In the disc player tonight...the Reiner/CSO is my favorite Scheherazade but, as the saying goes, this one ain't exactly chopped liver either.
Fritz Reiner Chicago Symphony Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky Leonid Kogan Boston Symphony Pierre Monteux Khachaturian: Violin Concerto RCA Victor, 2000
Bach's Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, Berg's Piano Sonata, and Bartok's Sonata for Solo Violin all transcribed for guitar and played by Christophe Dejour. Wow. (Youtube videos converted to MP3s...I hope he commercially records them all someday.)
Now playing the following CD directly from my Creative Zen Xtra through my main stereo. The CD was ripped to the device earlier today. I guess that is the beauty of an outboard DAC. I dropped the Zen Xtra by accident an hour ago and was afraid I busted all my effort of having ripped 30 GB of music in mostly WMA format but it looks like the device is fine after it rebuilt its library ...
I just got the 1958 Bernstein Rite of Spring which you described as fantastic. I cranked it up and listened to it twice through. The version I got is the Sony remastering from 2013, from the original analogue sources. It comes in a cardboard case which I hate as the disc just slides in and out of a cardboard pocket. I also find the mastering a little on the bright side and lacking in bass and warmth. I wasn't surprised to see that it was mastered by Mark Wilder as I own a few of his jazz remasters and I always find his work to sound too bright and lacking warmth in the midrange and bass. However I very much enjoy the interpretation and performance. Due to the bright mastering I would love it if a company such as Analogue Productions would do this recording on SACD, I'm sure it could sound better and I would love to hear this great performance in better sound.
Hello everyone! Longtime lurker but finally joined the SHF to post. I have been obsessing over Sibelius symphonies lately. I own complete sets by Paavo Berglund/Bournemouth on CD (EMI), Colin Davis on LP (Phillips), the Sibelius Historic Recordings CD box (EMI), and I just received the new Decca remastered box of Lorin Maazel's 1960s cycle (in the box with 4 CDs and a High Fidelity Pure Audio Blu Ray). I have not yet tried out the BluRay but the sound on the CD masters of these 60's Deccas is outstanding. Certainly they went for a more pronounced stereo spread than is "natural", but I feel like the performances are beautiful and that stereo spread does make them exciting and exposes some nuances that are harder to hear in mono or less pronounced stereo. Really nice! I also love Osmo Vanska's set for BIS, with the Lahti Symphony, which I have downloaded via Spotify (admittedly lossy, but at their highest quality). Might be worth getting those CDs as well. Do any Sibelius fans out there have the new vinyl box set of Collins' 1950s Decca mono cycle that was released recently? SIBELIUS Complete Symphonies / Anthony Collins - 6 LPs - Buy Now I would love to get that one, but it's fairly pricey at $20 per LP. Any comments on the mastering and pressing quality? Thanks in advance!
Welcome. I look forward to more posts. I don't have the Anthony Collins set and have only heard one of symphonies from the Decca years.
Sorry, I don't have an answer for your question, but I wanted to say welcome to Classical Music Corner!
I picked up the Collins cycle as part of this set...the sound is fine - not miraculous, but fine. I'd be very surprised if they used a different source to create the LPs.
Gil Shaham London Symphony Orchestra Andre Previn Barber & Korngold Violin Concertos DGG, 1994 This is an excellent recording, perhaps a bit up close. It was recorded at Henry Wood Hall. For the Barber & Korngold concertos , my favorite recording is by James Ehnes. It also includes an excellent version of the Walton Violin Concerto.
Thank you! I'm listening on Spotify to the EMI Eloquence release of the Collins cycle. Some sound good, but Symphony No. 1 has this terrible background noise that sounds like a film projector running in the background! Hope this "Great Performances" remaster sounds better.
In the disc player...the first movement wanders around a bit for me, but otherwise it is an enjoyable work. Thrift store buy from a while back, I think it was $1.
Kiril Serebrennikov Kirill Serebrennikov - Google Search Has recently begun his work as a guest director in operas staged in my home town in Stuttgart. The first was the highly acclaimed Salome production from last year.
I'll just be a lazy bum and let George say what I was going to. Glad to have you on board! I trust the "historical" set has the old Society issues from the 78 era (Kajanus, Beecham, etc.)? How are the transfers? I have the 78s, or at least many/most of them, and they are on my back burner of things to listen to at some point--but I think the Pro Arte Haydn quartets series will be next up for me.
Thank you! Yes, it includes several symphonies by Kajanus (1,2,3,5) and Beecham (4) as well as some Boult and Schneevoigt (6th) recordings. I said it was EMI but it is actually Warner Classics, sorry, I'd forgotten, though originally it was EMI. It also includes the Voces Intimae by the Budapest String Quartet and songs by Marian Anderson. I got this new for $25. Amazing value. As for transfers, I'm not familiar with any earlier ones or the original vinyl, so I'm not sure. I'm sure there has been some no-noising or Cedar stuff, as they sound pretty clean, but for the era (30s, mostly) it sounds quite acceptable to me. Some of the orchestral playing is, of course, a little wayward, but interesting for the historical value. Here is the cover:
The Great Performances set is on Spotify too, although naturally I only found it through Google: Sibelius - Great Performances My general impression of Collins is that he's good and interesting, but his set is perhaps more historically important than it is important in the absolute sense - and I think stereo is pretty important when you're dealing with orchestral works.
