Listenin' to Classical Music and Conversation

Spotify Premium.

 

Enjoy the concert.

 

Here is the London Stereo Treasury reissue from 1969. Engineer for the stereo version was Cyril Windebank. A rare Goodwill find, it sounds great.

 

Jean Sibelius: Symphony 5/7. Maazel, VPO. London UK ffrr

An unlikely combination at the time but the best recorded Sibelius cycle and several outstanding performances. Sadly the CD remasters are not particularly good.

 

Now playing:
Felix Mendelssohn – Symphony No.4 in A major Op.90 "Italian"
— Wiener Philharmoniker – Christoph von Dohnanyi (Decca Records), from:

 

First listen to "Sibelius - Violin Concerto/Karelia Suite/Finlandia/Valse triste/Andante festivo/Valse lyrique/The Swan of Tuonela" performed by Jennifer Pike with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra led by Sir Andrew Davis on Chandos.

 

Now listening to "Duo" performed by Helene Grimaud and Sol Gabetta on DG.

• Schumann - Drei Fantasiestucke
• Brahms - Sonata for Piano and Cello No. 1
• Debussy - Sonata for Cello and Piano
• Shostakovich - Sonata for Cello and Piano

 

I've had this on my pile for a while, need to get to it - what a fun program.

 

Spotify Premium.

 

Just heard from someone at Immortal Performances that they're using CD-Rs instead of CDs for their sets.

 

More Hoffmeister on Spotify. Mozart and Haydn-esque, which is just fine with me.

 

Also, well played, well recorded and she sounds excellent.

 

If you rip the CD-Rs would you then not have to worry about possible CD-R longevity problems?

Also, will the sound of a CD-R be up to par with a regular CD?

I don't think I have any at the moment but I'm sure they will be more prevalent in the future.

 

I don't think I have anything by Hoffmeister. Thanks for the tip.

 

Second listen to "Hildegard von Bingen - Inspiration: Lieder und Visionen" performed by VocaMe on Berlin Classics.

This group is new to me. I've already purchased their other two CDs - wish there were more. They have become one of my favorite early music groups, right up there with Anonymous 4 and Sequentia.

 

No idea, the only thing I rip is my bank account Seriously, I don't rip anything, so I wouldn't know. The price of the Toscanini set (116 CAD) and the fact that it is CD-R only are enough reasons for me not to get it.

I suspect it's dependent on how it is printed and the quality of both the machine that was used and the CD-Rs. The person at Immortal Performances (who issued the Toscanini set) who told me about the CD-Rs said that they used high-quality gear - but they're still CD-Rs...

 

First listen to "Pergolesi - Stabat Mater/Mancini - Sonata No. 14/Durante - Concerto grosso No. 1" performed by Sonya Yoncheva and Karine Deshayes with Ensemble Amarillis on Sony.

 

Now listening to "Chopin: Piano Works - The Legendary 1965 Recording" by Martha Argerich on EMI.

 

The first label Deccas are great.

 

This is a great box, listening to the Chamber Symphony No 1.

 

Now listening to "Brahms/Stravinsky - Violin Concertos" performed by Hilary Hahn with the Academy Of St. Martin-In-The-Fields led by Sir Neville Mariner on Sony.

 

I wouldn't get something on CDR unless it wasn't available otherwise and was offered at a substantial discount.

 

I'm giving this one a second go around from the Philips The Stereo Years box.

 

Now listening to "Ravel - Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte/Miroirs/Gaspard de la Nuit" performed by Anna Vinnitskaya on Naive.

 

One point in its favour could be the fact that it has been remastered by Richard Caniell, who did the mastering for the earlier and now OOP Naxos CDs with most of the same material.