As audiophile I must admit that I have a lot of shortcomings. Many times I don’t even hear a record is in mono. I suppose it is because I blame the time when it was recorded for the shortcomings in the sound, without analysing too much what is wrong with it. I know, I should give it more attention, but by the time I realise that, I already put aside the record in question, never to listen to it again.
This is one of those. Recorded in 1953 by the Philharmonia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy (shared with the unknown Greek American conductor Dmitri Mitropoulos), this is a performance with a good reputation. It is just… too old. In listening to it I found the soundstage totally missing: it all was very flat. Then Discogs told me it was mono.
Two beautiful works from Debussy, with impressions of the sea and of Spain. Find another recording of it, but do try them.