Laurence Glavin wrote comparing the San Francisco SO and the Boston
Symphony....

I was reminded of when I was younger and listened to classical radio...back
when there was classical radio...

I got the point where I could, more often than not, guess which orchestra
was performing a piece, just from the sound of the orchestra.  It might
have had something to do with the sound of the halls, who engineered,
the style of the performance, but it seems to me that it is more difficult
telling the differences...perhaps because my hearing isn't as good, or
because recording engineers are less subjective in the way they record,
or the recording technology is more standardized...or because...

I remember the saying from years ago that the Boston Symphony was the
best French orchestra in the world.  As I recall, many of the wind players
were French and had a distinctive sound.

Any thoughts?

Karl