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Mercury Living Presence Boxed Set CD7 van 55.
Arnold Schoenberg - 5 Pieces for Orchestra, 
Anton Webern - 5 Pieces for Orchestra, 
Alban Berg - 3 Pieces for Orchestra, Lulu Suite
London Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati dir.
As do many of the "Mercury living Presence" recordings, this stands the test of time (half a century in fact) extremely well. Analogue recording had pretty much reached its peak. If orchestral technique is nowadays at an even higher level than then, the early 1960s LSO under the direction of Antal Dorati still sounds pretty good, even outstanding given the relatively unfamiliar programme. Dorati was noted for his wide repertory. This is a typical compilation of less well known (if acknowledged as important) works, and still a very good introduction to the orchestral music of the "second Viennese school". Henry Wood introduced the original version of Schoenberg's Five Pieces to baffled London audiences before the first world war and they have remained outside the core 20th century repertory. Nowadays the Berg Three Pieces are perhaps the less infrequently performed live. Dorati's recordings brought this music to a still wider public. Whether or not you regard "twelve-tone" music as a dead end in musical history, these performances remain well worth hearing as an excellent introduction to the style of these composers.