Ricci: Sibelius & Tchaikovsky Violin Concerti - Decca SXL 2077 (WBg - ED1)

$

400

ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This handsome and very rare LP from Decca (SXL 2077, UK, black/silver WBg FFSS "Original Recording By" label – ED1, stereo, laminated flipback sleeve, blue lettering on reverse side of jacket) features Ruggiero Ricci's soaring account of Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D minor Op. 47, recorded in the fabled acoustics of London's Kingsway Hall on 10-11 and 14-15 February 1958 with conductor Øivin Fjeldstad and the London Symphony Orchestra. Produced by John Culshaw and engineered by Alan Reeve and Gordon Parry, the sound truly epitomizes the "golden age" of stereo and is everything one could wish for.

Filling out the disc, and set down during these same sessions by Ricci, Fjelstad, and the LSO is Tchaikovsky's Sérénade mélancolique in B minor Op. 26 and Souvenir d’un lieu cher: Scherzo Op. 42 No. 2, imbued with richly authentic Russian nostalgia – these wonderfully evocative performances are the stuff of legend – truly captivating from first bar to last.

There are insightful liner notes by Neville Marriner, no less, printed in English only. The striking cover photo is credited to Kenneth Scowen.

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 VERY GOOD-. There is wear to the lower edge, as well as at corners, and a number "2" penned to the upper-left corner and a tear to the lower flipback portion of the jacket. There are also a couple of spots of laminate lift on the front panel. However, there are no bends, seamsplits, or other defects, and the album remains solid, bright, glossy, and very striking in appearance. Overall, still a very good collector's copy.

The condition of the LP itself is near-MINT. Visually, there are spindle trails – it looks to have been played quite a bit, but well cared for. In terms of sound, though surfaces are not silent (and thus I have rated it NM vs. MINT), playback is superb. There are no tics, but surfaces are not flawlessly silent. If you must have perfect surfaces, then please do not buy this LP. Overall, this rates as a NM 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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