When searching this on the net once I got it home, I saw continual references to the Dynagroove aspect of it, and some none too flattering appraisals of this system introduced by RCA.

My joy at finding a fairly early Itzakh Perlman stereo record was threatened with being deflated by the prospect at having bought a turkey.

But having bitten the bullet, and given it a spin, I have to say, I can't see (or rather, hear) what the fuss is all about...

...The sound is great to my ears, albeit on admittedly limited equipment.

(Maybe higher end kit reveals shortcomings that I can't detect)

But the pacey, intricate concertos here are open full, detailed, and in some parts, a fair bit of weight to them... quite natural sounding too.

Maybe there was some kind of issue with this system not being sympathetic to the equipment of the time of release?

But I don't think - based on this album at least - there's anything to be concerned about that would warrant it being dismissed out of hand.

(I do have a couple of other Dynagroove records (Including a full symphony), that I will try, and see if they have any issues).

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As good a mono recording as you will find.

This is a monster!

In the hand, it feels like a 12" shellac 78... very heavy, and perhaps pushing towards the 200g end of the weight spectrum, and the labels obviously speak of shellac era issues, but it is a very stiff piece of 33 1/3 vinyl.

And that quality translates to a fine listening experience, as, from what I gather, Pye bought Nixa in 1953, so this must date from the early fifties (being Pre-Pye), and this would easily stand up to any mono recording on any label from a much later date...even up to the late sixties!

Crisp, clear, and with a very, very heavy "acoustic weight" which only serves to highlight the recording technique, which sounds like both Bogin's Piano, and Starker's heavy Cello were very closely miked... like when you are playing an instrument yourself, or are very close to one when it's being played, you get all the extra feeling and immediacy.

...This does have one downside though, but only on a very few occasions, where the piano hits a loud or high note, it does begin to distort slightly... but this is just a handful of notes across both sides of vinyl.

The vinyl is absolutely silent in the quiet interim, and other than the proximity of the microphone, handles all frequencies with absolute ease.

This selection of Brahms Cello Sonatas are much better than the Beethoven ones (for me), as the Cello has the lead, and the recording engineer highlights the better cello compositions by rather brilliantly (and imperceptibly) just bringing the piano in a little more, then out again, as required behind it.

Being only two performers, the mono is more than adequate, and if you don't have thousands to spend on a Columbia Starker, then this is most certainly where I'd point you.

This is what I want from Cello recordings in spades.

Brilliant... and Nixa is label of the week! :)

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A truly wonderful offering of this timeless holiday classic. The gatefold holds a great brief synopsis of the ballet.

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This was an intriguing find...


...And for more than a couple of reasons:

I do come across Decca monos (LXTs) quite often now, but usually leave them in case a stereo (SXL - or other) )turns up, but what got my attention with this one at first glance was the catalogue number - being a 6000 series mono - which I can't recall having seen before, as these monos usually have 2000 or maybe 5000 numbers... The stereo SXLs usually go by 2 and 6 thousands, so I decided to look a little closer, and noticed the date was 1968, which seemed very late for a mono of the classical variety (thought they'd all gone stereo by then)...

...Having also noticed the hole punch in the top right of the sleeve (which goes through the inner sleeve too), I thought of a couple of reasons why this might be: 1) a possible promo, 2) an import/export, or 3), and most likely I feel, a deleted issue, which would square with my thoughts about the mono / stereo / date; A thought which further cemented itself when I saw that the inner sleeve was for a stereo record...

(So they were just sticking the records - stereo or mono - in stereo inners by this time)

This also had some of the shrink wrap still around it when I found it, which also had the punch in the corresponding location, so this must have been punched when still wrapped. So I think this might be one of the last orange label LXTs.

The vinyl is of the lovely thick, stiff variety they made them of a few years earlier, which contemporary stereos abandoned in favour of a more flexible (though still thick) vinyl.

As for the music on it, it's just a violin and a piano recital of these sonatas, with the spotlight on the violin, and the piano simply accompanying, and adding a little colour, but they wind and weave intricately, and at a nice pace.

...The clarity and precision of the recording makes this a bright, full mono which fills the audio "field", and is very detailed. In fact, I have a few solo and duo recital records now, and I have to say I cannot imagine what would be gained through presenting such intimate works in stereo - you might not actually be able to tell if it was stereo or mono if you didn't already know - so I'm developing a rule of thumb regarding the mono / stereo issues... Which is that if it is just a couple of performers - up to say, a quartet even - then you won't really be losing anything important by opting for the mono issues, which is to say, that you may have to pay considerably more for a stereo, but not really be buying anything extra worth writing home about. And it's only really with big works, which involve a whole orchestra, or an operatic performance, that you would really get the benefit of the stereo stage.

