Craig,

Your favorites list somehow triggered me to suggest you some music by British composers of late 19th to 20th century:

Holst - The Planets
Elgar - Enigma Variations
Britten - Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra

I think you will like the coloful but not overwhelming orchestral sounds devised in these works. These are also nice introductions on what kind of things an orchestra can do sonically.

I also second John's mention of Rachmaninoff. Among my suggestions in Russian flavors are:

Rachmaninoff - Pioano Concerto No.2 (lots of "mellow" moments)
Rachmaninoff - Rhapsody On A Theme By Paganini (the famous soundtrack of "Somewhere in Time")
Tschaikovski - Ballet Suites - Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty... (generally "easy and laid-back")