Sir Neville Marriner leads the Academy Of St. Martin-in-the-Fields with violinist Iona Brown performing on Albinoni’s Adagio in G minor.

Sir Neville Marriner, now in his 90th year, began his career as a violinist, playing first in a string quartet and trio, then in the London Symphony Orchestra. It was during this period that he founded the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, with the aim of forming a top-class chamber ensemble from London’s finest players. Beginning as a group of friends who gathered to rehearse in Sir Neville’s front room, the Academy gave its first performance in its namesake church in 1958. On the strength of this, the Academy was invited to make a record for a new company called L’Oiseau Lyre. “And thanks to a very generous review from Denis Stevens in The Gramophone, promoters noticed us” Sir Neville says. “We were able to do a German tour, and other record companies took notice. It was a fortuitous snowball. The only credit we can claim is that we decided always to have good players and never to go on the platform under-rehearsed.” The Academy now enjoys one of the largest discographies of any chamber orchestra worldwide, and its partnership with Sir Neville is the most recorded of any orchestra and conductor.*

Recorded on 1-4 October 1973 at Studio 1 Abbey Road, London, with producer Christopher Bishop and engineer Stuart Eltham.

Cut at Abbey Road Studios from the original stereo analogue master tapes with the Neumann VMS82 lathe fed an analogue pre-cut signal from a specially adapted Studer A80 tape deck with additional ‘advance’ playback head, making the cut a totally analogue process.

Pressed on 180g vinyl to audiophile standards using the original EMI presses by The Vinyl Factory in Hayes, England.

In the original October 1974 review in the GRAMOPHONE W.A. Chislett remarked:
“This is a splendid lightweight selection revealing Neville Marriner and his wonderful, hand-picked team at the top of their form in an admirably balanced programme, with, say, the gaiety and wit of the Beethoven Dances at the one end of the scale and the grave and dignified beauty of Pachebel st the other, and lots of bonnes-bouches in between… the whole record is a delight, whether the music be jolly or more sombre.”

Features:
• Hi-Q Records Supercuts 180g Vinyl
• Cut from the Original Analogue EMI Master Tapes at Abbey Road Studios!
• Superior Audiophile Pressing
• Features Original Album Artwork

Musicians:
Iona Brown, violin (1)
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
Sir Neville Marriner