Argenta/OSR: Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 - Decca SXL 2015 (ED1 - WBg)

$

30

ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This handsome and rare LP from Decca (SXL 2015, English pressing, black/silver FFSS WBg "Original Recording By" label – ED1, stereo, laminated flipback jacket) features Ataulfo Argenta’s superb reading of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F minor Op. 36, recorded in Geneva’s Victoria Hall, with L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande on 7 October 1955 (producer: James Walker / engineer: Roy Wallace). 

Widely considered Ansermet’s heir-apparent, Argenta’s tragic death ended the remarkable ascent of one of the supreme conducting talents of the last century.  Had he lived, he no doubt would have been a highly sought-after music director, the world’s leading orchestras at his choosing.  His discography, if not extensive, is uniformly outstanding in a wide range of repertoire, and this high-octane Tchaikovsky Fourth is no exception, one of the great accounts of this work on record. 

So many endless – and for this listener, quite tiring – 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 exaggerated, and how well they play against the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is less important than how well they play Tchaikovsky, and they play this composer marvelously well, the pizzicato strings in the 3rd Movement Scherzo a thing of wonder, an utterly trenchant performance.

Incidentally, the striking cover art reprints a detail from a canvas by W. Francis Phillipps". There are excellent liner notes on the reverse side of the jacket by Arthur Jacobs – printed in English only.

CONDITION – PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY:

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

Overall, this is something of a B copy, at least in terms of appearance, and is priced accordingly. In terms of sound, it is better, and I am confident a VG+ is accurate.

The condition of the jacket is GOOD. There is peeling to the laminate, edgewear, more so at corners, and just general wear and aging. However, there are no seamsplits, owners marking, bends, or other defects, and the album remains solid, bright, glossy, and attractive – overall, still a decent copy.

The condition of the LP itself is VERY GOOD+. Visually, there are spindle trails and other, mostly non-sounding, marks. In terms of sound, while there are some slightly noisy passages, in general playback is quite fine. However, if you must have flawless or NM surfaces, please do not buy this LP. Overall, this rates as a very good collector's copy.

PLEASE NOTE:
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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