Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night's Dream; Symphony No. 3
These recordings deserve to be called legends. Maag'sScottishSymphony, recorded in 1960, is a gloriously warmhearted, energetic performance, beautifully recorded in mellow, vibrant sound. It set the recorded standard for this work for four decades, and it still does, surpassing even Maag's digital remakes. TheMidsummer Overtureand incidental music are just as convincing, if a tiny bit less well recorded. Too bad we had to lose theHebrides Overture, which accompanied the Symphony on LP, but this is a very long CD with most of the contents of two classical LPs at a highly reasonable price. Maag is still active, recording for small labels with obscure European orchestras and still getting impressive results.--Leslie Gerber