The Find

Seraphim 60240 — Pablo Casals · Dvořák · Bruch

Dvořák — Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104 (1937)

Bruch — Kol Nidrei (1938)

Czech Philharmonic · George Szell / London Symphony · Sir Landon Ronald

Crate-Digging Epiphany

Every so often, you pull something from the $5 bin that stops you cold — not because it’s rare, but because it’s alive. That was Seraphim 60240 for me. A plain-jacket 1970s reissue of Pablo Casals playing Dvořák’s Cello Concerto and Bruch’s Kol Nidrei. The vinyl’s thin, the label’s beige, the cover art looks like a textbook — but the moment the needle hits, it’s like a portal opens.

Before the World Fell Apart

These performances were made in 1937–38, right before Europe imploded. Casals was sixty, already a living legend, recording Dvořák in Prague with George Szell and the Czech Philharmonic. A year later he laid down Kol Nidrei in London with Sir Landon Ronald. Then came silence. Franco took Spain. Hitler took Europe. Casals — fiercely Catalan, fiercely moral — refused to play for dictators. These records are the sound of a man who knows exactly who he is, and exactly what he’s walking away from.

The 1937 Sound

Cut in the Rudolfinum, the same hall where Dvořák himself conducted. Single microphones. Direct-to-wax. Early EMI engineering by Walter Legge. It’s not hi-fi, it’s human-fi — mono that breathes and glows.

Casals doesn’t perform the concerto; he wrestles with it. Every phrase feels like a moral statement. Szell and the orchestra are tight, fiery, and absolutely locked in — like they know they’re making history. Then Kol Nidrei — a Jewish prayer at dusk. Just cello and orchestra, grief and grace in equal measure.

Seraphim, the People’s Label

Fast-forward to 1977. EMI’s Seraphim series was the great equalizer — gorgeous performances on budget vinyl. Hi‑Fi magazines called this reissue “masterly… good 1937 vintage… beautiful addition.” It was sitting next to Percy Faith at K‑Mart, yet it contained more spirit and conviction than half the classical catalog combined.

Why It Still Hits

We live in the era of remasters, noise‑reduction, and playlist‑core classical. But these cheap Seraphim pressings — with their musty liner notes and too‑wide lead‑ins — are time machines. You drop the needle and suddenly you’re hearing art as resistance, integrity pressed into shellac. Casals isn’t just playing Dvořák; he’s telling the 20th century to keep its soul.

Ministry of Culture Manifesto

This is what Ministry of Culture is about — celebrating the overlooked, the under‑priced, the beautifully human. Records that cost less than a latte but hit like a revelation. No grades. No resale value. Just love, context, and good sound. So if you see that pale Seraphim label hiding in the back of the classical section, take it home. Clean it up. Let 1937 fill your room.

Vinyl Notes

DetailInfo
LabelSeraphim (EMI budget series)
Catalog #60240
Recording Years1937 (Dvořák) · 1938 (Bruch)
MatrixHMV DB 1939–1945 originals
PersonnelPablo Casals (cello), George Szell / Czech Philharmonic; Sir Landon Ronald / London Symphony
SoundMono, electrical recording (vintage transfer by EMI)
Market Value$5 – $10 VG+
MoodMoral clarity with a bow