Mark, glad that you(and the baby)are enjoying the music. Yes, since the Strauss Waltzes and Polkas were recorded over 40 years ago there sometimes is a bit of tape hiss, but Willi can sure conduct that stuff and I have several more of his Strauss CDs.
That Holst Planets with Mehta is typically my first suggestion to someone who isn't familiar with classical music, since it's about as sure-fire a CD as I know of.
Peter, you may misunderstand the recording technique used in Bolero. The drummer just plays for a couple of seconds and leaves, then when they do the mix they recycle it a few hundred times.
