Your First Tchaikovsky record.

[Roslynmuse]

The Flash Harry 1812 etc was on HMV Concert Classics and had a picture of a dirty great icicle on the cover. We had that and Symphony No 5 (Schuchter, again on Concert Classics), Symphony No 6 (Munch on Ace of Clubs), Katchen playing the 1st Piano Concerto (also Ace of Clubs), Nutcracker Suite on Pye Golden Guinea (Wilhelm Rohr) and later suites from Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty on Heliodor (Rowicki). Another early discovery was another Pathetique, Toscanini and the Philadelphia in a 5 LP box. There was something rather appealing and fragile about that performance and I used to listen to it a lot.

[Petrushka]

Birthday money/voucher?

Possibly, but I'd be surprised if either had stayed in my pocket for two weeks without being spent! I started work the week before so the Pathetique turned out to be an inspired choice considering the direction my working life was to take.

[EdgeleyRob]

Can't recall !

[pastoralguy]

Predictably, 1812 Overture which was included on an MfP LP of overtures with the Philharmonia Orchestra under Nikolai Malko.

Funnily enough, I was talking about that Lp tonight. I was at a friend's house and we were playing the new Chailly Mendelssohn disc. It starts with a revamped version of the 'Ruy Blas' overture by Hogwood that's quite different from the version on the above mentioned Lp.

That was a super record although I'm not sure it's ever been transferred to cd in its original form.

[richardfinegold]

I bought the Mravinsky/ Leningrad Pathétique following a Record Review BaL from John Warrack. It remains my favourite version even though the sound is thin by today's standards. The sudden jump from pppppp tofff in the first movement still makes me jump out of my seat over 40 years after I bought it and over 50 years since it was recorded. I also have the same artists' No4 but missed

out on No5, of which I am less fond. Unfortunately the CD transfer of these great performances splits No5 across 2 CDs, which I find off-putting.

Burn it to a hard drive or make your own CD-R.
I didn't realize that Mravinsky set was available as individual symphonies. Here it was only available as a box of 4-6.

[jayne lee wilson]

I bought Solti's Paris Orchestra account of the 4th Symphony; I hated the sound (instinctive audiophile before I knew the word....) and the frequency of clicks and flaws in the vinyl. On the third return to the shop to obtain a cleaner pressing, I asked if it might be better to try a different recording... I came away with - Szell and the LSO, a scintillating virtuoso classic to this day!