Mahler • R Strauss • Wagner Mahler: Symphony No. 1; R Strauss: Der Rosenkavalier – Concert Suite; Wagner: Tannhauser – Overture and Venusberg Music Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra/Erich Leinsdorf Eloquence 484 0184 (1970/72) 94.56 mins (2 discs)
Erich Leinsdorf and the RPO offer sharp-focus panache in Mahler’s First Symphony, matched by the LSO in Tannhäuser and Rosenkavalier excerpts. Decca’s turbocharged ‘Phase 4’ sound still packs a punch. Malcolm Hayes