But this is a wonderful collection of pieces which is going to get a lot more listens, and is my new favourite album (for this week, at least :).

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Review by MR B PAGE - Deleted by accident - Sorry.

I remember this album,when I was about 10 years old and one of my favourite classical albums of all time,is of course Ravel`s Bolero,in which I adore so much.A year later,my parents bought the album from the HMV shop and I still kept the original album.Also,a fitting tribute to the great French conductor Louis Fremaux,who sadly passed away on the 20/3/2017,but I do miss him so much deeply.

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Another day, another label...

Having always been impressed with CBS vinyl with respect to rock and pop - those with the orange labels of this design - I've been intending to try out a Blue label CBS classical recording, to see how they hold up in comparison to some other "premium" classical labels...

...And so, when I saw this violin recital, I grabbed it, as being a great test case.

And I wasn't disappointed... the vinyl, and CBS pressing methods are all I wanted it to be:

Smooth, creamy vinyl, that is absolutely "Decca" silent in the run-in (and out) and quiet parts, as detailed as an HMV, and can deliver the power (almost) equal to a Columbia.

And this recital of some brilliant violin set-pieces tests all of these factors well, as the opening Saint-Saens piece is a real show off work... designed to be highly intricate, and with all the dynamic fireworks of someone really having to get around their instrument adeptly.

Anything on this record played at the proms, for instance, would be well received, and considered a highlight.

The other works are more sublime, and more meditative, but do have swells of powerful, sweeping emphasis, and dramatic punctuation.

The only problem, in this case, is that the orchestra is perhpaps not given the attention that the lead violin has in general, in terms of being mic-ed up adequately - they get a little distant while the solos are going on, but brought to the fore only when they need to.

But this is all about the violin, and it more than lives up to billing in that regard.

...these CBS blues are cheap as chips usually, and well worth the money if this is anything to go by.

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Wagner, for people who don't like Wagner...

...At least, that's how I would describe Side 1's first movement:

A dramatic, foreboding, and serious work in the Wagnerian opera style, but in symphony form. Basically, taking all the highlights of the Wagner style and cutting away the other fifteen hours of Viking helmets, Valkyries, and probably a little less Helicopters and Napalm (for all you Apocalypse Now! fans :).

However, Franck does have the ability to sweeten things a little, with passages of light melodic tunefulness here and there, and is capable of a lightness of touch that Wagner frankly, isn't.

...And while the notes on the back of this make a comparison instead to Beethoven, this is only true of the second side's two movements... much more subtle, and tuneful, as Beethoven was indeed capable of, and reversing the trend of side one to intersperse the heavy drama with touches of lightness, this side, being generally lighter, is interspersed with moments of drama, and impact.

So a much easier listening experience than Wagner, but with all the stuff you do like about him and Beethoven.


A word on this issue...

I've looked about on the net, and can only find a few copies of this, so it is, in H.M.V terms, toward the rarer end of the spectrum; For while Columbia SAXs will draw the truly eye-watering values, compared to these, and on a more consistent basis, this is one of those that fetches the mid-higher end of values for ASDs (And it seems to be on the march too!).
This, it would seem, is signified by the fact that I cannot find, even among those copies that I do see, any with the later red labels, of any variety. I can only conclude that this must be one that was never re-pressed in those later times - hence it's comparative rarity.

...And given the date is 1961, this shows me that the use of White / Gold continued later than I had thought...

(Looking to other areas of EMI label designs - jackets and labels - I wonder if 1962 may be more likely, due to the well documented switch in the early stages of release of The Beatles first album then, and the switch to boxed logo designs across the stable again in 69, making it likely that they all changed at once).

So if a copy of this does turn up with red labels, it would seem to be a lot rarer than the White / Gold labels here!

(If only my copy wasn't so tatty!!! :(

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Great shapes 'n' spaces!!!

...This is why I love Columbia above all other labels.

My copy of this has the later red labels with semi-circular shaded area with Columbia "magic notes" label, and sadly, not he earliest powder blue/turquoise with silver rim.

...But that matters not a jot.

