Best Brahms Third Symphony

Thanks for the responses. I usually buy classical from arkivmusi. I will take a look there.

@schubert +1! Charles Mackerras sounds unusual to me but there is no limit to how many readings of my fav 1st a boy can have! SQ is excellent, if that matters...

It is unusual , IMO in a good way .That size and sometime single violin to a part is the sort of sound Brahms would have heard in his day .

Only big Orchestra that played that way was the Leipzig Gewandhaus under Masur.
Till the DDR fell all the players and Masur were alums of the Leipzig
Conservatory and were taught to play in that 1850’s style off the original
scores annotated by their former conductor , Mendelssohn.
IMO both Brahms and especially Schumann sound better this way .
I never recommend Masur and the Gewandhaus knowing it is an acquired taste , but it is one I acquired hearing them live many times .

As rcprince said, very refreshing .

I like the agility of a chamber orchestra.

My choice for best interpretation of the Brahms Third Symphony is Kempe/Berlin Philharmonic