No great conductor was more versatile than Pierre Monteux, whose RCA stereo recordings are collected in Sony s new reissue. This legendary Frenchman made his name in Paris collaborating with Stravinsky, Debussy and Ravel and premiering many of their greatest works, including Petrushka included here in his peerless 1959 Boston Symphony recording. Monteux was equally at home in French, Russian and German repertoire. Among the numerous other treasures in this new 8-CD set are his unsurpassed recordings of the Franck D minor with the Chicago Symphony; his versions of Tchaikovsky s last three symphonies ( the beautiful playing of theBoston Symphony and Monteux s refusal to get hysterical remain all of a piece ClassicsToday); the first CD release of Strauss s Death and Transfiguration from 1960 ( The maître s last word from San Francisco is a particularly eloquent illustration of how well a French conductor can play German music High Fidelity); as well as his complete Rome Opera recording of Gluck s Orfeo ed Euridice ( With the noble Orfeo of the great Risë Stevens, and the masterful, sublime conducting by the peerless Pierre Monteux, this is an Orfeo for the ages Fanfare).