Horenstein: Janacek Sinfonietta & Taras Bulba - Vox 9710 (UK), beautiful copy

Jacket NM / LP NM-

This outstanding LP – a truly beautiful collector's copy – from Vox (PL 9710, UK pressing, black/silver Microgroove label – ED1, mono, laminated flipback jacket) features conductor Jascha Horenstein and the Pro Musica Symphony Vienna's commanding accounts of Leos Janacek's Sinfoniett and Taras Bulba, vividly recorded in the warm acoustics of the Konzerthaus, Vienna, on 15 and 18 September 1955, and sounding truly splendid here.

Horenstein's weighty Sinfonietta has not generally been well received, but it is a performance that gains upon repeated hearing, the conductor recognizing in it a symphonic grandeur where other performances see only an orchestral showpiece. His is a very valid vision and one worth hearing, resplendent from first to last.

Interestingly, the notes on the reverse side of the jacket are by composer Peggy Glanville-Hicks, printed in English only. The memorable cover art is uncredited alas.