Reiner: Respighi Pines & Fountains of Rome - RCA ARP1-4579 (Half-Speed Master)

$

22

redgarnett Store ITEM DESCRIPTION:

This handsome LP – a “half-speed” master issue – from RCA (ARP1-4579, US pressing, “5 Series”, Red Seal label, original inner sleeve included) features a superb audiophile reissue of Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s unsurpassed accounts of Respighi’s Pines of Rome and Fountains of Rome, both recorded in demonstration quality sound in the rich acoustics of Orchestra Hall, Chicago on 24 October 1959 (producer: Richard Mohr / engineer: Lewis Layton).

The exact track listing is as follows:

Pines of Rome

A1

Pines of Villa Borghese

A2

Pines near Catacomb

A3

Pines of Janiculum

A4

Pines of Appian Way

Fountains of Rome

B1

Fountain of Valle Giulia at Dawn

B2

Triton Fountain at Morn

B3

Fountain of Trevi at Mid-day

B4

Villa Medici Fountain at Sunset

Of RCA’s SACD re-issue, the erudite critic Joseph Stevenson wrote in his 10/10 for ClassicsToday:

“Listening to these exquisite SACD remasterings of half-century-old classic Living Presence recordings recalled a story told by a pupil of Philip Farkas (the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's principal hornist when these tapings were made). During rehearsal, conductor Fritz Reiner angrily signaled for a stop, glared at the horns, and demanded: "Horns! Forte!" They repeated the passage, louder, and were stopped again. "Horns! Forte!" Two more times produced the same result, after which Reiner slammed down his baton. One of the horn players pleaded, "But, Maestro, we're playing as loud as we can." "I know!" snapped Reiner, "you started at fortissimo."

“This anecdote illustrates how important it was to Reiner to get the exact loudness--or quietness--he wanted. Truly pianissimo playing is a hard thing for an orchestra to achieve, and among the things this excellent SACD remastering discloses as never before is the utterly ravishing playing of this orchestra at pianissimo, and its constant attention to dynamic level. This pays off in the final movement of Pines of Rome, where Reiner achieves a steady increase in loudness from the first tread of the Caesars' ghostly legions to the very last chord. The effect is breathtaking.

“The remastering does this without at all yielding to the temptation to "improve" the original master's dynamics by ramping up the loud parts. The result: a faithful recreation of the legendary 1959 and 1960 sonics, minus surface noise or hiss. The string sound regains its original sweetness, eliminating the slight graininess and upper-register hardness that many can hear in standard-resolution CDs. Inclusion of the third channel in the multi-track layer of the SACD helps nail down the placement of the solo winds and spreads the strings out to sections, rather than points.

“The virtues of Reiner's performances are well known. In La Mer Reiner remembers that a movement called "From Dawn Till Noon..." should begin in profound darkness. Rhythms are never rigid in this unmatched depiction of fluidity. All the delicate shadings of what is called musical Impressionism are there, but the climaxes arrive with plenty of guts. In Respighi's Fountains you can feel the dawn mists at the beginning and the magical quietness of the air at the end of the day. And the Gregorian chant evoked by the Catacombs in Pines never has made the remembered Christian martyrs sound so noble and brave.

“If you know these recordings, be assured that both the two-channel and the three-channel SACD tracks truly improve the sound. If you've ever wondered why old-timers rave about 1950s stereo labels like RCA Living Stereo and "shaded dogs" (a description of the art style used for the RCA terrier on the LP label), this will answer all your questions.”

Incidentally, there are excellent liner notes on the reverse side of the jacket by Vincent Sheehan, printed in English only. The front cover art was executed by Daniel Maffia.

This re-issue was produced by John Pfeiffera nd engineered by Edwin Begley.

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 near-MINT. There is minor wear at corners, but that is all. Otherwise, the album appears almost as new. There are no seamsplits, bends, owners' markings, or other defects and the album remains solid, bright, and highly attractive in appearance – overall, this is a very fine collector's copy.

The condition of the LP is near-MINT and playback is superb – overall, 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!

PAYMENT:
Payment by PayPal is greatly preferred. Payment should be made within 5 days.

SHIPPING:
Shipping is free to anywhere in the world; this is true regardless of the number of LPs you buy, be it 1 or a 100. All LPs will be sent via standard airmail (7-10 days delivery). Note: There is no tracking number provided with standard airmail. Should you wish to have your item(s) sent via certified airmail (i.e., with a tracking number), please contact me.

FEEDBACK:
I will promptly leave feedback for all buyers. Please do not leave negative, or even neutral, feedback without first giving me an opportunity to resolve any dissatisfaction you might have with an item or transaction. I do understand that, on occasion, a buyer might believe the item description to be inaccurate or that a buyer may be disappointed in some other way regarding the sale. I promise I will do my very best to resolve any unhappiness you've experienced in your buying experience with me to your complete satisfaction. Thank you.

REFUNDS:
Returns are honored, and any buyer you makes a return will be refunded in full. Please contact me before making a return.

Please see my other classical LP and CD auctions, and feel free to write with any questions, I'll be glad to help.