As this is a veritable piece of titan vinyl (actually thicker, and heavier than my blue/silver copy of SAX 2404!), and shows that whatever Columbia were up to at the time, it was a light-year ahead of anyone else... even Decca and H.M.V.

For while those labels deliver detail, clarity, and a fair bit of weight and power, they are mannered, and even gentlemanly compared to these Columbia SAXs.

This, for instance, being a full symphonic piece, is like those other labels, but with it's sleeves rolled up, dancing lightly on it's toes, and ready to batter you into submission with, well.. AWE.

The soundstage is broader than any other vinyl on the planet, the vinyl itself, silent, ultra detailed in the quitter parts, so that you don't find yourself having to "lean in" to hear the intricacies of the piece.... but then it swells, and explodes with power that can shake your fillings without any loss of detail or distortion.

The weight of the percussion and the deeper strings is menacing, and the whole work yawns over you (Mummy!.. I'm scared!).

...This is not just music they give you here, it's an experience, and these records are, in my opinion ...perfect.

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I'd been meaning to get around to listening to this...

... but with some trepidation, with regards to how the quadraphonic would come through on a stereo set-up.

Having lightly rummaged through Quadraphonic album collectors sites, it seems the general opinion is that sometimes these can sound awful or "lacking" when played stereo... and I was wondering if I'd be losing some frequencies, notes, or even entire passages to the ether as they were picked up by the needle and sent out to speakers that don't exist in my system, and there would be awful, strange "gaps", like a redacted document.

And just looking at the vinyl you can see there's so much more going on in the grooves than with a standard stereo record.

But I needn't worried, as this comes through perfectly... open, expansive, detailed, and with the depth and weight I want from a cello recording (Oooh, I do love a bit of Cello Grommit!).

In fact, even played just as a stereo record, it could happily sit on the shelf alongside anything pressed in "The Golden Age" of classical recordings I've head so far, and not be one Iota out of place.

This rather stately concerto is quite sprightly and vigorous at times, and on the whole quite sparsely arranged... but very light listening.

It's a very technical piece for the cello, as there's passages played with the higher singing notes, where the violin can often be found, but also phrases and passages played down-stairs, where only the cello can go... and the recording and the vinyl allows it to reach with ease, deep into these pockets, before scaling fluidly back up to the heights...

...And Rostropovitch is the undisputed technical master of the instrument.

He's the kind of guy who makes this sound easy, with not a note out of place in his immaculate rendition... He's like the Zinedine Zidane of the Cello in that he gets around the thing with consummate grace and ease: Others may make more drama out of it, or have a more passionate sound like Jacqueline Du Pre...

(I actually like that about her though, as there's something like the audio equivalent of watching a highwire walker about her playing, where you feel she could fall at any moment, which adds real tension and feeling to what she does... and this generally lends itself to the Cello)

... but this piece requires a Rostropovitch, and he duly obliges with absolute precision and an almost liquid playing style.

There are occasional orchestral blooms that bring a little power to it, without losing detail and clarity.

What on earth was I worried about?

Nothing lost - everything gained... a great recording, on fantastic vinyl; Which, at least from a stereo perspective; delivers.

I really want to hear this in Quadraphonic now!

(Issued in England ion HMV as: ASD 3255 (stereo)

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The theme of Jesus' seven last pronouncements on Good Friday has been used by composers over the centuries; probably the best-known is Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze by Joseph Haydn, in which the final words are delivered in a slow triple time with the major key pointing to the ecstatic release from mortal suffering.

MacMillan's Seven Last Words From The Cross was commissioned by the BBC in 1993 with the seven pieces performed on consecutive days finishing on Good Friday. The sequence begins with a repeated figure which forms the basis for the whole series; it ends with the last words on the Cross, set to traditional Scottish lament music, after which the strings represent the failing breaths with a phrase which slowly grows slower and shorter, working through the keys Dorian on E, G major, and C♯ minor. One music critic describes a performance she attended where the finish of the work was followed not by applause but by silence, with members of the audience and the musicians quietly weeping, until they left in silence.

The first movement is "Father, Forgive Them":
[YouTube Video]

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Ingegneri became maestro di capella to the Cathedral of Cremona in 1573 in response to the changes to the Catholic Church following the Council of Trent in 1593, itself a response to the growth of Protestantism around Europe.. Until that time the music of the cathedral was Gregorian chant with the singers led by the priest. The new requirement was for polyphonic music for choir and instruments, composed specifically for use in Services. The combination of Ingegneri's music and the artistic adornments made to the building brought Cremona to the forefront of Catholic worship in Northern Italy.

