Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra; Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta; Hungarian Sketches
Since its release on LP in the mid-1950s, Fritz Reiner's rendition of the  Concerto for Orchestra has stood as the standard against which all other  recordings of the work are measured. Even after all these years, the recording  remains just as convincing and authoritative. Reiner's superb control of his  orchestra and of Bartók's rhythms and textures is still unsurpassed, even by  dozens of subsequent conductors in the digital age. Likewise, theMusic for  Strings, Percussion, and Celestashows just what an incredible ensemble the  Chicago Symphony was under Reiner's direction. This umpteenth reissue, in  RCA's Living Stereo series, promises to be the one to have, its sonics noticeably  improved over the earlier CD release in 1989.--David Vernier