Vincent Petrini-Poli wrote:

>I was told to call the 'headquarters' in Rockwell, MD at: 301.881.5973.
>There, I was told that they are out of that business and Melodyia is no
>longer repre- sented in the US.

Bill Karzas responded:

>BMG is issuing many Melodiya recordingsl and may well have an exclusive
>license. Contact them to see if they have any plans to issue more Berman
>recordings.

The material BMG is issuing seems to be mainly orchestral recordings
from the 60s and 70s and which were issued in the US, IIRC, when Angel had
the rights (Melodiya-HMV in the UK).  Not only are those I've acquired
excellent transfers - but with the usual caveat of then Russian recording
techniques which are not to everyone's liking - the playing times are more
than generous.  There is still a lot of material that has not appeared in
the west other than on Russian pressings.  There used to be dingy Communist
bookshops in Melbourne and Sydney which, apart from the usual deadly books
and tracts, had a good selection of Melodiyas.  A friend whose major
passion is Russian music and who occasionally gets burnt (eg Shchedrin's
Dead Souls) bought from the Melbourne shop some stuff that even Steve
Schwartz may not have heard of, eg Chukhajan's Arshak II (a post from Steve
will, I know, ask me whose version I'm referring to).

Some years ago, a record shop in Canberra sent me a photocopy of part of
a Melodiya list which caused major delight and salivation until I found
that there had been one of the frequent shakeups at headquarters and the
Australian distribution rights were withdrawn and with them, any chance
of acquiring some of the goodies on the list.  To my great regret, I no
longer have the list.  It was a bit like skimming through Grove and finding
interesting composers whose work has never been recorded, but knowing that
it had.

After the articles we read about the vast number of tapes that were
secretly squirrelled away in the old USSR and issued on Revolution, I
imagine the old and rare Melodiya tapes are also carefully husbanded
somewhere.  May we all live long enough to celebrate their reissue.

Richard Pennycuick
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