A little while back, I extolled the bewitchingly strange music of Gavril Popov, a Soviet composer who more or less disappeared into the shadows of Stalinism. I stated that no Popov CDs were currently available, although a sensational recording of the First Symphony is forthcoming on the Telarc label. A reader writes to say that reproductions of Olympia's Popov recordings can be purchased at the top-notch classical site Arkiv Music. Here, for example, is the recording that pairs the Chamber Symphony with the Sixth Symphony. As for the First, I recommend strongly that you wait for Leon Botstein's Telarc recording. It's one of the top recordings of the year, along with Rene Jacobs' Figaro, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's Handel, Andrew Manze's latest Vivaldi explosion, and Leon Fleisher's two-hand return.
