The Russian-born conductor Serge Koussevitsky was conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra for over 35 seasons, beginning in 1924, during which time he raised the stature of thee orchestra to a position of international pre-eminence. Apart from his championship of the Russian repertoire, Koussevitsky’s interests were very wide: he commissioned and premiered many works by American composers, and was also a great champion of British music. It is therefore with considerable pride that Guild presents the American premiere performance of Vaughan Williams’s Fifth Symphony conducted by Koussevitsky, a performance that all admirers of both composer and conductor will wish to study. This very well-filled CD also contains three works by Russian composers: a thrilling performance of Mussorgsky’s Night on the Bare Mountain, and a beautifully lyrical account of the same composer’s Khovanschina Prelude, alongside a truly memorably version of Tchaikovsky’s Francesca da Rimini, to make an important album which all lovers of great conducting will wish to own.

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