These recordings from 1960 feature Sir Malcolm Sargent (RCA Heifetz Scottish Fantasy) conducting the fabulous London Sympony on these Bert Whyte recordingsat Walthamstow Assembly Hall in London - the same hall used extensively by the Decca and Kenneth Wilkinson. The performance is slower and more deliberate in tempo than the RCA Reiner performance yet ever bit as powerful. The 35mm sound which has a textural richness in the strings
A highly sought-after RCA shaded dog Living Stereo title, the performance and sonics found within, rate a 10/10. A triumphant achievement from producer Richard Mohr and engineer Lewis Layton. The dynamics are monstrous! Timid Woofers beware!! Another limited edition, so don't wait or you'll be sorry.
Behind the mysterious title Symphonie fantastique is to be found what was undoubtedly one of the most powerful musical compositions of its day. The highly controversial discussions which this autobiographical, extraordinary work provoked are quite understandable when one considers that Beethoven and Schubert had just put down their quills for the last time and that Wagner had only just left his childhood behind him. In commenting upon the daring cyclical structure of the work, one French music critic said, “In Berlioz’s Symphony we believe that we have seen the prelude to a revolution in instrumental music”. In spite of being acknowledged and praised as a composer, Berlioz was never given the professorship he coveted at the Paris Conservatoire, and it might appear as if the renowned Conservatoire Orchestra was making its apologies for this in the present excellent recording. The various scenes of the intoxicating programme music are approached with daring; dreadful, macabre ideas are presented in a low, gloomy and dark timbre until finally a heroic attitude comes to the fore, accompanied by thundering drum rolls, when the death sentence is pronounced. Fantastique!
1. First Movement: Reveries, Passions
2. Second Movement: Un Bal
3. Third Movement: (Sceneaux Champs)
4. Third Movement: (Sceneaux Champs)
5. Fourth Movement: Marche Au Supplice
6. Fifth Movement Song D'Une Nuit De Sabbat
Gary Karr became an audiophile favorite largely as a result of the King Super Analogue recording of Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor played by Gary Karr on solo bass with organ accompaniment. In 1959, Gary Karr made his first record entitled “Gary Karr Plays Double Bass” a collection of pieces from Eccles, Ravel, Bloch and others for Golden Crest Records. A few years later a second recording of Alec Wilder compositions for Bass and Piano and Bass and Guitar was also released on Golden Crest. On this outstanding second effort Gary Karr is accompanied by Bernie Leighton on piano and Fredrick Hand on guitar. After auditioning the master tapes we decided that these two wonderful recordings by a stellar bass musician needed to be reissued which is what we have done here by combining the recordings into a two disc set as part of the “Classic Records Presents…” Series. Both titles were mastered and transferred by Bernie Grundman in Hollywood California from the original analog master tapes and cut on Classic Records’ “All Tube” cutting system. If you are a Gary Karr fan then this is a must have release, If you are unfamiliar with “Mr. Bass” then these recording are a great place to start.
One of the best sounding recordings in the Living Stereo catalog, especially Side Two with The Comedians. Available on Classic Records Quiex SV-P 200g.
Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra derives its name from the approach taken in treating instrument groups within the orchestra in a ‘concertante’ or soloist manner throughout the piece. This virtuoso treatment, for example, is notable in the fugato section of the first movement where the brass are highlighted as well as in the second movement where pairs of instruments appear consecutively creating a brilliant passage. Stokowski’s interpretation of this popular Bartok composition was recorded at the Houston Civic Center by Bert Whyte and team and originally released in March of 1961. The LP, as are all reissues from this series, was cut directly from the 35mm magnetic film using a vintage Westrex 1551 tape machine, with specially built playback electronics that are vastly superior to any others used on these machines to playback the original 35mm tapes. The Len Horowitz / History of Recorded Sound specially modified 1551, fitted with brand new playback heads matched to the revolutionary playback electronics was stationed at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood. With Len Horowitz running the playback machine and Bernie Grundman mastering from the three track 35mm tapes, Classic Records has been able to cut the legendary sound and performances directly from the 35mm magnetic film through Classic's "ALL TUBE" tape playback system and cutting system at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood. The LP's are pressed on Classic's 200g Super Vinyl Profile making it possible to get every nuance out of the non-distorted grooves that make SVP sound superior to all other records on the market today. Authentic tip on construction jackets with all original artwork and labels add to this must have deluxe LP edition as part of the Classic Everest 35MM LP Series.
