Ernest Ansermet The Royal Ballet Gala Performances 200g 45rpm 5LP NEW sealed
Ernest Ansermet The Royal Ballet Gala Performances 200g 45rpm 5LP
Limited Edition 200g 45rpm 5LP Box Set!
Mastered by Bernie Grundman From Original Analog Tape!
Plated & Pressed at Quality Record Pressings!
This item not eligible for any further discount offers!
Dead-quiet 45 RPM 5LP set reduces distortion, improves cartridge tracking!
Mastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tape
Packaged in a custom-designed slipcase with integrated 22-page lavishly illustrated book
Please note: Side 10 of this release is a repeat of side 1
In the hearts of thousands, No. 1 on the Top RCA list. While the bulk
of Ernest Ansermet's recordings were made with L'Orchestre de la
Susise Romande, there were a few with the Paris Conservatoire
Orchestra and the very occasional foray into recordings with London
orchestras, one of these being with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera
House, Covent Garden, in 1959.
Analogue Productions is proud
and excited to be bringing back such a classic. Not just for the
music, which is superb, but also for the detailed packaging, which in
this case takes the form of a 22-page lavishly illustrated book that's
integrated into the tip-on gatefold jacket for two of the LPs in this
new 5LP 45 RPM box set edition.
A word about 45 RPM: The
dead-quiet LPs, with the music spread over nine sides of vinyl (the
10th side repeats side 1), reduces distortion and high frequency loss
as the wider-spaced grooves let your stereo cartridge track more
accurately. But it's more than just the vinyl that makes this release so
special.
If you're new to ballet, this pictorial history
will introduce you to some of its most famous productions � old
favorites such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty,
for example � but also less familiar tales such as Carnaval, Les
Sylphides and Coppélia. You'll also make the acquaintance of famous
ballerinas of the Royal company, such as Margot Fonteyn, Nadia Nerina
and Beryl Grey, as well as choreographers such as Jules Perrot and
male dancers Alexis Rassine and Michael Somes.
Musically
you can't get better than the 200-gram dead-silent platters pressed by
Quality Record Pressings, makers of the world's finest-sounding LPs. Of
course the best vinyl reflects the best mastering, and that's
accomplished here by Bernie Grundman working from the original analog
tape. Stoughton Printing expertly handled the intricate gatefold
tip-on package.
Audiophilia Online Magazine wrote: "This
is the stuff of which dreams are made. The Royal Ballet Gala is one of
the finest RCAs recorded in London's Kingsway Hall. The chunks of
great ballet music are well served by orchestra, conductor and
engineer. Performances are executed to a very high standard - the
Royal Opera House Orchestra, both then and now, rank as one of the
finest of opera orchestras.
"Conductor Ansermet keeps the
pace moving, giving the listener the impression of a dance event
rather than a dramatic concert hall reading. With the exception of
some of the Tchaikovsky scenes, the music is light and remains so under
Ansermet's gentle touch. Each ballet is given full attention by the
players, something not always attained at Covent Garden during long
ballet nights! The threat of eternity does have it's merits. The
recorded sound is simply amazing! Lustrous is one word that comes to
mind, accurate is another.
"Tonally, Messrs. Williamson and
Wilkinson have used their considerable talents to capture the
orchestra superbly. Woodwind and strings glow and resonate,
transporting this listener to a time when simpler recording was better.
Brass ring out thrillingly and percussion effects are very musical. Be
it a bang, swish, rattle, crack or snap, each percussionist is
situated perfectly within the beautiful Kingsway soundstage. Even the
difficult-to-record sound of the celeste is captured in it's purely
mechanical form. It's delicate sound is heard to great effect during
the Nutcracker - originating stage left, the sound decays across the
stage of Kingsway with sparkling beauty. Wonderful."
Features:
• Limited Edition
• 5LP Box Set
• 200g Vinyl
• 45rpm
• Mastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tape
• Plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressings
• Custom-designed slipcase with integrated 22-page lavishly illustrated book
• Side 10 - repeat of side 1
Musicians:
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Ernest Ansermet, conductor
Selections:
(sequence subject to change)
1. Nutcracker Suite - March
2. Nutcracker Suite - Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
3. Nutcracker Suite - Arabian Dance
4. Nutcracker Suite - Chinese Dance
5. Nutcracker Suite - Dance Of The Toy Flutes
6. Nutcracker Suite - Waltz Of The Flowers
7. La Boutique Fantasque - Tarantella
8. La Boutique Fantasque - Andante Mosso
9. La Boutique Fantasque - Can-Can
10. Coppelia - Introduction (Allegro Marcato) And Mazurka - Act 1
11. Coppelia - Introduction (Andante ) And Waltz - Act 1
12. Coppelia - Czardas - Act 1
13. Coppelia - Valse De La Poupee - Act 2
14. Giselle - Introduction And Waltz - Act 1
15. Giselle - Pas De Deux And Variation - Act 2
16. Swan Lake - Dance Of The Little Swans (Pas De Quatre) - Act 2
17. Swan Lake - Pas De Deux - Act 2
18. Swan Lake - Waltz - Act 2
19. Carnaval - Pierror
20. Carnaval - Reconnaissance
21. Carnaval - Aveu
22. Carnaval - Pantalon Et Columbine
23. Sleeping Beauty - Introduction - The Lilac Fairy - Prologue
24. Sleeping Beauty - Rose Adagio - Pase D'Action - Act 1
25. Sleeping Beauty - Waltz - Act 1
26. Les Sylphides - Overture: Prelude In A Major, Opus 27, No. 7
27. Les Sylphides - Mazurka In C Major, Opus 67, No. 3
28. Les Sylphides - Grande Valse Brillante In E Flat Major, Opus 18