The London Classical Players is a period-instrument band, and the period here is roughly the second quarter of the 19th Century. The brass instruments are "natural" -- I assume that that means "valveless," and you can gauge your taste for them by playing the beginning of "The Flying Dutchman" overture -- if you love that sound, and I did, then you'll love this disc, the original full-price version of which was issued in 1988. The digital sound has warmth and clarity, and it's ideal for allowing you to savor the instrumental textures here. Norrington conducts with much care for dynamic and tempo adjustments, which make sense in the context of the variety of thematic material within each overture, and the overall effect is almost of chamber music, even though Norrington can go for the big sound when needed. An added delight is that a lot of this material isn't all that familiar. "The Flying Dutchman" overture is the 1841 version, which, as I understand it, didn't survive even to the first performance in 1843. For this recording, Norrington went to the manuscript. The Schumann ("Genoveva"), Berlioz ("Les Francs-Juges"), and Weber ("Oberon") overtures aren't household words, but they are all full of delightful and varied music, and are performed with great spirit. Schubert's "Zauberharfe" and Mendelssohn's "Hebrides" are more known quantities, and they sound great in their period dress. Recommended -- especially at the very reasonable price.