Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille Myung-whun Chung - Rimsky-Korsakov: Sheherazade, Stravinsky: L'Oiseau de Feu (1994)

This twenty-year-old release comes from a time when Myung-whun Chung, a surprise appointment to the new Opera Bastille, suddenly emerged on DG as their leading French conductor. He comes from Korea's first family of classical music and was a gifted, prize-winning pianist before taking to the podium. It's very worthwhile to backtrack and find his early CDs - they are often of very high quality even if they have more or less sliped through the cracks.

Here, for example is a clear, crisp, keen-edged Scheherazade that strikes a refreshing note. Chung favors faster, steadier tempos than one usually hears, either from the Russians or the swoony Stokowski. No chance of a sugar overdose. But he is neither literal nor brusque. There's inner vitality here, along with abundant enthusiasm. Every bar sings; the line is always moving. I especially like the light, sophisticated style of the concertmaster's solos. The Opera Bastille Orch. is quite fine, and DG's sound is resplendent. I tend to think of Scheherazade as entry-level classical music, but this kind of vibrant reading makes me realize that there's is always new life to be found. No one could dislike this reading unless they insist on being drenched in jasmine and musk. I'd have to reach back to Reiner for such clarity and to Beecham for more panache.