Maurice Abravanel conducts the Utah Symphony Orchestra performing Louis Moreau Gottschalk's A Night In the Tropics, Gottschalk's Grand Tarentelle for Piano and Orchestra arranged by Hershy Kay and featuring Reid Nibley on piano, and Morton Gould's Latin American Symphonette.
"Both [Gottschalk] scores get the full treatment from Abravanel and his forces...As Abravanel leaves these well behind." - HIFI /Stereo Review.
Track Listing:
1. A Night in the Tropics (Gottschalk)
2. Grand Tarentelle for Piano & Orch. (Gottschalk)
3. Latin American Symphonette (Gould)
Donald Johanos conducts the Dallas Symphony Orchestra performing Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo and Charles Ives' Holidays Symphony.
Track Listing:
1. Fanfare for the Comman Man
2. Buckaroo Holiday (Four Dances)
3. Corral Nocturne (Four Dances)
4. Saturday Night Waltz (Four Dances)
5. Hoe-Down (Four Dances)
6. The Fourth of July (Holidays Symphony)
7. Thanksgiving (Holidays Symphony)
Enesco is very light and lively and is also very familiar and accessible. This particular recording, has a lots of ambience and is very fun to listen to. Upon its original release, the Stravinsky has gotten many praises. This album is a treasure for today's audiophiles.
Track Listing:
1. Rumanian Rhapsody No. 1 in A major (Enesco)
2. Rumanian Rhapsody No. 2 in D. major (Enesco)
3. The Soldier's March (Stravinsky)
4. Soldier At The Brook (Stravinsky)
5. Pastorale (Stravinsky)
6. The Royal March (Stravinsky)
7. The Little Concert (Stravinsky)
8. Three Dances: Tango, Waltz, Ragtime (Stravinsky)
9. The Devil's Dance (Stravinsky)
10. The Great Chorale (Stravinsky)
11. The Devil's Triumphal March (Stravinsky)
Recorded at Kingsway Hall and engineered by Kenneth Wilkinson, this record couples Moussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition with Night On Bare Mountain. It has long been considered among the greatest sounding records ever made. Perhaps most stunning about Power of the Orchestra are the effortless dynamics, which have been reviewed and raved about ever since the first RCA shaded dog. From the gentle plucks of strings to the explosion of a full orchestra without a bit of notice. It's heart-stopping, jump-out-of-your-seat-type dynamics.
The Power of the Orchestra, a more appropriate title there never was. Now on 180g 45 RPM! This thing's got all the weight of an anchor but at the same time the clarity and airiness and sparkle of a feather. Nuance, a holographic soundstage, emotion to spare, this one's got it all. A true reference. Power, indeed!
Track Listing:
A Night On Bare Mountain
Pictures At An Exhibition
1. Promenade
2. Gnomus
3. Promenade
4, II vecchio castello
5. Promenade
6. Tuileries
7. Bydlo
8. Promenade
9. Ballet of the Chicks in Their Shells
10. Samuel Goldenburg And Schmyle
11. The Market Place At Limoges
12. Catacombs: Con mortuis in lingua mortua
13. The Hut on Fowl’s Legs
14. The Great Gate Of Kiev
And the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra and the Smithsonian String Quartet
Track Listing:
Side 1 Serenade in D major
Side 2 Serenade in D major (cont'd)
Side 3 Quartet in D major for flute & strings
side 4 Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major for violin and viola
side 5 Quartet in G minor for fortepiano and strings
side 6 Quartet in Eflat major for fortepiano and strings
side 7 Trio in E flat for clarinet, viola and fortepiano
side 8 Ein Musikalischer Spass in F major
side 9 Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in G major
side 10 String Quartet in D major
side 11 Quartet in A major for clarinet and strings
side 12 concerto in A major for basset clarinet
Virtuosi Various Artists $7.99
Vinyl LP - 7 LPs Sealed
Track Listing:
