Totally approve: I browse my own book and cd collections, reading or listening to items I had not planned in advance. Having the hard copy to see and touch is crucial to my selection process. (And I prefer the sound on my system.) --Every single day I regret discarding my entire LP collection to move smaller after my divorce. My tendency is to be like those crabs that carry things glued to their shells, but sometimes one has to travel lighter. For that, I avail myself of Spotify in car, in home (mornings w coffee), in yard, and while out and about. Decorator crab - Wikipedia
I recently set up a nice library/music room where I have the bulk of my collections. I set up my secondary music system along with my headphone set-up for “listening in the library”.
Though I find I can't read while I listen, nor can I write. Books do have their place: excellent as acoustic treatment in shelves well behind speakers, and on their own of course! Anyway I'd have no choice. Everywhere in my house where there is comfortable seating there are books and speakers.
I recently revisited some of his recordings of Russian music and thought that they were good but not great. Almost tepid sometimes. I found myself thinking of Simon Rattle’s unsuccessful attempt( in my opinion of course) to conduct Szymanowski. In Ansermet’s case he was sold by many music writers as the most authentic guy when it came to Stravinsky and those early Decca LPs were bid up in the secondary market( along with his Ravel, etc). The audiophile reissue companies were competing to license the recordings for issue in 180 gram versions for large money.
If anything was Ansermet/OSR's forte, it was French music, even with the occasional rough playing. Everything else I've heard lags behind. It was one of the first orchestras I heard in my youth, and they never really impressed me.
If you're ok with digital and using Google Translate, you can always use Supraph Online Fritz Reiner - The Complete Chicago Symphony Recordings on RCA – Fritz Reiner, Richard Strauss – Supraphonline.cz
Is this the official Supraphon website? I found it hilarious that the background on the Reiner link advertises Iron Maiden's new album.
Well, I bought the Reiner set on that site. Needless to say, after multiple tries at downloading it, it won't download. I call it a sham. It shouldn't take forever, nor should it just spin and spin load a few MBs and then stop.
Caution is required as the site is well known for "errors" in downloads. Currently I am dealing with "time" errors on four downloads for a total of fourteen "shorted" tracks. I started communication mid-August and am still awaiting resolution. About a year ago I had a similar problem but in fairness they fixed in about five days. I am sure there have been similar findings by contributors reported on a Classical forum somewhere around here!
Wait a minute, the whole Reiner box, in flac (and mp3) for 199 Czech Crown, that is less than 8€? If it's legit, it's a killer deal even for me who don't do download (but am willing to make an exception)!
I recognise we all have varying opinions, but having just come from a nerve-tingling performance by Rattle and the London Symphony of Bruckner 4 (in the new performing edition), I have to take issue with the idea that he is some second-rater. I know he hasn't conducted much in the US, and from the point of view of this site, his career hasn't reached the stage when his record company wants to offload his recordings in a mega box, but to talk of the BPO being "so seedy" under his baton? What is probably still the world's finest orchestra keeps him in charge for a dozen years; after a spell in London he is returning to Germany (driven out by Brexit or just wanting to be closer to his family home?), where he is snapped up by the country's other world-beating orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony. That is the man whose career I have followed with so much pleasure over four decades - admiring his conducting, interpretations and programme building, with memorable performances from Porgy and Bess to Mahler 2, and so much more, both live and on disc. So I urge folk to at least listen to his discs rather than dismissing them wholesale. (PS I'm afraid I also admire Solti - for his Mozart as much as for his Wagner and his Bartok. I still remember the impact of concerts on his European tour with the Chicago Symphony - their playing of Brahms and Mahler symphonies, for power and precision alone, knocked most of the European orchestras of the day into a cocked hat.)
What Solti makes here with CSO playing Pictures at an exhibition is awesome, unbelievable. Perhaps the best Pictures ever, and live in concert. Solti, in my opinion, is very underrated outside opera.
I'd respectfully disagree that it is an age thing, places like Computer Audiophile or Whats Best Forum where nearly anyone that listens to digital uses a computer plus DAC or NUC plus DAC are gen X or boomers. There was a thread about the youngest members there are the youngest are what I've now jokingly seen referred to as "geriatric millennials". I occasionally see external CD transports like DCS, but these guys have so much money that it's not really a big deal to them to have a transport that never gets used just to have the full "stack". MSB digital that is another one of those darling companies recently dropped CD transports altogether. Pre-covid we used to get together with a group of audiophiles and among all the CD/SACD players that came out an old Naim CD555 from nearly 15 years ago could never be bested by these new ones. But we heard at least a half dozen stand alone DACs that were at least as good as the Naim or better, and on the better front at about 1/3 the price. My conclusion is it's more of a "hardcore audiophile" vs collector thing rather than age related. I think people of all ages can desire to own a physical product as seen by the number of young people that want to own vinyl. Even the most technologically stubborn people I know from gen X and older all stream music. IMO the Steve Hoffman is special niche of hardcore collectors of CDs and LPs.
Sure, a gift horse, but it would have been good to know of the problems associated with the download and that particular site before purchase.
I am there with you. I consider Solti a great conductor. His orchestras sound like . . . Solti! Most contemporary conductors fly in, conduct a concert or two, and then fly somewhere else and do the same. But a generation ago, conductors such as Solti, Karajan, Szell, Ormandy, etc. rehearsed their orchestras for hours upon end. Which is why the orchestras sounded different from each other. I do prefer some conductors' approaches over those of others, but I always find it fascinating to see how each would approach the same piece. My list of the greatest conductors would probably only include 20 to 30 names. But Solti would certainly be one of those.
Without scanning this entire thread, can anyone recommend the best place/best price (maybe also a place that packages items properly for shipment) to order this soon to be released 55 x CD Furtwängler box? US outlets preferred.
