Dvorak: Overtures / Vanda / Carnival / Othello / In Nature's Realm / My Home

Note the first item, an extremely obscure but characteristically attractive Dvorák overture. Even the remaining concert overtures are far less well known than they ought to be, especially if you believe that Dvorák is still a greatly underrated composer. Fortunately, Stephen Gunzenhauser (an American conductor) and the BBC's second orchestra collaborate in very effective, idiomatic performances that are very well recorded. Don't forget the wonderful Václav Talich recordings of most of this music for Supraphon, but for a modern recording this is as fine as any, regardless of price. --Leslie Gerber