Charles Koechlin: The Jungle Book Music, Seven Stars Symphony

Tower Records RCA Red Seal Special Selection Vol. 1: Commemorating the 60th anniversary of Koechlin's death, this two-disc set offers a taste of the delicate orchestrations of one of France's greatest composers of the 20th century. French composer Charles Koechlin studied under Massenet and Fauré, orchestrating Debussy's "Comma" and Fauré's "Pelléas et Mélisande," and leaving behind a prolific body of work spanning a variety of genres, with an opus number of 226. "The Jungle Book" is a two-disc album compiling orchestral pieces inspired by Kipling's novel "The Jungle Book," and was the world's first recording at the time of its release. This masterpiece also generated significant buzz thanks to its conductor, Zinman, who had a major hit with Górecki's "Symphony of Sorrow." This value-packed set includes newly-released recordings, including "Seven Stars Symphony" conducted by James Judd, not previously released in Japan. This piece was composed in 1933 and contains movements named after seven movie stars, including Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, and Charles Chaplin.