The main work on this CD is the Missa Laudate Pueri Dominum cum octo vocibus, which takes its theme from Palestrina's motet Laudate Pueri Dominum. The first track is Cantate et Psallite Dominum, a setting for three choirs (12 voices) and orchestra. This impressive work makes a good introduction to the style and performance of the CD as a whole.

[YouTube Video]

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This is one of my favourite Bach recordings of all time,when I first knew the composer from the Baroque Era when I was about nine years old,when someone gave me the album and I still have it and I will treasure the album forever.

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Poems by several authors have been set to music by Michael Head and here they are performed by different soloists accompanied by Christopher Glynn. The resulting songs range from jolly to tragic

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Properly speaking, this ought to be listed as Abba Bogin / Janos Starker...

... As the pieces here are more piano led than cello. Janos Starker only really applies backing and colour to Bogin's Piano work, as Beethoven composed it.

So if you are looking for some hot Cello action (more than piano) you are better advised to look elsewhere, albeit that Bogin's piano is brilliant - intricate, and elaborate.

The recording itself is very subdued, and quiet - with, as I've found with these Saga issues, a sound like you are hearing them play from the other end of a very long room... You find yourself leaning in to try and hear what your ears are telling you is missing, or that you struggle to hear.

So for Starker works, consider Saga as merely entry level stuff, until you can find a better recording on a better label, or perhaps for completists.

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

It is always with some regret that I pass over the many SAGA classical albums I find in record bins...

...After all. they always seem to have lovely covers, with nice thick laminated card, flips, and lovely sleeve images wrapped around a really nice, heavy piece of fine looking, nicely pressed vinyl.

(I feel I have to though, in order to spare the dough for any of those elusive Columbias I might find, or the - now increasingly scarce - Decca SXLs, or a possible H.M.V. of note)

And along with the equally well presented Concert Hall discs, make up the bulk of the classical albums you find in Charity shops...

So I thought I'd give a couple a go, to see what they were like, but resolving only to do so if I found a SAGA that was: a) Stereo, and/or: b) A nice bit o' cello, and / or: c) By an outstanding artist, that could justify the 50p each expense of such frivolous spending.

I did, and found this, and two other monos of the Cello / outstanding artist variety.

And while I'm happy to report that this has some great music, beautifully played on it, I have to say that it's the recording if this that does detract a little, and show why, with the odd exception, they aren't as highly regarded as some of those other labels...

...For having been raised on a diet of Deccas and such now, with regard to how meticulous they set about recording the works, this sounds like it was recorded in a slightly more closely confined room, and through only the two mics at the front of the room for stereo, as opposed to what I must imagine to have been a forest of microphones and chaps in white doctor's overalls and clip-boards, a bubbling test-tubes, blinking lights and NASA scientists down at Decca, or over at Columbia and HMV...

These principal instruments are very crisp, and clearly recorded, and I've no issue there, or the stereo handling, it's just that that the rest of the orchestration sounds a little muddy, and a bit "back of the bus" to me...

...now, if you are trying to appreciate the entirety of the piece, this might be a bit of a let down, being a bizarre hybrid of an "old" sounding recording, but coming at you, paradoxically in stereo... but this may well suit others if they want to pick out the individual lead instruments, such as a budding cellist, who wants to study their part of such a piece.

So not the greatest, but probably useful, and overall, technical considerations aside, quite pleasing and enjoyable.. it won't jar your ears or anything.

((Couple of other points to note though: Firstly, I don't know if this is representative of all SAGA's stereos, or their recordings in general, and I don't know if the monos will be good - I'll give those a go tomorrow - and also, seeing as this has a mono record in a Stereo stickered
mono sleeve, it is entirely possible that many have long since lost their sticker, so if anyone has been passing over them on this basis, in looking for a particular copy of one of these in stereo as opposed to mono, it may be worth taking the time to look at the actual record itself for these stereo labels...don't just assume the are mono from outward appearance.))

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BOOM!

This is monster music to frighten the neighbours with.

Usually I'd leave this kind of thing in the record bins - mentally filed under the heading "Other stuff you have to wade through to get to the things you're looking for", along with marching band music, Klaus Wunderstuff, and Reams of Mantovani and James Last... but having been blown away by Hanz Zimmer's score for the movie Interstellar at the cinema, with it's earth shattering church organ style music, I saw this, and thought: "Here's the real deal!"

