This derives from a Proms broadcast in 1982, during Georg Solti's final season as principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. It's not without problems: the recording is murky and has too much reverb, while the Edinburgh Festival Chorus take time getting into their stride and don't strike form until the Credo. Solti is at his considerable best, however, with none of the tendency to drive the music hard or to think in terms of moments rather than spans, which on occasion detracted from the excitement of his performances. As one might expect, he's better in the drama of the Credo than in the introversion of the Sanctus. But it's a wonderfully coherent interpretation – humane, humble and, at one point during the anti-military Agnus Dei, disturbingly angry – that proves utterly enthralling. The classy soloists include ecstatic soprano Helen Donath and tenor Siegfried Jerusalem, who is effortlessly lyrical in his pre-Wagner days.