Columbia SAX 2463: Giulini conducts Debussy

Columbia SAX 2463
Debussy: La Mer, Trois Nocturnes
Philharmonia Orchestra
Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor

Pressing:  ES1

Stampers: YAX 917-5, YAX 918-4

Performance:  10/10

Sound:  9/10  

Comments: This is one of my all-time favorite SAX recordings and simply one of my favorite recordings of Debussy's La Mer and Nocturnes, period.  Everything seems to work right here for Giulini and the Philharmonia.  Importantly, for orchestral works like this, I feel that great sonics can really enhance your listening experience, and the sound of this record is absolutely gorgeous.  Dynamic range is quite wide with rather good bass extension, making for a visceral listening experience.  In La Mer, you can really feel those waves crash, and the finale is glorious.  The Nocturnes are also very nicely done here.  Fortunately, this album was remastered onto CD for the EMI Great Recordings of the Century series, and the digital transfer was actually quite good.  It's worth picking up, unless you want to hunt for this on LP.  I will say, though, that this record shows up reasonably often on Ebay, and prices range from about $50-150 for a turquoise/silver first label pressing and $30-50 for a second label semi-circle pressing.  Well worth it!