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Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky & Prokofiev on CD

The great Yevgeny Svetlanov frequently conducted Debussy. His interpretation of Debussy's Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune in the Philharmonia concert recorded here in 2001 has an almost operatically vocal style, coupled with spacious tempo. He achieves a most remarkable response from the Philharmonia both in this piece and La Mer, in which the dramatically assertive style of brass playing contributes to a particularly powerful approach to the French composer's music.

Svetlanov's conducting of Respighi's orchestration of two of Rachmaninov's Etudes-Tableaux, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in October 1999, is typically atmospheric in the first tableaux - La Mer et les Mouettes (The Sea and the Gulls) following Debussy's La Mer, while the second, La Foire (The Fair) demonstrates the conductor's wonderful ear for colour.

Prokofiev's Overture on Hebrew Themes was composed for sextet in 1919 while in the USA, but was re-scored for orchestra in 1934. Svetlanov's concert with the LSO from October 1979 is a rarity since his only recording dates back to an early Melodiya account.