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Schéhérazade

This is a '70s German quadrophonic pressing of a performance by the Orchestre de Paris of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's symphonic suite Schéhérazade (op. 35, 1888). Bulgarian-born violinist Luben Yordanoff is the lead soloist, with renowned cellist Mstislav Rostropovich at the podium.

'Schéhérazade' is Rimsky-Korsakov's most famous work - in my view justifiably so, with strong melodic hooks and exquisite orchestration combined in a compelling whole. A piece of sugar-coated orientalism it may be, but it's altogether beguiling confection nevertheless.  

This LP was among my early vinyl purchases: a sticker on the back of my copy suggests I paid 10 SEK (less than a pound) for it at one of Karlskrona's junk-shops about twenty years ago. The disc is well-worn with quite a bit of surface noise, but it still plays well enough. The delightful cover image is one that Marc Chagall made specifically for this album.

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