I am glad to hear Mr Silverstone's viola will be miked naturally. I would like to take the producer of the Handley version to one side and quiety explain that a viola is not almost as loud as an orchestra and full choir! I am tired of engineers heavily miking star violinists / violists. For example, many of Pearlman's recordings make him sound beefy. I am told that, live, he can sound much sweeter. Another good comparison is the old Polish EMI Matrix recordng of Szymanowski's violin concerto no. 1. There the engineers miked the poor violinist so far forward it is ridiculous. It almost makes you wonder why Szymanowski bothered delicately judging the orchestral balances in the first place. Then turn to the Decca MontrealSO/Dutoit where the orchestra thunders impressively in the few outbursts and the violin soars sweetly, delicately and with added vulnerability. The whole charater of the music changes completely as we hear something closer to exotic and erotic effect Szymanowski intended. I have heard the NZSO perform this work and sonically the Decca version is definitely closer to experiencing the music live. I wonder how the EMI Rattle and Chandos versions compare? David Harbin Nottingham, UK