The Decca Sound: Mono Years (1944-1956)

Decca Classics brings you a Limited-Edition set of acclaimed ffrr recordings from the Mono era, including Ansermet’s 1949 recording of Petrouchka, which was published in 1950 as Decca’s first LP.

Original cover art is used for each sleeve, and a multilingual booklet contains articles by Raymond McGill and Mike Gray on the development of ffrr, the artists and the venues.

Full recording information on each album is included, and numerous photographs.

Conductors include: Ernest Ansermet, Georg Solti, Erich Kleiber, Adrian Boult, Anthony Collins and Hans Knappertsbusch

Orchestras include: Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Vienna Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra and many more.

Soloists includig: pianists Clifford Curzon, Julius Katchen, Friedrich Gulda and Moura Lypmany; violinists Ruggiero Ricci and Alfredo Campoli; and cellists Zara Nelsova and Pierre Fournier  

Contents:
CD 1
Igor Stravinsky
- Petrouchka, Version 1911
- Le Sacre du Printemps
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Total Playing Time 1:09:29

CD 2
Albert Roussel
- Le festin de l'araigneé, Op.17
- Petite Suite pour Orchestre, Op.39
Maurice Ravel
- Le tombeau de Couperin
- Valses nobles et sentimentales]
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Total Playing Time 1:12:58

CD 3
Sergey Vasil'yevich Rachmaninov
- The Isle of the Dead, Op.29
- La Peri: Poeme Danse
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Ernest Ansermet

Claude Debussy
- 6 Épigraphes antiques, L.131
- Jeux (Poème dansé), L.126
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Total Playing Time 1:09:17

CD 4
Isaac Albéniz
- Iberia, Orchestrated Arbós
Joaquín Pérez Turina
- Danzas Fantásticas
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Ataúlfo Argenta
Francis Poulenc
- Les biches: Suite
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Roger Desormière
Total Playing Time 1:09:00

CD 5
Franz Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No.101 in D Major, Hob.I:101 - "The Clock"
- Symphony No.88 in G Major, Hob.I:88
Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Münchinger
Ludwig van Beethoven
- Piano Concerto No.5 in E flat major Op.73 -"Emperor"
Wilhelm Backhaus, Wiener Philharmoniker, Clemens Krauss
Total Playing Time 1:22:15

CD 6
Kresimir Baranovic
- The Gingerbread Heart: Ballet Suite
Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Kresimir Baranovic
Fran Lhotka
- The Devil in the Village: Ballet Suite
Orchestra Of The National Opera House, Zagreb, Fran Lhotka
Total Playing Time 45:40

CD 7
Béla Bartók
- Concerto For Orchestra, Sz.116
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Willem Pijper
- Symphony No.3
Clifford Curzon, Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Alphons Diepenbrock
- Marysas (La source enchantée) - Incidental Music (1910)
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Eduard van Beinum
Total Playing Time 1:07:09

CD 8
Arthur Bliss
- A Colour Symphony, F. 106
- Introduction and Allegro, F. 117
London Symphony Orchestra, Arthur Bliss
- Concerto for Violin & Orchestra, F. 111
Alfredo Campoli, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Arthur Bliss
Total Playing Time 1:19:46

CD 9
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Suite for Orchestra No.3 in G, Op.55
Pierre Nerini, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Adrian Boult
Sergei Prokofiev
- The Love for Three Oranges, Symphonic Suite, Op.33 bis
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Adrian Boult
- Lieutenant Kijé, Symphonic Suite, Op.60
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Adrian Boult
Total Playing Time 1:12:43

CD 10
Ralph Vaughan Williams
- Job (A Masque For Dancing)
- The Wasps - An Aristophanic Suite
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Adrian Boult
Total Playing Time 1:10:40

CD 11
Benjamin Britten
- Sinfonia da Requiem, Op.20
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Benjamin Britten
- Diversions for piano (left hand) & orchestra, Op.21
Julius Katchen, London Symphony Orchestra, Benjamin Britten
- Four Sea Interludes from "Peter Grimes", Op.33a
- Passacaglia, from "Peter Grimes", Op.33b
- The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, op.34 without spoken text
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Eduard van Beinum
Total Playing Time 1:22:05

CD 12: Homage To Fritz Kreisler
Fritz Kreisler
- Praeludium & Allegro
- Liebesleid
- Liebesfreud
- Polichinelle (Sérénade)
- Schön Rosmarin
- Caprice viennois op.2
- Tambourin chinois
Ignace Jan Paderewski
- Menuet Célèbre Op.14, No.1 in G (arr. Kreisler)
Henryk Wieniawski
- Caprice in E flat (arr. Fritz Kreisler)
- Caprice in A minor (arr. Fritz Kreisler)
Fritz Kreisler
- Rondino on a Theme by Beethoven
- La Chasse (in the style of Cartier)
- La Gitana
Enrique Granados
- Spanish Dance, Op.37, No.5 - "Andaluza"
Giuseppe Tartini
- Variations on a theme of Corelli (arr. Kreisler)
Alfredo Campoli (violin), Eric Gritton (piano)

