Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, Lelio

No one expected it, but Thomas has given us the greatest Symphonie fantastique since Charles Munch's Boston Symphony recordings of the '50s and '60s. Granted, he's a fine conductor with an excellent reputation, but every conductor has his "specialties," and Thomas has always leaned towards the Russian Romantics. Berlioz is very difficult to do well: you have to respond to the almost neurotic emotional climate and orchestral brilliance with seeming abandon, while never letting the performance spin out of control. That's exactly what Thomas does. His traversal of the symphony is fanatically detailed, sensationally played and recorded, and, above all, focused. He knows exactly where the music is going, and what a pleasure it is to let your ears follow his lead!

David Hurwitz