Reiner. Solti. Boulez. Muti. Over the CSO's reign as one of the “Big Five” U.S. orchestras, its conductors have tapped the lifeblood of Verdi's operas and Shostakovich's gut-wrenching symphonies. The ensemble's extraordinarily unified brass section delivers both warmth and precision, while their crystalline recordings capture every shattering climax and nuanced dissonance with hair-raising clarity.