Amazon.comThe St. Petersburg Philharmonic goes through the motions for Jansons in this account of the Second, a reading that lacks passion and generates little in the way of aural excitement. Jansons's eye--and it's a dry one from first note to last--seems to be on the details; his aim, to eschew sentimentality at any cost. If you value severity, or are looking for an interpretation of this symphony to match the stony-faced image of Rachmaninov familiar from countless photographs, this may be just your cup of chai. But if you're in the market for a more openly expressive, elegant, and oh-so-romantic performance of this symphony, with much better sound, you may be better off with the same orchestra under Yuri Temirkanov, on RCA Red Seal. EMI's recording, made in the orchestra's home hall (which has a very difficult acoustic), is murky, with abrasive-sounding strings and a glare, rather than a glint, on the brass. --Ted Libbey