Ayo/I Musici: Vivaldi 4 Concerti (5-8) Op. 8 - Philips L 00.383 L, superb copy

Jacket EX / LP EX / French pressing

This splendid gatefold LP from Philips · Trésors Classiques ("Monumenta Italicae Musicae" L 00.383 L, French pressing, red/silver "Minigroove" label, mono – no stereo edition exists) features I Musici's path-finding account of 4 Concerti (Nos. 5-8) from 'Il cimento dell' Armonia e dell' Invenzione' ('The Trial of Harmony and Invention') Op. 8, with Felix Ayo the brilliant soloist. Taped in vibrant analog sound at the Sala Ateneo Antoniano, Rome, on 26 April 1956, this remains a landmark recording in the Vivaldi discography.

Wrote the great critic and musician Lionel Salter in his September 1956 review for The Gramophone:

"Of all the recordings now on the market, the new Philips seems to me quite the best (it is also, strangely enough, the cheapest). The style is both authentic and lively, the recording extremely clear and well balanced, and the soloist, Felix Ayo, a player of quite exceptional quality," while in the March 1958 issue he would declare: "him a really distinguished soloist, warm in tone and dead sure in intonation."

The striking cover design was executed by Maurice Apelbaum. The left interior panel of the gatefold jacket contains excellent liner notes by Jean Hamon of l'Academie du Disque Français. The rear panel contains full-color reproductions of other titles from the Trésos Classiques catalog. Also included with this copy is the original plastic slipcase cover (a bit worn), which is embossed with the Philips logo in the lower-right corner, in gold lettering.

CONDITION:

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

The condition of the gatefold jacket is EXCELLENT. There is slight shelfwear, but really that is all and this copy is quite close to NM. There are no seamsplits, owners' markings, bends, or other defects and the album remains solid, bright, and highly attractive – overall, this rates as a truly excellent collector's copy.

The condition of the LP itself is EXCELLENT. Although the surfaces are not absolutely silent, this is a fine copy and the playback is quite superb. Those requiring flawless or NM surfaces are kindly advised to look elsewhere. Overall, this rates as an excellent collector's copy.