United Archives: UAR022

Serge Koussevitsky - A Conductor of the 20th Century

4 CD's for price of 3

Serge Koussevitzky [1874-1951] was the first Russian conductor to have achieved major international recognition. He was also an exceptional patron. No other conductor incited and created so many major compositions of the 20th century's pieces stemming from his own enthusiasm and meticulous preparation as though they were works that already belonged to the repertoire of masterpieces. His Boston Symphony Orchestra became one of the finest in the world and the recordings made between 1928 and 1950 are a clear testimony to his talent.Thanks to advances in remastering technology and today's ability to read old records, we can at last hear recordings of this tremendous orchestra in the outstanding acoustics of the Boston Symphony Hall.This first album consists of recordings made between 1935 and 1950 and also illustrates the developments in recording techniques in the years that preceded reel-to-reel tape and the LP. But therein lies another long story... The entire collection of recordings made by Koussevitzky at the head of the Boston Symphony Orchestra would represent the equivalent of more than 25 CDs. United Archives have been able to restore the sound quality of 14 CDs worth. Other volumes will follow this first box set of 4 CDs.They will offer a unique illustration not only from the technical, but also from the editorial point of view. It is the least that can be done for the man who commissioned Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra!