Twenty years ago or so, pre-CD, I recall reading an article in the
Sunday NY Times or Washington Post on the best recordings of the Beethoven
Symphonies, which listed individual symphonies, as well as the complete
nine.

The best overall complete set for artistic intrepretation and sound
was said to be William Steinberg's with the Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra
on Command Classics.  I have the LPs and remember these were exciting
performances.  To my knowledge, they have not been re-issued on CD.

They were recorded on 35 mm magnetic film.  With the re-issues of the
Everest and Mercury recordings of the same era, does anyone know if there
are any plans for the Command series? They are definitely worth hearing.
There were also many other Steinberg / PSO recordings in the Command
catalogue, including the four Brahms Symphonies, that deserve to be
heard again.

Darrell Acree
Washington, DC