Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini; Hamlet / Scriabin: Poem of Ecstasy ~ Stokowski

It's hot in here! Leopold Stokowski's volatile, batonless hands transform Tchaikovsky's Dante-inspired fantasy into terrifying reality. The venerable maestro doesn't let up in Hamlet either, as he puts his trusty New York freelance orchestra through its paces, to staggering results. To cool down, Stokowski favors linear clarity over textural opulence in the Scriabin, abetted by a closely miked Houston Symphony. A disc that blends fire and ice into a potent musical and audiophile brew. Drink up! --Jed Distler