Paul Hindemith (1895–1963) was widely recognized as a leading German composer long before these works. The Mathis der Maler symphony (1934), drawn from his opera about the painter Matthias Grünewald, evokes three panels of the Isenheim Altarpiece: the Engelkonzert, the Grablegung (Entombment) and the Versuchung des heiligen Antonius (Temptation of St Anthony). Nobilissima Visione (1938) is a ballet suite inspired by the life of St Francis of Assisi, unfolding across three movements of sustained nobility. The Symphonic Metamorphosis (1938) transforms themes by Carl Maria von Weber into a brilliant four-movement orchestral showpiece, its Turandot scherzo especially irresistible. The São Paulo Symphony Orchestra is conducted by John Neschling.