Steven Martin wrote:

>This was news to me, the much touted EMI reissues of such classic
>recordings as Klemperer's "Das Lied...", Barbirolli's Mahler 5 and Szell's
>"4 Last Songs" with Elizabeth Schwartzkopf has apparently landed on
>America's shores.  The new Rattle recording of Mahler's Third is also
>finally available.

All well worth hearing in varying degrees.  The Klemperer Mahler DLVDE and
Barbirolli Mahler Fifth should be on the shelf of every one interested in
Mahler's music.  They are great and distinctive interpretations by two
Mahlerians of the previous generation.  The Rattle Mahler 3rd is a fine
modern recording, as good as any made in the last five or so years and
better than some, in my opinion.

>While I was looking at all these CDs that I can't afford, I also saw
>a Tring disk of MacKerras conducting Symphony Fantastique, a disk of
>Mackerras conducting Sibelius Symphony #2 and Boult's Philharmonia
>recording of the Planet Suite.  The Boult was a real surprise because it
>is usually the L.S.O.  recording that one sees in stores and I recall
>once hearing that the Philharmonia was perhaps even better than the
>LSO recording.  Is anybody familiar with any of these recordings?

I think you mean Boult with the LPO.  None of his Planets recordings
was with the LSO.  His New Philharmonia version is, after his BBCSO
wartime recording, my favourite of his.

The Mackerras Sibelius 2nd is superb.  Note the use of the revised
timpanni parts in the closing pages.

Tony Duggan
Staffordshire,
United Kingdom.