Yet another assault on the super­budget market­place‚ this time from RCA. Remastered using the latest 24­bit technology and attractively presented (a pity‚ though‚ about the skimpy recording information)‚ the first batch of 20 titles concentrates largely on orchestral fare. Of the eight reissues I’ve selected‚ no less than three feature Günter Wand and two of those strike me as very real bargains. His 1986 account of Beethoven’s Choral Symphony with his North German Radio forces enshrines a wonderfully wise and humane interpretation‚ unerringly paced and always intensely refreshing in its lean purposefulness. The sublime slow movement approaches perfection in its flowing‚ songful intimacy‚ and if the finale at times just misses the last ounce of lump­in­the­throat universality‚ allied to a joyous sense of occasion (qualities which‚ say‚ Kubelík’s treasurable Bavarian RSO version on DG possesses in abundance)‚ Wand’s remains a Ninth of uncommon skill and plentiful insight‚ excellently engineered to boot. Plaudits‚ too‚ for the veteran German maestro’s coupling of Brahms’s First and Third symphonies‚ set down in 1982 and 1983 respectively. Fiery thrust and clear­sighted malleability are the keynotes to Wand’s probing and often very exciting account of No 1. True‚ a couple of gear­changes in the finale jar on repetition‚ and the comparatively close balance imparts an element of fierceness to the string timbre‚ but here is music­making of such characterful vigour and combustible spontaneity that few will complain. The Third is lithe and airy‚ culminating in a finale of tremendous cogency and sure­footed composure. Once again‚ the North German Radio SO respond with keen polish and all the freshness of new discovery‚ though here the sound is too top­heavy for comfort (and the opening tutti even brings a hint of roughness). All the same‚ an extremely pleasing pairing. Wand’s 1976 Cologne version of Bruckner’s Romantic Symphony also has a fair amount going for it: I warm to its ruddy complexion and sturdy honesty (the finale is particularly memorable‚ distilling a dewy wonder in the closing pages)‚ though the orchestral response falls short of the highest international standards. Recommendable at the price‚ albeit not in preference to Wand’s own magisterial live version with the Berlin PO (RCA‚ 10/98 – a truly great performance‚ evincing a profound humanity and wisdom garnered from a lifetime’s experience on the podium). Next‚ a surprisingly swift recoupling from Sir Colin Davis’s much­fêted Sibelius cycle with the LSO. The epic‚ big­boned reading of the First Symphony scooped the orchestral prize at the 1997 Gramophone Awards‚ though a re­hearing of Sir Colin’s leaner‚ higher­voltage Boston SO account (now on Philips Duo‚ 3/77R) confirms the latter’s superior grip and technical coordination. In the Fifth‚ however‚ I would give Sir Colin’s LSO remake the nod over his Boston predecessor‚ though both interpretations are held on too slack a rein to be entirely convincing. James Levine’s 1984 Chicago SO version of Dvo·ák’s mighty Seventh is not to my taste – a hard­hearted‚ macho display‚ crudely engineered‚ with some of the nastiest violin tone I’ve ever heard on silver disc. Sonically‚ things improve slightly for this same team’s 1981 New World‚ but Levine’s bullish‚ ruthlessly slick approach is worlds removed from that of‚ say‚ Kurt Masur‚ whose abundantly communicative and perceptive 1991 concert relay with the NYPO (now housed on a super­budget Warner Apex CD) had me purring with approval on page 66 of the October issue. Similarly obdurate and uncongenial on the ears is a 1988 coupling of Stravinsky’s Petrushka and Rite of Spring with Yuri Temirkanov and the RPO. Both readings singularly fail to ignite‚ weighed down by some unappetising orchestral playing (‘beery’ brass and percussion) and too much fussily self­conscious detail. Formerly on mid­price Papillon and then Living Stereo‚ a vintage Gershwin collection featuring Earl Wild and the Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler will give you plenty to smile about. In the Piano Concerto‚ Rhapsody in Blue and Variations on ‘I got rhythm’‚ Wild’s pianism is often scintillating and he generates an infectiously sparky rapport with Fiedler and the Bostonians‚ whose exuberant‚ gently affectionate An American in Paris is also a treat. RCA’s 1959­61 Symphony Hall productions are astonishingly undated. Finally‚ a Ravel anthology from Eduardo Mata and the Dallas Symphony‚ accorded sound of enticing lustre and spectacular range (the misty opening of Boléro is‚ happily‚ not typical of the whole). Before his untimely death in 1995 aged just 53‚ Mata made some impressive discs for RCA‚ EMI (don’t miss his terrific Copland Third‚ now on HMV Classics‚ 2/00) and Dorian. These Ravel performances all date from the early 1980s and exhibit excitement‚ flair and refinement in agreeable measure (Le tombeau de Couperin and Rapsodie espagnole come off especially well). A supremely enjoyable survey and well worth anyone’s fiver.