It was on the Telefunken label too, and was cheap, so why not?

If you have a nice system you want to test the limits of, try some of this... this massive organ throbs, pulsates, and hums in a way that is truly devastating when listened to at top volume. But before I get too Mills & Boon about it, I'll just say that it's like inviting a minor earthquake into your front room, and leave it at that.... you know what an organ sounds like in a church most likely.

Having been a little frustrated at the other Telefunken album I have, as it was recorded too quietly on the disc, even though the vinyl was great, and all the music was there, this does not suffer in that way in the slightest... vinyl is very thick, solid, and crucially silent on the needle... but has all the depth, weight, power and scope of a Columbia press, or the detail of the HMV discs, and this time the music is recorded loud and proud.

I'm sure my neighbours already think I'm some kind of vampire, and my playing of this has done nothing to disabuse them of this notion, but what the hell!

I'd go so far as to say that if you are in a heavy metal band, and feel your usual methods of making music with standard instrumentation are a little too delicate or polite... pop down to your local Cathedral, and ask if you can set up there, and use their Mighty organ to steamroller the audience....

...this is seriously Heavy Metal!

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Rejoice In The Lamb must be one of Britten's least accessible works: it conveyed little to me until I had occasion to sing in the Chorus, whereupon it leapt to life, revealing the confused, intelligent, excited but fearful mind of Christopher Smart who wrote the work as a poem while he was confined in St Luke's Hospital for Lunatics between 1757 and 1763.

Britten's reading of this troubled mind transcends mere stereotype, as though he had known someone go through a manic episode in the way that Smart had

Robinson is directing a traditional Men and Boys Cathedral Choir here, and the clarity of diction is impeccable. The fast pace and the choir composition suit my own understanding of the piece and Rejoice In The Lamb is recorded in full

[YouTube Video]

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Perfect rainy day music.

If you find yourself stuck indoors, just staring out the window at the rain, this could be a perfect piece of music to listen to.

You could easily settle back and read a book with this on in the background without it being a distraction.

It's a solo piano recital by Wilhelm Kempff.... just him, alone with a piano.

No other instrumentation.

In fact, it would be a great thing to listen to if you were studying piano at a high level I should imagine, or maybe even learning, as it is delicate, meditative music with an occasional flourish. It begins very delicately, and is a little on the quiet side, which I initially thought was the recording itself being that quiet.... but by degrees it lifts as it moves through the pieces so rather it's just the delicacy of his piano playing at the outset.

The pieces become only a little more vigorous as it goes, which leads nicely to the vinyl and pressing itself:

Because curiously, side 1 comes in at about 28 mins. whereas side 2 only has about 12 minutes of music, to give a total of approximately 40 minutes of music.

... this great length for side 1 I attribute to the sparse music being undemanding of the grooves, so they could press it with a "tighter spiral", and get more on it, and so side 2, which has a little more purpose in Kempff's playing, and a little more weight, they opened it up a little more... of course, they could have comfortably put more on side 2, but the length and number of the pieces by Brahms decided this.

As you'd expect, the vinyl is nice, super silent around the piano, with room for power where it's needed (as much as this is the case), and has great detail in the quieter parts.

I've had a little mosey on the web, and this record is quite a difficult one to find online... not that it may necessarily be considered rare in the sense that it'll give you goose bumps on your eyeballs, but rare in that it just doesn't seem to be generally considered at all (There are probably hundreds of copies languishing in charity store record bins all around, but I did find a listing on Amazon for a stereo version...

... but this being a mono or stereo record I think in this instance is a redundant point, as it is only one instrument that encompasses the entire audible "field of view".

I may be listening to this quite regularly actually.

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As can be seen from the back cover notes, these are very old recordings, and as such, sound like they were recorded on very early equipment.... probably just one mic (Equivalent kit of the time).

Caruso's voice is to the fore, with only faintly detectable instrumentation more distant.

Which is Ok, in that it's Caruso's voice you want to hear, but bear that in mind and you'll enjoy these 'atmospheric' recordings of the early twentieth century.

A couple of the tracks have audible hiss on them... Tosca, and Fedora particularly...whether this is the actual recording machine picking up the sound of it's own operation, the quality of the original recording medium, or just ambient noise is difficult to tell, but it doesn't really spoil the experience.
Except in the case of Fedora, which is a slightly wobbly recording, and ends rather abruptly, which leads me to believe that the master for this disc (at least on this track), maybe a straight needle to needle lift from another record.

