I've suggested this disc before, but it certainly also deserves to be added to Mojo's "Stunning" thread. Dvorak composed his Slavonic Dances when his publisher, Simrock, suggested that he might compose something on dance themes, which Brahms(also a Simrock client)had recently done with great artistic(and financial)success in his Hungarian Dances. He came up with different, but equally delightful, gems which should be part of every collection. Levi's Telarc disc is outstanding in both performance and sound and is available from sellers here for around $9 shipped.

John, I really enjoyed these two performances ( 1 , 2 ) and thought you'd like them as well.

Is that maestro highly esteemed? I've seen him in a couple different performances.

Mr. Ozawa spends at least esixteen minutes inside his esauna prior to each performance so, yes, I would call him highly esteemed.

Apparently he is a very highly regarded, peripatetic, maestro. Link.

Very good, Cam; watched those and enjoyed them. There are 14 other Slavonic Dances besides the 2nd and 7th on the YouTube clips, and you might consider getting the Levi disc for a lifetime of enjoyment of all of them.

Ozawa is a reasonably well-regarded conductor, but there's a surprising amount of negativity about many of his performances. I recall reading a favorable review of one of his Ravel recordings in which the reviewer characterized him as "second-rate" in most repertoire other than the French. The one CD of his that I'd strongly recommended here was his Stravinsky collection .

Reinhold Gliere, born in Kiev, took as inspiration the legendary Ukrainian folk hero Ilya Murometz to compose his massive 3rd Symphony, a gloriously melodic and dramatic work which serves to set the teeth of certain snobbish classical critics on edge. Ilya was said to have been a weakling, sitting motionless for 30 years, until emissaries of God endowed him with supernatural strength to combat the enemies of Ukraine. His exploits in doing so, including defeating an army of a thousand men while armed only with a boot, are depicted in gorgeous sound by Gliere.

I have several versions of this symphony, one of my favorites, and those who don't have it(you're really missing something)should consider getting this exciting performance , available from various Amazon sellers for just a few dollars.

Thanks John, listening to it on Napster now as I work. Good timing as I felt like listening to something different than my usual work play lists but couldn't make a decision.

Cheers!

OK, this one I have to add to the list of Stunning Recordings:

Roxy Music - Avalon (on SACD). Amazon.com Wikipedia

I bought it used on Amazon marketplace for $80. It is out of "print" and highly sought after, hence the price. I got my copy today and now I understand why. I had to pick my jaw up off the floor.

(Everyone has different musical tastes, so I would not recommend spending this much money unless you know you like Roxy Music.)

Can't wait till I get my QS8s so I can listen to it in surround sound.

Holy crap. I have the SACD. Someone on here sent it to me a while ago. ihifi? Sorry if my memory sucks! I don't think it was going for that much back then. At least, I hope not. I should listen to it again sometime and remind myself what my impressions were.

Dude, me too! I have no recollection of buying it?

Looks like I'll be listening to it this weekend.