Rossini Overtures - Fritz Reiner Conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

not worth hi-res

so compressed and shrill in the louder sections, but if it's just woodwinds or single instruments it's quite nice

Pure fun, in the Hall of Fame.

I doubt that any musician had a whole lot of fun under Reiner . . . but the CSO sure sounds like they are enjoying themselves here as they strut their stuff. The mind-boggling solo work and spectacular ensemble have always shone through going back to the original LPs. What this transfer, for the first time, captures, is the incredibly nuanced playing of the strings, at impossible speeds, and at ppp and softer, especially when trading riffs with the CSO's jaw dropping wind soloists. OK, so these are only showpieces, but OMG, what a show!!