Superlatives should be used sparingly. Nevertheless, there is probably no work in the centuries-old genre of programme music that is easier for listeners to understand than An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss. Moreover, no composition in the long series of sonorous descriptions of nature, including bird calls, pastoral sounds and storm effects was probably ever scored for as many instruments as this highly eventful hike through the Werdenfelser Land in Bavaria. No orchestra in the world can, with its salaried musicians alone, present this piece the way Strauss ideally envisioned it and as he proposes in the score: the composer calls for some 130 instrumentalists, including at least 12 horn players and, ideally, even more.

Sir Colin Davis conducts the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for performances of Tchaikovsky's Serenade For Strings in C major and Dvorak's Serenade For Strings in E major. This reissue series of classical music masterpieces by Esoteric has attracted a lot of attention, both for its uncompromising commitment to recreating the original master sound. This series marks the first hybrid SACD release of historical recording selections that have been mainstays of the catalog since their initial release.

The legendary live performance with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra on December 18 & 19, 1980, 18 years after Kondrashin premiered "Babi Yar", and about 3 months before he suddenly died. It is a transcendental masterpiece that is unparalleled yet. The lyrics of Yevtuschenko at the time of the premiere were forced to use a revised version when recording to Melodia later, so the performance with the original lyrics used here is even more valuable. Kondrashin's strong assertion and a kind of unique tension have been consistently maintained from the beginning, which begins with a heavy weight, and it is an amazing performance that grabs the listener's heart. This release features the new mastering from the original analog master.