the central figures in twentieth-century American music.

In the Pristine catalogue he appears as artist conducting his own Second Symphony with the New Symphony Orchestra in 1951.

Composer-conducted recordings of this kind are valuable because they preserve tempo, emphasis and dramatic intention from close to the creative source.

His artist page belongs beside his composer entry. Barber at the podium gives the American symphonic shelf a direct authorial voice.