Rafael Kubelik
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Mercury Masters
Mercury 484302, ADD/m, 1951-1953
Series: Australian Eloquence
Release date: 7.7.2021

 

 

 

CD 1
Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
Orchestrated by Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Pictures at an Exhibition

CD 2
Bela Bartok (1881-1945)
Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz. 106
Irwin Fischer, celesta
Edward Metzenger, timpani
Allen Graham, Lionel Sayers, Thomas Glenecke, percussion

Ernest Bloch (1880-1959)
Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra with Piano Obbligato*
George Schick, piano
*FIRST INTERNATIONAL RELEASE ON CD

CD 3
Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)
Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 ‘From the New World’

CD 4
Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowsky (1840-1893)
Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36
FIRST INTERNATIONAL RELEASE ON CD

CD 5
Peter Iljitsch Tschaikowsky (1840-1893)
 Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 74 ‘Pathétique’
FIRST INTERNATIONAL RELEASE ON CD

CD 6
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
FIRST INTERNATIONAL RELEASE ON CD

CD 7
Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) (1824–1884)
Má vlast

CD 8
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphony No. 38 in D major, KV 504 ‘Prague’
Symphony No. 34 in C major, KV 338*
*FIRST INTERNATIONAL RELEASE ON CD

CD 9
Paul Hindemith (1895-1963)
Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber

Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951)
Fünf Orchesterstücke, Op. 16

CD 10
PERSPECTIVE, THE FIRST REEL AND EXPERIMENTAL STEREO
Interview with Wilma Cozart Fine (Interviewer: Sedgwick Clark)

Ernest Bloch (1880-1959)
Concerto Grosso – First reel of tape, 23 April 1951*
PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED

BERT WHYTE – THE EXPERIMENTAL STEREO RECORDINGS
Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884)
Tábor (Má vlast) – stereo*

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Symphony No. 38 in D major, KV 504 ‘Prague’ – excerpts (stereo)*
*FIRST RELEASE ON MERCURY LIVING PRESENCE

Groundbreaking technology, dynamic musical leadership, first-rate orchestral playing: a brief combination of lasting impact for the history of recorded music.
Celebrating 70 years of Mercury Living Presence, this limited edition box set presents the complete recordings of the Chicago Symphony with Rafael Kubelík, remastered by Thomas Fine and featuring unreleased material.
Kubelík's brief and tumultuous tenure as music director of the CSO has become legendary for its intense camp antagonism. When he arrived in Chicago in 1950 to replace Artur Rodzinski, the 36-year-old Kubelík had impressive credentials and a rapidly growing list of triumphs in Europe.
But Kubelík was subjected to intense and sustained criticism of his program and performances until his retirement in 1953. Kubelík's arrival coincided with the expiration of the CSO's previous recording contract and the almost immediate emergence of the ambitious Mercury label.
The conductor later recalled how 'a very clever team from Mercury turned up and found that the best microphone position was just one above my head ... the resulting sound was identical to what I heard while playing and did not need to be altered. '.
Using the best original tapes available, new high-resolution digitizations were made by Thomas Fine, son of C. Robert Fine and Wilma Cozart Fine, founders of Mercury.
Thomas Fine has also contributed "Sessionography" notes describing the equipment and techniques that made MLP recordings world famous for their unprecedented fidelity. CD10 contains unique material, beginning with an interview with Wilma Cozart Fine.
Plus the first recordings of Bloch's Concerto Grosso, never before released. Reconstructed stereo tapes - of Mozart's "Prague" Symphony and "Tabor" from Ma Vlast - were made by engineer Bert Whyte. Both are included here in new remasters by Mark Obert-Thorn.

 

RECORDING INFORMATION

CD 1
Recording Producer: Wilma Cozart
Recording Supervisor: David Hall
Recording Engineers: C. Robert Fine, George Piros
Recording Location: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, USA, 23–24 April 1951
Recording Specifications: Neumann U-47 microphone, telephone line patch to Universal Recording, Ampex 300 tape recorder
Tape to Digital Transfer Engineer: Jared Hawkes (Abbey Road Studios)
Remastering Engineer: Thomas Fine
Original Mercury Release: MG 50000: October 1951

CD 2
Recording Producer: Wilma Cozart
Recording Supervisor: David Hall
Recording Engineers: C. Robert Fine, George Piros
Recording Location: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, USA, 23–24 April 1951
Recording Specifications: Neumann U-47 microphone, telephone line patch to Universal Recording, Ampex 300 tape recorder
Tape to Digital Transfer Engineer: Jared Hawkes (Abbey Road Studios)
Remastering Engineer: Thomas Fine
Original Mercury Release: MG 50001: October 1951

CD 3
Recording Producer: Wilma Cozart
Recording Supervisor: David Hall
Recording Engineers: C. Robert Fine, George Piros
Recording Location: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, USA, November 19–20, 1951
Recording Specifications: U-47 mic, Ampex 300 tape recorder
Tape to Digital Transfer Engineer: Craig Thompson (Abbey Road Studios)
Remastering Engineer: Thomas Fine
Original Mercury Release: MG 50002: February 1952

