*** Vinyl LP ***

Long hailed as the audiophile's label, Mercury Living Presence represents an important milestone in the history of classical recording. Since they were first released, Mercury Living Presence LP records have been collected and coveted and 70 years after the label’s first release – Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, with Rafael Kubelík conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Mercury continues to be admired for the quality of its artistry and recordings: all celebrated for their sheer vividness of sound. This audiophile series sources the original first-generation master tapes. New HD transfers were made at Abbey Road Studios. Master files, including new 3-to-2 mixes for stereo titles, were produced by Thomas Fine, son of the original producer and recording engineer for the majority of Mercury Living Presence titles.

Long considered a benchmark performance and recording, the Mercury Living Presence technique perfectly suits the rich, complex musical textures of Saint-Saëns's masterwork. Recorded in Ford Auditorium, Detroit, 12 October 1957, with a Schoeps M201 microphone in the centre and Neumann KM-56s on the left and right sides.