Robert Stumpf, II ([log in to unmask]) wrote: >I would agree that the Staatskapelle is a great orchestra, just shy of >being one of the top ten. The Leningrad/St. Petersburg Orchestra was >great under Mravinsky, but suffered from blatty brass. I'd argue that that was part of their national style. Or, as somebody ONCe put it, the Leningrad PO had "a trumpet section that could kill at 100 paces". deryk barker ([log in to unmask], http://www.camosun.bc.ca/~dbarker)