The Mercury Living Presence recordings have acquired legendary status and have been much sought-after by audiophiles and “ordinary” listeners alike for their outstanding sound quality and roster of famous artists in both core repertory and less well-known music. As well as a wide variety of Central European music, Mercury Living Presence achieved distinction for the wealth of American music that appeared on the label.
Czech-born Rafael Kubelik made these acclaimed Mercury recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra between 1951 and 1953. Born at Bychory on 29 January 1914 (he died at Lucerne on 8 November 1996) his early career was with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra where he was music director from 1941-1948. He later worked at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden for three seasons between 1955 and 1958. One of the highlights of his tenure there was the first (almost) complete performances of Les Troyens. Following this period Kubelik was appointed to the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra where he worked from 1961-85. Kubelik’s musical sympathies were wide-ranging and across these four CDs that breadth of repertory is immediately apparent — particularly in his commitment to twentieth-century repertory.
