Great Sounding Classical Title from EMI!
180g Audiophile Vinyl Cut from the Original EMI Stereo Analogue Master Tapes at Abbey Road Studios!
Kurtz was a familiar name with the Philharmonia to the record collector of the 1950s and Yehudi Menuhin was in his prime. Menuhins presence on the recording can be explained by a long tradition of celebrated violinists performing the solo violin parts of Swan Lake, from Leopold Auer at the first production to Mischa Elman for Diaghilev and contemporary with this recording, Campoli for Fistoulari.
In the original review in The Gramophone of December 1958, W.S.M. remarked: The sound of the orchestra is extremely well defined all the way through, and the tunes are enunciated in a most dapper fashion; Kurtz really understands the style of the music... and found Menuhins solo violin contributions make you sit up and listen hard, to his phrasing and expression... and concluded that compared with rival versions, this record was more stylish and more attractively played. Dont try to dance to it, but do listen to it.
A tall, imposing figure in front of an orchestra, so tall that he often dispensed with the usual conductor's podium, Efrem Kurtz had a graceful, baton-less technique that drew a fluid yet well-controlled response from the players and infused a vivid poetry into romantic music in particular. Much sought after in the music of his native Russia, and in the ballet music in which he first made his name conducting Anna Pavlova, Kurtz was a link back to the musical life of pre-revolutionary St Petersburg. So wrote most eloquently Noel Goodwin in his 1995 obituary in the Independent of the distinguished 95 years old Russian conductor, who had studied with Glazunov and Tcherepnin no less, and was a pupil of Arthur Nikisch.
Cut at Abbey Road Studios from the original stereo analogue master tapes with the Neumann VMS82 lathe fed an analogue pre-cut signal from a specially adapted Studer A80 tape deck with additional advance playback head, making the cut a totally analogue process.
Pressed on 180g vinyl to audiophile standards using the original EMI presses by The Vinyl Factory in Hayes, England.
Features:
Hi-Q Records Supercuts 180g Vinyl
Cut at Abbey Road Studios from the original EMI stereo analogue master tapes
Superior Audiophile Pressing
Features original album artwork
Made in England
Musicians:
Yehudi Menuhin, violin solo
Philharmonia Orchestra
Efrem Kurtz, conductor
Selections:
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
Swan Lake "Le Lac Des Cygnes", Op. 20 Ballet Suite
Side A:
1. a. Introduction
b. No. 2: Valse (Act 1)
c. No. 4: Pas de trios, Nos. 1-6 (Act 1)
2. No. 5: Pas de deux, Nos. 1 & 2 (Act 1)
Side B:
1. a. No. 5: Pas de deux, Nos. 3 & 4 (Act 1)
b. No. 10: Scene (Act 2)
c. No. 13: Danses des cygnes Nos. 1, 2 & 4 (Act 2)
2. a. No. 13, Danses des cygnes, No. 5 (Act 2)
b. No. 20: Danse hongroise (Czardas) (Act 3)
c. Danse russe (from Supplement)
Recorded March & April 1958, Kingsway Hall, London. Recording Producers: R. Kinloch Anderson & Peter Andry. Balance Engineers: Neville Boyling & Robert Gooch
