Re: [ARSCLIST] Mercury co-founder Irving Green passes

[Roger and Allison Kulp <thorenstd124@xxxxxxxxx>]

So is Robert Kajanas.I have three of his Sibelius sets from the 30s.Two symphonies, on UK EMI/Columbia,and one of the tone poems,on US Victor.I also own a professionally-pressed,microgroove acetate,of another symphony,which says it's from Victor,but has no logos,and a plain typewritten label.
  Roger Kulp

Steven Smolian <smolians@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
  The Ehrling Sibelius Symphonies are so good that I hunted them down on CD. 
It's still my favorite 4th, the gritiest and, I think, along with Luonotar, 
the greatest of of his works.

Steve Smolian

---- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Fine" 
To: 
Sent: Sunday, July 09, 2006 5:23 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Mercury co-founder Irving Green passes


> Hi Roger:
>
> The guy who probably knows most about this is Michael Gray. I know very 
> little about pre-original Mercury classical records. They were mostly 
> taken out of print quickly after Mercury started rolling their own. I have 
> a few of them from the very dawn of LPs. They're in 78-style album jackets 
> and seem to be made of shellac or something much thicker and heavier and 
> less flexible than typical vinyl. I've never played them, just keep them 
> for historical reasons. Not even sure what titles I have since they're 
> deep in the shelves.
>
> -- Tom Fine
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Roger and Allison Kulp" 
> To: 
> Sent: Sunday, July 09, 2006 2:37 PM
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Mercury co-founder Irving Green passes
>
>
>>I was going through my pre-Living Presence Mercury Classics 
>>Lps,yesterday,and I had forgotten,they had put out the (only ?)US 
>>pressings,of the early Sixten Erhling, Swedish Lps.The ones that predate 
>>the EMI monos.(I own two of these.)But one noteworthy record I own,is the 
>>Mercury-sourced,American Broadcasting Company Quartet,recording of "Death 
>>and The Maiden".A quick Google,only mentions the recordings with Reginald 
>>Kell,who is obviously not part of this record.I am not sure if this has 
>>ever been reissued.
>> Roger Kulp
>>
>> Don Cox wrote:
>> On 07/07/06, Tom Fine wrote:
>>> You are correct. There were probably 50 more CD's that could have been
>>> done (perhaps more if one considered being completist on the mono
>>> stuff, which was an unlikely track because there was specific and
>>> limited interest in the pre-1956 catalog and that interest was
>>> addressed with the handful of mono reissues). Universal decided to
>>> discontinue the reissues in 2000 after scaling back the previous two
>>> releases. Many of the titles are still in print in the US but seem to
>>> be taken out of print in most other markets, which is pretty idiotic
>>> since they sold extremely well in the Orient and Europe. A good
>>> classical issue is like an annuity -- keep it in print and it will
>>> keep sending checks to the home office.
>>>
>>> While there are probably some on this list who are passionate about
>>> small-group and chamber music, in Mercury's case it never sold as well
>>> as the orchestral and band recordings, so it was considered at the
>>> bottom of the pile for reissues. Solo and concerto stuff like Janos
>>> Starker and Byron Janis were big sellers originally and were big
>>> sellers on CD. Point is, the reissue was a commercial undertaking (and
>>> was very profitable), so what was reissued and in what order was
>>> considered very carefully.
>>
>> It seems to me it is time some of the classic recordings (in all genres)
>> were recognised as cultural treasures, so that reissues like these could
>> be subsidised by UNESCO, the big Foundations, or Governments in various
>> countries, just as art galleries and opera houses are subsidised.
>>
>> While there may sometimes be a profit to be made from reissues, often
>> there is not. Or only enough to support a one-man-and-dog record company,
>> with consequent poor distribution.
>>
>> There are many recordings that should be permanently available to all,
>> in the highest possible engineering quality, for the same reason that
>> anyone can walk into the National Gallery and look at the pictures.
>>
>> Regards
>> -- 
>> Don Cox
>> doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>
>>
>>
>> ---------------------------------
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>
>
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