MOUSSORGSKY/ - PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION/DORATI/ Mercury Living Presence SR90217

MOUSSORGSKY/PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION/MERCURY LIVING PRESENCE SR90217, Color-back. Antal Dorati, Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. Orchestration by Ravel. Recorded April of 1959.

Mercury’s monaural recording of Moussorky’s celebrated Pictures was the first album to appear in the Living Presence series, and it created a standard for perfection in recorded music which has distinguished all Living Presence recordings henceforth. Absolute fidelity is the hallmark; a completely true re-creation of the music, the performance, and the sound of the orchestra playing in a particular auditorium. There is never any boosting of very soft passages, for instance, and never any compression of loud ones. Mercury engineers set the session, and from that time onward they do not tamper with the electronic controls at all.

The entire classical staff was eager to re-record this particular work, naturally, in the new wonder of reproduced sound—stereophony. Once again the special mobile Mercury sound truck was transported to Minneapolis. In Northrop Memorial Auditorium, on the campus of the University of Minnesota, three extremely sensitive omni-directional micro-phones were hung—in front of the orchestra and somewhat out into the auditorium. The orchestra was arranged in its customary concert placement, and the microphones were located so that they picked up the full panorama of sound. As the listener hears Antal Dorati’s performance, the orchestra comes alive for him, and he is once again in the Living Presence of the music.

Side A: Gnomus/The Old Castle/The Tuileries Gardens/Bydlo/Ballet of the Chicks in their Shells/Samuel Goldberg and Schmuyle/The Marketplace at Limoges/The Catacombs.

Side B: The Hunt on Fowl’s Legs/The Great Gate of Kiev/Prelude/Dances of the Persian Slaves.

Vinyl Condition: Side A, FR6, EX+, Side B, FR5, EX+. Jacket: VG+, (some wear at top and bottom edges, new inner sleeve). Buy with confidence, please check my feedback, your purchase guaranteed. Thanks for viewing,