Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #63)

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

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Just ordered the following box this morning at an excellent price ...

    [​IMG]

    There are some overlaps with the following box of 6 CD's, which I bought years ago. Not sure if it is considered a collectible now.

    [​IMG]
     
    Moonfish, Mik and bluemooze like this.
  2. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Tubes were in most of the gear used throughout the sixties, mixing boards, recorders, microphones. . .
     
  3. George P

    George P Notable Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    NYC
    That's my favorite amount of Chopin. [​IMG]
     
    Robin L likes this.
  4. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    I like tubes - have a tube preamp and a tube CD changer and will get a tube amp for my study if there is a budget for it next year. Even a hybrid tube sound is magical, as I used to run a SS amp through the tube preamp ... :righton:
     
  5. coopmv

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

    Location:
    CT, USA
    Chopin music is good for anytime and mood ...
     
  6. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Now listening to "Bellini - Norma" performed by the International Chamber Vocalists and the Orchestra La Scintilla led by Giovanni Antonini on Decca.

    Featuring Cecilia Bartoli, Sumi Jo, John Osborn and Michele Pertusi.

    [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
    Moonfish, john greenwood and PH416156 like this.
  7. drh

    drh Talking Machine

    I do not want to ignite another one of those "tubes vs. solid state" debates, especially not here in these generally placid gear-neutral halls, but I offer this as something that my fellow classical music lovers may want to explore sometime, since the money involved can be minimal: the so-called "Class T" amplifiers, or "T-Amps," to my ear at least produce a high definition sound that is extremely beneficial to classical music, especially small instrumental or vocal ensembles, in which they tend to make every instrument or voice stand out in sharp relief. For those who haven't encountered them, "Class T" is not actually a "class" in the traditional sense; it's a particular species of "Class D" amps based on chips developed by a company called Tripath. The downside to these things is that the "classic" models put out only 6 or 8 clean watts per channel (they usually claim 15 or so, but that's at a whopping 10% distortion!). I love their sound, and they have the further appeal of being tiny--usually a box maybe 2" X 3" X 6" or so--and cheap, starting at $30 give or take, but unfortunately they require highly sensitive speakers in a room of any size, and those are never small or cheap or easy to find. That's less of an issue for a desktop system, and with their diminutive size the T-amps are ideally suited for that application. More powerful examples of the breed are out there and have garnered some excellent reviews, but they usually are much more expensive, not something you'd want to purchase casually out of curiosity.

    I agree that tubes can be lovely in their own, different way, but they're not for me--our thermostat sits far too close to my stereo eqpt. alcove, you see, and all the heat from a set of power tubes has, er, interesting effects on the climate in our house...
     
    jukes and Robin L like this.
  8. Boris75

    Boris75 Forum Resident

    She also did a very good recording of Piazzola's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, on SACD.
     
  9. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    I actually own a tube mic. It's made by Lawson Microphones in Nashville TN. :ed:

    [​IMG]
     
  10. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Interesting that it's called "The Great Recordings." The EMI complete Jacqueline Du Pre box was also 17 discs. Amazon seems to think they are the same.
     
  11. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Lovely, looks like a U-47 knockoff. What do you use it for?
     
  12. bluemooze

    bluemooze Senior Member

    Location:
    Frenchtown NJ USA
    Have a little 16-track analog recording setup in the basement. Was recording local band demos and my band's demos. Everything's kind of just sitting there for the past few years. Still using the mic for informal music jam nights here at the house; it's our girl singer's "diva" mic. Never leaves the house though. :)
     
    john greenwood and Robin L like this.
  13. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    Yes, very sad. But luckily the recordings are with us. On them he lives.
     
  14. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    Decent, at least. The Fourth is LP, a bit noisy, certainly not a first class pressing, but The Kleiber Touch makes it all secondary. The SACD... it quite obviously isn't a c-cassette version (but hey, my experiences are with simple middle end NAD/Sony/Yamaha decks from seventies-to-nineties), but the sound is somewhat congested, not spacious enough (imho). I just amused myself and ripped the redbook layer on hard drive: first time ever when listening this with headphones. The stuffyness (stuffiness?) is evident. However, what took my attention by first listening, I still remember, was that the strings didn't sounded right: I've thought that there's certain tautness/tension in them. Yet now, with headphones, that isn't evident as I believed it to be. There's also some noises caused by the audience, but that's part of live recording. To me, the results are quite acceptable, especially when remembering that the recordings weren't made to be released as commercial records. From technical viewpoint only, I sure rather listen these than father Kleiber's early fifties recordings.
     
  15. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    Last in this evening, from eClassical, again.

    [​IMG]

    I've read some quite positive reviews about such small wonders. Living Voice speakers are made ca. 10W tube amps in mind, they say, so I've been considering also the possibility to experiment with T-Amps. However, there's no hurry at all. I'm still gathering the info.
     
    bluemooze likes this.
  16. scompton

    scompton Forum Resident

    Location:
    Arlington, VA
    How is that? The few reviews I could find weren't that favorable. The gist being, sounds good, but only about half of it is Mozart's orchestrations of Bach. A lot of it is modern orchestrations. I decided to skip it
     
  17. J.A.W.

    J.A.W. Music Addict

    Has anyone heard (parts of) the Pierre Monteux Complete RCA Album Collection yet? Opinions/comments?
     
  18. Bachtoven

    Bachtoven Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    This SACD version has gotten quite expensive on Amazon since it's long out of print! I have to say that the sound is quite good, indeed.

    [​IMG]
     
    Mik and J.A.W. like this.
  19. Bachtoven

    Bachtoven Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    Purists will fall over in a dead heap, but those of us with more Romantic leanings will enjoy this. I must admit, though, at times it seems to be more about him than the music. Great sound.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  20. Pericles

    Pericles Forum Resident

    Location:
    Edmonton
    I've also added Vanska (MO, 2009) to the mix.

    I still can't decide which I prefer. I think I prefer the Fricsay, Karajan, and Vanska over the two Furtwangler's because the latter is a bit too slow (especially that scary part near the end of the first movement with the clarinets over the strings).

    I've never actively compared this many recordings of the same piece. Is there anything in particular I should be listening for?
     
  21. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    Agreed.
     
  22. john greenwood

    john greenwood Senior Member

    Location:
    NYC
    I like Angela Hewitt's Rameau on piano. Somehow it works better than her Couperin, which is pleasant, but no more.
     
  23. Bachtoven

    Bachtoven Forum Resident

    Location:
    US
    Hers is more traditional than Barto's--he uses a far greater dynamic range and much more rubato. There's nary a phrase that he doesn't tinker with. I still enjoy it.
     
  24. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    Good background music while cleaning the desk, answering the last email etc. That's how I often listen the records - in order to hear that they're error-free. Now it just happened to be a download. Five orchestrations by Mozart, the rest obviously from the same era. Haven't read the booklet yet. Good buy for some six bucks. I just like the small chamber combos.
     
  25. jukes

    jukes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Southern Finland
    Scary idea! At least my possible listening concentration is gone, if I notice anything like that (not with piano, though, 'cause I don't that beast).
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine