Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #55)

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by George P, Apr 22, 2014.

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  1. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    I still do maintain Berlioz's music is an uneven jumbled mess.
    For example ., how in hell could he write some incredibly beautiful sections for his Romeo & Juliet and yet create in some of its other parts: areas - so banal. I have seen live performances of The Damnation of Faust with top international artists plus 3 different live staged versions of Gounod's Faust. IMHO The 'Berlioz Damnation' only comes into "its own" at the finish. While having no shortage 0n my shelves of various versions of all of Berlioz's works....I may own 3 complete versions of the full editions of Berlioz's The Trojans .....but I am still waiting for its so called 'great musical revelations' to be revealed to me.

    On the other hand take the entire Act 5 of the Gounod Faust. ....it certainly is masterly from first note to finish, while also doubly overwhelming, if its conductor and orchestra decides to go absolutely 'hammer and tongs' and unleash its wide full sound dynamics in its closing moments.
    That is French high -blown romantic music , totally unashamed at what it is, at its very best.
     
  2. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    IMO Neither RCA Shaded Dogs, Classic Records nor DMM LPs represent the last word in classical music sonics although the Shaded Dogs often have the best string tone and pleasant tonal balance. They often sacrifice a bit of detail for an overall warm balance, at least the non Heifetz recordings. The Classic Records RCA reissues were mastered quite hot so you get much better dynamics and detail but at the expense of the nice balance and string tone. The two Classic reissues that are generally recommended are the Munch Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique and the Reiner Pictures at An Exhibition. The rest you just have to sample and see if you like them. As for DMM they are often bass light and are mastered for detail. Very treble tilted balances for the most part. Many were also digitally recorded. If you like the Classic reissues you will probably like DMM. If you like Shaded Dogs you won't like DMM generally. There are always exceptions.
     
  3. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Interesting, so a 20" record ought to provide well over 60% longer playtime at 78RPM ... :winkgrin:
     
  4. Scott Wheeler

    Scott Wheeler Forum Resident

    Location:
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    I would say that the Royal Ballet Gala Performances on Classics 45rpm series is one of the four or five best sounding orchestral recordings I have ever heard. IMO very much one of the last words in classical music sonics. There are many other RCAs by Classics on 45 rpm that are way up there IMO. But this one along with the Classics Mercury Firebird, The Reference Recordings Malcom Arnold, the SC Espana (still haven't heard the ORG yet), And the Britten Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra Capital reissued by Cisco would probably be my top 5
     
  5. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Now playing the following SACD (but only the stereo layer) of works by John Sheppard from my EM collection ...

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Mr Bass

    Mr Bass Chevelle Ma Belle

    Location:
    Mid Atlantic
    I wasn't referencing 45s because that is hard to compare with the original LPs. Many 45s have an ease and openness that is hard to find on LPs but it is just too annoyingly short for classical. For pop though I think they are great when pressed on vinyl not styrene. Often far better sounding than the usually poorly mastered pop LPs.
     
  7. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    Depends on the groove pitch, of course, but the point of the large diameter was not playing time but to increase surface speed--and hence, in a purely mechanical system, volume--at the outside of the record. I've never seen one of the 20" jobs, and I don't know how close to the label the grooves ran, but they may well have stopped somewhere mid-side. Curiously, all Pathe acoustic disks, of whatever size, were mechanically dubbed from cylinders.
     
  8. Scott Wheeler

    Scott Wheeler Forum Resident

    Location:
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    I have no problem with one movement per side.
     
  9. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Personally, I have never owned any 78RPM records, though my late father used to own a bunch, along with one of those Edison phonographs. At any rate, I have many reconstructed/remastering historical recordings on CD, all transferred from original 78RPM recordings and some from those cylinders ...
     
  10. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    I wonder how many 78RPM records were needed to include the full Ring Cycle? :winkgrin:
     
  11. Scott Wheeler

    Scott Wheeler Forum Resident

    Location:
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    I wonder what the total weight would be
     
  12. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    The collection can easily add up t0 200 records and 500 lbs ... LOL
     
  13. ibanez_ax

    ibanez_ax Forum Resident

    I'm pretty sure they are Fisk's. I don't have the CD anymore, just the music uploaded on my PC.
     
  14. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Niccolò (or Nicolò) Paganini (27 October 1782 – 27 May 1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was the most celebrated violin virtuoso of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His Caprice No. 24 in A minor, Op. 1, is among the best known of his compositions, and has served as an inspiration for many prominent composers.

    The above is a paragraph from the wikipage on Paganini. I did not know he actually was a guitarist and did not know guitar was already around over 150 years ago ...
     
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  15. John S

    John S Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, OH
    Another great sounding SACD in 5 channel sound.
     
  16. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I have that disc and a jerry-rigged surround (4 channel) system for the weekend. I'll have to check it out.
     
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  17. ssmith3046

    ssmith3046 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arizona desert
    I'm enjoying the EMI cassette playing on my Dragon of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons ( Anne-Sophie Mutter/Herbert Von Karajan ). Beautiful way to start the day :)
     
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  18. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    He did compose for the guitar. I have a Julian Bream disc that includes a sonata originally for guitar with violin accompaniment. Bream incorporates the accompaniment into the guitar part and plays it solo.
     
  19. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    With all the recorded riches we have today, we forget that it wasn't always so. There was no complete Ring cycle recorded during the 78 era, and in fact there was no unitary recording of a Wagner opera. If you worked at it, you could get one or two of them sorta complete, but with different artists across or sometimes even within acts, by carefully assembling various "bleeding chunks" issued by various labels at various times. So I can't say how many records a complete Ring would have consumed. The closest I can come is Bach's Mass in B Minor, which was recorded complete on 78s--more than once, in fact. That consumed 17 twelve-inch disks, 34 sides. As to weight, a pound per record isn't a bad rough-quick-and-dirty figure for estimates.

    I used to tell people, "I don't pump iron, I pump shellac!" :winkgrin:
     
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  20. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Now playing CD1 from the following twofer in my JS Bach collection but mine is the original Philips label ...

    [​IMG]
     
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  21. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Mass in b is typically accommodated on two CD's. As such, a complete Ring Cycle may well take up to some 500 78RPM records or half a ton of dead weight?
     
  22. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Hearing is believing, Arthur Grumiaux is unbelievable and his virtuosity truly dazzles ...
     
  23. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    But I am still a two-channel guy, but will try to get to three-channel in the near future. Five channel will be a significant challenge plus getting a lot of flack from my wife ... :shake:
     
  24. Collector Man

    Collector Man Well-Known Member

    Imagine the tracking alignment error problems for some standard length cartridge /tone arm being used , trying to play a 20 inch record :rolleyes:
     
  25. coopmv

    coopmv Newton 1/30/2001 - 8/31/2011

    Location:
    CT, USA
    You may have to continuously correct that tracking error for every 20" record since I doubt the error will stay corrected for long ... :shake:
     
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