If ever a disc encapsulated the very essence of Leopold Stokowski's charismatic art, then this is it. Even within the opening minute of A Night on the Bare Mountain, the temperature rises fast: Mussorgsky-cum-Rimsky-cum-Stokowski makes for a devilish brew, with fiercely scrubbing strings, clamorous brass and a degree of impetuosity that keeps you perched on the edge of your seat. Stokowski appends his own Rheingold-style coda to the piece, whereas his potent creativity reaches unprecedented heights in the Boris Godunov Synthesis and Pictures at an Exhibition orchestration. Both exhibit a dazzling array of tonal perspectives, the Synthesis in particular knitting together a whole host of dramatic episodes without a single seam in earshot—excepting, perhaps, the rather rude entry of Varlaam's ''In the town of Kazan''.
Still, the sheer force of Stokowski's 'dramatization for orchestra' retains its full impact, even through dated sound, while the plushly coated Pictures constitute a variety of aural cartoon that would work miracles as the soundtrack for imaginative visual animation. As it is, the ''Promenades'' have an imperial sweep that quite upstages Ravel's linear elegance, while each picture (sans ''Tuileries'' and ''Limoges'') emerges in vivid and thrilling caricature, whether the hideous gnome, the creaky ox-cart, the shocking catacombs, a Baba-Yaga crowded with demons or an ornate Great Gate that hinges on the rest with a well-oiled confidence that, again, makes Ravel seem relatively self-conscious.
Add the substantial bonuses of a powerful Khovanshchina mini-synthesis (the Act 4 Entr'acte) and a dashing Prince Igor sequence that includes the rarely-heard ''Chorus of Polovtsian Maidens'' to the longer of two familiar dance-sequences, and you have the basis of a truly electrifying programme: vintage Philadelphia virtuosity, inspired conducting, transfers that 'clean up' the sound in a way that Stokowski himself would surely have applauded and informative annotation (by Edward Johnson). All in all, rich repertory for the theatre of the mind and a superb bargain.'