Columbia SAX 5279

Columbia SAX 5279
Brahms Symphony No. 1
The Cleveland Orchestra
George Szell, conductor

Pressing: ER1 (semi-circle first)

Stampers: YAX 3341-2, YAX 3342-2

Performance:  10/10

Sound:  7/10

Comments: Although this is the first Brahms symphony, it is actually the second in the Columbia SAX series releases of Szell's Brahms symphonies with the Cleveland Orchestra.  The first is Brahms 3rd symphone (SAX 2572).  I believe that this album is the equivalent of Epic Stereorama BC 1010, but one thing that puzzles me is that the published date on SAX 5279 is 1967, which is at least a few years after the Epic release was issued.  The stampers on this record are clearly Columbia/EMI with the YAX prefix, so perhaps the original recording for Epic was remastered with new stampers in the U.K.  The record is very nice and plays dynamically with minimal surface noise.  The front cover is beautifully laminated with a scenic landscape (a Bavarian forest?).  As with all of the Szell Brahms symphonies on Columbia/EMI, this album is relatively rare.