Fritz Reiner – Lieutenant Kije / Song Of The Nightingale (RCA Living Stereo)

​Fritz Reiner, renowned for his precise conducting style, led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in acclaimed recordings of Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé Suite and Igor Stravinsky's Song of the Nightingale. These recordings, originally made in the 1950s, are celebrated for their clarity and depth, exemplifying Reiner's mastery and the orchestra's virtuosity.​

The Lieutenant Kijé Suite, composed by Prokofiev in 1934, originated as a film score and was later adapted into a concert suite. It narrates the satirical tale of a fictional officer created due to a clerical error, unfolding through movements like "Kijé's Birth," "Romance," "Kijé's Wedding," "Troika," and "Kijé's Burial." ​

Stravinsky's Song of the Nightingale, based on his opera Le Rossignol, is a symphonic poem that blends lush orchestration with innovative harmonies, depicting the story of a mechanical nightingale juxtaposed with a real one.

"These records are definitive." — Michael Fremer, editor, AnalogPlanet.com

One of the most sought-after Living Stereos and deservedly so, especially for the "Song of the Nightingale" which is one of Mohr and Layton's finest efforts. The sound is truly wonderful on the Stravinsky too. The original 3-track session tapes were used in mastering for LPs and SACDs.

• RCA Living Stereo classical LPs — the gold standard for top quality orchestral performance and sound!
• Remastered from the original master tape and cut at 33 1/3 RPM by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound
• Lacquers plated by Gary Salstrom and pressed on 200-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings!

Reviews

Winner of a Gruvy Award, chosen by AnalogPlanet's editor, Michael Fremer, for vinyl records that are musically and sonically outstanding and are also well mastered and pressed. http://www.analogplanet.com/content/gruvy-awards

"These are the best vinyl releases of RCA LPs I've yet heard." — Jonathan Valin, executive editor, The Absolute Sound

"Truthfully, I do not know if this pressing could sound any better. I haven't put it up against an original shaded dog with low stamper numbers, so you could argue that those original pressings still sound the best. But folks, you can buy this one on heavy, audiophile vinyl brand new at a cost considerably lower than a used and potentially compromised original press. To me, it is a no brainer. I heard things in this pressing that I didn't hear before." — Dr. Ryan Oldham, UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, and curator of classical music at Vinyl Renaissance in Kansas City.