All of the other items are interludes and dances, and as you no doubt know, dance music almost always finds Tchaikovsky at his best. The Gopak from Mazeppa is relatively well-known, but the similar character numbers from The Maid of Orleans, Cherevichki (The Slippers), The Enchantress, and The Oprichnik are all marvelous and well worth hearing. Best of all, Theodore Kuchar and his Ukrainian orchestra deliver powerful, thrill-packed performances full of color and rhythmic excitement. The sonics capture Tchaikovsky's vivid scoring with often overwhelming impact: bass drum and cymbals leap from the speakers, while the brass bellow powerfully, hovering on the edge of that splendidly muscular vulgarity that seems to have disappeared from today's Russian orchestras. In short, this disc offers nearly 70 minutes of pure enjoyment. [3/16/2006]