I was rummaging through my older cds last night and came across a Mozart cd of symphonies (32, 35, 36) conducted by Jukka-Pekka Saraste leading the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on Virgin Classics. This recording was made in 1988, and I had fond memories of it although I hadn't played it for a few years. Saraste, in recent years, has recorded other composers, and we've had discussions of his Nielsen and Sibelius recordings with opinions ranging from merely competent to very good. In the Mozart recording, Saraste is outstanding, and there are four features of the recording that lead me to this conclusion. First, Mozart's symphonies need to be performed with sufficient "weight". Without it, the music can sound merely pretty and even trivialized. Those are common criticisms of Mozart's compositions, but Saraste gives the three symphonies full weight. Second, there's an exuberant playfulness to Mozart's music that Saraste fully explores and delivers on. Also, Saraste successfully negotiates the combining of weight with playfulness. Third, I don't know of a composer whose music flows as naturally as Mozart's. The conductor has to have an instinctive understanding of this flow, and Saraste seems to have it in his bloodstream. Fourth, the recorded sound is superb. I felt as if every instrument was perfectly positioned, with the winds being particularly outstanding. The Saraste recording, which I bought many years ago at full price, is now available as a 2-cd set including Saraste's performance of Mozart's 39th and 41st symphonies (#61451). The price is just a little over $10 - a steal. I have not heard Saraste's performances of symphonies nos. 39 & 41, but I can't imagine them not being of high quality. Don's Conclusion: I would consider the 1988 recording an essential purchase even it was still at full price; I think Saraste performs each of the three symphonies as well as any other conductor. Given the new/low price and the additional two symphonies, the set is an urgent must-buy. Don Satz [log in to unmask]