Richard Strauss’s Alpine Symphony is not short of fine recordings in the current catalogue but (unless you insist on a coupling) Wit’s Weimar Staatskapelle version, magnificently played and spectacularly recorded (Naxos, 9/06) would still seem a best buy. Bychkov’s WDR Cologne version is full of adrenalin and vividly played but the recording is less richly atmospheric. The big climaxes come off well but the close, as night falls (although the brass playing is very fine), is ambiently less magical. If you want a vibrant account of Till as a bonus, then Bychkov’s account has plenty of wit and impetus but I would still cast my vote for the Naxos version of the Symphony.