1. Pablo Casals - Bach: Cello Suite In C Major
2. Wanda Landowska - Bach: Italian Concerto In F Major
3. Joseph Szigeti - Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 In D Major
4. Alfred Cortot - Schumann: Kinderszenen Op. 15
5. Leon Goossens - Mozart: Oboe Quartet In F Major
6. Arthur Schnabel - Mozart: Oiano Concerto No. 21 In C Major
7. Arthur Rubinstein - Faure: Nocturne In A-Flat Major
8. Arthur Rubinstein - Poulenc: Mouvements Perpetuels
9. Arthur Rubinstein - Chopin: Threee Nocturnes
10. Arthur Rubinstein - Falla: Ritual Fire Dance
11. Yehudi Menuhin George Enescu - Bach: Concerto in D Minor
12.Dinu Lipatti - Chopin: Waltz In C-Sharp Minor
13. Dinu Lipatti - Chopin: Waltz In A-Flat Major
14. Dinu Lipatti - Chopin: Waltz In F-Minor
15. Dinu Lipatti - Chopin: Waltz In D-Flat Major
16. Dinu Lipatti - Chopin: Grande Valse Brillante In E-Flat Major
17. Emanuel Feurmann - Bloch: Schelomo
18. Gregor Piatigorsky - Beethoven: Sonata For Cello And Piano
19. William Primrose - Brahms: Viola Sonata
20. Walter Giesking - Brahms: Intermezzo In B Minor
21. Walter Giesking - Brahms: Intermezzo In A Major
22. Walter Giesking - DeBussy: Suite Bergamasque
23. Dennis Brain - Mozart: Horn Concerto
24. Rudolf Serkin - Schumann: Piano Quintet In E-Flat Major
25. Nathan Milstein - Brahms: Violin Sonata In D Minor
26. Reginald Kell - Weber: Clarinet Concertino In E-Flat Major
27. Fritz Kreisler - Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto In E Major
28. Fritz Kreisler - Kreisler: Liebsleid
29.
Sergei Rachmaninoff - Schumann: Carnaval
30. Jascha Heifetz - Sibelius: Violin Concerto In D Minor
Volare
Occhi di Fata
La Strada Nel Bosco
La Girometta
Malinconia D'Amore
Chi e Piu Felice Di Me?
Luna Marinara
Fra Tanta Gente
Fiorin Fiorello
Ti Voglio Tanto Bene
Una Chitarra Nella Notte
Cantate Con Me
Serenata
Dimmi Tu Primavera
Un Amore Cosi Grande
O Sole Mio Luciano Pavarotti $1.99
Vinyl LP - Sealed
Small cutout slit on cover
Track Listing:
O Sole Mio
A Vucchella
O Surdato Nammurato
O Marenariello
Fenesta Vascia
Marechiare
Torna A Surriento
Pecche?
O Paese D' O Sole
Piscatore E Pusilleco
Tu, Ca Nun Chiagne
Maria Mari
Funiculi Funicula
Vinyl releases of The Glenn Gould Complete Original Jacket Collection commemorate the brilliant pianist's 75th birthday and the 25th anniversary of his death. Listz's arrangement of Beethoven's Fifth is stripped of much of its bravado while still maintaining the emotional aspect giving Gould plenty to work with. Played on a lone piano sans orchestra, this recording works like a charm.
Track Listing:
1. Allegro con brio
2. Andante con moto
3. Allegro
4. Allegro
Vinyl releases of The Glenn Gould Complete Original Jacket Collection commemorate the brilliant pianist's 75th birthday and the 25th anniversary of his death. Here, Glenn Gould performs Sonatines by Jean Sibelius.
Vinyl releases of The Glenn Gould Complete Original Jacket Collection commemorate the brilliant pianist's 75th birthday and the 25th anniversary of his death. Here, Glenn Gould plays Grieg's Sonata in E Minor alongside Bizet's Nocture in F Major.
Vinyl releases of The Glenn Gould Complete Original Jacket Collection commemorate the brilliant pianist's 75th birthday and the 25th anniversary of his death. Here, Glenn Gould performs Sonatas by Mozart including Fantasy in d minor.
Track Listing:
Sonata No. 11 in A Major
1. Andante grazioso
2. Menuetto
Sonata No. 15 in C Major
3. Allegro
4. Andante
5. Rondo: Allegretto
6. Fantasy in d minor
Sonata in F with Rondo Major
7. Allegro
8. Andante
9. Rondo: Allegretto
Vinyl releases of The Glenn Gould Complete Original Jacket Collection commemorate the brilliant pianist's 75th birthday and the 25th anniversary of his death.
