Kudos go to First Edition for reissuing important recordings of the modern repertoire, many of them previously available only on LPs. Bearing in mind that remastering may reduce or eliminate the tape hiss of analog recordings but not improve the acoustic qualities of the performances, listeners may find these "historic" recordings rather boxy and limited in their frequency range. Composer and pianist
Alexander Tcherepnin recorded his Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 26, with the
Louisville Orchestra, conducted by Robert Whitney, in 1961. While he and the orchestra are attuned and vigorous in this performance, the mono recording is compressed and unsatisfying by contemporary standards.
Tcherepnin's Symphony No. 2, Op. 77, recorded in stereo in 1965, sounds much better, with rich ensemble playing and fine differentiation of individual timbres, and is only a little deficient in resonance. The energy is high, though, and despite some rough passages, the orchestra conveys the symphony's drama with excitement and compelling emotion. Perhaps the least satisfying recording is of the Suite for Orchestra, Op. 8, recorded in 1954 and, like the Concerto, taped in mono. The orchestra's full sonorities were tamped down to prevent groove distortion on the LP, and as a result, the performance sounds distant, in spite of its apparent exuberance.