Bruckner: Symphony nº 5 - C von Dohnányi/Cleveland Orch (1993)

This was Davide's Christmas rip for Chamaeleo (and all the rest of us have a chance to hear it as well).

Hommage à Scott Ross (orgue et clavecin)

Time here for some earlier music again, I think.

These are part of the French Institut National de l'Audiovisuel's INA/mèmoire vive series, released from their incredibly rich recording archive. They're beginning to disappear from the catalogue; hope to find a few more before they're introuvable.

Ross plays Bull, Blow, de Cabezón, Correa de Arauxo, P de Araujo, Frescobaldi, Scheidt, JS Bach and d'Anglebert on the first CD (organ; recorded 1974-75), and Forqueray, Duphly and JS Bach on the second (harpsichord; recorded in several sessions in 1979, 1981 and 1983). The set was issued in 1999.

Out of print, as far as I can tell. One file per disc, .flac+cue (small covers and a tracklist in the first folder; scans in a separate link -- see comments).

Rachmaninov: Piano concerto nº 3 in D minor Op30 - Sgouros/Simonov, Berlin Phil (1983)

From Davide:

This one is a favourite lost recording of mine. Greek forgotten mega-virtuoso Dimitris Sgouros was 15 and at the peak of a promising career which alas didn't last for the same obscure reasons which brought to unexpected oblivion the name of too many pianists... pressure? Sudden fame when still too young to cope with lots of engagements in the concert halls of the world instead of - say - playing football in the courtyard with your pals? Who knows....

Sure enough, this stunning recording from 1983 (here ripped from the Japan CD of the time) shows a superb technique, an intense musicality, paired with a youthful energy which has the Berliner Philharmoniker (no less) struggling to catch up with! The Karajan orchestra, here conducted by Yuri Simonov, is a pleasure to listen to, displaying a full tone warmer sound than in the DG recordings of the same golden years. My Neapolitan friend Giorgia Tomassi, who won the Rubinstein Competition back in 1992 with this very piece, loved it too! Enjoy!

Granados: Goyescas/La Maja dolorosa - Berthold, Medina (1992)

One more from Davide's library of "extinct" recordings.

His comment:
A true masterpiece of the Spanish piano literature – Granados’ Goyescas. This is indeed a most beautiful ultra-rare CD by the German virtuoso Beate Berthold. Born in 1964, we know very little of her. She put out three albums in the early 90s for EMI (1 Rachmaninov/Tchaikovsky solo works and 1 Chopin) and this one here. She was, and I guess still is, a beautiful woman and a superb musician, and well worth listening to before she's forgotten. None of her albums (boasting a stunning recorded sound too) have ever been re-published by EMI. So here's a good chance from 1992 to have her playing for us all the sublime piano suite by the Catalan Maestro. The disc is even more precious as it features the three tonadillas of the Maja dolorosa, where Berthold is joined by Argentinian soprano Graciela Medina - Here’s the APEs and scans…

Brahms: Symphony nº 1 - Abbado/Wiener Philharmoniker (1973)

The next of Davide's LPs:

Here's the agile and passionate Brahms 1st with the young Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic from 1973 (DG).

Tchaikovsky: Symphony nº 4 - Barenboim/New York Philharmonic (1979)

A recommended LP rip from Davide, who says:

Another "introuvable" for the lovers of the New York Philharmonic. I transfered a CBS LP from 1979 with a stunning performance of Tchaikovsky's 4th under Daniel Barenboim. The orchestra had just passed from Boulez's to Mehta's tenure, and showcases its beautiful rich string section, the natural affinity with Tchaikovsky's music, and of course the flexible and legendary brass section, powerful yet always in full control of the dynamics. A beautiful disc, gone completely missing after this 1979 issue (this one I bought in an old English countryside bookshop). Try the 4th movement, hope you'll love it as I do.

(FLACs and label)

Brahms: Symphony nº 3, Haydn Variations - Abbado/Staatskapelle Dresden (1973)

This LP was transferred by Davide in response to a request from visitor Katamarano.

