Sir Thomas Beecham was untouchable in this repertoire. He had a gift of making what usually gets classed as "second-rate" music sound first class. Of course, the seeds of greatness were there all along, but it takes an interpreter of Beecham"s enthusiasm and finesse to bring out the charm and vitality so seemingly self-evident in this music whenever he conducted it. Anyone who cares about Schubert should grab this disc without delay. --David Hurwitz