Mahler: Symphony No. 3

Claudio Abbado plumbs the depths of Mahler's most sprawling opus, aided by the Vienna Philharmonic on their most flexible, responsive form. The terrifying first movement trombone snarls and tangy oboe solos elsewhere are worth the price of these discs, and so are Jessye Norman's haunting contributions in the fourth and fifth movements. --Jed Distler