Essentially this is one of EMI's very best CDs. The Philadelphia Orchestra not only play splendidly but have the advantage of the flattering ambience of the Fairmont Park Memorial Hall. The recording also has a very wide dynamic range and it takes some care to achieve a volume setting where (for instance) the violin and cello duet of the Swan Queen's music maintains a realistic presence, yet one is not overwhelmed by the amplitude of Tchaikovsky's more ambitious climaxes. Just once or twice my ear wondered if the very high level of transfer had occasionally (the Mazurka from Swan Lake or the Introduction to The Sleeping Beauty are examples) brought a slip of refinement; or is it perhaps the acoustic throwback of the hall? Most of the time the sumptuous recording, which has plenty of sparkle on top, is very agreeable, and the famous ''Panorama'' is highly beguiling when the orchestra is so glowingly rich in timbre.'