Ansermet: Stravinsky Le sacre du printemps - Dolgoigrayushaya D-6277 / Gost 5289-56

Jacket VG / LP VG / Russian pressing

This fascinating and quite rare LP, a pre-Melodiya Soviet issue by Dolgoigrayushaya (D-6277 / Gost 5289-56, USSR pressing, blue "Torch" label, mono) features Ernest Ansermet and l'Orchestra da la Suisse Romande's powerful and atmospheric account of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, recorded in 1957. Only a small handful of Ansermet/OSR Decca titles were ever incorporated into the domestic LP catalog of Soviet Russia during the Cold War.

This LP most likely originated at Aprelvsk, 25 miles southwest of Moscow and site of the largest vinyl pressing factory in the then-Soviet Union. I have seen various spellings of this label's name: Dolgoigrauzaia, Dolgoigratsia, and Dolgoigrayushaya – I do not know which is the more correct. I can say, however, that the pressing is of fine quality.

It should be noted that despite his extensive discography, with its many duplications of repertoire, this remains Ansermet's only account of Le Sacre du Printemps, never remade.

Arguably among the high-water marks in Ansermet's discography, this reading boasts the remarkable Decca engineering that typified the 'Golden Age of Stereo', recorded in the warm, atmospheric acoustics of Geneva's Victoria Hall. Ansermet was among Stravinsky's most insightful exponents, and his interpretations carry an authority and feeling few have matched, with the OSR on truly brilliant form throughout – a remarkable recording. This Soviet pressing cannot quite match the original Decca SXL in fidelity, but still it remains a fascinating and quite rare curio – something special for the dedicated Ansermet collector.

CONDITION:

The gradations of condition I use are as follows: MINT, Near-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor.

The condition of the 'softcover' jacket is VERY GOOD. There is slight edgewear, creasing, some writing to the rear panel and a small tear to the same. However, the album is without seamsplits and remains quite solid and presentation worthy – a good collector's copy.

The condition of the LP itself is VERY GOOD. There are a few soft tics, but nothing to detract from true listening pleasure – overall, a very good collector's copy.