# Alexander Gauk--USSR recordings (rare or not?)



## 13hm13 (Oct 31, 2016)

I came across a few Alexander Gauk (conductor or "editor") tracks on YouTube that I cannot find elsewhere....

Alexander Scriabin ed. Alexander Gauk : Symphonic Poem in D minor (1896-97)





Tchaikovsky : Undina, Introduction from the destroyed opera (1869)




(actually, this one has a Discogs entry -- a 1982 4-LP boxset from Melodiya USSR).

Brilliant Classics has released two 10-CD boxsets of Gauk, but none have the above two.

The YouTube videos reveal no LP surface noise, denoting the the source is likely analog tape (e.g., maybe a Russian-only CD release, etc.).

The performances and sonics (recording quality) in these YouTube samples are very good. Anyone know more about them?


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## Kivimees (Feb 16, 2013)

I think your first item (Symphonic Poem in D minor) comes from this:

https://www.discogs.com/Scriabin-Ne...ll-Kondrashin-Universe-Myster/release/8390540


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

I have that Arensky-Scriabin LP, I don't think it's extremely rare. The conductor is indeed Demchenko.

The Tchaikovsky "_Undina_" ("_Undine_") piece is probably less generally available with Gauk.
some recordings: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Undina_(Tchaikovsky)


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Here are the liner notes for the Scriabin work.


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## 13hm13 (Oct 31, 2016)

Thx.
I did run across the "Russian Disc" with Scriabin but dismissed it because I did not see "Gauk" in the description.

About ...









... the C10 Melodiya number is from the USSR lp, but those liner notes are in english. Are these liner notes from CD or LP?


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

It's from the original LP. There is an identical text in Russian, English and French on it. The Melodiya company made quite a few productions with liner notes in foreign languages too.


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## 13hm13 (Oct 31, 2016)

joen_cph said:


> It's from the original LP. There is an identical text in Russian, English and French on it. The Melodiya company made quite a few productions with liner notes in foreign languages too.


Thx for the info.
While, I have a considerable collection of Soviet-era recordings that have made it to CD, I have zero experience with USSR/Soviet vinyl. 
Is the vinyl thick and flat? 
How about background noise (even new records after good wet cleaning)?
If you (anyone) have Soviet LP that has been remastered to CD (have them both), how do they compare?


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