Davide said:
What a pleasure to listen to this glorious recording again!

Prokofiev: The War Sonatas - Rare LP recordings (Toradze, Szidon, Zeltser)

The next in the series of LP rips from Davide.

Davide's comment:
Prokofiev's sublime War Sonatas (#6, 7, 8) in my transfers from rare nowhere-to-be-found LPs by three stunning pianists showing similar approaches in their early performances here. No. 6, by Brazilian virtuoso Roberto Szidon from his 1975 DGG début album; No. 7 from Alexander Toradze's 1986 EMI début album; No. 8 played by Russian virtuoso Mark Zeltser, in his 1978 CBS début LP. Such beautiful music...

The file includes the LP rips (one sonata per track; .flac), a cover for Toradze and a Gramophone review each for Szidon and Zeltser.

R Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra - Prêtre/Philharmonia Orchestra (1983)

Another LP transfer from Davide:

So, here's another gem, another lost treasure: Georges Prêtre conducting the wonderful Philharmonia Orchestra in 1983, in an awesome early digital recording for RCA Red Seal of Strauss' immortal Also sprach Zarathustra. Enjoy the spaciousness and colourful sound of this great London orchestra (recorded at the Walthamstow Town Hall) and the passionate approach by the French Maestro, with his unmistakable tempo changes (e.g., in "Of the great Longing"') and luscious and dynamic sound...


LP rip (.flac) + covers

Sibelius: Symphonies Nos.2 & 6 - Helsinki Phil. Orchestra, Segerstam

Jean Sibelius

Symphonies Nos.2 & 6
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Leif Segerstam
Ondine CD

No comment from me.
They liked it over at classicstoday.com ('course they did: after all, it doesn't go against any of their dogmas, and neither the Helsinki Phil. or Segerstam are on their 'enemy-of-the-people list').

Classics Today Rating: 9/10

Leif Segerstam's new Sibelius cycle continues in strength with this fine pairing. Symphony No. 2 receives a first-rate performance that offers biting energy and taut rhythms despite the generally relaxed tempos. In fact Segerstam's natural and idiomatic phrasing and the fulsome sound he draws from the Helsinki Philharmonic gives the music a special vitality, whether in the first movement's climactic development (where the strings soar sweetly and the brass offer golden-toned declamations), in the andante's somber drama, or in the finale's grandly sweeping rhetoric. The great performances of this symphony remain those of conductors such as Barbirolli, Bernstein, and Szell, but Segerstam's handsomely played rendition stands as a fine modern alternative, worthy to take its place beside them.

The Sixth is an outright marvel. Again, Segerstam employs relatively slow tempos, but such is the beauty of sound and rhythmic vibrancy that the music maintains a fluidity that defies the pacing. Segerstam's careful rendering of Sibelius' precisely calculated balances draws you irresistibly into this symphony's special sound world. The tranquil slow movement achieves a near-hypnotic effect through the exceptionally vivd woodwind detail. The gently dancing scherzo here suggests Debussy, while the slightly relaxed finale evokes a uniquely refined euphoria and gentle melancholy. This Sixth is a triumph, one of the finest available. Ondine's realistic recording perfectly complements Segerstam's ravishing sound concept.

--Victor Carr Jr

Stravinsky: Petrouchka -- Levine/Chicago SO (1977)

MIMIC is pleased to welcome a new contributor -- Davide recently began posting links in the c-box to out-of-print recordings of performances he treasures and recommends.

Davide's comment on this one:
A stunning LP, out-of-print from 1977, transferred here for you all. James Levine conducts the Chicago Symphony in Petrushka. A rare album, a superb recording, used in the old days by Gramophone (no less) as a reference performance for this wonderful Stravinsky ballet score.

If you need more than that, David Hurwitz also liked it (!!):
"James Levine's Petrushka is amazing, one of the most brilliant, hard-hitting, rhythmically sharp performances that you are ever likely to hear. The crowd scenes in the two outer tableaux sizzle with energy, while the more intimate moments feature some stunning solo work from the CSO principals, flute and trumpet especially."

LP rip, includes front and back covers.