Mravinsky/Sanderling: Tchaikovsky Symphonies 4-6: DG LPM 18462/64 (3LP box set)

$

275

redgarnett Store ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This beautiful and exceedingly rare 3 LP deluxe box set from Deutsche Grammophon (LPM 18462/64, large cloth box, German pressing, full-size heavy paper 32-page booklet included, German pressing, Alle Hersteller Tulip label, mono – no stereo versions exist) features Kurt Sanderling* and Evgeni Mravinski's towering accounts of Tchaikovsky's Symphonies No. 4 in F minor Op. 36*, No. 5 in E minor Op. 64, and No. 6 in B minor Op. 74 "Pathetique", all taped in the Large Hall of the Musikvereinsaal, Vienna in June 1956.

 

Note: These performances should not be confused with Mravinski's later stereo re-makes for DG, also with Leningrad Philharmonic, but set down at Wembly Town Hall, London in September 1961 (with Mravinsky conducting all 3 Symphonies). On offer here are the earlier mono recordings made in Vienna in 1956 – there is no stereo issue of these performances.

 

These are incandescent performances (Sanderling's Fourth won the Grand Prix du Disque), and it is these mono accounts that the great critic Norman Lebrecht included in his "Masterpieces: 100 Milestones of the Recorded Century", part of his invaluable volume The Life and Death of Classical Music. An excerpt is provided below:

 

"Undernourished, shadowed by spies and fearful for their families back home, [the Leningrad Philharmonic] playerss had no unmonitored contact with Viennese musicians or audiences and dared not smile at concertgoers in the lobby for fear of being hauled in and interrogated by the organs of the state. Their only means of communication was music, and that was blazingly expressive. The plangent edge to the woodwind confirmed a tradition stretching back to Tchaikovsky, whose major works this orchestra had premiered. Its swagger of ownership was unmistakable in these performances, turning the corners in the score without needing to mind the curb.

 

"Sanderling opened with an imposing Fourth, unfolded with reduced bombast and skilled story-telling. Mravinsky, previously unheard in western Europe, directed the ominous Fifth and mournful Pathetique symphonies with grave humanity, hinting at a suffering that was shared by all on earth. The bassoon solos in the Fifth underlined the cultural differences between Russian and Viennese sorrow; the finale of the Pathetique was wrenchingly tragic…" – Norman Lebrecht

 

A note on this particular issue: DG housed the 3 LPs in a heavy red cloth box measuring 32.4 cm X 33 cm X 2.7 cm. It is of extremely handsome construction, as is the full-size, heavy paper, 32-page booklet, which contains essays by:

            > H.H. Stuckenschmidt (“The Century of Great Symphonies”)

            > Klaus Wagner (“The World of the Great Orchestras”)

> Hans Koeltzsch (“I was not born to be happy” – Tchaikovsky’s Fate Symphonies seen through his Letters)

In addition, there are striking (and near full-page) black and white portraits of Mravinsky and Sanderling, as well as of Tchaikovsky and Madam von Meck.

 

The separate LPs are quite easily found, but this lavish box set remains highly elusive.

 

CONDITION – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:

The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

 

The condition of the cloth box box is EX to NM-. There is minor shelfwear and mild discoloration. Otherwise, the box is without fault – there are no seamsplits, corner breaks, bends, or owners' markings and the whole remains extremely solid and handsome, the spine completely legible. The whole can stand perfectly upright without support on either side (and without any danger of toppling over) – a superb collector's copy.

 

The condition of the full-size, heavy paper 32-page booklet is EX. There is slight bumping at corners and mild edgewear, but that is all. There are no bends, tears, or markings anywhere in the booklet, the pages remain crisp, and the binding solid.

 

The condition of the 3 LPs is EX throughout. Visually, there are faint spindle trails and light marks. In terms of sound, although surfaces are not absolutely silent, really these are fine copies and playback is superb. However, those requiring perfect or NM surfaces are kindly advised to look elsewhere. Overall, these rate as excellent collector's copies.

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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