CD 4
Recording Producer: Wilma Cozart
Recording Supervisor: David Hall
Recording Engineers: C. Robert Fine, George Piros
Recording Location: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, USA, November 19–20, 1951
Recording Specifications: U-47 mic, Ampex 300 tape recorder)
Tape to Digital Transfer Engineer: Craig Thompson (Abbey Road Studios)
Remastering Engineer: Thomas Fine
Original Mercury Release: MG 50003: February 1952

CD 5
Recording Producer: Wilma Cozart
Recording Supervisor: David Hall
Recording Engineer: C. Robert Fine
Recording Location: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, USA, 21–22 April 1952
Recording Specifications: U-47 mic, recording truck with Fairchild tape recorder
Remastering Engineer: Thomas Fine
Original Mercury Release: MG 50006: September 1952

CD 6
Recording Producer: Wilma Cozart
Recording Supervisor: David Hall
Recording Engineer: C. Robert Fine
Recording Location: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, USA, 21–22 April 1952
Recording specifications: U-47 mic, recording truck with Fairchild tape recorder
Remastering Engineer: Thomas Fine
Original Mercury Release: MG 50007: September 1952

CD 7
Recording Producer: Wilma Cozart
Recording Supervisor: David Hall
Recording Engineer: C. Robert Fine
Recording Location: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, USA, 4–6 December 1952
Recording Specifications: U-47 mic, recording truck, Fairchild tape recorder
Tape to Digital Transfer Engineer: Jared Hawkes (Abbey Road Studios)
Remastering Engineer: Thomas Fine
Original Mercury Release: OL-2-100 / MG 50013–14: January 1953

CD 8
Recording Producer: Wilma Cozart
Recording Supervisor: David Hall
Recording Engineer: C. Robert Fine
Recording Location: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, USA, 4–6 December 1952 (Symphony No. 34); USA, 3–5 April 1953 (Symphony No. 38)
Recording Specifications: U-47 mic, recording truck, Fairchild tape recorder (Symphony No. 34); Schoeps M201 microphone, recording truck, Fairchild tape recorder (Symphony No. 38)
Tape to Digital Transfer Engineer: Jared Hawkes (Abbey Road Studios)
Remastering Engineer: Thomas Fine
Original Mercury Release: MG 50015: September 1953

CD 9
Recording Producer: Wilma Cozart
Recording Supervisor: David Hall
Recording Engineer: C. Robert Fine
Recording Location: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, USA, 3–5 April 1953
Recording Specifications: Schoeps M201 mic, recording truck, Fairchild tape recorder
Tape to Digital Transfer Engineer: Jared Hawkes (Abbey Road Studios)
Remastering Engineer: Thomas Fine
Original Mercury Release: MG 50024: September 1955

CD 10
Mercury Recording Producer: Wilma Cozart
Mercury Recording Supervisor: David Hall
Recording Engineers: John Quinn (interview); C. Robert Fine (Bloch); Bert Whyte (Smetana, Mozart)
Recording Location: Orchestra Hall, Chicago, USA, 23 April 1951 (Bloch); 6 December 1952 (Smetana); 3 April 1953 (Mozart), The Mix Place, New York, USA, 1996 (interview)
Tape to Digital Transfer Engineer: Thomas Fine (Bloch); Mark Obert-Thorn (Smetana, Mozart)
Remastering Engineer: Thomas Fine

REVIEWS

“One of the most startling successes of the early years of LP recording… The result is remarkable for the undistorted opulence and realism of the sound.” The Record Guide, 1955 (Mussorgsky/Ravel)

“Mercury has exceeded itself… and the orchestra sounds like a real virtuoso group under Kubelík’s propulsive baton.” Gramophone, January 1952 (Bartók/Bloch)

“So sensational that one needs a bucketful of adjectives to describe it.” Gramophone, October 1952 (Mussorgsky/Ravel)

“A very distinguished account… which quite outclasses previous recordings.” Gramophone, February 1953 (Dvořák)

“Now the crown for the hiest-fiest, most startlingly realistic recording must go to this remarkable disc – which is, moreover, equally remarkable for the brilliance of the performances… Definitely my Record of the Year.” Gramophone, September 1955 (Hindemith/Schoenberg)

“Both works are presented with masterly certainty of touch.” The Times, October 1955 (Hindemith/Schoenberg)

“Forceful, sometimes hard-driven but decidedly attractive performances, finely recorded.” The Times, December 1955 (Mozart)

“The Chicago Symphony Orchestra recordings from 1951 through 1953, in their single aural perspective of the orchestra, represent an occasion on which the recording of the symphony orchestra reached true artistry.” High Fidelity, March 1973

“The performance has qualities Kubelík has never surpassed. This is probably the most deeply felt Ma Vlast we have… the only one that anyone will have any interest in hearing 25 years from now.” High Fidelity, July 1976 (Smetana)