Edouard Lalo
- Symphonie espagnole in D minor, Op.21
Alfredo Campoli (violin), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Total Playing Time 1:20:05

CD 13
Edward Elgar
- Violin Concerto in B minor, Op.61
Alfredo Campoli, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Adrian Boult

George Butterworth
- A Shropshire Lad: Rhapsody
- The Banks of Green Willow
Arnold Bax
- Tintagel
Gustav Holst
- The Perfect Fool, Ballet Music Op.39
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Adrian Boult
Total Playing Time 1:24:07

CD 14
William Walton
- Façade
- Façade: Suite No.1 for Orchestra
- Façade: Suite No.2 for Orchestra
Constant Leonard Lambert
- Horoscope: Suite
London Symphony Orchestra, Robert Irving
Total Playing Time 1:23:16

CD 15
Edward Elgar
- Introduction and Allegro for Strings, Op.47
- Serenade in E minor for String Orchestra, Op.20
The New Symphony Orchestra Of London, Anthony Collins

- Falstaff: Symphonic Study, Op.68
London Symphony Orchestra, Anthony Collins

Ralph Vaughan Williams
- Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis
- Fantasia on Greensleeves (arr. Ralph Greaves)
The New Symphony Orchestra Of London, Anthony Collins
Total Playing Time 1:19:31

CD 16
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Piano Quartet No.1 in G minor, K.478
- Piano Quartet No.2 in E flat, K.493
Clifford Curzon (piano), Members of the Amadeus Quartet

- Horn Quintet in E flat, K.407
Dennis Brain, Sidney Griller, Max Gilbert, Philip Burton, Colin Hampton
Total Playing Time 1:01:34

CD 17
Johannes Brahms
- Piano Concerto No.1 In D Minor, Op.15
Clifford Curzon, Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Eduard van Beinum

Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No.4 in B flat, Op.60
Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, Josef Krips
Total Playing Time 1:17:59

CD 18
Arthur Honegger
- Symphony No.3 'Liturgique'
- Chant de joie
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Robert Denzler

Conrad Beck
- Concerto for Viola & Orchestra
Walter Kagi, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Jean Meylan

Bernard Reichel
- Concertino for Piano & Orchestra
Christiane Montandona, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Edmund Appia
Total Playing Time 1:15:23

CD 19
Ludwig van Beethoven
- Violin Concerto In D, Op.61
Mischa Elman, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Georg Solti

Franz Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No.102 in B Flat Major, Hob.I:102
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Georg Solti
Total Playing Time 1:11:56

CD 20
Johannes Brahms
- Violin Concerto in D, Op.77
Christian Ferras, Wiener Philharmoniker, Carl Schuricht

Fred (Federico) Elizalde
- Violin Concerto
Christian Ferras, London Symphony Orchestra, Gaston Poulet

Joaquín Rodrigo
- Concierto de estío
Christian Ferras, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, George Enescu
Total Playing Time 1:24:57

CD 21
Johann Strauss II
- Graduation Ball: Ballet Suite, arr. Antal Doráti
New Symphony Orchestra, Anatole Fistoulari

Christoph Willibald von Gluck
- Ballet Suite No.1, arr. Mottl
André Grétry
- Céphale et Procris: Ballet Suite arr. Constant Lambert
New Symphony Orchestra, Robert Irving
Total Playing Time 1:15:13

CD 22
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Nutcracker Suite, Op.71a
- Nutcracker Suite, No.2
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Anatole Fistoulari

- The Sleeping Beauty, Suite, Op.66a
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Roger Desormière
Total Playing Time 1:04:04

CD 23
Johannes Brahms
- Sonata For Cello And Piano No.1 In E Minor, Op.38
- Sonata for Cello and Piano No.2 in F, Op.99
Pierre Fournier, Wilhelm Backhaus

Johann Sebastian Bach
- Sonata for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord No.1 in G, BWV 1027: 1.Adagio, arr. for Cello & Piano
Pierre Fournier, Ernest Lush
Total Playing Time 58:47

CD 24
Franz Schubert
- Sonata For Arpeggione And Piano In A Minor, D.821
Robert Schumann
- Fantasiestücke, Op.73
- 3 Romances, Op.94
Maurice Gendron, Jean Françaix

- Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.129
Maurice Gendron, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Total Playing Time 1:05:31

CD 25
Ernest Bloch
- String Quartet No.1
- String Quartet No.3 (3mvts)
Griller Quartet
Total Playing Time 1:13:53

CD 26
Ernest Bloch
- String Quartet No.3 (conclusion)
- String Quartet No.2
- String Quartet No.4
Griller Quartet
Total Playing Time 1:12:19

CD 27
Ludwig van Beethoven
- Piano Sonata No.29 in B flat, Op.106 -"Hammerklavier"
- 15 Piano Variations and Fugue in E flat, Op.35 -"Eroica Variations"
- Piano Sonata No.26 in E flat, Op.81a -"Les adieux"
Friedrich Gulda
Total Playing Time 1:14:37

CD 28
Franz Joseph Haydn
- String Quartet in E Flat Major, Hob.III: 64, Op.64 No.6
Luigi Boccherini
- String Quartet in D Major, Op.6, No.1
Robert Schumann
- String Quartet No.2 in F, Op.41 No.2
Giuseppe Verdi
- String Quartet in E minor
Quartetto Italiano
Total Playing Time 1:13:28

CD 29
Jean Sibelius
- Lemminkäinen Suite op.22
- Karelia Suite, Op.11
Danish State Radio Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Jensen
Total Playing Time 59:42

CD 30
Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No.9 in D minor, Op.125 - "Choral"
Hilde Gueden, Sieglinde Wagner, Anton Dermota, Ludwig Weber, Singverein Der Gesellschaft Der Musikfreunde, Wiener Philharmoniker, Erich Kleiber
Total Playing Time 1:05:53

CD 31
Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No.6 in F, Op.68 -"Pastoral"
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Erich Kleiber

Richard Wagner
- Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod
- Parsifal: Good Friday Spell
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Clemens Krauss
Total Playing Time 1:08:53

CD 32
Anton Bruckner
- Symphony No.3 in D Minor, WAB 103
Richard Wagner
- Tannhäuser: Overture & Venusberg Music
Wiener Philharmoniker, Hans Knappertsbusch
Total Playing Time 1:15:04

CD 33
Vagn Holmboe
- String Quartet No.3, Op.48
Carl Nielsen
- String Quartet No.4 in F Major, Op.44
Koppel Quartet

Jean Sibelius
- String Quartet in D minor, Op.56 "Voces intimae"
Griller Quartet
Total Playing Time 1:21:27

CD 34
Georges Bizet
- Jeux d'enfants, Op.22
- La jolie fille de Perth, Suite
Alexis Emmanuel Chabrier
- Suite pastorale
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Edouard Lindenberg

- Ode à la Musique
- Le roi malgré lui: Sextour des serves (Serf-girls' sextet)
Janine Michaeu, Chorale Elizabeth Brasseur, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Jean Fournet
- Le roi malgré lui: Chanson tzigane
Janine Michaeu, Jean Mollien, Chorale Elizabeth Brasseur, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Jean Fournet

Claude Debussy
- La damoiselle élue. Poème Lyrique
Janine Michaeu, Jeannine Collard, Chorale Elizabeth Brasseur, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Jean Fournet
Total Playing Time 1:17:58

CD 35
Sergey Vasil'yevich Rachmaninov
- Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, Op.30
Moura Lympany, New Symphony Orchestra, Anthony Collins

Aram Il'yich Khachaturian
- Piano Concerto in D flat (1936)
Moura Lympany, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Anatole Fistoulari
Total Playing Time 1:09:46

CD 36
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Serenade in D, K.203
Jean Pougnet, New Symphony Orchestra, Peter Maag
- Symphony No.28 in C major K. 189K (K.200)
- Symphony No.29 in A Major K.186a (K.201)
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Peter Maag
Total Playing Time 1:10:03

CD 37
Enrique Granados
- Goyescas: Suite
Nikita Magaloff
Total Playing Time 55:23

CD 38
Edouard Lalo
- Namouna, Suite No.1
- Namouna, Suite No.2
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Martinon

Gabriel Fauré
- Ballade in F sharp, Op.19
Kathleen Long, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Martinon

- Nocturne No.5 in B Flat Major, Op.37
- Pièces brèves, Op.84: Nocturne No.8 in D flat
- Nocturne No.2 in B Major, Op.33 No.2
- Nocturne No.7 in C sharp minor, Op.74
Kathleen Long

Jean Françaix
- Concertino for Piano and Orchestra
Kathleen Long, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Martinon
Total Playing Time 1:21:10

