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Title: A rare Monteux issue coupled with a well-loved one
Review: Ein Heldenleben had never been issued prior to this CD in RCA's Monteux Edition from the 1990s. Russian violinist Naoum Blinder was Monteux's concertmaster at the San Francisco Symphony and it is apparent that they had a fine working relationship, brought to the fore by Blinder's featured role here. The recording is mono, and is fine for 1947. Tod Und Verklarung was issued on LP coupled with Siegfried Idyll; they were done in stereo, during a return visit by Monteux to the San Francisco orchestra in 1960. To many it is a better work than Heldenleben, and its performance here is a deeply felt one. The sound is modern and would give credit to many a 1980s recording.
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