Mahler: Symphony No 6: Philharmonia Orchestra/Salonen; Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia/Pappano

Two live recordings of this gargantuan symphony – the "Tragic" – from two fine orchestras and two top conductors: how to choose? Both give electrifying performances and both place the scherzo before the andante – a still disputed ordering. If you already have a loyalty for one partnership over the other, you can choose either with confidence: these are enthralling accounts. Pappano opts for marginally slower tempi and terrific, ear-scorching climaxes. Salonen suggests continuity by taking first and second movements at the same, slightly brisker speed. The Philharmonia benefits from some wonderfully aristocratic horn playing which might, on repeated listening, narrowly and with much agonising, win the day.