Episode 3: Mercury, remastered

In our final episode, we delve into the process behind an ongoing project to make the entire Mercury Living Presence catalogue available on streaming services worldwide. Abbey Road Studios engineer Jared Hawkes talks to us about working on high-resolution digital transfers of the label’s master tapes at a purpose built archive facility in London, while Tom Fine tells us about remastering several of the catalogue’s mono and stereo recordings for a new era, and bringing the label’s music to a wider audience than ever before. Plus, we look back at some of the musical highlights from the catalogue and reflect on its relevance today.

‘Trust Your Ears’: The Mercury Living Presence story is produced by dCS in partnership with Decca Records.

More information about the series is available at dcsaudio.com/mlp

FEATURED MUSIC

Bartók, Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta Sz.106 (Rafael Kubelík & Chicago Symphony Orchestra), 1951

Prokofiev, Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major (Byron Janis & Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra), 1962

Scheherazade, Symphonic Suite Op.35 IV. The Festival Of Baghdad (Antal Doráti & Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra), 1959

Stravinsky, Rite Of Spring Part 2. The Sacrifice IV (Antal Doráti & Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra), 1959

Saint-Saëns Symphony No.3 in C Minor, Op.78 Allegro Moderato Presto (Marcel Dupré, Paul Paray, Detroit Symphony Orchestra), 1957

Bartok's Music For Strings, Percussion And Celesta BB 114:1 (Rafael Kubelík & The Chicago Symphony Orchestra), 1951

Fiesta in Hi-Fi, McBride: Mexican Rhapsody (Howard Hanson & Eastman Rochester Orchestra), 1956

Stravinsky, The Firebird Suite (Antal Doráti & The London Symphony Orchestra), 1959

Messaien, 3 Preludes and Fugues No.1 In E Minor (Marcel Dupré), 1959

Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition: The Heroes’ Gate of Kiev (Rafael Kubelík & Chicago Symphony Orchestra), 1959