Kaleidoscope

Mercury, Philips and Decca recordings of orchestral pops conducted by the supremely versatile Sir Charles Mackerras, including a pair of Strauss overtures new to CD.

Few conductors, if any, have demonstrated the sheer versatility of Charles Mackerras. He could turn his sharp ear and his unfussy baton technique to every corner of classical repertoire, and early in his career, he conducted many recordings of popular ballet and symphonic repertoire for a range of record labels. The present collection revives the first-ever album he made for Decca in May 1958, of works by Grieg and Sibelius which were originally issued under RCA's 'Living Stereo' livery.