I am based in UK and my copies of the new releases are all in NY at a friends house along with my Mofi Santana Abraxas...I can but dream for the moment.
I see that AP are going to release "Scheherazade" and "Pictures at an Exhibition" from the Living Voice series on 45rpm in May. Not sure how I feel about this. I have all the 33rpm versions they released. Unlike Jazz I am not keen on 45rpm Classical titles (although I have a few). Also can I justify to myself another version of these titles? What does everyone else think?
I have both of these titles in Analogue Productions SACD and they are two of my favorites. Personally I would pass on the 45s.
Unfortunately with Classical 45 rpm is going to split up a continuous piece inevitably. It might work with Witches Brew or similar which contains 2 or 3 works per side.
I have the Classic 45s of both of these titles. I think they are split well, like four movements. But for me, I listen to the 45s for critical, demo style listening. The 33s are better for continuity naturally. Both are two titles I would want on 45 and 33. The fourth side of Scheherazade is amazing in 45.
I finally got my replacement copies for Gounod - Faust and Witches Brew. They sound much much better. For people looking to buy these titles in the future and knowing there are poor quality initial pressings around the important info (which I have also added to Discogs) is: LSC-2449 - Gounod / Faust - The matrix needs to have BG (Bernie Grundman) etched in the deadwax. It seems that contrary to the credits the first pressings were cut by Willem Makee. His sounds quite muffled compared to Bernie's. LSC-2225 - Gibson / Witches Brew - This album had pitch issues. The corrected version replaces the 'A' at the start of the matrix on Side One (A33APC...) with what looks like a cyrillic letter 'L'. You have been warned!
Finally got around today to listening to this for the first time. It's unreal. One of the very best sounding LPs I own. (Excellent musically, too.)
I have a few of these and on the flyer included in the LP jacket I don't see a title of Royal Ballet for this series. Is this the AP series?
So AP have announced another 25 RCA Living Stereo titles: Bartok: Music For Strings, Percussion and Celesta / Reiner / CSO Beethoven: Sonatas No. 8, Op. 30, No 3 / Brahms No 1 Op 78 / Rubenstein Bolero / Munch / BSO Bruch: Concerto in G Minor / Mozart / Heifitz - Sargent Chopin: Concerto No. 1 / Rubenstein / Skrowacrzewski NSOL Chopin: Les Sylphides / Prokofieef Love For Three Oranges Gould: Billy The Kid / Rodeo / Copland Henryk Szeryng in Recital Julian Bream / Guitar Concertos Mahler Symphony No. 4 / Reiner / SCO Moussorgsky: The Power Of The Orchestra / Royal Philharmonic Prokofieff: Concerto No. 3 / MacDowell Concerto No 2 Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2 / Rubenstein / Reiner / CSO Ravel — Daphnis and Chloe / Munch / BSO Rossini-Respighi: La Boutique Fantasque & Ibert / Fiedler / Boston Pops Rubenstein at Carnegie Hall Shostakovich: Cello Sonata / Schubert Arpeggione Sonata Stravinsky: Petrouchka / Monteux / BSO Tchaikovsky / Rimsky-Korsakoff: / Capriccio Italien Espagnol Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture / Reiner / CSO Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 / Monteux / BSO The French Touch / Munch / BSO The Sound of Stokowski and Wagner The Vurtuoso Liszt / Graffman Vivaldi The Four Sessions / Societa Corelli
I definitely want the Bartok. One of my favorite classical recordings. Not sure if I'll subscribe. Maybe cherry-pick this time around.
I am pretty sure I will subscribe to these - the first set are some of the finest Classical LPs that I own. In fact I hope they keep going and do a third and fourth series.
I'm not impressed, I think Chad gave his title selection over to an "expert" who wanted certain things. How many do they expect to sell of some of these? 100- 250? Wow.
I meant that I was impressed they ventured out a bit in that a good portion has not had modern audiophile reissues. Not necessarily the titles chosen. I agree that these won’t all be selling in large numbers.
Interesting--do you mean these recordings have "certain things" in common, or just that they reflect the random personal favorites of the "expert?"
I mean, experts are notoriously bad about keeping personal bias out of a selection process. They like certain titles, doesn't matter if they are titles that are the ones that should be issued. Chad's Blue Note series is filled with some jazz "expert" and his Personal favorites. Not the way to do it but if you're not an expert, you have to listen to someone. Just saying it's important to make sure that someone is not carrying too much baggage. Think about it; you are asked to pick a series, you pick YOUR favorites. Doesn't mean they are the right favorites! It's tricky. I personally can't stand Stokowski and his messing with the music. I'd never include him on any list. That's my bias, but I would overcome it for the good of the list. Most don't have that ability...
