Mozart Symphony No. 40 & No. 25 Conducted by Bruno Walter with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra - Artist: Bruno Walter - Orchestra: Wiener Philharmoniker - Tracklist: Mozart: Symphony No. 40 G minor, KV 550; Symphony No. 25 G minor, KV 183 - Recording Year: 1952 & 1956 - Format: CD - Disc Number: 25DC 5196 This is a monumental masterpiece, released exclusively in Japan on April 1, 1975, as the result of five years of effort by the representative of CBS Sony Records in Japan at the time, and was commercialized and released ahead of the rest of the world. This recording is undoubtedly an indispensable part of the legacy that adorns the end of Bruno Walter and the Vienna Philharmonic's more than half-century of brilliant collaboration. I have been listening to and am familiar with these performances since their analog LP release (which still shines as one of the records in my collection), and even in the CD era, the感動 (kandō - deep emotion/impression) is revived with each listen, which I believe is not solely due to my aging. Symphony No. 40 was recorded on May 18, 1952, at the Vienna Musikvereinssaal as a broadcast live recording tape by ORF (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation), which was then released on LP. Symphony No. 25 was recorded live by ORF on July 26, 1956, at the Salzburg Festival Hall. Both performances are legendary performances of the century, recreating the golden age of Walter and the Vienna Philharmonic, and I believe them to be absolute masterpieces. This CD was released exclusively in Japan by CBS Sony on April 1, 1989. Although it is currently available as an import, the sound quality of this domestic release is far superior. If you haven't heard it yet, please do give it a listen. Thank you for looking.