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Could anyone have imagined 30 years ago that we would have so much Raff available? I can remember when other than the piano concerto, Ode to Spring, and the 3rd and 5th symphonies there was nothing else. It was quite frustrating. Now look at it! It's astonishing really. And mostly due to Mark Thomas. I loved volume 5, can't wait for 6!

I've been listening to the 3rd for a few days now. It is MUCH better than the previous two symphonies. The most striking thing to my ear is the gorgeous, clear orchestration. The thematic material is pretty mundane and forgettable. The real treasure on the disk comes after the symphony - the Three Boeklin Fantasies. This is very evocative, beautiful music and to me much more interesting than the symphonies.

For US readers the best bets are American Record Guide and Fanfare. I've tried some of the online services, but they really don't compare: not that many reviews, slow to update. Musicweb-International very good, especially for being free (I should make a contribution!). Dumbing down is exactly where we are going. But then I still remember when Musical America was a BIG magazine and worthy of reading.

Very sad news, but I suspected it was coming. For the serious collector there aren't many options left.

"One could easily spend that on a meal for two in London."

Yes, or on ONE ticket to hear the London Symphony on tour in California!

Well, we could all pitch in and buy a copy jointly and pass around to read.

For people who want a more relaxed, informal concert experience there are plenty of options: the Hollywood Bowl, Vail Music Festival, Tanglewood - summer festivals. The orchestra is less formal, people eat and drink, and drink, text on phones. But I like the solemnity of a concert hall where it's almost a religious experience, or what church used to be like. I don't like "chatty classics". Just play the music. Kids? No!!!!
I would add to my list of severe dislikes:
1) NO candy wrappers.
2) NO talkers - even whispering to your neighbor annoys those is the area.
3) Smaller, lighter program booklets. In the US, some of them are quite heavy and make a big noise when dropped - which happens regularly.

The Albrecht also satisfy that peculiar itch the rabid collectors have: since he recorded all three symphonies the set is complete. And given the low price and respectable performances and sound, it's well worth seeking them out.

Both the DG and Orfeo are mono and in no way can completely capture the complex, dense orchestration. The DG had more presence than the Orfeo, which is an off-air live recording. Nonetheless, if you turn the volume up the Orfeo is completely listenable - and the performance is better - but then any live Furtwangler performance is better than a  studio version. But don't expect great sound in either version. Any of the modern stereo versions has vastly superior sound. In the loudest passages the details are completely swallowed by a mass of sound in the Orfeo. This score screams for the sound and performance that Barenboim got. Still, to those people interested in the art of Furtwangler, the Orfeo is essential.

For me, it's this:

Wiener Philharmoniker (1953 Orfeo)

Elgar had a daughter - Carice.

I'll no doubt buy this out of curiosity and my love of Austrian composer of this era...BUT: what's with this current craze of arrangements for smaller forces? Now the Sinfonietta. Lately it's been Mahler 2, 4, Das Lied, and the 9th for chamber groups (although the 9th on ARS really works quite well). Isn't there any unrecorded Zemlinsky to do that now we need chamber arrangements of his music?

The Rubinstein 3rd calls for winds in pairs, two trumpets and 4 horns, timpani and strings. No trombones or tuba, harp, cor Anglais, etc. So well within chamber orchestra size. The performing parts I know of were made by Barry Kolman who made the first recording. I know this because many years ago he was working with a local group I play with and while he was here he had his laptop with him editing the Rubinstein parts. One problem with Rubinstein though, it there's nothing about it that sounds particularly Russian, unlike the members of the Mighty Five.

Since you seem to have a full wind section, why limit this to a "chamber symphony"? If I understand you though, you want something not quite on the scale of the Tchaikovsky or Glazunov symphonies. Try Anton Rubinstein symphonies 3 or 5. Relatively short, not terribly difficult and certainly not mainstream. Don't know about availability of parts.

Indeed it is, and it needs to get performed more often. Too bad it's not available on IMSLP.