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"... the best sounding recording of either of these pieces that I have ever heard in my life. The clarity, overwhelming presence ... must be heard to be believed, the SFSO sounding like the best orchestra in the world ... (I marvelled) many times at the sheer beauty of sound and the outstanding engineering that went into this effort. This is one honey of a recording ... in all ways a superb release." - Audiophile Audition "Is there a better sounding recording of a Beethoven symphony than this one? If so, I haven’t heard it ... a full, rich and beautifully balanced symphonic sonority. There’s a close up aural perspective that not only serves to limit, pretty much eliminate, audience noise, but also provides a great deal of timbral nuance ... with the concerto, the immediate sonic viewpoint results in the piano taking up most of the soundstage laterally, just how you would experience it from row D ... Emanuel Ax is on board interpretively with his assured performance, producing a singing tone and shaping melodic lines artfully, with a vocal feel." - Fanfare Following closely on the heels of their seven Grammy-Award winning Mahler recording cycle, Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony present this 2009 live recording of two of Beethoven's most popular works, the Symphony No. 5 and Piano Concerto No. 4. Pianist Emanuel Ax, a frequent collaborator with Tilson Thomas and the SFS, is the soloist on the piano concerto. "The musicians of this orchestra are playing at the highest level. I continue to be impressed by the power, richness and sophistication of their sound ..." - Michael Tilson Thomas