Philadelphia Orchestra, Wolfgang Sawallisch

This is an album of firsts: It is the first recording that the beleagured Philadelphia Orchestra has made in a long while (and a rare example of it recording for an independent label) and the first orchestral release on Water Lily Acoustics, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based company renowned for its lovingly produced sets of Indian classical music and cutting-edge Indo-fusion. In addition, this audiophile production -- which employs a unique (and somewhat controversial) combination of old-school and leading-edge techniques -- is the first analog, all-tube orchestral recording by any label in two decades.

The Philly band certainly does sound alluring here. But in a program teaming a symphonic poem by Liszt with three concert overtures by Dvorak, the disc hardly shows these composers at their best. Still, Liszt's "Les Preludes" has its moments, and Dvorak's "Othello" is an atmospheric aural drama that rewards repeated listening -- particularly in this setting. This recording is sure to be a favorite demonstration disc among audio dealers. -- Bradley Bambarger