Monteux/BSO: Stravinsky Petrouchka - RCA LSC-2376 (SD, 4S/4S, with booklet)
$
40
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Description
redgarnett Store ITEM DESCRIPTION:
This beautiful LP from RCA (LSC-2376, US pressing, shaded dog label, 4S/4S stampers, stereo, original inner sleeve and booklet included) features Pierre Monteux and the Boston Symphony Orchestra's brilliantly colored account of Stravinsky's Petrouchka (1911), recorded in the fabled acoustics of Symphony Hall, Boston in January 1959 (Bernard Zighera the splendid solo pianist).
Wrote the erudite critic James Reel for Fanfare in his review of RCA's Living Stereo CD re-issue of this performance:
"Monteux was associated with Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka from its inception in 1911; the composer praised the conductor for “a very clean and finished execution,” which was no small feat, considering the many problems of rhythm and balance and the probably limited quality of the pit orchestra. Monteux gave the first American performance of the music in 1920, when he led the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a suite drawn from the ballet, and he recorded the entire score with that orchestra in 1959; that’s the version at hand. Monteux never forgot the music’s origins on the ballet stage; he begins this performance at an easy tempo, the rhythms strongly marked yet with a lightness to the playing that remains throughout the performance without undercutting the music’s more sinister aspects. The textures may not always be as immaculate as in, say, a Boulez performance, but there’s always a graceful, lithe physicality to the playing here."
Incidentally, included with this copy is the original full-size 2-page booklet that was enclosed with the LP. This booklet is so often missing from copies of the album that I suspect many collectors are even aware it should be there. In contains several striking portraits of Monteux, the famous caricature of him, a listing of his other RCA records, and an extensive appreciation of his inimitable artistry by author Joseph Wechsberg.
This album was produced by John Pfeiffer and engineered by John Crawford. There are informative liner notes on the reverse side of the jacket by Alfred Frankenstein, Music and Art Editor of the San Francisco Chronicle. The extraordinary cover art is uncredited, alas.
CONDITION:
The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.
The condition of the jacket is EXCELLENT. The only flaw barring a NM grading concerns a 1” split to the upper-right corner. Otherwise, the album is in splendid shape. There are no bends, owners' markings or other defects and remains solid, bright, and highly attractive – overall, an excellent collector's copy.
The condition of the LP is near-MINT and playback is superb – overall, a truly fine collector's copy.
PLEASE NOTE:
This LP has been carefully cleaned using a VPI cleaning machine. All LPs are provided with a new Nagaoka (or Nagaoka-style) inner sleeve. The images I've provided are of the actual item you are potentially bidding on - these are not stock images or images I've taken from other sites. Bid with confidence!
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REFUNDS:
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