CD 39
George Frideric Handel
- Concerto Grosso in G, Op.6, No.1, HWV 319
- Concerto Grosso in F, Op.6, No.2, HWV 320
- Concerto Grosso in E minor, Op.6, No.3, HWV 321
- Concerto Grosso in A minor, Op.6, No.4, HWV 322
- Concerto Grosso in D, Op.6, No.5, HWV 323
Boyd Neel Orchestra, Boyd Neel, Thurston Dart
Total Playing Time 1:04:05

CD 40
George Frideric Handel
- Concerto Grosso in G minor, Op.6, No.6, HWV 324
- Concerto Grosso in B flat, Op.6, No.7, HWV 325
- Concerto Grosso in C minor, Op.6, No.8, HWV 326
Boyd Neel Orchestra, Boyd Neel, Thurston Dart

- Concerto Grosso in F, Op.6, No.9, HWV 327
- Concerto Grosso in D minor, Op.6, No.10, HWV 328
Boyd Neel Orchestra, Boyd Neel
Total Playing Time 1:13:57

CD 41
George Frideric Handel
- Concerto Grosso in A, Op.6, No.11, HWV 329
- Concerto Grosso in B minor, Op.6, No.12, HWV 330
- The Water Music (complete)
Boyd Neel Orchestra, Boyd Neel
Total Playing Time 1:13:01

CD 42
Sergey Vasil'yevich Rachmaninov
- Sonata for Cello and Piano in G minor, Op.19
Zara Nelsova, Artur Balsam

Zoltán Kodály
- Sonata for Solo Cello, Op.8
Max Reger
- Suite No.2 for Unaccompanied Cello, Op.131c
Johann Sebastian Bach
- Suite for Cello Solo No.3 in C, BWV 1009: Bourrée I-II
Zara Nelsova
Total Playing Time 1:21:28

CD 43
Dmitri Shostakovich
- Piano Quintet in G minor, Op.57 - 3. Scherzo
Ernest Bloch
- Quintet No.1 for Piano & Strings
Quintetto Chigiano
Total Playing Time 1:04:04

CD 44
Luigi Boccherini
- Piano Quintet No.1 in A Major, G. 413, Op.57, No.1
- Piano Quintet No.4 in D Minor, G. 416, Op.57, No.4
Johannes Brahms
- Piano Quintet in F minor, Op.34
Quintetto Chigiano
Total Playing Time 1:11:52

CD 45
Niccolò Paganini
- Violin Concerto No.1 in D, Op.6
- Violin Concerto No.2 in B minor, Op.7 (edited by Anthony Collins)
Ruggiero Ricci, London Symphony Orchestra, Anthony Collins
Total Playing Time 56:14

CD 46
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Symphony No.25 in G minor, K.183
- Symphony No.38 in D, K.504 "Prague"
London Symphony Orchestra, Georg Solti

Gioacchino Rossini
- Le siège de Corinthe: Overture
- William Tell: Overture
- Tancredi: Overture
- Il Signor Bruschino: Overture
- La Cenerentola: Overture (Sinfonia)
London Symphony Orchestra, Piero Gamba
Total Playing Time 1:20:06

CD 47
Béla Bartók
- Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz. 106
Zoltán Kodály
- Háry János Suite
Franz Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No.100 in G Major, Hob.I:100 - "Military"
London Philharmonic Orchestra, Georg Solti
Total Playing Time 1:09:29

CD 48
Ludwig van Beethoven
- Piano Trio No.7 in B flat, Op.97 "Archduke"
Johannes Brahms
- Piano Trio No.1 in B, Op.8
Trio Di Trieste
Total Playing Time 1:10:35

CD 49
Sergei Prokofiev
- Symphony No.5 in B flat, Op.100
Jean Sibelius
- Symphony No.5 in E flat, Op.82
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Erik Tuxen
Total Playing Time 1:11:00

CD 50
Carl Nielsen
- Symphony No.5, Op.50
Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Jensen

- Flute Concerto
Gilbert Jespersen, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Thomas Jensen

- Concerto, Op.57
Ib Erikson, Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Mogens Wöldike
Total Playing Time 1:18:49

CD 51
Bedrich Smetana
- String Quartet No.1 in E Minor "From My Life"
Zoltán Kodály
- String Quartet No.2, Op.10
Franz Schubert
- String Quartet No.13 in A minor, D.804 - "Rosamunde"
Végh Quartet
Total Playing Time 1:17:15

CD 52
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Divertimento in D, K.334
- Divertimento in F, K.247
Members Of The Wiener Oktett
Total Playing Time 1:06:18

CD 53
Felix Mendelssohn
- Octet in E flat, Op.20, MWV R20
Wiener Oktett

Johannes Brahms
- Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op.115
Alfred Boskovsky, Members Of The Wiener Oktett
Total Playing Time 1:04:03