The claim that a disc of Mantovani music is "essential" may elicit from some listeners a guffaw, a yelp, or a string of indignant curses, yet THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION may indeed prove desirable to fans of the godfather of easy listening. A conductor, composer, and musician, Mantovani was creating string-heavy arrangements of popular tunes as early as the 1920s, predating Lawrence Welk and Muzak by a good 30 years. THE ESSENTIAL COLLECTION is a sampler of what the man does best, and offers up two discs' worth of sweet, lulling orchestral versions of standards, show tunes, film scores, classical pieces, and, at times, his own compositions. This well-compiled and -presented set provides all the easy listening one could ever want.