Brahms: Complete Symphonies

The essence of the golden age Philadelphia sound. Part of the world's first CD version. The ``Philadelphia Sound,'' produced by master Eugene Ormandy and based on thick, richly resonating string instruments, interspersed with the virtuosity of master wind instruments, can be said to be the culmination of the most beautiful orchestral art of the 20th century, along with the Karajan-Berlin Philharmonic. Recorded in the 1960s, when Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra were at their peak, this complete collection of Brahms records the true essence of Brahms, and it covers almost all of the duo's stereo recordings of Brahms' orchestral works on Sony Classical. Symphony No. 3 is released on CD for the first time in the world. Most of the others are the first Japanese sound sources to be released on CD. Among them, ``Variations on a Theme of Handel'' arranged by the British composer Labra is a famous arrangement that Toscanini also performed, and it is rare to have recorded it with a major orchestra.