1. Silent Night
2. Shepherd's Pipe Carol
3. Fantasia on "I Saw Three Ships"
4. Greensleeves
5. Zither Carol
6. The Holy Boy
7. Patapan
Side Two
1. Past Three O'clock
2. Sinfonia From The Christmas Oratorio
3. Ave Maria
4. Chorale From The Christmas Oratorio
5. I Wonder As I Wander
6. Sheep May Safely Graze
7. Jesus Christ The Apple Tree
8. We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Donald Johanos conducts the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Little needs to be said about this audiophile classic. Known for its demonstration qualities with very low, deep bass and overall smooth and warm sound. Mastered at AcousTech by Kevin Gray and pressed on virgin vinyl at Pallas in Germany.
"The tape recording was made at a speed of 30 inches-per-second, using a transport modified to produce exceptionally good motion: a specially developed constant-velocity recording curve was employed for improved signal-to-noise ratio. The lacquer masters were made directly from the original tape, thus avoiding further transfer degradation. The result is a recording of exceptional clarity, naturalness and freedom from vices prevalent generally in the art." - original liner notes
Track Listing:
Symphonic Dances for Orchestra
Non Allegro
Andante con Moto: Tempo di Valse
Lento Assai; Allegro Vivace
Vocalise for Orchestra, Op. 34, No. 14
1. Joy To The World
2. When Jesus Was A Little Child
3. Away In The Manger
4. There Shall A Star From Jacob
5. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
6. Watts Nativity Carol
Side Two
1. O Holy Night
2. What Child Is This?
3. Beautiful Saviour
4. Far, Far Away On Judea's Plains
5. Tell Us, Shepherd Maid
6. The Holy City/Silent Night
7. I Heard The Bells
1. Deck The Halls
2. We Three Kings
3. Bring A Torch, Jeannette, Isabella
4. Coventry Carol
5. Good King WEnceslas
Side Two
1. Christmas Sweet
2. Wassail
3. Carol Of The Birds
4. I Saw Three Ships
5. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Jewellery Micachu and the Shapes $15.99
Vinyl LP - Sealed
Despite her relative youth, the 21-year old Mica Levi AKA Micachu arrives as something of a Midas touched, Renaissance artist: equally at home writing and producing stunning, experimental pop with the likes of Matthew Herbert, as MCing with friends in various grime collectives and balancing this with her daytime tutorage at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she’s studying composition.
Perhaps the real beauty of Mica’s talent is that she keeps things rough around the edges by design: no polished beats when big fat dirty ones will do, obvious choruses eschewed for intricate yet subtle melodies that grow and grow.
Mica studied violin, viola and composition at the Purcell School before being offered a scholarship to attend the Guildhall School of Music and Drama to study composition. Her talent as a young composer has not gone unnoticed with Mark Anthony Turnage commissioning her to write an orchestral piece for the London Philharmonic Orchestra to be performed at the Royal Festival Hall on April 29th.
For live shows Micachu plays with her band the Shapes: a three-piece fronted by Mica (vocals, guitar, electronics and Hoover), Raisa Kahn (keys) and Marc Pell (drums). Armed with just her beat up, half sized guitar and hidden beneath a mop of hair, Mica’s understated appearance belies her startling musical prowess. Micachu’s Matthew Herbert produced debut LP Jewellery is the aural equivalent of a chameleon: a multi-coloured, multi-layered conflation of ground breaking sounds and ideas.
Micachu And The Shapes Jewellery Track Listing
1. Vulture
2. Lips
3. Sweetheart
4. Eat Your Heart
5. Curley Teeth
6. Golden Phone
7. Ship
8. Floor
9. Just In Case
10. Calculator
11. Wrong
12. Turn Me Well
13. Guts
Clarity Vinyl represents the ultimate in vinyl formulations because it is comprised of over 90% of the highest quality co-polymer available, a key component in vinyl pellets used for manufacturing vinyl records. Further, Clarity Vinyl has no carbon black additive, common in vinyl formulas for LP’s. Carbon Black contains trace metals that become magnetized and cause “electrical distortions” in cartridges during playback that smears the sound. By taking out the Carbon Black, Classic Records is able to dramatically reduce the “electrical distortions” and thus bring more “Clarity” to the playback process, providing a more realistic musical experience to the listener and LP enthusiast.
