Mahler: Symphony No. 1 / Brahms: Variations on a Theme By Haydn

Bruno Walter recorded the Mahler First twice; in 1961 with a California pickup orchestra assembled for a series of stereo recordings, and this 1954 mono version with the New York Phil. Good as his stereo performance is, this one's better. The conductor was younger, and it shows in a reading that has more energy. The tumultuous last movement is more coherent, the orchestra a lot better, and even the sound is dynamic and full-bodied, trailing its successor only by lacking stereo effects. Walter's Mahler never indulged in the hysteria that's become commonplace, and it's bracing to hear again, especially in Sony's outstanding transfers and packaging. Walter was a preeminent Brahmsian and his Variations are among the better versions available. --Dan Davis