Among the German avant-garde composers after the Second World War, Bernd Alois Zimmermann (1918-70) was the great outsider. Initially strongly influenced by the polyphonic currents of neo-Classicism and Expressionism, his own voluminous and daring characteristics quickly crystallized. It was only the premiere of his opera Die Soldaten that brought him broad and undisputed recognition. This first Modern Times CD release of lesser-known Zimmermann orchestral works features Karl-Heinz Steffens conducting the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz.