Ansermet/OSR: Stravinsky Pulcinella (rec. 1965) - Decca SXL 6230 (WBg - ED1)

$

55

redgarnett Store ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This fine LP from Decca (SXL 6230, English pressing, black/silver WBg label – ED1, stereo, insert included) features Ernest Ansermet and l’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in a sharply characterized rendition of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella, in which they are joined by vocalists Marilyn Tyler (soprano), Carlo Franzini (tenor) and Boris Carmeli (bass).

This wonderful performance was recorded in the fabled acoustics of Kingsway Hall, London, during 2-4 November 1965 (producer: John Mordler / engineer: James Lock).

Ansermet knew Stravinsky well and had conducted his scores almost since their inception. He brought a lifetime's wisdom and experience to all his Decca sessions and the results were electrifying, marked by a tremendous sense of occasion and inner frisson.

So many endless apologies are made for the supposed short-comings of the Suisse Romande Orchestra that a critical bias has nearly rendered their every Decca recording an also-ran.  These ‘faults’ have been greatly exaggerated, and how well they play against the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is less important than how well they play Stravinsky. 

And they play this music superbly, and for this listener at least, Ansermet’s versions are touchstone performances that refresh one's appreciation of these Stravinsky masterworks.

The striking cover art is credited to the Decca Publicity Art Department. There are superb liner notes on the reverse side of the jacket by Ian D. Bent, printed in English only.

Also included is the original full-size insert with the complete vocal texts, both in the original Italian and in English translation.

CONDITION – PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY:

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

The condition of the jacket is GOOD. The only flaw concerns some staining to the rear panel. There is also some discoloration along the edges and shelfwear. However, there are no seampslits, bends, or owners' markings and the jacket remains solid, bright, glossy, and attractive – overall, still a decent collector's copy.

The condition of the LP itself is VERY GOOD. Though there is occasional light surface noise, most noticeable at the start of Side 2, where there is swish for about 1 minute, in general the playback remains quite fine. However, if you want a flawless, NM, or even EX copy, then please do not buy this LP. Overall, this rates as a very good 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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