(5 out of 5 stars) If you are going to own only one CD of Hindemith s music, I urge you to make it this one. The Mathis der Maler symphony (1934) and the Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Weber (1943) are probably Paul Hindemith s two greatest orchestral works. The music is appealing, vital, beautifully crafted, accessible, bristling with a masculine vigor, exuberance, energy. Blomstedt is arguably the foremost Hindemith conductor of our day; these performances are expert, heartfelt, and superbly realized, displaying these two works in all their considerable glory. The sound (the recordings were made in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, 1987) is representative of the splendid Decca/London engineering at its best; this is an exemplary modern digital orchestral recording: well balanced, with full frequency range, wide dynamic range, every detail of the inventive orchestration clearly registering. This CD has been warmly praised by critics, receiving strong recommendation