Leopold Stokowski, Conductor

For a shock, start with the first disc of this collection of Stokowski's legendary partnership with the Philadelphia Orchestra. It opens with Scheherazade, recorded in 1934 but sounding as amazingly fresh and detailed as if it dated from two decades later. Not everything is up to the clarity and transparency of this classic recording, in large part because of the inherent limitations of the original recordings, all of which date from Stoki's golden decade from 1927 to 1937 (with the exception of the two non-Philadelphia items from 1940 and 1941.) Many performances are outstanding, including the Scheherazade, the Dvorák "New World," and the Nutcracker Suite. Also noteworthy are the smaller works and the transcriptions of Bach organ music, which still afford immense pleasure even in these days of "historically informed" performances. Every piece is infused with personality, and those famous Philadelphia strings are gorgeous. Deluxe packaging and excellent transfers make this a must for Stoki fans. Others should come away from this set with a new respect for his rare ability to transfer his charisma through even the microphones of that long-gone era. --Dan Davis