In my The 78 Experience - Feeling the Music posts I've been sharing with you some amazing musical performances from days gone by, recorded during the acoustic (1877–1925) and - mostly - electric (1925–1945) recording eras:

• The 78 Experience: Feeling the music instead of listening to the sound - a matter of the art & the heart! (HERE)
• The 78 Experience - Feeling the Music: Serge Koussevitzky conducts Beethoven and Prokofiev! (HERE)
• The 78 Experience - Feeling the Music: Treasures from the Musical Archives of St. Petersburg! (HERE)
• The 78 Experience - Feeling the Music: Feodor Shalyapin - Dubinuska - Folk and Prisoner Songs! (HERE)

These recordings are of amazing musical performances that I wouldn't want to be without.

If you've never listened to 78s you might not know that there is some surface noise associated with them, surface noise that quickly fades into being unnoticed as you listen because the musical performances are so transcendent.  

These particular selections have all been lovingly transferred to CDs so that those who don't have dedicated systems for listening to 78s - that would be me - can still enjoy the musical marvels they are.

My most recent find is on the Pearl label, Alfred Cortot - Victor Recordings of 1919-1926 - Chopin/Weber/Schubert/Debussy/Ravel/Saint-Saens/Brahms. 

In case you are not familiar with Alfred Cortot, he is considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century, and was known for his unparalleled interpretations of Chopin, Schumann, and Debussy.

Within the liner notes it says: "Records from the collection of Guthrie Luke, who also supervised the transcriptions, which were effected by Colin Attwell."

It's a little hard to read in the above photo, but on the back cover it says: "Pearl treats early records with skill, care and the latest technology to give you more of the original, real sound and our reputation is second to none in the field of historical reissues. Please remember that, inevitably, early recordings bear some surface noise."

All I can say is thank you, Pearl, for providing us with this music!

These early recordings are so musically profound that the surface noise is a non-issue. I'm not put off by the noise, and in some ways it is rather soothing. Only a wanker could object to the surface noise on these transcendent recordings.

I came across this Alfred Cortot compilation while reading Gramophone’s “250 greatest recordings of all time: chosen by 35 of the world's leading musicians” by Rob Cowan (HERE), which is an inspired article that I recommend you read if you haven't already, as it will provide you a nice long list of some of the greatest musical performances ever recorded to add to your collection. 

I scoured Discogs looking for a copy, and to my surprise found one on Amazon. Yes, these are rare, and they are hard to find, but are well worth the effort and then some. 

The music is beyond reproach and you will likely find yourself listening to the selections over and over just as I do. Truly. Wonderful. Music.

As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!