Alan Dugan wrote: >Sergie Rachmaninoff called the Philadelphia Orchestra "The Rolls Royce >of Orchestras" back in the 1940's.....it still is! That was when Stokowski was the Maestro. The idea of 'greatest' orchestra reminds me of a story. I was talking with a man about the fact that I have been in teaching for over 30 years. He said, "Kids today aren't as good as they used to be." I told him this wasn't true and I had the experience to prove it. His reply was, "I guess students are only as good as the teacher." Whilst it is probably true that the Vienna Phil, Berlin Phil, Philadelphia, etc. can afford and probably have 'better' musicians, Stokowski could take any orchestra and make it sound great. Sum ergo cogito. Stumpf