Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille, Myung-Whun Chung - Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade / Stravinsky: Firebird (1993)

This is a re-issue of the DG CD featuring the Orchestre de l'Opera Bastille conducted by Myung-Whun Chung. Same product, only cheaper! What I like about this CD, in addition to the price, the musicianship and sound (all of which are excellent), is the pairing. It makes sense on a number of levels: Stravinsky was a student of Rimsky-Korsakov, both composers were Russian and both pieces are exotic, tonal and lush (it's early Stravinsky after all), with middle-eastern/asiatic settings. To me, this works far better than a more typical, but jarring pairing of Scheherezade with either Capriccio Espagnol, or Russian Easter Overture. This CD is exotic, enchanting and lovely to listen to from beginning to end, with a little adrenaline rush on the way; love that Infernal Dance of King Kashchei! It's like a trip south from Moscow on a trade route.