Though reissued at budget price, neither of these versions of the Symphonie fantastique really provides the value that is to be found in the best of the full-price ones. The recordings have worn badly, the Supraphonet being strident in too many places and often poorly balanced, the DG obscuring some details (the alternating violins in the opening pages, the bassoons' entry at the start of the ''Marche au supplice'') and with a very dominating bass that booms across the music from time to time.
Zecchi conducts a fairly traditional performance, and produces a strong sense of atmosphere at the start which is rather let down by the wobbly horn; he is dull with ''Un bal'' and the start of the ''Marche au supplice'' has the percussion falling over themselves. Karajan is stronger here, and the merciless tread of the March is unnerving. But he makes very heavy, almost Wagnerian, weather of the start of the whole work, fails to give ''Un bal'' its light, easy lilt, and time and again seems to concentrate on demonstrating the efficiency of the orchestra at following his powerful crescendos and diminuendos in a manner that is extremely impressive technically, but self-defeating musically. There is no sense of danger, of surprise, of wonder. He does, however, find room for a couple of excerpts from La damnation de Faust. Better value is to be found in the full-price versions of either Sir Colin Davis (Philips) or Norrington (EMI), or for a French performance, perhaps Michel Plasson (also EMI).'