Harpist, guitarist, symphony excel

LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, LEON BOTSTEIN, CONDUCTOR; "Gliere, Symphony No. 3, op. 42, "Illya Murometz" (Telarc)*** 1/2

YOLANDA KONDONASSIS, HARP; "The Romantic Harp" (Telarc)*** 1/2

DAVID RUSSELL, GUITAR; "David Russell Plays Bach" (Leon)*** 1/2

Leon Botstein is a conscientious conductor. In his authoritative interpretations, he unfailingly manages to capture a work's essence and substance. He has an innate ability to reach into the heart of a work and draw out its inner qualities.

With his inherent talent, it's no wonder that Botstein prefers the music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period which allows him to give full reign to his interpretive skills.

Botstein's latest CD, recorded with the wondrous London Symphony Orchestra, is an admirable performance of Reinhold Glire's Symphony No. 3.

Subtitled "Ilya Murometz," the work is a nationalist tone poem based on the life and exploits of the 10th century Ukrainian knight Il'ya of Murom. This Telarc release is the premiere recording of the complete symphony, and at nearly 1 1/4 hours, it's a work of epic proportions.

Gliere wasn't an original composer — he was satisfied copying the styles of his predecessors and contemporaries. "Ilya Murometz" is a lushly romantic score that is indebted to Richard Strauss for the vastness of its conception and orchestral fabric, and to Tchaikovsky for its melodicism.

The bulk of Gliere's music is generally forgotten today, yet works such as "Ilya Murometz" have intrinsic merit. It's structurally well-conceived and musically articulate and well-written. The symphony gets a dynamic and vivid reading by Botstein and the LSO, making it a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining recording.

• HARPIST YOLANDA KONDONASSIS is an exceptional artist whose imposing technique is matched by sensitive musicality. Her expressive playing makes the harp come alive and blossom and makes for a wonderfully rich experience.

Kondonassis is a prolific recording artist. Her albums have shown the great variety there is in the fairly small body of works written for the harp in the past 130 years. Supplementing the repertoire are numerous transcriptions that she and others have made from orchestral and piano works.