BARTOK Violin Concerto 2 ISAAC STERN BERNSTEIN MS 6002 SPEAKERS CORNER Test...

$

50

SPEAKERS CORNER RECORDS • AUDIOPHILE TEST PRESSING

Ultra-Rare Factory Production Sample / Review Archive Copy

ALBUM HEADLINE

• Artist: Isaac Stern | New York Philharmonic Orchestra | Leonard Bernstein

• Title: Béla Bartók: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 (Stereo)

• Recording Date: January 1958

• Speakers Corner Remaster Release Date: March 2016

ITEM SPECIFICATIONS

• Violinist: Isaac Stern

• Orchestra: New York Philharmonic Orchestra

• Conductor: Leonard Bernstein

• Composer: Béla Bartók

• Label: Speakers Corner Records

• Catalog Number: Columbia MS 6002

• Pressing Plant: Pallas (Germany)

• Format: 1 LP / Stereo / 180g Audiophile Vinyl

• Price Code: SC01

• Barcode: 4260019714930

ARCHIVAL OVERVIEW

Up for auction is an exceptionally scarce grail piece for classical music completionists and analog purists: an authentic Speakers Corner Records factory test pressing/sample sleeve copy of the legendary 1958 stereo recording of Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2, performed by virtuoso Isaac Stern alongside Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

This rare piece features the official, original Speakers Corner production data sheet permanently affixed to the reverse side of the jacket. Prepared inside their German headquarters in anticipation of the March 2016 master release window, it outlines critical matrix tracking information, price codes, and recording provenance documenting the historic January 1958 sessions captured at Columbia's legendary 30th Street Studio in New York City by engineer Jack Ashkinzy and producer Howard H. Scott.

Because test pressings represent the absolute first stampers pulled directly from the fresh matrix to evaluate audio integrity before commercial factory runs, they hold a revered place among high-fidelity collectors. They represent the absolute closest possible physical replication of the original master tape.

REPERTOIRE & PERFORMANCE NOTES

Bartók's Second Violin Concerto is widely considered one of the ultimate masterpieces of the modern twentieth-century repertoire, blending traditional classical forms with flashing musicality, peasant dances, and incredible technical demands. Throughout his distinguished 60-year career, Isaac Stern recorded this landmark work multiple times, but this specific 1958 collaboration with Leonard Bernstein stands as a towering reference recording. Stern's superb mastery and bravura handle both the eruptive rhapsodic passages and the glowing, pastoral movements with a flawless command over the score.

Track Listing:

• Béla Bartók: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 2

VISUAL & PLAY-GRADE CONDITION REPORT

• Vinyl Grade: NEAR MINT (NM)
• The vinyl surfaces retain their full original high-gloss factory sheen. The disc appears exceptionally clean, free of any scratches, hairline marks, or sleeve scuffs. It plays beautifully with crisp, expansive stereo imaging, superb orchestral dynamics, and minimal to no background surface noise, standard for a premium Pallas test strike.

• Jacket/Sleeve Grade: NEAR MINT (NM)
• The outer jacket is crisp and highly preserved with sharp corners, firm edges, and a fully intact spine. The factory-applied Speakers Corner data cue sheet on the back is in exceptional condition, fully legible with no tears, staining, or handwriting. An outstanding archival presentation copy.

PROFESSIONAL AUDIOPHILE SHIPPING PROTOCOLS

• The vinyl record is safely removed from the outer jacket prior to packaging to eliminate any risk of seam splits, spine punches, or knife-edge travel damage during transit.

• Shipped exclusively inside a heavy-duty, dedicated corrugated cardboard LP mailer, flanked by extra internal cardboard stiffeners to resist bending.

• Full tracking, signature delivery verification, and premium carrier insurance coverage apply globally. Bid with absolute confidence!