Alto finally releasing a worthy version of this cornerstone of the repertoire. When it was first released the Sunday Times was rapturous; "a magnificent Ninth, done with total commitment under Haitink's inspiring leadership... with splendid chorus and soloists in full cry, and orchestra in blazing form"the slow third movement... moves along at a pace few conductors would have employed fifty years ago. Yet it never sounds hurried, and the dramatic brass interruptions towards it's close have an appropriately apocalyptic ring. The extraordinarily vivid recording, in which the basses are caught to stupendous effect - especially in their passages of recitative... before welcoming the 'Ode to Joy' theme - adds hugely to the effect." (BBC Music magazine)