deryk barker replies to Robert Stumpf, II about the Leningrad Symphony's blatty brass during the Mravinsky era: >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". I love that blatty brass. My Tchaikovsky 6th with Mravinsky and the Leningrad is a whole different experience from other, sweeter recordings. It really lights a fire in your guts. And Shostakovitch's 7th is just magnificent as played by the old Leningrad PO. The loss of that brass is just another sad consequence of globalization as far as I'm concerned. Regards, John Parker