Brilliant reading of these two symphonies. The chamber orchestra and paavo jarvi are absolutely on fire. Not to be missed! Seriously, not to be missed!!! This stuff brings a whole new perspective to Beethoven's symphonic work.

Splendid reading of the 4th. Kind of hard to mess up the 5th when you think about it but this reading does sound very fresh.

Ahhh...What a 9th! Immaculate, Ferrari engineered percision playing coupled with brisk tempi and spectacular SACD sonics make this reading of LVB's symphonic swan song a must for any collector

You'll need a pair of oven mitts to handle this three disc set. The reading of "Rite" is down right primal and intensely visceral. Firebird is equally as colorful in its own right. If someone is looking for a reading of these Stravinsky ballets that are attuned to both the colorful textures and primal rhythmic pulse they need look no further. Excellent!

Bernstein! Personally, I think that Bernstein's emotionally super-charged readings of Mahler are among the finest on record. Period! This stuff is like rock n' roll orchestral music. Very raw and high in energy and overflowing with emotion.

Ditto for the above. The sixth is especially amazing in this cycle.

I'll keep this one short and sweet. Stunning! And the end of the final movement is the musical equivalent of the apocalypse caught on record. The sonics are equally as impressive.

Now this is a reading of Mahler's 3rd symphony that is one for the books. The playing is exquisite and highly articulate with fine singing to boot. This one is highly enjoyable on all fronts.

A extraordinarily lush reading of Mahler's 8th. It is absolutely radiant. Must have!

Ahhh...Fritz Reiner! That man had a way with the CSO that produced some of the finest recordings ever. Contemporary recordings of these works often pale in comparison to these readings in both execution and sound.

Now this is one dark and stormy night. People often harp on about Karajan's Beethoven but I think this is some of the finest material he ever conducted. Buyer beware...leaden, storm cloud filled skies ahead! And thank god for that! Shosta fans should not delay in adding this one to their collections.

The sonics combined with highly attuned interpretations of the symphonies make these discs endlessly engrossing and fascinating.

Another contender for one of the finest readings of the Stravinsky balletic suite. This one hits the gut repeatedly and will rivet your attention for the entirety of the disc.

This is an amazing cycle for its sonics, playing and massive cast of singers. This reading of the ring cycle has an interpretive power and extraordinary sonics that will transport the listen to to Valhalla and beyond! It also doubles as a wonderful doorstop when not in use. This is a massive cycle. Worth every penny.