. . . I can say that these present discs certainly sound better than the late 80's CD . . . these are beautifully played and carefully considered performances that easily merit repeated listening . . . Of the three Bernstein Sevenths I have heard . . . this is my favorite . . . The cycle is crowed with a stunning Ninth, here sounding more persuasive than ever . . . Throughout the entire cycle, Bernstein is energetic and manages to impose his will on the Philharmonic in a way that few others have been able to. The result is a deeply personal but altogether musical experience that's now being offered to the audiophile at a reasonable price . . . If you somehow missed these performances the third and fourth time around, now's your chance.

Wie sehr er bei den Wiener Philharmonikern gleichzeitig Leadership zeigen, Motivation und Lockerheit fördern sowie ein Zusammenwirken als Gleicher unter Gleichen einbringen konnte, ist einzigartig. Die Aufnahmen sind kraftvoll und impulsiv, gleichermaßen straff wie spontan . . . Die Kombination von spannungsgeladener Aufführung und in Ruhe aufgenommener Takes überzeugt.