The Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67, also known as the Fate Symphony (German: Schicksalssinfonie), is a symphony composed by Ludwig van Beethoven between 1804 and 1808. It is one of the best-known compositions in classical music and one of the most frequently played symphonies, and it is widely considered one of the cornerstones of western music. First performed in Vienna's Theater an der Wien in 1808, the work achieved its prodigious reputation soon afterward. E. T. A. Hoffmann described the symphony as "one of the most important works of the time". As is typical of symphonies during the Classical period, Beethoven's Fifth Symphony has four movements.

Although the Concertos for Piano (left hand) by Korngold, Prokofiev, Ravel and others may be better known, it was Josef Labor who marked the beginning of the genre in 1915 with his first Konzertstück for Piano (left hand) and Orchestra. It was commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein, who had lost his right arm in Russia during the First World War, but was determined that his career should progress nonetheless. Labor was part of Johannes Brahms’ close circle of friends who, at the age of three, had lost his sight due to smallpox. Composition was a luxury for him, in that he had to rely on the help of an amanuensis to commit his works to paper. Labor’s music is very skillfully composed, always sensuous and, above all, melodious. These world premiere recordings represent a high-point in Capriccio's Labor-Edition, which for a number of years has been spotlighting the sensitive music of this largely forgotten composer.

Few listeners know much, if anything, about Zygmunt Noskowski (1846–1909), even though Szymanowski featured among his distinguished students and Moniuszko among his renowned teachers. And yet, for most of the 19th century, Noskowski was the primary exponent of modern symphonic music in Poland. As a conductor and concert organiser, he himself championed the causes of forgotten Polish composers. Now it's the turn of Antoni Wit, who succeeded Noskowski at the helm of the Warsaw Philharmonic 94 years after his retirement, to raise the profile of his late-romantic colleague, having similarly promoted the music of Zygmunt Stojowski on a previous Capriccio recording (C5464).