Outside of an 1812 done by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1996, this massively wonderful 1812 is the best I've heard. The biggest keys for me, are the rifles and cannon on loan from the US Military Academy at West Point, as well as the use of an actual carrilon!All it lacks is a bass-baritone chorus singing "God Save the Czar" at the end. Since the DSO had almost 40 yrs to think their version over, the magnificence of this version is all the more magnified!