Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade & Capriccio Espagnol

Charles Mackerras is an unassuming guy who just makes great music. He's never made a bad record, and his enthusiasms range from Handel to Jan¡cek to Sullivan (he's one of the world's leading authorities on all three). Because he's had no long-term relationship with any specific label, his career hasn't been pushed the way, say, Herbert von Karajan's was, but that doesn't make his recordings any less good. In fact, as this brilliant and exciting performance of two Rimsky-Korsakov classics shows, Mackerras is as completely at home in these lush, Romantic orchestral soundscapes as he is in his chosen fields of expertise. Add Telarc's knockout sound to the equation, and what more could you ask for? --David Hurwitz