Munch/O. de Paris: Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique - Electrola 91685 (white/gold)

$

57

redgarnett Store ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This beautiful and exceedingly rare LP from Electrola (SME 91685, German pressing, white/gold label – ED1, stereo) features Charles Munch and l'Orchestre de Paris (formerly l'Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire) in a resplendent account of Brahms’s Symphony No. 1 in C minor Op. 68, recorded in the rich acoustics of the Salle Wagram, Paris on 8 January 1968 – a truly exalted performance by any measure. It should be noted that this is an audiophile TAS-recommended recording (The Absolute Sound).

This recording was also the winner of a Grand Prix du Disque.

I have described this as exceedingly rare as I believe it very seldom found in the white/gold pressing. It is more often encountered in the later standard gold label. Having it in the w/g edition is not unlike finding it in a blue/silver SAX edition.

L'Orchestre de Paris clearly felt a deep love and rapport for their veteran maestro and this performance certainly bears this out, with the players on truly inspired form. Produced by René Callan and engineered by Paul Vavasseur, the sound is warm, rich, and spacious.

This is core Munch repertoire and in this recording he arguably surpasses what he achieved in Boston (and elsewhere), deeply impressive as his Boston RCA performance remains.

Incidentally, the striking cover art reprints Odilon Redon’s “Vision Sousmarine”. Liner notes on the reverse side of the jacket (uncredited) are provided in both German and English.

CONDITION:

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

The condition of the jacket is EXCELLENT. Really, the flaws are quite minor – some very slight bumping/wear at corners, a bit of creasing, and that is all. There are no seamsplits, bends, owners’ markings or other defects, and the album remains perfectly solid, bright, glossy, and extremely attractive in apperanace – overall, a lovely collector's copy.

The condition of the LP is near-MINT and the playback is superb. I will not say the surfaces are absolutely flawless or CD silent, but really this is close to MINT. If you must have a 100% flawless copy, then please do not buy this LP. Overall, this is a truly fine 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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REFUNDS:
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Please see my other classical LP and CD auctions, and feel free to write with any questions, I'll be glad to help.