The vinyl is of course, fantastic here, and just gets out of the way to allow you to hear the original recordings themselves - warts and all.

Lovely sleeve and beautiful labels which someone could find themselves just gazing at for many minutes (ahem) with all that lovely Gold print on the white background.

All makes for a lovely package, and an atmospheric, cosy afternoon's listening.

(This came in at just under an hour of music, about 58 mins.)

3 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

This set shows us Tavener at his most intense, and, yes, Thunderous. My copy has just arrived in the post, so I have been listening to it, one track at a time because it is not something you can have on in the background. The dynamics of the title track, for instance, take the organ and choir from pp to fff.

By complete coincidence, I opened YouTube to look for this track and was greeted with a tribute upon the death of tenor William Kendall a week ago. Let this track also serve as a tribute to Kendall.

[YouTube Video]

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The monks sing Plainchant throughout, alternating between solo and unison passages. The organ adds harmony in tracks 3, 10, 11 and 17: on track 11 the "Gloria in Excelcis Deo" heralds a triumphant peal of bells.

Though not mentioned anywhere in the package, the CD player shows "Remastered" after every track. There must have been an earlier version produced. I assume that this was available only at the monastery for visitors.

[YouTube Video]

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"Four Proverbs" has four movements for soprano and ensemble, the other pieces are instrumental. All are post-modernist and quite jolly. I like Torke's writing on the Proverbs in which he explains ".. (at twelve years old) I coincidentally made the dual discovery of girls and God - which at that time didn't seem in any way a contradiction.."

[YouTube Video]

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I can't believe it's not Decca!...

Wow....

...These Nonesuch issues are excellent... really great open, broad, full stereos which have an immaculate sound. The vinyl itself is not the thickest perhaps, but they are noiseless in the interim between tracks, they run smooth and silent, except for the music itself, which is pretty much perfectly presented.

But don't just take my word for it... here is my own recording of the Concerto In D Major For Three Violins And Orchestra; 3rd Movement, from this disc.

Maybe the covers are a little dated, and I get the feeling this may have been as a concession to popular culture of the time - flower power and all that- which now only makes them seem like bargain basement jobbies... but they are as good as any label I've listened to, and along with the U.S Vox label, represent real value for money, because albums on both labels can be got for ten of our English European pounds or less (sometimes even less than a fiver!).

(I see the Polydor Records Ltd. makers mark on the back cover... which probably explains why they sound so good :)

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Having now tried the mono SAGAs, including this one, I have to say it really comes purely down to recording technique and equipment, that separates these from the "premium" labels, that command the higher prices...

... because the vinyl quality, the sleeves, and, with regards to the music on the disc, the clarity amd weight is all comparable, it's all here...

... It's just that those other labels (Decca, HMV, Columbia (etc.)) applied more resources in the recording stage.

This results in a more "in the room, happening right now", kind of immersive experience. Whereas these, which have all that detail, clarity and so on, have a slightly more "over there" kind of sound. It's very definitely emanating from your system speakers, rather than in your head.

This isn't actually such a noticable thing with this particular album, as it's just a cosy selection of trios, so not much is lost, because there was never an orchestra to lose, and all the intricate detail of this weaving Mozart work is clear and can be discerned easily, but the other one (Haydn) which is a more orchestral work, sounds a litlle - I believe the word is: "brighter" than it oughta. The recording method struggles a little with all the extras.

What may confer a little more value on this particular album (sporadically, oddly), is that it features one of those big classical names, performing a great work by a top composer, and which would require you to sell a family member to afford on one of those other mentioned labels. So these SAGAs afford the opportunity to access those kind of works cheaper... but of course, everyone thinks the same, so it elevates these second tier label issues slightly in value.

So my rule of thumb would be for these:

If it is a more intimate work, with anything only up to a handful of performers at a time, they represent a real bargain, and are well worth buying... but anything more than that, like a big orchestral work, you need a bigger label... and deeper pockets.

2 people found this review helpful.   ✔︎ Helpful Review?

Do you have a minute, please? Put your headphones on, sit or laydown and close your eyes, listen and relax.....

[YouTube Video]

It is not exactly with the same performers, and it can be played in various themes but it's so an immortal masterpiece, see the comments.

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It's strange how an idea can get fixed in your mind that can colour your view of particular albums before you've even tried them...

