Indeed. And Decca used their own design of analogue-to-digital converter, which I’m sure was mind blowingly hard to pull off at that time.
T heres a companion box to the chamber/orchestral box that contains all of the operas conducted by Mackerras. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000AC5B0M/ref=tmm_acd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1521212350&sr=8-1
Some of their historical remasterings (i.e. the RIAS boxes, like the Furtwängler) are too processed for my taste. I first bought into the marketing hype (first release from original masters bla bla) but upon hearing the same material on major labels, I noticed how unnatural they sounded. I have since ditched them.
As for Janacek operas, though the Decca recordings are highly regarded anywhere, I prefer the Supraphon outings to the Decca’s which sound more international to me. YMMV.
Anyone read Aaron Copland’s book "What to listen for in music?" is it worth checking out? https://www.amazon.com/What-Listen-Music-Signet-Classics/dp/0451531760
What bedfellows,eh? Britten Quartet. EMI Classics 1991 CDC 7 54346 2 1 Ravel: String Quartet in F Vaughan Williams: On Wenlock Edge (It's an actual place in Shropshire, The Midlands, England) String Quartet in G minor Delightful performances, well recorded.
He plays with tremendous passion and virtuosity. The sound is very good, too---perhaps a tiny bit distant for my taste, but the extra space allows the massive climaxes to bloom. 24.96 FLAC.
Bartok: Piano Concertos. Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin cond Fricsay with Anda playing piano (and how!) DG "Originals 447 399-2 1960/1 CD(r) 1995 This is electrifying playing and sounds amazing for its vintage.
I struggle with Bartok in general, exspecially his solo piano works (which cause me actual discomfort). I’ve heard other versions of the Piano Concertos but couldn’t get into them. I have not, however heard these recordings. I suppose I should see if I can find these online and try again.
NP on the TT Mendelssohn Fingal's Cave Overture, Symphony No.3 - Antal Dorati and the LSO (Mercury) maroon Living Presence lp Found this today in nm shape for $2!
I just realized I have a few hundred Harmonia Mundi CD's, more than Philips but fewer than DG's, though I have many Philips LP's and a very small handful of HM LP's ...
There were half a dozen major ADC systems in the 70s including Mitsubishi and 3M. I started a thread on pre Redbook PCM for anyone interested: Denon PCM Encoding in 1970s. Is it different than Sony CD PCM? From wiki: Commercial digital recording of classical and jazz music began in the early 1970s, pioneered by Japanese companies such as Denon, the BBC, and British record label Decca (which in the mid-70s developed digital audio recorders of their own design for mastering their albums), although experimental recordings existed from the 1960s. The first 16-bit PCM recording in the United States was made by Thomas Stockham at the Santa Fe Opera in 1976, on a Soundstream recorder. In most cases, there was no mixing stage involved; a stereo digital recording was made and used unaltered as the master tape for subsequent commercial release. These unmixed digital recordings are still described as DDD since the technology involved is purely digital. (Unmixed analog recordings are likewise usually described as ADD to denote a single generation of analog recording.)
Decca’s first digitally recorded release was the 1979 New Year’s Eve live concert, no? That’s a great sounding recording, very lush and warm. Unlike US Columbia for instance, Decca knew how to use the technology to achieve a sound that was as good as (and some would argue, better than) the analogue tape recordings. The problem with early digital, when done incorrectly, is that the tape’s tendency to sweeten up the sound is missing from the final step, so one has to counter by mixing and EQ-ing differently.
IMO the problems began when everyone was forced to use the Sony Redbook and abandon their own ADC (or do a forced conversion to Redbook though poor rate converters at the time).
There is no doubt the Decca engineers knew what they were doing, as it is the only record company besides Linn that also manufactures a phono cartridge ... If I had a super duper turntable, I would have gone for the Decca Gold instead of the Shure V15 Type V or Grado Prestige Gold.
Now playing CD5 - Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 and Sonata No. 21 "Waldstein" from the following box for a first listen ...