Sergei Prokofiev • Lieutenant Kije
Classic Records/RCA Living Stereo LSC-2150
Four 45-RPM single-sided 200g LPs
1958/1998
I have The Absolute Sound’s Harry Pearson to thank for introducing me—albeit unknowingly—to this wonderful record. Lt. Kije has long been on HP’s Golden Disc list and has been mentioned in several of his reviews. My curiosity piqued, I ordered a copy, and I’m very glad I did. Thanks, Harry!
This record actually contains two pieces of music. The first is Prokofiev’s Lt. Kije and the second is Stravinsky’s Song of the Nightingale. Both pieces are played by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Fritz Rainer. Lt. Kije tells the story of how a typo in military report created the eponymous soldier, and, to avoid any embarrassment to the monarch (Czar Nicholas I), whose existence had to be documented. Song of the Nightingale is a symphonic poem that tells the tale of how a nightingale sings at the court of a Chinese Emperor. When the nightingale finishes its song, a mechanical one (a gift from the Emperor of Japan) takes its place. The real one returns to the fisherman to whom it belongs, only to return when the Emperor is taken ill. The nightingale’s song causes the Emperor to fall into a deep, restful sleep, after which he awakes, refreshed. Its mission accomplished, the real nightingale returns once again to the fisherman.
I won’t beat about the bush: the sound quality on these records is wonderfully natural. The bass is deep and warm, and trebles have just the right amount of sparkle and shimmer. Violins are not overly strident, and cymbals and bells sound realistic without a hint of splashiness or sibilance.
As for the soundstage: if only all records were this good! The stage is wide and deep, and instruments are well placed (in the sense that their position is clearly delineated) within the soundstage. On the right sort of system, you really get a feel for the acoustic space in which this record was recorded. The natural sounding reverb of the bass drum thwacks in Lt. Kije are a great example of this. These drum thwacks are also great examples of the record’s exemplary breathtaking dynamics.
Part of the reason for the great sound quality (especially, I think, the wonderful dynamics) lies with the presentation: four single-sided 45-RPM discs, each containing no more than about 10 minutes of music. The thick, 200g vinyl helps, but one critical observation I must make is this: Classic’s single-sided records of this era seem to suffer from excessive “bowling”, so they’re not as flat as I would like. Fortunately, if my copy of Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me (which is pressed on Classic’s Clarity SV-P II vinyl) is anything to go by, this problem has been remedied in their more recent releases. Of course, the great source material and Bernie Grundman’s fine mastering job don’t hurt either!
Lt. Kije is by far my favourite piece on the record (in fact, it’s one of my favourite pieces of classical music, period); that and the ne plus ultra sound quality earn this record my very highest recommendation. I only hope that Mike Hobson and co at Classic Records can be persuaded to re-issue this wonderful record on their Clarity vinyl. How about it, Mike?