Best sounding Saint-Saens Sym No. 3?

Another estimable version not mentioned here so far is the one recorded circa 1976 on DG with Gaston Litaize, organist, and Daniel Barenboim conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. By the way, I have on hand all three remasterings for CD that RCA has issued of the famous old Zamkochian/Munch/Boston SO version of 1959. These are the first CD issue of 1987, the "Living Stereo" remastering of 1993, and the DSD/SACD/hybrid remastering of 2004. I'm listening in two-channel only, but there is no question that the SACD hybrid of 2004 is the best-sounding of these three.

The BSO/Munch sacd is not bad sonically, there are plenty of classical cds that sound worse. I can't tolerate the harshness in classical as much as other genres for some reason. I stopped buying classical cds for an entire decade and I just started building up my collection again last year so I have some catching up to do. Cbrentc, thanks for the link. So Texasdave, which telarc version do you prefer?

Having both of the Telarc versions, I feel the more recent one was preferable sonically and interpretively. My only quibble with the second version is that the organ was recorded in a different venue than the orchestra (the intent was to use an organ which was the same as the one Saint Saens wrote the piece for), and while the editing was done very well I still think you lose some spontenaity in playing by recording the parts in separate sessions.

I also prefer the second (later) Telarc version. In theory the idea of recording the organ separately--in a different time and place--sounds awful--certainly a turn-off to purists. But pragmatically I find that when carefully done it has delivered good results in several recordings made this way (e.g., the fine Litaize/Barenboim/Chicago version on DG). I might also add that, while I like the Guillou/Mata/Dallas SO version on Dorian of the Jongen very much and recommend it, I can't recommend this version of the Saint-Saens. The fiddling with the adjustable acoustics of the Meyerson (where I regularly attend Dallas SO concerts, by the way) delivers disappointing organ-pickup results in the Saint-Saens, to my ears (but not in the Jongen, where the organ sounds grand). Incidentally, there's another fine (and fine-sounding) recording of the Jongen, by Murray on Telarc. Happy listening.