Mark Karber

This 22-cut double-disc set finally gets at it. Issuing a single disc of Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler would be a silly thing at best and a hopelessly frustrating one at worst. When the band burst on the scene with "Sultans of Swing," there was a lot happening in rock music, but most of it was under the radar and remains forgotten except in the historic annals of music fanatics…

The southern American city of Nashville, TN, is primarily identified with country music, but it has always imagined itself a bearer of classical traditions. (Among its most prominent landmarks is a replica of the Parthenon.) The realms of classical and country intersect more often than you might imagine, and over the last few years a quite successful crossover group has coalesced around the indefatigable fiddler Mark O'Connor.

APPALACHIA WALTZ brings together classical musicians and classic Americana with an enjoyable result: a discovery of the wealth and integrity of American folk music. Featuring classical virtuosi Edgar Meyer and Yo-Yo Ma with fiddler Mark O'Connor, a passionate advocate and composer of traditional Texas fiddle music, this Sony Classical release explores the vitality of American fiddle music in new compositions and arrangements, many by O'Connor himself.