Best "Hungarian Rhapsody" on vinyl?

Perhaps, although don't dismiss the Classic re-issue. The improvements in the bass and dynamics outweigh what I think is a slight loss of warmth. I'm gonna listen to all three tonight (now see what you've done!) to refresh my recollection. I'll let you know if I've changed my mind.

Ok, and I think this one is the only one that I don't already have from Classic!!!

I have one on Mercury (from Europe, the Golden Inports series), by Antal Dorati and the London Symphony Orchestra, # SRI 7508. I haven't listened to it for a long time, but if my memory serves me well, it is a good recording. Will let you know after I listen to it.

Hi Carl, after listening last night, the Fiedler probably would satisfy your wishes. It's LSC 2442, a Mohr-Layton recording, called The Music of Franz Liszt. I have a 1S/1S shaded dog, and the strings are quite lush, the bass is excellent (a little full, but sounds good on this music), and the dynamics are very good--startling, in fact, on some of the other cuts. A little bit of compression or distortion with the brass on side two in the loudest parts. Surface noise can be obtrusive on this one--I also have a 7S/9S shaded dog that was rated M- which has that sandpapery crackle behind the music that I hear on a lot of the old RCAs. Probably pricey on the used market, but if you run across one at a reasonable price it's worth picking up. The Stokowski re-issue is a little less lush in the strings, but has far better transparency, excellent low end and dynamics, and has a few of Stokowski's variances from the score that made him the unique conductor he was. You might check with some of the record dealers to see if they have any of those left over--I remember Classic was selling them for $15 each when they were cleaning out their old stock. Haven't heard the Dorati; probably a very good performance, but not sure of the sound on the Golden Imports series. Interested in hearing from Dacostab on that one.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you guys.... The Dorati version is nicely done (the best, according to an old Penguin Record Guide), but the recording is not the best. The strings are not as lush as a typical Mercury, and I wouldn't mind a bit more bass. The large dynamics that Carl requires are not there. One caveat, however, is that I am using fairly new speakers (ML SL3) and tonearm (i.e. not broken in). The cartridge is a Koetsu Rosewood, with all tube electronics. The Koetsu is one voluptuous cartridge !