And here it is-the first, and hopefully not the last, classical music album to appear in our store.

In the process of exploring the dusty archives of the Dusty Tapes label, someone remembered that in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the National Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Witold Rowicki, was one of the finest and most respected symphonic ensembles in Europe. Today, such a status is but a dream.

Among the many recordings made during that era, the long-play album featuring Felix Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream suite and Maurice Ravel’s timeless Boléro stands out.

The orchestra performs with immense energy and charisma—qualities rarely found in today’s somewhat over-intellectualized interpretations.

The true revelation, however, is the quality of this material. Fans of recording technology history will be intrigued to know that this long-play album, recorded in 1960, is among the first stereo recordings ever made in Poland. It’s believed that some experimental stereo recordings were done as early as 1959, but the system was officially introduced in February 1960 during the 6th Chopin Competition.

It’s worth discovering that the recordings made back then are practically on par with Western standards and even surpass today’s blurred and less distinctive recordings. After all, they likely used only two, perhaps four, microphones to capture the sound!

The album is adorned with a cover design reminiscent of the original project but artistically much superior. The release also includes a stylish back cover and an interior featuring photographs of the maestro in action.

Although this CD deviates significantly from Kameleon’s main repertoire line, it can be confidently recommended to anyone who enjoys simply good music. We’ve been listening to this material exclusively for a week now. 😊

The repertoire is accessible and engaging, and the nostalgic factor (this album used to be present in at least half of Polish households) should also play its part.

The release comes in a foldable, laminated card sleeve with a special pocket for the disc.

BELOW IS A SHORT VIDEO SHOWCASING THE RELEASE: