megasam, have you heard the walter VPO Moz 41 on 78? this is where I find the magic. And I mean 78 on a Victrola. They play with such verve and elegance. To my ears it sounds like a brilliant chamber music collaboration, full of life and there is a rightness to the string sound. Right, as in not "correct" or pedantic, but full of color and nuance, expressive of the music. To me it is miraculous orchestral playing. The music pours out directly, and spontaneously, as if out of a waterfall (yes,I know... flowery language but that's how I perceive it) And in the last movement, I don't know how they manage to balance primal, savage energy, while maintaining a coherent elegant presentation. And that is always what amazes me even today when I hear the VPO. And you can always hear all the voices clearly without it ever being highlighted with a magic marker.
