Enesco: Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1; Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies for Orchestra Nos. 1-6.

Enesco: Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1; Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsodies for Orchestra Nos. 1-6. Antal Dorati, London Symphony Orchestra. Mercury SACD 475 6185.

There is no end of recordings of these popular Rhapsodies for Orchestra, but among the very best have always been those of conductor Antal Dorati and the London Symphony Orchestra.

I confess that for the big two, Enesco's Roumanian Rhapsody No. 1 and Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, I have long held a preference for the old Stokowski recordings available now on RCA Living Stereo and, even better, on JVC XRCD. But for the Enesco and all six of the Liszt Rhapsodies on one disc, there is nothing finer than Dorati's old Mercury edition.

Tempos and contrasts are well judged, although not as effortlessly integrated as Stokowski's. Still, there is plenty of color and excitement to Dorati's performances. The big two come off with plenty of elan and sparkle; the Fourth Hungarian Rhapsody is appropriately "rhapsodic" (the word "rhapsody" as applied to music was apparently first used by Liszt for his earliest piano versions of these pieces); the Fifth is properly moderated; and the Sixth, "The Carnival in Pesth," is as jubilant and festive as any "Carnival" could be.

The sound is open and vibrant and very wide spread across the front speakers. It's available on this SACD in its original three-channel format and in regular two-channel on a hybrid disc that can be played on an SACD or conventional CD player. The recordings of the Enesco and the Liszt Second and Third were made in 1960 and the other four Liszt Rhapsodies in 1963, all with the LSO. The later recordings sound very marginally quieter and smoother than the three earlier ones, but the differences are small, indeed.

If you already own this collection on the regular Mercury CD released in the early nineties, there is not a lot of difference in the sound of the new one. I found the new mastering very slightly brighter and maybe more revealing, but it may have been my imagination, even comparing them side-by-side in separate players. If you don't already own the collection, though, the SACD hybrid would be a first choice, although it is a few dollars more than the regular issue.