Berlioz Le carnaval romain, Op. 9 a. Beatrice et Benedict—Overture a. Le corsaire, Op. 21 a. Les troyens—Royal Hunt and Storm a. Benvenuto Cellini—Overture a. Romeo et Juliette, Op. 17— Queen Mab scherzo b. Saint-Saens Le rouet d'Omphale, Op. 31 c . Boston Symphony Orchestra / Charles Munch.

RCA Victor Gold Seal (Mid  price) (CD) 09026 61400-2 (61 minutes: ADD). Items marked a from SB2125 (10/61), b LDS6098 (10/62), c SB2041 (9/59).

This particular Berlioz concert has long enjoyed classic status, and many collectors will rejoice at its return to circulation. So, are the performances every bit as compulsive as one would expect? Well, the answer has to be an emphatic 'Yes!'. Throughout, Munch secures an electrifying response from his great Boston orchestra, whose playing is virtuosic and tender by turns. Highlights from an outstanding group include truly exhilarating renderings of Le corsaire and Benvenuto Cellini as well as a quite riveting Royal Hunt and Storm, which attains a breathtaking poetry in the horn-led moments of repose. The bonus item, Saint-Saens's colourful tone-poem, Le rouet d'Omphale, is also superbly managed here: its central climax has surely never sounded more gripping, whilst the Boston strings display wonderful elegance and refinement elsewhere.

In sum, all this material shows Munch and the Bostonians at their most dashingly eloquent. The recordings are a bit thin in the treble, but not enough to take the shine off what is an irresistible mid-price anthology.
AA