“Recognisably breathing the same air as Stravinsky's Firebird, Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy and Suk's Asrael Symphony, Glière's Il'ya Mouromets makes up in lusciousness and sweep what it slightly lacks in individuality, offering a superb vehicle for the modern orchestra and, indeed, for state-of-the-art hi-fi systems. The LSO and Leon Botstein have the edge in almost every respect over rival performances. Comparable to Downes in his tempos, albeit with a rather fleeter-footed finale, Botstein is less insistent in his accentuation and more emotionally generous with his phrasing, so the overall effect is less strenuous, more sensuously appealing, with the climaxes standing in higher relief. The LSO, on terrific form, command a slighter wider range of nuance, and Telarc's recording is a degree or two more spacious, without ever feeling overblown. Altogether, a very collectable disc.”
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