Johanna Martzy – The EMI recording (180g 10 LP)

“EXQUISITE! Your new Martzy LPs are the best I’ve ever heard her…More musical and engaging…superior in every way to the original EMIs or any reissue.” – Richard S. Foster

Coup d’ Archet’s 2011 celebration of the renowned Hungarian violinist Johanna Martzy begins with the first true analog reissue of her celebrated EMI recordings from 1954-55. Using advance head cutting to lacquer at Abbey Road Studios from the original tapes and pressed at Pallas in Germany, these LPs represent the best vinyl presentation yet of these landmark recordings.

The original over-long sides of the Bach Partita 2 and the Mendelssohn/Beethoven coupling have been split over two. At 14 minutes, the Chaconne has a side to itself, as do the Beethoven Romances, once jammed onto the end of side two of the original release.

Coup d’Archet has long had a Martzy fixation, and with this release has made these fabulous recordings live like never before. They now stand as monuments to both the sublime insight and playing of Martzy herself and the technical prowess of EMI’s engineers in the mono world of the mid 1950s.

In homage to the original generic Columbia “tassel” design and colors, Coup subtly flexes its arty credentials with “op” stripes, while the photo jackets boast rare shots from the same sessions. Each title comes with an insert reproducing the original artwork and notes (at near true scale) with additional details of the recording sessions. Eight titles, 10 discs, all housed in a cloth bound foil blocked slipcase. A gift from Coup to you.