Fritz Reiner – Richard Strauss – Also Sprach Zarathustra (2LP 45RPM) – QRP - (Vinyl Record)

Description

RCA Living Stereo classical LPs — the gold standard for top quality orchestral performance and sound!

Part of the Analogue Productions RCA Living Stereo 45 RPM Series!

Remastered from the original master tape and cut at 45 RPM by Bernie Grundman

Includes 2-panel insert

180-gram vinyl 45 RPM double LP pressed at Quality Record Pressings!

"Audiophile vinyl pressings have come a ways in the last 30 years, and QRP has done an excellent job getting these three-decade old cuts onto flat, centered, quiet vinyl. The many RTI-pressed Classic Records Living Stereos I have were never particularly noisy, but many have dishing and even more have centering issues that cause some pitch problems with classical music. I haven't had that problem with any QRP-pressed classical LP and this pressing of Also Sprach is no exception. Given the quiet moments demanded within this score, that's a real sonic blessing. … for this one, you simply have to hear the magic that went into these tapes 72 years ago and nothing else I've heard gets you as close as this new Analogue Productions reissue (and I highly doubt any future release ever will). If you want to hear what the Living Stereo sound is all about, this is your time machine and the tickets are reasonable." — Music = 10/11; Sound = 10/11 — Michael Johnson, TrackingAngle.com, March 30, 2026.

The legendary 1954 Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphony Orchestra performance of a Strauss war horse. Recorded directly to 2-track analog by Jack Pfeiffer, the original session tapes were used in mastering for LPs and SACDS. Among the very first Living Stereo recordings ever made, these landmark performances document the start of the legendary partnership of Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Musicians:
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Fritz Reiner, conductor

Tracklisting: