This generous collection of Stravinsky orchestral works proved one of best-selling (40,000) CD reissues of the American audiophile classical label, Mercury Living Presence. It brought together one of MLP's principal conductors, Hungarian-born Antal Dorati (1906-88), with one of the world's great orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra. In addition to a dazzling 1959 recording of the complete Firebird ballet (1909-10), the other major work on this new SACD release is Stravinsky's lesser-known but magical symphonic poem The Song of the Nightingale (1917), adapted from his early opera The Nightingale (1907). Three shorter works complete this unusual programme, including the contemporaneous Fireworks (1908), all recorded in 1964. As with the great majority of MLP's stereo releases, the actual recordings were made using three microphones - a stereo pair, plus a central microphone. The LP (and subsequent CD) stereo releases mixed the centre channel into the two outer channels. Now - and for the first time -- SACD's multi-channel capability enables all three discrete channels to be present on the disc, allowing the listener to hear the recordings as they were originally taped (and as they were always intended to be heard, when future technology permitted). Enhancing this new opportunity is the significant additional fidelity gained through direct-to-DSD transfers from the original half-inch analogue masters, via DSD's much greater resolution, frequency response and dynamic range. In addition to this first-time presentation of the three-track original recordings, the SACD also contains a high-resolution DSD stereo soundtrack, mixed to match as closely as possible the original LP stereo mix. Finally, as all Mercury Living Presence SACDs will be 'hybrid' releases, the SACD also includes a CD stereo soundtrack (Wilma Cozart Fine's original CD transfer), thus making the disc compatible with all CD players. The covers and packaging have been kept within the famous Mercury Living Presence tradition, maintaining the logo banner, cover art and, where possible, original liner notes.