RCA Living Stereo: The Decca Recordings Part 2

RCA Living Stereo: The Decca Recordings
(Part 2)

We continue our ongoing survey of the Decca-recorded RCA shaded dogs with more from conductor Jean Martinon and the first of three highly sought after recordings from French-born American conductor Jean Morel.

RCA Living Stereo LSC-2288
Prokofieff: Symphony No. 7, Russian Overture
Jean Martinon, conductor
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra
(1S/1S, A1/A1, Indianapolis)
Performance: 9/10
Sound: 7+/10
RCA Bible rating*: 10++/NR/very good

Another beautiful performance from Martinon and the PCO, recorded at the Maison de la Mutualité.  Valin comments: "As for the sound, the low end, I'll concede, could be a mite fuller and better defined (as it is on this disc's companion piece, the Prokofiev Fifth [LSC 2272], once again with Martinon and the PCO). But the slight lack of low end power should not be allowed to obscure this recording's manifold sonic virtues.  Fidelity, clarity, imaging, and midband texture are all top-notch.  Strings are particularly sweet with less edge than I'm used to hearing on Paris recordings.  And centerfill is excellent.  Plus there is enough low end pop on tuttis to satisfy this listener."  I'd have to agree with most of the above statements.  A few minor points aside, the 1s/1s shaded dog is quite impressive.  I really like the soundstaging on this one, and the imaging, as Valin says, is excellent.  The midrange and treble are blessed with that tube magic.  Bass is deep but at its lowest end suffers from boominess and distortion.  Released in the UK as RCA SB-2061 and VICS-1207 and reissued on the Decca Eclipse series as ECS 619.  Reissued by Classic Records, which my colleagues Meles describes as "slightly clinical/clean but engaging" with "sweet highs", "good bass rumble", and "nice definition on the low strings".  He gives it a 7/10 for sound.

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Borodin: Symphony No. 2
Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol
Jean Martinon, conductor
London Symphony Orchestra
(Classic Records 180g)
Performance: 9/10
Sound: 8+/10
RCA Bible rating: 10++/fabulous/fair to good (original shaded dog)

With regards to the original shaded dog, The RCA Bible says: "Midband transparency, detail, dynamics and texture are very good (especially in the first two movements of the Borodin), although the strings and brass do have a persistent cold, hard edge to them which becomes downright unpleasant on tuttis.  The main trouble here, as Sid Marks correctly noted, is the low end.  The Kinsgway bass is simply distorted.  While the defect is less apparent at the start of the Borodin Second (the first two movements of which actually contain several deep, well-defined fiddle passages), it gets progressively worse as the record proceeds.  By the third movement string bass lines and drum strikes are simply swamped by resonance and overmodulation.  (The problem persists on the first part of the Capriccio on side two).  As lively as it is, the midrange isn't sweet and persuasive enough to make me overlook the muddy bass.  (The Tsar Sultan on side two is quite good, however.)  GJC** notes that the Decca-pressed English RCA is markedly superior, curing many of the RCA's woes."  I just highlighted that last sentence, because this could be the clue that the UK release might be the vintage pressing to seek out.  I have owned the original shaded dog, but this Classic Records 180g reissue is significantly better.  The noise floor is much improved, revealing more low level detail and improving overall transparency.  Dynamics and clarity are excellent, and gone is the troubled low end heard on the original, replaced with a far tighter, deeper, and undistorted bass.  String tone may be just a tad bright in certain louder passages but in general does not have that cold and steely edge that Valin describes.  Winds and brass are clear and beautifully imaged and textured.  These are wonderful performances and from my perspective, this is the audiophile pressing of this recording to own.  

RCA Living Stereo LSC-2327
Bizet: L'Arlesienne Suites 1 and 2
Chabrier: Espana, Marche Joyeuse
Jean Morel, conductor
Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden
(3S/1S, A2/B2, Indianapolis)
Performance: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
RCA Bible rating: 10++/NR/good

One of my favorite Living Stereo covers and a wonderful disc. The performances are delightful. This recording boasts a beautiful, detailed midrange and holographic soundstaging on my tube-based system. Presentation is a little more laid back (mid-hall). My main qualm is that the very fine performance of Chabrier's Espana lacks the dynamics and treble extension of contemporary recordings by Paray/DSO (Mercury) and Ansermet/OSR (Decca/London) and thereby has less sparkle (Valin calls it "bloodless"). That aside, there are many sonic virtues to enjoy in the Bizet and Marche Joyeuse, among them richer string tone, full-bodied brass, and better highs. Bass, not surprisingly, can occasionally sound muddy and overall could use better definition and depth. Chief competition is likely to come from the Classic Records reissues, which I have not yet heard but is likely to reveal improvements in the bass department. Any insight into either the 33rpm or the 45rpm pressings would be very welcome.


*The RCA Bible ratings are stated in the order of reviewer (Jim Mitchell's Catalogue / Tom Port / Jonathan Valin). If only one rating is present, it is Valin's. NR = not rated.

**GJC stands for the late Professor Jerry Canter, who formerly owned and ran The Classical Collector web site, specializing in mail and internet classical LP sales. I had the privilege of knowing Jerry back in the mid-2000s when I was a medical student. I used to drive up to his home in the north suburbs of Chicago and spend a couple of hours browsing through his LPs and CDs for sale (at least the ones I could afford at the time) as well as his huge personal collection, which occupied the better space of his basement. I remember he told me that he had made an effort to collect all of the EMI ASD recordings. One day, he pulled out a NM gold/cream copy of EMI ASD 313 (Markevitch conducting Le Sacre du Printemps) and told me, chuckling, that this was one of his rarest LPs and that he had put down a good amount of cash to acquire it. (It was not for sale, of course.) He was very kind and generous and would let me pick out records and sample them on his hi-fi system (which, if I recall correctly, consisted of a top of the line direct drive Technics turntable fitted with a Grado Reference cartridge ... I am struggling to remember what comprised his amplification -- possibly a McIntosh valve power amp -- but remember that he had two monitor speakers set up on stands on either side of his desk). It may not have been common knowledge, but Jerry also enjoyed playing jazz piano.