This is the first recording released by Naxos since Tintner's untimely death. It is a fitting tribute to his love for Bruckner and his achievement in bringing to us the original versions of the person whom he called "the master"s' works. The original version is seldom performed--and based on Inbal's earlier version, I thought with good reason. But this seems to be one of those cases where Bruckner's first instincts were right. It is always at first slightly distressing to hear passages that shouldn't be there (based on later versions) but after getting over the diorienting effects, the version seems totally convincing. The RSNO is a major orchestra and plays superbly. The sound is stunning. The interpretation is transcendent, sending shivers up and down one's spine. There is love, passion, hope and beauty in this performance. It goes to the top of my list of performances of the Third, even though I am very fond of Haitink's recordings of the second version of this, one of Bruckner's supreme achievements.