Description
All first releases on CD
1-4. Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 [42:29]
Philhamonia Orchestra / Thomas Schippers
Recording date: 27-28 May 1957
Recording venue: Kingsway Hall, London
Producer: Walter Jellinek
Stereo balance engineer: Robert Gooch
1st stereo release
5. Alexander Nikolayevich SCRIABIN (1872-1915)
Rêverie [5:28]
Philhamonia Orchestra / Sir Eugene Goossens
Recording date: 15 February 1956
Recording venue: Kingsway Hall, London
Producer: David Bicknell
Engineer: Douglas Larter
10-15. Sergey Sergeyevich PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)
Symphony No. 1 in D major, ‘Classical’, Op. 25 [13:27]
The Pro Arte Orchestra / Sir Eugene Goossens
Recording date: 25 April 1958
Recording venue: Walthamstow Assembly Hall, London
Producer: Unknown
Stereo balance engineer: Unknown
1st stereo release
Remastering engineer: Ian Jones (Abbey Road Studios)
Liner notes: Richard Whitehouse
Issue note: Peter Bromley
Release date: 9 July 2012
Total duration: 64 mins 24 secs
- Tchaikovsky & Prokofiev are issued here for the first time in stereo
- All tracks published here on CD for the first time
- Rêverie is the first recording of a Scriabin work made by a British orchestra
- Transferred using original analogue session and master tapes from the EMI archive
Press Quotes
“A triad of cracker-jack performances of Russian fare by British ensembles, of which the Scriabin Reverie stands out for its burgeoning eroticism.” (Audiophile Audition)
“Tchaikovsky Fourth by EMI’s Columbia label benefits from excellent playing from the Philharmonia Orchestra, often with especially clear and precise articulation that must owe something to the conductor’s direction. The clear, open, smooth, and well-balanced sound of the recording in this reissue is also a plus.” (Fanfare Magazine)
“(Goossens) conducts a shimmering-erotic version of Scriabin’s Réverie, the Philharmonia enraptured. The sound may be mono, but the performance is multi-dimensional… Prokofiev’s ‘Classical’ Symphony scintillates and crackles with detail and interaction. The Pro Arte Orchestra (long fallen by the wayside) plays with precision and relish for Goossens… It’s a must-hear and play-again account.” (Classical Source)