Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade - Fritz Reiner - Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1LP, 33 tours, 200g)
Nikolaï Rimski-Korsakov - Scheherazade Op. 35
Sidney Harth, violin solo
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Fritz Reiner, conductor
1 LP, standard sleeves
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 200g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Quality Record Pressings
Label : Analogue Productions
Original Label : RCA
Recorded in Orchestra Hall, Chicago, on February 8, 1960
Remastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound
Produced by Richard Mohr
Tracks :
1. The Young Prince And The Young Princess
2. Festival In Bagdad; The Sea; The Ship Goes To Pieces On A Rock Surmounted By A Bronze Warrior
Awards :
Reviews :
"This ravishing beauty, originally released in 1960 or fifty three years ago, has been a long-time audiophile classic. It's also considering to be among the finest if not the finest performance on record or any other format... Both the music and the sound are transportive, making this easy to recommend even if you think you don't like 'classical' music. If you're looking for a way 'in' here it is!" - Michael Fremer, analogplanet.com
"These are the best vinyl releases of RCA LPs I've yet heard." — Jonathan Valin, executive editor, The Absolute Sound
"Reiner's reading of Scheherazade is the pinnacle of grace, precision, delicacy, and drama, and it's no wonder it commands the highest prices in the market for used shaded dogs. The late Harry Pearson once told me that he could learn anything he needed to know about an audio component by playing the final movement of this recording... When I spun them [Analogue Productions RCA Living Stereo 200g LP reissues], I was floored. After comparing them to early shaded-dog pressings of the same recordings, I felt the only area in which the originals were still superior was the subtle, additional layer of air and sparkle in the highs (master-tape age, perhaps?). But the reissues' quality and extension of bass and high-level dynamic contrasts were superior. And the surfaces of the new pressings are so quiet they let each subtle midrange detail emerge from a "black" background. At times, the background is so silent I have to do a double take to verify that the needle is still in the groove and the platter is still turning." - Robert J. Reina, 2015 Stereophile Magazine Record to Die For!
"...The second movement is just ravishing in the beauty of the Chicago's playing and Reiner's romantic approach; there is some staccato triple-tonguing done by trumpeter Adolph Herseth in the fourth movement that should leave you, if not him, breathless. But let it just be said that, after you hear this, no other Scheherazade will ever replace it in your affections." - Harry Pearson, The Absolute Sound, June/July 2007