Oh the thrill of discovering Richard Strauss in my early twenties. Most of the recordings I acquired back then--Ormandy, Ashkenazy/Cleveland--I still have and I haven't really looked into alternative performances until now. A very no-frills, informal, non-scientific report; I hope it's moderately useful: After hearing Kempe's EMI Ein Heldenleben I went ahead and bought the entire Kempe/Dresden set--it's available used for pennies all over the net. What caught my ear is Kempe's ability to find such a wealth of warmth in Strauss' often fast-moving polyphony, without losing momentum. Recorded in the '70's. Haitink's Strauss: Philips offers an economical 2-CD set with Haitink and the Concertgebouw doing the 5 major tone poems. The Heldenleben seems to have always been a favorite among critics. It's marked by gorgeous string/woodwind playing and it's better recorded (3 years earlier!) than Kempe's, though I still like the Kempe more. My favorite on this compilation turned out to be the very poetic, non-fatiguing and stunningly recorded Also Sprach. (A friend of mine who recently assisted Leonard Slatkin at the Concertgebouw said that they hang a thick, gargantuan curtain between the orchestra and audience to "fill the hall" so to speak when they record). In all of the performances, the horns are just a little too far recessed for my taste. Recorded in the '70's. Two unlikely sources: In my search for the perfect modern Ein Heldenleben, who would have thought? MTT and the London Symphony on Sony? Usually too lean and mean a conductor for my tastes, but not here: the voluptuous play of horns and strings is unforgettable. Another from the lean and mean school is Blomstedt/SFO, but what a performance he turns in with the Alpensinfonie on Decca. Irresistible woodwind playing, trombone pedal-tones and tuba spectacularly caught, truly rising from the depths, and the strings who play their hearts out in "On the Summit." (Both digital). I finally found Sinopoli's recording of Also Sprach and Tod with the NYPO on DG at Amazon. If you can find *any* of his performances with the NYPO I totally recommend them. The recordings, done at the Manhattan Center are uniquely warm and spacious, and Sinopoli really wakes this band up. If you're tired of the Also Sprach, pick up this version when it comes out on DG mid-price in October--it's a revelation, though the organ is a little reedy in the upper register for my tastes. Sinopoli's Tod has the most beautifully atmospheric opening I've heard. Speaking of fatiguing, a big disappointment was Previn's VPO Telarc series. None of the performances really moved me, and the sound is surprisingly harsh. John Smyth Sacramento, CA