I've read here a few times that Bernard Haitink in the flesh is a much different musician than on disc, and earlier this week while on a visit to London (free babysitting with grandparents!), my wife and I were able to enjoy an absolutely magnificent performance with him and the Berliners. While I've admired Haitink before, nothing prepared me for these transcendent readings of Wagner's Tristan Prelude and Brucker 7th. In the latter especially I'm not sure I've ever heard such a complete unanimity among conductor, composer and musicians. Here Haitink's remarkable grasp of structure, in a live setting with musicians who obviously love him, built carefully shaped developments of tension that would suddenly explode in riotous joy at the climax of a movement. One sensed the lifetime of love he's lavished on this music fully emerging. Why Philips hasn't done live recordings with him, I'll never know. And once again I learned that great orchestras sound so different in person that one is almost tempted to give up collecting. The Berlin strings in particular are absolutely indescribable. Robin Mitchell-Boyask Temple University Philadelphia PA 19122