45RPM records have long been recognized as providing a higher fidelity musical experience resulting purely from the cartridge being able to extract more of the nuance from the complex vertical and horizontal groove modulations in stereo LP’s. Further, Classic Records 45RPM “single sided” pressings dramatically reduce the mechanical resonances created by the cartridge during playback by allowing these resonances to be more fully transmitted to and absorbed by the turntable platter. Classic Records Clarity Vinyl 45RPM pressings are designed and manufactured to provide the “LOWEST DISTORTION” in every aspect of LP playback resulting in putting the listener as close to the music as possible.
Clarity Vinyl represents the ultimate in vinyl formulations because it is comprised of over 90% of the highest quality co-polymer available, a key component in vinyl pellets used for manufacturing vinyl records. Further, Clarity Vinyl has no carbon black additive, common in vinyl formulas for LP’s. Carbon Black contains trace metals that become magnetized and cause “electrical distortions” in cartridges during playback that smears the sound. By taking out the Carbon Black, Classic Records is able to dramatically reduce the “electrical distortions” and thus bring more “Clarity” to the playback process, providing a more realistic musical experience to the listener and LP enthusiast.
45RPM records have long been recognized as providing a higher fidelity musical experience resulting purely from the cartridge being able to extract more of the nuance from the complex vertical and horizontal groove modulations in stereo LP’s. Further, Classic Records 45RPM “single sided” pressings dramatically reduce the mechanical resonances created by the cartridge during playback by allowing these resonances to be more fully transmitted to and absorbed by the turntable platter. Classic Records Clarity Vinyl 45RPM pressings are designed and manufactured to provide the “LOWEST DISTORTION” in every aspect of LP playback resulting in putting the listener as close to the music as possible.
Premiér™ Vinyl Record Cleaner is a mild precision cleaner formulated to clean, preserve and protect precious audio recordings. New DuPont solvent technology -- just invented in 2000 --enables Premiér™ to easily out-perform any other old-style LP cleaning system on the market today. In fact, it’s as good or even better than the old Freon® solvent cleaners which everybody used thirty years ago.
The solvent at the heart of this extraordinary cleaner has three characteristics which make it the best vinyl cleaner on the market today.
First, the solvent has a very low surface tension and very low viscosity. This means that Premiér™ is much, much 'wetter' than water. Unlike water, Premiér™ won’t bead-up on the waxy surface of an LP but instead it will spread out, flowing into the grooves and dissolving light oils and fingerprints. (We know you never touch the surface of your LPs, but there’s just no telling some folks.)
Secondly, Premiér™ is very heavy -- nearly twice as heavy as water, and much heavier than dust or the little bits of mold release compounds left on the LP by the stamping machine. This enables Premiér™ to get under the contamination on the record and displace it -- it literally 'floats' the contamination away, just like a ship floats in the ocean.
But it gets even better. One little-known fact about LPs is that they accumulate static, just like that cheap shag carpeting your parents put in the family room when you were a kid. Remember the jolt of electricity you got when you walked across the room and touched a doorknob? Well, the same thing happens to LPs as you slide them in and out of their sleeves or even just walk across a room with one in your hand (although obviously at much lower voltages). At the microscopic scale of a record groove and a dust particle, that tiny voltage acts like a powerful magnet and locks the dust particles onto the surface of the record. But Premiér™ features a special additive which breaks those 'static' bonds, freeing the dust to float off the LP. This unleashes the 'like new' sound that’s trapped in your LPs -- getting rid of the static means you get rid of the dust, along with the snaps and pops and cracks which drive you nuts.
Does it work? You bet. A skeptical Tom Lyle wrote in The $ensible Sound that "The results are impressive… I was amazed how silent the vinyl was." More recently, in Stereophile Michael Fremer wrote "Most importantly, after that first play the stylus remained clean, with no residue or dirt stuck to it.' No dust, no noise, just pure sound"
Here’s a couple of other useful features about Premiér™:
* Premiér™ dries briskly, so it can be used in conjunction with other LP cleaning systems.
* Premiér™ can clean LPs, CDs and DVDs, plus all the recording heads, motors, relays, dials, connectors and cables found on modern stereo systems. It also is safe for keyboards, test gear and even the screens on laptop computers and PDAs.
* Premiér™ is nonflammable so it’s safe to have around the house.
* Premiér™ has almost no aroma so it’s inconspicuous to use.
* Premiér™ is completely ozone-safe, is generally non-toxic and is considered very safe for people and the planet. Although we know people who use Premiér™ on operating electronics, it is neither approved nor recommended by Micro Care for that use.
