Don Satz, presumably wearing his armour and helmet, announced: >I've decided to take the plunge into Rachmaninov's symphonies.. and asked for recommendations. I like the Ashkenazy versions with the Concertgebouw on Decca (London in US?) which include his little one-movement Brucknerian Youth Symphony. A friend recently picked up the Ormandy versions which don't quite come with a free set of steak knives, but they are very cheap. Ormandy had - and still has - his detractors but IMO his way with Rachmaninov better than most. Whoever you buy, many people have done cut-and-paste jobs on the 2nd, so care is advised. Richard Pennycuick [log in to unmask]