Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #15)

2 Brandenburgs Reviewed

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Well I gave these both a close ear today and this is my synopsis of the two.

Rinaldo Alessandrini (RA):
First thing you notice about this one is the tempo....little faster than it's normally performed.
Just enough to notice and doesn't detract from the performance.
I was a little apprehensive of this Italian production right off as there is very little Italian conducted classical out there.
Maybe it's cuz we think of Italy for Pasta and Pizza and not Classical Music?
It's spectacularly done...right down to using period instruments!
The recording itself is bright and clear. You can tell it's newer ©2005 especially with the 24bit/96khz
The period instruments are very defined almost to a 3D effect.
About like having 3 colors independent of themselves to make a rainbow.
I believe this is due to the 24bit which is quite nice...approaching SACD sound and quality.

Trevor Pinnock (TP):
The tempo of this one is as you remember of Brandenburgs you have heard before.....medium.
Performance is what you expect of Pinnock as He conducts masterfully as He does in all His performances!
The performance is spectacular and pretty much set the bar for the time it was produced.
This is a older ©1979 AAD recording which with the close comparison to the RA is really noticeable.
Unlike the RA the instruments are more 2D in this one.
Like having 3 colors merge to make one color but we are used to this with late 1970's into the 1980's recording quality.

Bottom Line:
It's very hard to pick one over the other as it's a matter of preference if you like older or new recording quality.
Both conductors have their distinct style and tempo.
I must say tho.....the RA done with period instruments and the 24bit quality does edge ahead of the TP by a slight margin.
But ONLY cuz of these 2 differences....other than that it's a tough call!

 

I look to the Italians for much of my Baroque needs, especially Carmigniola and Biondi. They bring life and gusto to the old Baroque classics.

Thanks for your reviews!

 

Not everybody knows that, but Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Verdi, Respighi, Muti, Abbado, Uto Ughi, Claudio Scimone and even Benedetti Michelangeli and Toscanini could make an excellent pasta al pesto. In fact, most of them dreamed to be professional cooks, but there was no work as we've already got plenty of chefs, so they went back to school and retrained as musicians and started moderately successful careers.

...Well, that's not true

But Leonardo did supposedly spend his twenties as a waiter and, soon, a chef at a tavern called "Taverna delle Tre Lumache", near Ponte Vecchio in Florence, to make ends meet, and so did Sandro Botticelli - the two went as far as to running their own restaurant together sometime later, IIRC.

I don't know.
I love period instruments and I like a properly done recording.
But I hate fast Bach and fast Brandenburgs.
What to do?

 

Now playing:

L.V. Beethoven: Symphony No. 9. The Hanover Band/Roy Goodman (Nimbus Complete Symphonies box set, CD 5)

 

You left out Corelli...

 

Just to make sure, it's still a normal CD, right? Only the recording has been made in 24bit/96khz.

 

I always want to make sure I do not confuse good sound with great virtuosic performance as the two can be mutually exclusive.

 

I am considering getting this Beethoven Symphonies cycle. But this should be my last cycle since I already have 25.

 

Perhaps, the Hanovers did this set too early to adopt all the current trends (some recordings here date back to 1983 or so, but they use, except for a couple of symphonies, then not finished new Barenreiter edition of the scores), and I think that the set benefited from it, there're some nice old school pathos, quite flexible tempos and overall hearty feel to it. The naturally reverberant sound is great too.

 

Now playing the last of the 7 Rosalyn Tureck's CD's I ordered in mid July for a first listen. The CD arrived today from Presto. It took 6 weeks to get this CD ...

 

Jay, Isn't the Beethoven Symphonies cycle by Roy Goodman and the Hanover Band your favorite cycle?

 

I'm going to the Princeton Record Exchange tomorrow morning to kick off my vacation!

Here's a great youtube tour of the store - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLQizoH_9Jo&feature=related

 

George, So PRE has not put its good stuffs on eBay and Amazon like AR?

 

Not to my knowledge.

 

Too bad, it is too far for me. It is over 100 miles.

 

How is that too far?

 

I have to drive 2 hours to get there even in good traffic and sections of I-95 is notorious for slow moving traffic ...

 

OK, but that wouldn't be too far a trip for me if I had a car. I can see 4 hours being too long, but even then, I'd go at least few times a year.

 

Do you hop the bus at PA or do you take the NJ Transit to get there?

 

NJ Transit. The whole trip door to door is a little over 2 hours.

 

Smart move. Train ride is always much more enjoyable than bus ride on a longer trip, i.e. > 1 hour. Long distance bus trip always usde to give me a headache.

You are gonna to hunt down some hard to find OOP CD's.

 

Isn't that about 1 hour on Amtrak

 

No. It's another one I sold. My favorites are by Harnoncourt (full cycle), plus Bohm for 6, 7, and 9. And Bernstein's on CBS, but that's because it's what I heard as a kid.

 

It was someone who mentioned this set being his favorite.