Zubin Mehta – Varese: Arcana, Integrales, Ionisation [Decca Pure Analogue] (Numbered Ltd Edn 180g Vinyl LP)

Zubin Mehta’s sonically spectacular 1971 album of orchestral works by Edgar Varèse with the Los Angeles Philharmonic was praised by Gramophone for its “virtuoso playing” and “exemplary recording”. Mehta turns 90 in 2026 and this recording – with its arresting artwork – reminds us of Mehta at his young, dynamic best when he burst onto the international scene thanks, in part, to the stunning recordings Decca produced in LA.

Recorded by Decca at Royce Hall, Los Angeles, in April 1971, the original ¼-inch, two-track stereo tapes have been mastered by Rainer Maillard and cut by Sidney C. Meyer at Emil Berliner Studios.