Stravinsky The Firebird - Antal Doráti London Symphony Orchestra
This legendary 1959 recording of Stravinsky’s The Firebird remains a definitive high-water mark in the history of recorded sound. Captured during the "golden era" of the London Symphony Orchestra, conductor Antal Dorati brings a masterly sense of rhythmic precision and dramatic pacing to the complete 1910 ballet score. Moving beyond the standard suites, this performance unveils the full narrative brilliance of Stravinsky’s first masterpiece, from the eerie atmosphere of the Enchanted Garden to the ferocious energy of the Infernal Dance. Under Dorati’s baton, the orchestra navigates the complex, shimmering textures of the score with unparalleled clarity and visceral power. Most importantly, this release preserves the iconic Mercury Living Presence sound, utilizing the famed minimalist three-microphone technique to provide a breathtakingly wide and transparent soundstage that captures the true essence of Stravinsky’s folkloric world.
Artist(s): Conductor – Antal Doráti
Orchestra – London Symphony Orchestra
Recording Info: Recorded at Watford Town Hall, 7 June 1959
Producer – Harold Lawrence
Engineer C. Robert Fine
Sourced from a Mercury original pressing
Components used for Transfer:
This transfer leverages precision analog playback and mastering-grade digital conversion. The signal path begins with a VPI HW-40 Anniversary turntable paired with an Ortofon MC Anna cartridge, fed through a Merrill Audio Jens Phono pre-amp for accurate RIAA equalization. The analog signal converts via a Merging Anubis converter, powered by a Teddy Pardo Linear Power Supply, synchronized to an Antelope Audio 10MX atomic clock for temporal accuracy. All components receive isolated power conditioning through a Shunyata Research Everest 8000 with Sigma-X cords, while grounding infrastructure utilizes Shunyata ALTAIRA hubs to minimize noise floor and preserve sonic detail throughout the transfer chain.
| 1 Introduction 2:22 Tableau I 2 The Enchanted Garden of Kastchei 1:33 3 Appearance Of The Firebird, Pursued By Prince Ivan 1:54 4 Dance Of The Firebird 1:17 5 Capture Of The Firebird By Prince Ivan 0:56 6 The Firebird's Supplication 5:22 7 Appearance Of The Thirteen Enchanted Princesses 1:42 8 The Princesses' Game With The Golden Apples (Scherzo) 2:22 9 Sudden Appearance Of Prince Ivan 1:25 10 Khorovod (Round Dance) Of The Princesses 3:45 11 Daybreak 1:23 12 Prince Ivan Penetrates Kastchei's Palace - Magic Carillon, Appearance Of Kastchei's Monster Gurdians, And Capture Of Prince Ivan 1:12 13 Arrival Of Kastchei The Immortal 1:19 14 Dialogue Of Kastchei And Prince Ivan 1:02 15 Intercession Of The Princesses 0:46 16 Appearance Of The Firebird 0:29 17 Dance Of Kastchei's Retinue, Enchanted By The Firebird 0:43 18 Infernal Dance Of All Kastchei's Subjects 4:26 19 Lullaby (Firebird) 2:43 20 Kastchei's Awakening 0:55 21 Kastchei's Death; Profound Darkness 1:03 Tableau II 22 Disappearance Of Kastchei's Palace And Magical Creations, Return To Life Of The Petrified Knights, General Rejoicing 2:39 |
This Title is in the Vinyl Record Restoration Series. You can find information about the series in this Blog Post HERE
Please Note: This release was edited in DXD PCM from a DSD256 Master
then the DXD edited master was used to generate the final DSD files using
Merging Technologies Album Publishing.
DXD (352.8KHz 24/32 bit PCM) is one of the best and least destructive formats for post-processing DSD originated digital recordings
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