Mahler - The Symphonies / Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti

György Solti has come in for his share of hard knocks as a Mahler interpreter, and no one will pretend that he has the same sort of intuitive empathy for this music that Leonard Bernstein has. But he does have the Chicago Symphony Orchestra--no mean advantage--and many of these performances have come up sounding rather well. London also has been smart to include his first (and better) performance of the Fifth, and he generally does quite well by Symphonies Nos. 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9 as well. There may be better performances of the other symphonies available, and every music lover will have personal preferences, but at a budget price this set offers pretty impressive value for the money. It deserves its success. --David Hurwitz