That "Great Performances" Bach/Glenn Gould album of Piano Concertos is not an exact reissue. The three featured concertos were originally released on three separate albums. The Mozart/Serkin/Szell album has been a favorite of mine--especially the Concerto No.20--since I originally bought it in 1972. Here's the original cover, showing the 45 years of frequent use and enjoyment I've gotten from it. The vinyl still plays great. Take care of your records and they WILL last a lifetime!
Ohh yeah! My husband has LPs he's had ever since he was a teen and they sound great and look great. He keeps them in plastic outer sleeves and they have no ringwear!! I won't be putting those on my LPs though. I HATE plastic and avoid it wherever I can. But I am very careful in how I handle my new -old treasures. I've found a few really old recordings/ pressings and am thankful for how they were taken care for by the original owners. Most of my LPs are from the 70s and 80s though and of course in the 80s CDs came out so those LPs were probably not played too much.
On to disc 7 of Mozart 225 The New Complete Edition. Fantasias, rondos, variations and a sonata from Andras Schiff, Francesco Piemontesi, Alfred Brendel, Mitsuko Uchida, Tamar Halperin, Ingrid Haebler and Vladimir Ashkenazy. That's 7 pianists on the same disc.
When I first started collecting LPs seriously, I was unaware of plastic outer sleeves. Shops were not carrying them and I didn't know anyone using them. Around the mid-'80s or so, I began using them on a few select albums; it was cost-prohibitive (for me) to go back and cover my entire collection at that point. Most of my LP jackets have survived in near-mint condition, though it's not clear why some seem to wear faster than others. Certainly pulling an album off the shelf frequently will subject it to wear, but some albums sit side-by-side with one showing a bit of ring wear and the other spotless. I suspect it the quality of the printing has something to do with it. Certainly the slicker European jackets (i.e. DG and Philips) have proven more durable as far as artwork is concerned -- though that "slickness" has a downside, as some jackets (particularly DG) tend to separate easily along their top and bottom seams.
Here's a first: When I opened this new 2 LP set yesterday, side 1 had a huge scratch/gouge on it--at least an inch long! Not sure how that happened, but it rendered a few variations unplayable. I spot checked a few others, and her playing and the sound are wonderful. I requested a replacement.
Now on the TT, a 1974 Columbia Masterworks album of Murray Perahia playing Chopin: Sonata No.2 and Sonata No.3. It is worth noting that Perahia has written extensive liner notes for the LP jacket wherein he describes the more prominent structural features of each movement, in each sonata, and the reasoning behind his approach in playing them. This included researching Chopin's original manuscripts to sort out what changes publishers had made from what the composer had actually written. A fascinating read which adds appreciably to deeper understanding of these works--and particularly Perahia's performance--while listening to the album. I wish more performers did this.
Now streaming on Spotify, "Into the Labyrinth" performed by Sarband on World Of Sarband. Never heard this before, and am not sure exactly where it fits on the music spectrum, but it's 'early' music, so...
I'm not much of a fan of Elgar's music so that would have probably delayed me buying another classical album for years.
Now on the turntable, "Tchaikovsky - The Seasons" performed by Brigitte Engerer on Philips. Also: Dumka Chant Sans Paroles Humoresque Nocturne Valse Sentimentale
Continuation of the Fournier I listened to last week (1-4), now playing 5 and 6 by Starker. Even on the non-full range ESL57 there is amazing depth of sound, I plan to replace these with Vivid Giya G2 or G3, the former the most neutral speakers I've heard besides Revel Salons
Now on the turntable, "Dvorak - Czech Suite/Serenade" performed by The Musica Aeterna Orchestra led by Frederic Waldman on Decca.
This SACD twofer is worth some $$ these days. I have the recordings in the following mercury box ... The best performance of these works is actually on the following twofer ...
Come on, you need that graduation procession music. IIRC, Yale was the first school in the US playing that piece and the recent South Korean presidential inauguration also used the piece ...
