I was intrigued when I heard this set was coming out on CD, disappointed when I saw the contents and realized I already had about 1/3 of it... and then I saw the download price of $9.99! This is too great to pass up.

The recordings are 40-50 years old but sure don't sound it. Some of these performances are still the best, Pictures at an Exhibition, for one, and I've always preferred this performance of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra to Reiner's. There are some odd choices here - the Tchaikovsky 5th, instead of the 6th, which was an Ormandy calling card, virtually no Sibelius, no Richard Strauss and no Brahms, which means there are ample opportunities for a Volume II. Although the Rachmaninoff 2nd Symphony is the composer-sanctioned cut version that was generally performed until the 1970s, this recording is much better than the later one Ormandy made for RCA.

My advice - grab this while you can and enjoy!

Addendum 8/17/08 - Sorry, Kevin, but from its release in early July until as late as 3 weeks ago, when I downloaded the set, the price WAS $9.99, both on Amazon and iTunes. That's no longer the case but still a bargain, about 1/2 the price of the CD version.

I agree with the first group of reviewers - what a steal - Apple though otherwise and jacked it up - still not a bad deal at the new price of $49.99

OK this was a steal, period. This is prime literature of a great orchestra and a great conductor. $9.99 has got to be a mistake!

I can only echo the other reviews here. What a wicked bargain for so much music. The musicianship of the orchestra and Ormandy's levelheaded interpretations are refreshing. History has overlooked Ormandy at times and this set is a wonderful reminder of a 50 year partnership that produced some wonderful recordings.

Even if you only listen to half of this set, it is still worth it!!!

This is an amazing bargain. There is not a bad performance in the bunch. Others may pack more of a punch here and there but overall this is solid musicianship. The Philadelphia Orchestra plays like a dream. This is the Ormandy/Philadelphia partnership at its prime. At this price this set cannot be passed over - even the works you already have recordings of and/or don't care for.

I'm not a big fan of Ormandy, but am of the Philadelphia Orchestra and for $10 this album collection is a steal. 104 tracks this has!!!!! What a great classical collection here. I studied with their Principal Clarinetist for 7 years.