Leo,
The M7th in this box set is very well done, with Bertini's forthright view of the score. There are no surprises here; the horn in the opening sounds nothing special and Bertini doesn't speed up his tempo in places where had he done it the music would have had more liveliness. Overall, I thought it was a middle-of-road performance but my memory is not so sharp at this point. I'd single out the M8th as the finest achievement in the set. But again, I have not heard the M1, M2, M4, M5 in the set. I also like the M3rd and M6th, which were the earliest installments in the series. There are sings of digital glares in these recordings but Bertini's fresh perspective and the alert, superb playing shine through. In the old days they were my desertland M3 and M6. I mean, they were once.
I am listening to the DVD-A of Rattle/BPO/EMI M10th as I write this message. Such beautiful playing and great sound - this is the M10th to live with for now.
John,