New World Records has done a great service for modern music lovers with this release of orchestral rarities by one of America's most colorful and paradoxical composers.

Commissioned by Balanchine, the Paris inspired ballet "Dreams" is an absolute gem with immediate appeal. Fans of "Les Six" will love it.

The ghosts of Bach and Stravinsky haunt the concerto and today's audiences will find its stark neoclassicism an asset as opposed to those who didn't when it premiered in 1927.

The serenade is an American mini-masterpiece replete with references to indigenous tunes like On Wisconsin.

This music is for virtuosos only, and these Philadelphians are just that!

The recorded sound is demonstration quality -- audiophiles take note! (Y060930)

-- Bob McQuiston, Classical Lost and Found (CLOFO.com)

When you hear these fabulous late romantic concertos you'll only wonder where the heck they've been hiding!

Written three years before Sir Edward Elgar's violin concerto, this one by another Englishman, York Bowen (1884-1961), is an amazingly accomplished virtuoso showpiece with terrific appeal! Like those of us who've heard it, you'll undoubtedly find yourself returning to it again and again.

It's coupled with the first of his four piano concertos. He wrote this as a teenager and you'll find it's a youthful masterpiece. There's a Tchaikovskian exuberance and sense of thematic invention that'll sweep you off your feet and whet your appetite for his others in Dutton's ongoing survey of all Bowen concertos.

Both soloists are superb and Vernon Handley, who's one of England's best conductors, along with the BBC Concert Orchestra provide ideal accompaniment.

All this plus excellent recorded sound make this release one of the best discoveries of 2006, and definitely something that's not to be missed. (P060929)

-- Bob McQuiston, Classical Lost and Found (CLOFO.com)

Those liking romantic English music will be very glad to make the acquaintance of these two late Victorian symphonies.

Coleridge-Taylor's was written when he was a student of Stanford, but it comes across as a most accomplished work. His teacher disapproved of the finale probably because it relies more on melodic than structural devices; but, modern day listeners will if anything find that makes it all the more enjoyable.

Cowen's is a mature opus and in fact his last symphony. There's a sense of confidence, simplicity and directness that give it great appeal. When you hear it you'll have to agree that its being eclipsed by the likes of Elgar's first and Vaughan Williams' second symphonies was most unfortunate.

Both are beautifully played and recorded, making this a most refreshing release. (P060928)

-- Bob McQuiston, Classical Lost and Found (CLOFO.com)

Although marked as volume four, this is the last of five Northern Flowers CDs, containing all nine of Sergei Taneyev's quartets, to appear. For some strange reason volume five preceeded it, and if that doesn't confuse you, the numbering of these Russian stringed masterpieces certainly will! That's because they're ordered according to when they were published rather than completed. The seventh through the ninth were actually composed first, so the sixth was written last and the ninth came third.

Sergei was not the tunesmith that some of his Russian contemporaries were, but he was a highly cultivated man whose music has an intellectual integrity all of its own. While the sixth quartet is probably the most austere of the nine, it's one of the greatest in the Russian literature. On the other hand, the ninth is a Slavic delight overflowing with folk charm and color.

If you're up for no more than one disc from this series, this is it; but as that potato chip ad once said, "Bet you can't eat just one!" (P060927)

-- Bob McQuiston, Classical Lost and Found (CLOFO.com)

This new hybrid album from the "RCA Golden Age" of recordings must certainly rank among the finest opera releases of all time. Finally those with multichannel systems will be able to take advantage of the additional center channel utilized by legendary recording engineers Lewis Layton and Richard Mohr in the late 1950s and early 60s.

Fantastic performances by a pair of sopranos and a tenor who were among the greatest whoever lived, and stunning orchestral support from the vastly underrated Erich Leinsdorf will simply blow your mind!

Like many of us, when you hear this album, which was done in 1959, you'll really wonder whether there's been much progress in basic recording techniques over the past 50 years. Those with two-channel systems will also be delighted with this latest incarnation of a timeless masterpiece. (Y060926)

-- Bob McQuiston, Classical Lost and Found (CLOFO.com)

These recordings are legendary and, although live, you'd certainly never know it except for an occasional cough during, and applause after the Borodin.

The combination of one of the world's greatest orchestras performing in the fabulous Concertgebouw acoustic under one of Russia's finest conductors, guarantees you something extra special. Kondrashin was a master of orchestral dynamics and arguably for many of us this makes for the most exciting rendition of the Borodin ever recorded!

That could also be said about the Rimsky-Korsakov even taking into account the highly touted Reiner/Chicago on RCA. After you hear this don't be surprised if you find all other versions of these works pale by comparison. (P060925)

-- Bob McQuiston, Classical Lost and Found (CLOFO.com)