Jando was a Naxos regular a couple decades ago. I have his complete set of Beethoven sonatas. Reviews were lukewarm.
Andre Watts London Symphony Orchestra Erich Leinsdorf Liszt: Todtentanz Franck: Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra Columbia, 1974
Jenö Jandó (born 1952) has recorded practically every composition for solo piano that has ever been written. Well, that's probably a bit exaggerated, but he comes close
Shostakovich - All Symphonies (110th Anniversary Edition) Listened earlier to: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, op. 43 Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Kirill Kondrashin Recorded in 1966 And just as this great sprawling symphony ended, my next-door-neighbors took advantage of the lovely weather and indulged in some outdoor recreation, accompanied by recorded popular music with Spanish lyrics, played at a volume to be appreciated by the neighborhood at large. Even with my headphones on, I had no refuge, though I'll admit that at least some of the music was enjoyable. Rain came, the party ended or perhaps migrated indoors, and my listening continues. Symphony No. 5 in D minor, op. 47 USSR State Academic Symphony Orchestra Conductor: Evgeny Svetlanov Recorded in 1977 Symphony No. 6 in B minor, op. 54 Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra Conductor: Yevgeny Mravinsky Recorded live at the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, 27 January 1972
Now enjoying Rachmaninoff's second concerto, played by Kemal Gekic and the Czech NSO, conducted by Libor Pešek.
Does anyone have a favorite vinyl pressing of The Planets that I might want to be on the lookout for?
My favorite of the many in my collection is the MHS pressing from the early 80's. On translucent vinyl at that!
Now playing: Dmitri Shostakovich – Symphony No.10 in E minor Op.93 — WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln – Rudolf Barshai (Brilliant Classics)
I ordered this set last night from a third party seller on amazon USA for under $25. I had a chance to sample the transfers over the weekend and they are excellent, much better (clearer and more focused) than Beardsley's for Pearl. And the Pearl is just one CD. If you are a Chopin fan or simply a fan of the piano, I strongly suggest that you get this box.
I finally found a copy of Volume 1 of the Ashley Solomon - Bach Flute Sonatas at a good price. Channel Classics is evidently not going to reissue it at this point. It is an excellent version.
Brahms was Katchen's forte. I have his Brahms Decca CD-set and was thinking of getting the complete Katchen Decca set, but I found some of his other recordings that I've heard not so convincing.
Do those of you who listen exclusively to LPs notice a difference in sound when the master tape is analog vs digital? I'm just curious how good recent DG LPs, for instance, sound compared to older analog recordings.
Sometimes, but not always, it is obvious to me that a master was recorded digitally-- especially the early digital recordings. And I don't claim to have "golden ears" at my age, but I've attend enough live concerts to have a pretty good model of what live instruments sound like. Here's an example: Just last week I pulled out an RCA LP of "Guitar Concertos" featuring Kazuhito Yamashita that I had not played in years, plopped it on the turntable and walked away without paying any attention to the "Digital" logo on the jacket. Upon hearing the orchestra, my immediate reaction was "DIGITAL!"... as it has that etched, or somewhat glassy, sound to the violins. Pity, too, as it's a good program and well played. Jacket says it was recorded in 1984 on a JVC DAS-90 digital system. And despite "Direct Metal Mastering," nothing can make it mimic a live orchestra. I know there have been great advancements in digital recording since, and I can't speak for a recent DG LP, but I'm just pointing out that an analog LP can easily reveal any weakness in a digital master.
Yes, those early digital recordings are often painful! There have been huge strides in the last few years, though I would prefer an all-analog recording.