Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #68)

I have the "Martha Argerich Collection" 11-CD set from the late 90's. I think it's got most of what's in the current boxes unless they contain previously unreleased material(?) Anybody else have this one?

 

That set is missing everything that was released on DG post-1997. I didn't check which CDs that would be, apart from the 2014 Mozart CD with Abbado mentioned above. That recording was made at the Lucerne Festival, not long before Abbado's death.

 

I wonder who is the second all-time best selling artist for DG after Karajan? Is Martha anywhere close, a very distant second?

 

I have the individual sets such as this one.

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No loss there as I got this latest box for $20 with shipping ...

 

That's pretty much for one new CD in my book, but hey, it's your money and that's none of my business, of course

 

Now playing CD31 - Motets of the 17th Century Austria-Bohemia-Bavaria by Niederaltaicher Scholaren with Konrad Ruhland from the following box for a first listen ...

 

Now playing CD32 - Haydn The Last 4 Piano Trios by Robert Levin, Vera Beths and Anner Bylsma from the following box for a first listen ...

 

Now playing CD5 - Bach Harpsichord Concertos from the following box for a first listen ...

 

I got this yesterday on a little shopping expedition with my niece Molly. The concept seems to be that the contents are like something you might hear at a Cherkassky concert, not an actual concert. It was recorded at Nimbus Studios, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth, March/April 1984, with no sound of an audience.

 

Nice. I like Nimbus and have its Complete Haydn Symphonies by Adam Fischer in my collection ...

 

(CD London Records 430 280-2)

 

I listened to Symphony No. 5 from his earlier cycle last night.

 

This week has brought more than its share of audio disappointments. Also arrived was "Cultural Death: Music under Tyranny":



The Amazon listing was maddeningly unforthcoming about this disc's contents, but some detective work with Google eventually revealed that it includes my favorite account of the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, featuring the USSR State SO led by Oskar Fried ca. 1937; one unreleased mvt. of the Brahms 2d cto. performed by one Alfred Hoehn; and Beethoven's 2d Leonore Overture performed by the Munich PO under Oswald Kabasta, also unreleased. The few Arbiter recordings I've owned have offered really good transfers, and my copy of the Berlioz is on DTO, some little no-name label hawked through Berkshire (nonetheless an improvement over the Lys issue it replaced), so the prospect of improvement in that sonic sow's ear was enticing, to put it mildly. Add in a "new" Kabasta recording, and the disc lurched over from "tempting" to "must have."

Be careful what you wish for. I've not played the disc from one end to the other, but sampling the last mvt. of the Berlioz and the Beethoven revealed that Arbiter's transfers here are just plain strange. Usually reissues of historical recordings fail, if they're going to, by filtering the top so heavily that they end up dull and dead. Not so, here: the transfers, by someone named Allan Evans, have a top end that will peel the paint off your listening room walls, should it not be on a good layer of primer, and absolutely no bass. It's like listening to the tinny speakers in a laptop computer with the treble turned up. I've never encountered anything like this in all my years of excoriating, er, auditioning commercial rereleases of old records.

Now, the Berlioz was a disappointment, but at least I already have what proved a better transfer. The Kabasta Beethoven is a different story, so for that I've take a few pains. Having copied the track to hard drive, I opened it up and played with the sound balance. Cool Edit 96, the software that I have used for years--well, since 1996!--admirable program that it is, is rather primitive in its "equalizer" capabilities, but even those sufficed to render the track listenable. Not fabulous, probably not as good as it would be in a good professional job, but listenable. So the sound is there, but for some reason Arbiter completely obscured it.

Under the circumstances, I can't recommend this one unless you are willing to mess around with tonal balance; those who insist tone controls are evil need not apply. A shame, because it's undoubtedly the most accessible way to obtain that great Berlioz performance. Adding insult to injury, the documentation is superb; for example, I learned that the Berlioz was taken down on film soundtrack, not acetate disks or whatnot. If only the transfers were at the same level. Rats.

 

I have 2 twofers for these recordings, one for Symphononies 1-3 and the other for Symphonies 4-6 ...

 

Now playing CD33 - Boccherini Concertos for Violoncello and Orchestra, Overture, Octet, Sinfonia by Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon and Anner Bylsma from the following box for a first listen ...

 

Now playing CD3 of the Schumann Series from the following box for a first listen ...

 

Now playing CD15 - The Apostles from the following box for a first listen ...

 

A very interesting choral work I did not even know exists. The performance was excellent IMO ...

 

Currently listening to Gina Bachauer playing the Chopin concertos from the first MLP box. Nice.

 

A 95¢ CD I've played a lot recently, Eduardo Matta, Dallas Symphony, Prokofiev, Stravinsky. Early digital. Good sound:

 

Now playing CD34 - Boccherini Cello Sonatas, Fugues for 2 Cellos by Anner Bylsma, Kenneth Slowik and Bob van Asperen from the following box for a first listen ...

 

Listening to Time For Marimba - Daniella Ganeva. Great album for those who like solo percussion



Edit: Not solo percussion. One piece is a marimba saxophone duet and two other tracks are percussion ensemble.

 

Wonderful music well-recorded.

 

Now listening to "Shining Light - Music From Aquitanian Monasteries (12th Century)" performed by Sequentia on DHM.