Anatole Fistoulari was an exceptionally gifted Russian conductor, who made his debut at the age of seven conducting Tchaikovsky's 'Pathetique' Symphony from memory, and who became one of the most important conductors of Russian music in the West after the 1917 Revolution. On this most valuable CD release, he is heard in orchestral suites from infrequently heard Russian operas, played by some of the finest orchestras, and Fistoulari brings to this rare music all the qualities of empathy and excellence for which he was famous. Now an unjustly neglected figure, this important CD will reawaken interest in one of the great 20th-century interpreters of Russian music.