Eugene Ormandy was among the first great conductors to record Sibelius's symphonies. The recording of the Second Symphony dates back to as early as 1947, and the Fifth to 1954. Critics maintain that, although Ormandy later conducted these symphonies in stereo, he never again matched the extraordinary results achieved in these two mono versions. Despite the age of the recordings, both symphonies - along with the other pieces included on the two CDs - boast superb sound quality.