- Audio CD (8 Feb 1999)
- SPARS Code: ADD
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Mercury
- ASIN: B00000AFRW
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 18,364 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
Jubilee Offer: Patriotic Classics for £2.50 |
Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485: 1. Allegro |
| 2. Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485: 2. Andante con moto |
| 3. Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485: 3. Menuetto: Allegro molto |
| 4. Symphony No. 5 In B-Flat Major, D. 485: 4. Allegro vivave |
| 5. Symphony In B Minor, D. 759 ('Unfinished'): 1.Allegro moderato |
| 6. Symphony In B Minor, D. 759 ('Unfinished'): 2. Andante con moto |
| 7. 'Rosamunde' Incidental Music: 1. Overture |
| 8. 'Rosamunde' Incidental Music: 2. Entr'acte, No. 2 |
| 9. 'Rosamunde' Incidental Music: 3. Ballet, No. 2 |
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2 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Get Mercury Living Presence Before Its Dead
16 Oct 2003
Amazon Verified Purchase
When I first started collecting classical CDs, I only had a few Mercury Living Presence (MLP) titles. In my quest to get the absolute best, or at least a definitive recording, of the major works of the standard repertoire, MLP discs rarely topped the critics' lists. In fact, only three MLP recordings have been earmarked as "Essential Recordings" by amazon -- Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, Byron Janis performing Rachmaninov's 2nd & 3rd Piano Concertos, and Yehudi Menuhin performing Bartok's 2nd Violin Concerto, all three with Antal Dorati as conductor. It is also safe to say that three other titles are equally essential for their historical value alone. They are Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake by Dorati (the first recording of the complete ballet), Janis performing Liszt's Piano Concertos (the first recordings made in the Soviet Union by American technicians, musical staff and equipment), and Kubelik's Chicago Symphony performance of Pictures at an Exhibition (one of, if not the single best mono recording ever, and the one that led the New York Times critic to coin the phrase "Living Presence," from which the label named its series). But how does a CD line go from having a half-dozen must have recordings, to being this reviewer's all-time favorite classical label?
The answer: consistently magical performances, captured in brilliant golden-age stereo sound, that offer a slightly different take on your typical interpretation of the great works. While MLP titles may not offer the best standard account of a work, they always surprise you and open you up to all the possibilities that the music has to offer. For example, this performance of Schubert's 5th and 8th Symphonies and the Rosamunde Incidental Music by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra may not be the consensus first choice recording -- it is hard to beat classic performances by Szell and Walter at a budget-price in the Sony Essential Classics series. But I constantly come back to this disc for a different perspective, and its vibrancy and splendor never disappoint me. Maybe that is why collectors prize these recordings, because they are a breath of fresh air in a homogenized world of listening. Of course, collectors love a challenge too, and MLP CDs are becoming increasingly hard to find. It has taken years for me to finally find all of the MLP CDs released to date, and unfortunately I don't think there will be any new releases forthcoming. So collectors, and even those who aspire to be, should pick up as many Mercury Living Presence discs as possible now, before they all die.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Comparatively speaking...
4 Aug 2011
Amazon Verified Purchase
I have the complete recordings of the Schubert symphonies, a 6-disc set, by Marriner & the Academy. The set includes the standards: 1-6,8,and 9; and goes on with realizations by Brian Newbould of the complete piano score of 7; a scherzo and finale for 8; an incomplete 10; and fragments D615 and D708A.
All were recorded in London by Phillips from 1981 through 1984, and digitally remastered for the release of the set. The sound, on its own merits, seems quite clear though slightly over-warm, and expands well for the tuttis. Everything is
well balanced; entrances and releases are clean throughout; and Marriner's phrasing has, as always for me, a 'this is the way it is done' feel.
The Living Presence disc of 5,8, and the Rosamunde incidental music was recorded in Minneapolis by Skrowaczewski and the Minnesota Orchestra, 5 in the Edison High School auditorium in 1961, and 8 and Rosamunde in Northrop Auditorium in 1964. The MLP recording technique presents a level of clarity that is a definite step above that of the Phillips recordings. Inner voices and small details of phrasing that are lost in the Phillips become evident as part of the overall texture. In my opinion, both Schubert and the listener benefit immensely.
Skrowaczewski's approach is individual without going to extremes, and serves to light the music from a slightly different angle - a difference I value.
The response of the MSO is thoroughly appropriate and well-disciplined.
I recommend this disc to anyone.
All were recorded in London by Phillips from 1981 through 1984, and digitally remastered for the release of the set. The sound, on its own merits, seems quite clear though slightly over-warm, and expands well for the tuttis. Everything is
well balanced; entrances and releases are clean throughout; and Marriner's phrasing has, as always for me, a 'this is the way it is done' feel.
The Living Presence disc of 5,8, and the Rosamunde incidental music was recorded in Minneapolis by Skrowaczewski and the Minnesota Orchestra, 5 in the Edison High School auditorium in 1961, and 8 and Rosamunde in Northrop Auditorium in 1964. The MLP recording technique presents a level of clarity that is a definite step above that of the Phillips recordings. Inner voices and small details of phrasing that are lost in the Phillips become evident as part of the overall texture. In my opinion, both Schubert and the listener benefit immensely.
Skrowaczewski's approach is individual without going to extremes, and serves to light the music from a slightly different angle - a difference I value.
The response of the MSO is thoroughly appropriate and well-disciplined.
I recommend this disc to anyone.
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