... In this case, I had previously tried a Toscanini HMV (ALP),which I found had a few shortcomings, and then having found, and heard a few of the Decca, HMV, and Columbia stereos, it kind of lodged the idea in my head that no good could come of mono issues of classical titles, and were to be simply passed over in the record bins whenever I found them, in favour of the very elusive stereos (Which hardly ever turn up on those specific labels - hence the frequently astronomical prices for them!).

But this, and the other Yehudi Menuhin / Bath Festival Orchestra album I have, I got only because I found them together, and they both have great covers, and were in fantastic condition - and at 50p each, why refuse them?!!! - However, I simply stowed them away, and hadn't thought to play them until now, thinking:

"Well, they are only Monos, so won't be up to much, but will do until the stereos get here"

...But having given this one a spin, it's pleasing to be able to say I've shattered that illusion.

And now I see that the problem with the Toscanini was actually a limitation of the original recording technique of the time, rather than the vinyl, or anything to do with the mono aspect itself... This has a very broad and open sounding mono, with great detail, and separation of the instruments (albeit within the mono soundstage), and in fact there are times where I wondered if it was actually mono, or stereo... becoming convinced that a particular instrument was leaning out of the left or right speaker more at any given time.

So while the stereo would of course be preferable, in order to get the full benefit of the whole orchestra, I see no reason to refuse a mono issue of any title on this label in future, if the work on it is one that takes the fancy, or the composer / conductor / soloist is the thing of interest.

It simply depends on the quality and technique of the original recording.

And while still a comparative dunce of classical music, Iam beginning to hear the different qualities if individual performers, in contrast with others...

...And to me, Yehudi Menuhin is very much like Rostropovich is with the Cello, in being almost supernaturally precise, fluid, intricate and elaborate... able to operate on the very finest edges of detail.... whereas Heifetz on Violin, and Du Pre on Cello, and almost like their counterparts in the more "pyrotechnic", and impassioned end of the spectrum... just depends on what you're in the mood for at the time really.

But this is a very intricate "lacey" work too, so very well suited to Menuhin's qualities (and vice versa).

All round, you get your money's worth here.

(And I'll not be refusing an HMV on the mono / stereo basis alone in future!)

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We have a winner!

I've tried a couple of different labels recently, and while some are good, Columbia, Decca, and HMV still are way above the rest (Columbia especially), but this might just be as good as a Columbia SAX (stereo).

Quite a stately piece of vinyl... very thick, rigid, and finely cut.

And with most every piece of Mozart's it's very delicate, intricate, "up" music -effervescent? -

...(How many points do I get from that word?)

..... Which is very demanding on the level of detail you need the vinyl to be able to provide, and it needs to be absolutely silent in the interim... Which this is, in both respects.

Also, while the music doesn't really test the "power handling" of the vinyl here, the moderately frequent swells of orchestration have enough weight to suggest that heavier music by a Beethoven-root or a Richard Wangler would be accommodated very very easily.

Full, open stereo sound, great separation and distinction of the instruments, no distortion, and plenty of detail.

...The recording itself is excellent, one of those which sounds like it was recorded yesterday, or that the Orchestra is actually in the room with you.

In a nutshell, and reaching once again into my Scrabble bag....it's fulminary spumatic delicomplexitations really are fingersome on the precisilation most satisfactorily.

(188290 points... I Win!)

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If anything ever screamed: "Grandma's record collection", it has to be the cover of this doesn't it?

I think my instincts were right regarding these Heliodors...

I've played three of the four I've got, and they sound like older recordings, in that you can hear the recording set-up was just one mic at the front near the conductor, so that were there is a soloist performing on a concerto like this, they come through very nicely, but the supporting orchestra lacks presence, power, and is a little indistinct.

While this particular record has no date for recordings or issue visible on the sleeve or labels, it is stamped in the deadwax on both sides: Side 1: 1955, and Side 2: 1958....

So side 1 is certainly too early for any original stereo recording, side 2 may be just about possible, but I rather think, having heard the others, which have the same kind of sound staging, even though they have a later dates, these are re-processed mono recordings for stereo.

But that's not really an issue to be honest, because in that regard, you wouldn't be able to tell if it was an original stereo recording, or a re-process... very subtly done, which may be the unintended virtue of a less sophisticated recording set up: Less they could get wrong in the translation, so to speak.

