SHOSTAKOVICH Age Of Gold RCA LSC-2322 SHADED DOG COMPARISON PACK (5 Discs) NEW

$

111

SHOSTAKOVICH The Age Of Gold Ballet Suite & Symphony No.1  Jean Martinon Conducts The London Symphony Orchestra
COMPARISON PACKAGE: Four 45 RPM Single Sided Discs And One 33 1/3 RPM LP.
Record label/brand: Classic Records/RCA LSC-2322 Living Stereo - "Shaded Dog" upc/mpn: None year: 1959
A new and sealed 5 disc, comparison package of this RCA Victor Living Stereo "Shaded Dog" classic. Hear the difference a single sided, 45 RPM pressing makes over the 33 1/3 traditional version. These were made in VERY limited quantities and are now quite RARE.
Record set is new and still sealed in it's original shrink wrap. No flaws or blemishes of any kind... 100% mint.
Review: A powerful feeling of ineptness can greet musicians when performing Dmitri Shostakovich's First Symphony. Technically, it is extremely difficult, and contains a musical sophistication that is quite staggering. The symphony was offered to the jury of the Leningrad Conservatory as his graduation exercise! Even today, the wealth of invention continues to amaze, more so when one recognizes that young Shostakovich's unique musical voice was already formed - a voice that continued to speak and develop in all his work, one representative of the essence of the gigantic struggles of the Soviet people.
This particular recording of the work is splendid. In fact, Jean Martinon and the London Symphony Orchestra present one of the finest renditions. Their personification of style, interpretation and ensemble are a trinity of near perfection. From the opening clarinet solo (Gervase de Peyer, perhaps?) to the closing orchestral fortissimos, the late fifties LSO shines gloriously. Strings have a beautiful golden sheen, woodwinds glow and brass resonate thrillingly. And the recording - simply spectacular! The Decca-sourced RCA displays Kingsway Hall to perfection, with its requisite Holborn/Aldwych "tube" rumble. By this account, London Transport were on time, the regular deep growling adding visceral pleasure to the audiophile need quotient.
As a filler, the Ballet Suite from The Age of Gold is representative of Shostakovich at his sarcastic best. The piquant orchestration is, again, performed with reckless abandon by the virtuosos of the London Symphony, with the famous oblique-styled Polka played especially well.
James Walker and Alan Reeve get the somewhat tricky acoustics of Kingsway just right. Imaging and the soundstage are exemplary, both adding to the splendor of the presentation. This is an example of what art as recorded sound should strive to be. A triumph for all participants. ~ Amazon
Living Stereo: In the decade following 1953, RCA Victor made a substantial body of recordings which have come to be identified with their early stereo release label, Living Stereo. As the adoption of Stereo audio became more widespread, Living Stereo offered a wide range of music and performances in high quality sound. A majority of these records, particularly classical music, offer music, performances and audio quality which are considered definitive. Living Stereo influenced many of the recordings that followed with their recording and marketing philosophies.