# A list of really awesome mono recordings!



## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

I am happy to have found this list of old school mono recordings: http://soon.cocoplastic.com/page/Top-100-Mono-Recording.aspx

Looks to be a useful place to find great recordings pre-stereo era.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Sibelius Symphony No.7 Philharmonia Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan.


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

Sibelius violinconcerto,

Heifetz/Beecham, recorded in 1935


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Berg Violin Concerto
Krasner/Webern, recorded in 1936


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Mahlerian said:


> Berg Violin Concerto
> Krasner/Webern, recorded in 1936


I assume this is released on Warner/EMI?


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## Kibbles Croquettes (Dec 2, 2014)

I was mixing some tracks and wondered why my pannings didn't really have any effect and I realized that my soundcard was set to mono. I don't know for how long it had been that way. It might have been that I have been listening to music in mono for a while.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

albertfallickwang said:


> I assume this is released on Warner/EMI?


To my knowledge, it's only available on this Testament disc, which is out of print and going for high prices:









But I would imagine that the recording itself is not in copyright anymore...


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

This New York Philharmonic/Walter recording of Mahler's First is excellent:









And this very idiosyncratic recording of Mahler's Fourth by Mengelberg is fascinating, though probably not a first choice by any means:


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Sweet hopefully I will be able to locate all of these beauties on iTunes. I know that they have a pretty reasonable selection of early recordings.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Oh ... I thought this thread was about the recently released _The Beatles in Mono Vinyl Box Set _(Limited Edition):









The records _are _great sounding. The detail is astonishing. And I'm happy to have this set (as well as a couple of other sets of Beatles records -- like the American Albums CD box, the Newly Remastered LP Stereo box, the old "Blue Box" Parlaphone LPs, and the Mono and Stereo CD box sets....) Heck -- I probably have more Beatles albums than Winterreise records!

But I can value mono sound. Unfortunately, I have not invested in a mono-only LP cartridge for the ol' Scoutmaster. Had the VPI used interchangeable head shells, I probably would upgrade to a mono-only cartridge to gain the full effect of mono sound, but I don't prefer the cumbersomeness of having to change from the stereo Maestro-Wood cartridge (which works okay for mono albums, but which is still not "ideal") to a mono. I could set up a second turntable for the purpose, too, but the only other two machines I have available don't match the quality of sound I get from the VPI Scoutmaster. So I compromise.

Of course, mono can be on CDs, too.

In any case, those of you who are believers in Stereo only, don't be put off by the possibilities of well recorded mono sound. The new Beatles albums on LP prove the point that mono _can_ rule!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1

Nothing like hearing Rubinstein live. Not note perfect, but well worth it!

Artur Rubinstein
New York Philharmonic
Bruno Walter


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## GioCar (Oct 30, 2013)

albertfallickwang said:


> I am happy to have found this list of old school mono recordings: http://soon.cocoplastic.com/page/Top-100-Mono-Recording.aspx
> 
> Looks to be a useful place to find great recordings pre-stereo era.


Great list! Thanks for sharing


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Brahms Violin Concerto
Jascha Heifetz
New York Philharmonic
Arturo Toscanini.

A live Carnegie Hall recording from 1935. Toscanini "tames" Heifetz down a bit as this performance is a wee bit less fast than the commercial stereo Heifetz/Chicago Symphony/Fritz Reiner account.


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

Furtwangler/Menuhin/Philharmonia Beethoven Violin Cto.
Stock/Schnabel/CSO Beethoven Piano Cto. 4
Kubelik/CSO Pictures at an Exhibition
Wallenstein/Heifitz/Piatigorsky Brahms Double Cto.


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## Guest (Dec 15, 2014)

Sweet thread.

Three come to my mind immediately: Starker's performance of Kodaly's cello sonata, Talich's conducting of Smetana's _Ma Vlast, _and Markevich's conducting of Tchaikovsky's _Manfred._

The Karajan Sibelius is superb, agreed.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Arturo Toscanini/Philadelphia Orchestra Debussy La Mer


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

Many of Hermann Scherchen's best recordings were mono.

For example:









*The 1950s Haydn Symphonies Recordings*









*Music by Honegger and Stravinsky*









*Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 6*









*Mahler: Symphony No. 7*









*The Nixa Recordings*
[Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Rimsky-Korsakov]


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Mahler Das Lied von der Erde

Kathleen Ferrier, Set Svanholm

New York Philharmonic, Bruno Walter

Live performance, January 18, 1948, Carnegie Hall


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## Guest (Dec 15, 2014)

Someone mentioned on here, a while back, maybe in the Current Listening thread, a wartime recording of Schubert's Winterreise, recorded in Berlin, that had some gorgeous sound when I sampled it on iTunes. 

I don't know if they are all mono, but the Klemperer Beethoven symphonies re-released in the EMI Great Recordings of the Century have some great sound, and, they are Klemperer!


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## Guest (Dec 15, 2014)

Almost forgot - the Dennis Brain recordings of Mozart's Horn Concertos. I've heard others, but none has ever compared to Brain's recording.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

Bruno Walter's Act 1 of Die Walkure with Melchior and Lehmann.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Bruckner, Symphony No. 9 (Original version)
New York Philharmonic
Otto Klemperer
Live Performance, October 14, 1934

This performance took place only 38 years after Bruckner's death.


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

If I recall correctly I think that the complete RCA recordings of William Kapell are all in mono and they are supposed to be fabulous.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

R. Strauss Symphonia Domestica

New York Philharmonic
Bruno Walter
Live performance, December 23, 1945


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Franck Symphony in D minor
San Francisco Symphony
Pierre Monteux

I grew up with this performance. Glad to see it is still available.
Great symphony! Great performance!


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Ultra awesome mono recording:


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## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

Here is a mono S. Richter recording:


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Any Hollywood String Quartet recording on Testament.


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