Producer Richard Caniell's annotations claim the Gardner tapes to sound better, with orchestral voices "more natural in timbre" and a "thrilling sheen" from the strings "not hearable" from the RCA commercial set. He goes on to mention "certain intangibles" lost in the RCA reissue that contribute to the "fullness and definition of the strings in the Love Music" as heard here. To my ears, however, these claims describe RCA's digital restorations, which reveal a clearer, more defined mid-range and a real bottom to the orchestral image. The basic sound, to be sure, is dry and dynamically constricted, with high string writing that turns strident at loud moments. If the latter bothers you, just turn down the treble, and you'll approximate Guild's patina without Guild's tape hiss. Whichever CD edition you choose, Toscanini's energetic, disciplined, and lyrically tensile leadership matches the music's passion, vitality, and color. His outstanding singers bring impressive beauty and roundness of tone to their solo and ensemble work, with relaxed authority and superb diction to match. Guild's completeness factor and generous rehearsal material will entice Toscanini buffs, but keep the immediacy and superior ambience of RCA's transfer in mind.