BALALAIKA FAVORITES Mercury LIVING PRESENCE SR90310 180g AUDIOPHILE TAS Sealed

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BALALAIKA FAVORITES The Osipov State Russian Folk Orchestra conducted by Vitaly Gnutov Works by Andreyev, Budashkin, Gorodovskayay, Kulikov, Mikhailov-Shalayev, Mossolov, Osipov, Poponov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Shishakov, Soloviev-Sedoy, and Tchaikovsky New & Sealed Vinyl LP
Record label/brand: Classic Records/Mercury Living Presence SR90310 upc/mpn: None year: 1963
Long Out Of Print 180gm HQ Stereo pressing by audiophile label, Classic Records. This is the original legendary Mercury Living Presence release, SR90310. HIGH QUALITY vinyl and sleeve... PLUS state of the art mastering, make this a must have for audiophiles.
Album is new and still sealed in it's original plastic sleeve. Perforation is completely intact. There are no flaws, blemishes or imperfections... 100% MINT.
Review: The balalaika is not a difficult instrument to describe: it has a triangular body, three strings and a fretted neck. It is far more difficult to describe the inherent values of this national instrument, of which there is a whole family with sizes ranging from the piccolo and alto to the bass and double bass. Accordingly a wide variety of timbral colouring can be achieved, which ‚Äì together with a broad repertoire ‚Äì is exploited to the full by a traditional ensemble such as the Osipov Orchestra. 
With their performances of arrangements of well-known, romantic Russian pieces, popular adaptations and waltzes, this professional orchestra gives us an insight into the spirited and highly entertaining world of a living musical culture. No different from a classical orchestra, the arrangements are rich in soloistic interludes. Alongside the domra, an instrument with three or four strings, we hear a xylophone, ancient wind instruments and the sonorous, rippling bajan (button accordion). This recording goes back to the roots of Russian music and rightly occupies an important position in our Russian Edition.
Mercury Living Presence: In 1951, under the direction of recording engineer C. Robert (Bob) Fine and recording director David Hall, Mercury Records initiated a recording technique using a single microphone to record symphony orchestras. 
In 1951, when the company was a Chicago-based independent, its "Olympian Series" was launched with the now classic monophonic LP of the Mussorgsky-Ravel 'Pictures at an Exhibition" played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Rafael Kubelik. In reviewing that disk in The New York Times, Howard Taubman wrote that the effect was "like being in the living presence of the orchestra"; Mercury took his phrase "Living Presence" as the rubric for its subsequent releases, well into the stereophonic era.
The series' special status among discophiles was built on a strong mix of imaginative repertory, authoritative performances and a dramatically straightforward approach in recording them that insured a vividness that would not fade with time. Over the years, as LP's disappeared or were reissued in sound-altered editions, the original pressings acquired legendary status, and collectors offered up to $300 for certain items. 
SHIPPING:
Records are shipped in a protective plastic sleeve with the record on the outside of the jacket to prevent jacket-splitting. All records will be shipped in heavy duty cardboard with pads on either side for added protection.
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• First Class International: Least expensive method of international shipping. No guarantees or tracking information. $19.00 for the first LP and $3.00 for each additional shipped at the same time. This method is NOT available for records packages totaling OVER $100.00 or to the country of Italy or anywhere in South America. Please wait for invoice to be sent before payment. Those countries MUST use International Express - no exceptions!