I also think of a statement found on old CDs in this respect too:

"These discs may expose the short-comings of the original recordings"
(Or words to that effect)

...Which is essentially what is going on here, as these are Polydor vinyls (I looooove Polydor vinyl from the seventies onward... the best around at the time in my opinion... pre-sixties to mid sixties (for classical at least) it's got to be Columbia- but that's a whole different ball game) ring everything out of the recording they can, but it's the recordings themselves that were limited by the times they were made.

So these performances won't necessarily be found better presented on another label or press, so any extra money spent on them may be considered a waste, and rather these are DG going back to earlier archive recordings and re-presenting them for a seventies market, cleaned up a bit, and stereo-ised (just a tad).

I'd say they might be interesting to someone who wants to hear a performance by a particular soloist performing a particular piece, such as a concerto like this, where they are the main focus, but full a full Symphony or orchestral work where it's about the orchestra as a whole, I don't think they can deliver the OOooooomph you may require.

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This is proper Audiophile stuff!

(as perhaps, the idea behind Deutsche Grammophon's: "Archive Production" series would suggest).

...And my initial impression of the quality of the vinyl and the pressing was entirely justified in the playing; In fact, this may be too good.

I say this because in spite of having been very meticulous in cleaning this disc prior to playing; And my disc is in immaculate condition - even if the sleeve is a little grunge-y; every five minutes or so of playing would produce a little gathering of fine dust particle matter type stuff around the stylus, that usually wouldn't bother other records, or how they sound... but here, cause a light flutter in the upper end of the register...a bit of, um....fusty-ness (?), if you know what I mean.

I played it through twice and it was the same both times, and once I'd cleared the dusty-fluff, it was great, but would soon pick up even more.

I don't know exactly why this should be, as I found myself remonstrating with my player:

"But there is no frickin' dust!!!!"

...I can only conclude that something about it is capturing ambient dust particles for some reason (I played other records to make sure it wasn't my stylus... and it's just this disc - very odd ), and this disc is very sensitive, and perhaps over-engineered in some way.

It may be that you just need substantially better kit than mine, or just restrict yourself to playing it in a clean room with a team of lab technicians in white overalls to monitor it and keep it forensically clean while playing!

But this aside, the recording is, of course impeccable, and the music is great meditative, very intricate stuff with some fantastic choral work, that I think would actually be a treat to have on in the background at Christmas, once you're a little fuzzy with the Egg-Nogg and fairy-lights, and have a nice little warm glow going (Maybe you wouldn't notice the high end dust flutter then...

... but then, you would have to stand up and flip the record over, and that would just seem like hard work :)

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Simply Stunning.

This is one of those occasions when you witness someone so talented at something it is both a in incredible experience to have, and yet they make you feel bad about yourself by virtue of the great gulf in ability that must exist between them and yourself...

..."Oh, what a waste of occupied volume I am!"

Jascha Heifetz frequently appears in top tens of greatest violinists ever, where others may come and go, depending on who's compiling... but along with David Oistrakh, Fritz Kreisler and the like, there's a consensus around Heifetz that he is/was the genuine article... and this absolutely jaw dropping performance shows why.

You know when someone has such a mastery of an instrument that at times it's difficult to tell what instrument they are playing? Well there is a moment here where you'd be hard pressed to say that it was not someone whistling in the highest register, and purest tone, rather than a violin.

Musical clutz that I am, I don't really know my eggs from my onions in most things the way others do in classical circles, but then I don't need to know art to see there's something special, and totally out of the ordinary in Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

This is a performance that you should look for if you want to hear what a violin is capable of.

I was drawn to this because I felt I should have an RCA Red Seal in my collection somewhere, to see what the vinyl was up to, and they are justly regarded very highly, and the recording is superb too... very clear, and immediate.

This is available as a "Living Stereo" too (If you've got the bucks for those issues - although this particular title won't break the bank), and it has to be said, the stereo would be preferable, but only for the sake of the supporting orchestra... who, while this gives the power of their contribution, doesn't give the dimensionality (Is that a word?), and breadth, which would enrich the whole thing..

... but that's a minor thing really, as Heifetz Violin is front and centre, clear as a bell, and driving the whole affair.

The orchestration - but for an occasional sweep, and passage, is just there for colouring really, and I could well believe they were as in awe of this performance when they were playing behind him as I was listening to it.

(Cue Andy McDowell's legendary line :) from Four Weddings And A Funeral: "Is it raining?.... I hadn't noticed" - In that you will only be dimly aware of the orchestra anyway).

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