Rimskij-Korsakov
Sheherazade, op. 35

We are too Euro-centric, we Westerners. Everything that most of my generation knows about Eastern culture (myself included) is probably what we have seen in the cartoon "Aladdin." Even "The Thousand and One Nights" is something that has embedded itself in our culture (after all, Aladdin comes from there), yet it never occurred to me to read it. I knew what it was, I had heard it mentioned more than once, but it was simply too far removed for me to be interested: it was never even hinted at in school, for the little literature I studied, and it was not relevant to anything concerning me. For me, it was one of those many facts that get lost in some dark corner of memory, and it would very likely have remained there for a long time if it weren’t for Rimsky-Korsakov, who encouraged me to read the book. Let’s be clear, "Scheherazade" has little to do with Eastern music; but something of the East remains, a "East-West," made of spices, scents, loves, and adventures. All this must have greatly impressed the soul of the romantic Rimsky-Korsakov, who translates these sweet illusions into music and manages to capture them with simple and elegant themes without ever going beyond what is necessary: I truly believe this piece is the formula of perfect balance, just as "The Thousand and One Nights" is: whoever you are, whatever your relationship with music, you will be captivated by this piece, there’s no escape.
(I only know the recording by Gergiev with the Kirov Orchestra, so I can only recommend that one; there’s also one always by Gergiev with the Vienna Philharmonic available on YouTube, highly recommended)