The Strauss Family: Waltzes, Polkas & Marches;

Boskovsky's encyclopedic collection with the Vienna Philharmonic, recorded between 1957 and 1976, is as close to definitive as one is likely to get. There was a special camaraderie between Boskovsky and the Philharmonic--he was a member of the orchestra's violin section for 37 years and conducted their New Year's Day concerts from 1955 until 1979. There was also a special empathy that these performers, as custodians of a tradition going back to its origins, felt for the music of the Strauss family. It comes across quite wonderfully on these mid-price CDs, which have been painstakingly remastered for an edition every collector should have. --Ted Libbey