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Mercury Living Presence Boxed Set CD15 van55
Mercury Living Presence (MLP) titles rarely topped the critics' lists. In fact, only three MLP recordings have been earmarked as "Essential Recordings" by Amazon.com. But how does a CD line go from having a half-dozen must have recordings, to being this reviewer's all-time favorite classical label?
The answer: consistently magical performances, captured in brilliant golden-age stereo sound, that offer a slightly different take on your typical interpretation of the great works. Of course, MLP also went to great lengths to feature music by more obscure composers, particularly contemporary Americans. While Dorati, and to a lesser extent Paray, recorded these lesser known works, Howard Hanson was their champion. Here Hanson performs some of the better known compositions by two leading 20th Century American composers, Samuel Barber and Morton Gould. These performances of "Medea Suite," "Spirituals," and "Fall River Legends" are truly without peers. 
Maybe that is why collectors prize these recordings, because they are a breath of fresh air in a homogenized world of listening. I don't think there will be any new releases forthcoming. So collectors, and even those who aspire to be, should pick up as many Mercury Living Presence discs as possible now, before they all die.