Deutsche Grammophon’s Original Source Series Reissues Chopin And Mussorgsky On Vinyl
The reissues include Chopin’s four-movement ‘Cello Sonata op. 65’ and Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures At An Exhibition.’
Back in 2023, legendary classical label Deutsche Grammophon celebrated their 125th anniversary by launching the Original Source Series. The series is dedicated to reissuing legendary recordings from the 1970s for the first time, cut directly from the 4-track ½ inch masters, rather than the stereo ¼ inch tape copies. Newly available releases from the project include works from Chopin, Schumann, Mussorgsky, and Prokofiev.
Chopin & Schumann: Works for Cello and Piano is an inspired collaboration between pianist Martha Argerich and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. Composed in 1845-46, Chopin’s four-movement Cello Sonata op. 65 is evidence of his gift for lyrical piano writing. The work displays a deep understanding of the character of the cello, despite the fact that at the outset his creative concepts had been wholly pianistic in origin.
Schumann rarely wrote for cello and piano, but those few works are of considerable importance. The Adagio and Allegro op. 70 for cello and piano of 1849 is characteristic of Schumann’s unmistakable blend of melancholy with spontaneity.
The second vinyl release is Carlo Maria Giulini, Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Mussorgski: Bilder Einer Ausstellung / Prokofiev: Symphonie Classique. An art exhibition in honor of his friend, the painter Victor Hartmann, inspired Mussorgsky to compose his piano cycle in 1874. The work follows a ‘first-person narrator’ who wanders through the gallery and looks at ten paintings in great detail. Giulini’s performance with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is widely regarded as a reference recording. Prokofiev wrote Symphony No. 1 in the middle of the First World War. In sound and form, it differs from other works by the composer, clocking in at only 15 minutes and paying tribute to the Viennese Classical period.
Upon launch, Recording Producer Rainer Maillard shared what makes the Original Source Series unique: “A completely new, custom-built mixing desk was required for this project. Emil Berliner Studios have designed a passive mixer, which renders the highest quality without introducing any additional noise to the signal.” For the listener, this means that “compared to the original releases, the advantages in sound are outstanding: More clarity, more details and a better frequency response, as well as less noise, less distortion and less compression.”
Shop the DG Original Source Series now.
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