RE: Not familiar with quite a few of these recordings

I have 41 of these 50 discs on individually issued CD's/SACD's. It's hard to know how other listeners might react to these discs if they haven't heard them before. They're classic "Golden Age" recordings, almost all of them stereo - and what sets them apart from more modern recordings is their minmalist microphone techniques (1 microphone for mono, 3 for stereo), which results in a coherency to the sound only matched by other minimalist microphoned recordings from about the same time (with just a few exceptions from later eras). If you're not used to these recordings, you may feel that the microphones are uncomfortably close - I don't mind this a bit. It's a real "conductor's ear" presentation of the music. Some of the earlier recordings used microphones which did not have an ideally smooth response. OTOH, many of these recordings have a magnificent clarity to the bass line, as well as the aforementioned coherency that really makes you sit up and notice!

As for the performances, some of them have, IMHO, never been surpassed. In this category, I would include

Suppe Overtures with Paray
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique with Paray
Sousa Marches with Fennel
Rachmaninoff First Piano Concerto with Janis/Kondrashin
Tchaikovsky Nutcracker with Dorati
Bach Cello Suites with Starker
Brahms and Mendelssohn Sonatas with Starker/Sebok
Kreisler favorites with Szeryng

Even the performances I haven't mentioned are all more than worthy. Years ago, I had a conversation with Harold Lawrence, who, when I mentioned that Dorati seemed like a less interesting conductor when he wasn't recording for Mercury, told me that Dorati himself agreed with that assessment! IOW, he was aware that there was something, a special quality, that was present in his Mercury recordings, which was missing from his own non-Mercury recordings. IMHO, there really is just something special about these Mercury recordings, even though I warn you that they're not for everyone.

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - CD-Only Box Set of Mercury Living Presence; $99 for 50 CDs - John Marks 09:20:39 03/06/12 (33)

Must Buy - layman 14:33:23 03/24/12 (3)

recorded sound hasn't progressed since 1962??? - pbarach 13:12:57 03/25/12 (2)

RE: ??? - layman 05:41:37 03/26/12 (1)

RE: ??? - pbarach 12:35:41 03/26/12 (0)

RE: CD-Only Box Set of Mercury Living Presence; $99 for 50 CDs - middleground 10:35:44 03/10/12 (0)

Dang, it's back-ordered - jec01 07:57:56 03/08/12 (2)

It's also available on Amazon for about $3 more * - Mike K 15:59:00 03/08/12 (1)

But shipping at Amazon is free.... (nt) - Kas 11:27:04 03/09/12 (0)

What about the Decca Sound box instead? - woober goober 05:23:16 03/08/12 (3)

Thanks Chris and Daverz - saving my pennies for the Decca box -nt - woober goober 17:21:21 03/11/12 (0)

Decca simply has a much larger catalog to draw from... - Daverz 14:51:38 03/09/12 (0)

Some folks prefer Decca - they had their own "Golden Age" too [nt] - Chris from Lafayette 09:49:47 03/08/12 (0)

So, a question from a classically ignorant music lover - Mike K 08:03:55 03/07/12 (13)

This one is a no brainer - Analog Scott 11:39:41 03/10/12 (1)

RE: This one is a no brainer - nairb 04:48:38 03/27/12 (0)

RE: So, a question from a classically ignorant music lover - middleground 10:33:39 03/10/12 (1)

Only as it pertains to a musical genre * - Mike K 15:03:45 03/11/12 (0)

I'd recommend The Decca Sound instead. - Daverz 23:55:25 03/08/12 (0)

RE: So, a question from a classically ignorant music lover - Frihed89 11:37:08 03/08/12 (2)

Your approach makes sense - Mike K 15:58:09 03/08/12 (1)

RE: Your approach makes sense - Frihed89 04:30:02 03/09/12 (0)

Yes and no - layman 10:40:47 03/08/12 (1)

"I wish Mercury would do a box set of SACDs" - Chris from Lafayette 19:38:07 03/08/12 (0)

I'm in the same situation. - rditmars 16:49:22 03/07/12 (0)

It could be a great place to start, could be....... - Chuck Y 09:47:52 03/07/12 (0)

"Classically ignorant." That's a classic. nt - tinear 08:48:36 03/07/12 (0)

Not familiar with quite a few of these recordings - jimbill 12:15:18 03/06/12 (5)

RE: Not familiar with quite a few of these recordings - nairb 04:18:40 03/25/12 (1)

Fin de siecle - layman 11:58:15 03/25/12 (0)

Kind of... - John Marks 15:10:11 03/06/12 (0)

RE: Not familiar with quite a few of these recordings - Chris from Lafayette 13:59:46 03/06/12 (1)

I've got a couple of the recordings - jimbill 14:29:18 03/06/12 (0)

RE: CD-Only Box Set of Mercury Living Presence; $99 for 50 CDs - Chris from Lafayette 10:09:23 03/06/12 (0)

Follow Ups

RE: Not familiar with quite a few of these recordings - Chris from Lafayette 13:59:46 03/06/12 (1)

I've got a couple of the recordings - jimbill 14:29:18 03/06/12 (0)

RE: Not familiar with quite a few of these recordings

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