The first ever vinyl LP ever pressed, Felix Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in e minor, has been recreated to celebrate seven decades of the format.
The original master tapes and artwork from the 1948 release have been used in the recreation of the record, which was first revealed to the world by former Columbia Records president Goddard Lieberson.
The album features the playing of violinist Nathan Milstein and the Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra of New York, conducted by Maestro Bruno Walter.
A total of 500 exclusive pressings of the German composer’s violin concerto will be given away for free by retailer HMV in a selection of its stores to mark the anniversary on Saturday.
A copy will be also be donated to the British Library’s Sound Archive on Friday.
John Hirst, HMV music manager, said: “We at HMV are thrilled to partner with Sony Music to celebrate 70 years of the vinyl record.
“We’ve been selling the format for just as long, possibly even selling the Mendelssohn release back in 1948 at our flagship store at 363 Oxford Street, and have been at the forefront of the vinyl revival in recent years.
“Here’s to the next 70 years of the vinyl record!”
Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in e minor was composed over six years and it was first performed in Leipzig on March 13 1845.
Prior to 12-inch, 33 1/3 rpm polyvinyl LPs, albums were played on phonographic records commonly made from shellac.
Vinyl album sales have experienced a rapid increase in the UK over the past decade with sales rising from 205,000 in 2007 to 4.1 million in 2017.