Classical Corner Classical Music Corner (thread #16)

Warmth, smoothness, detail, frequency extension. I adore Telarc's sound. I know of no other classical digital recordings that are so eminently crankable. Telarc and the Living Stereo SACD's are my two favourite classical series for sound quality.

 

I agree with George, Ashkenazy is excellent in the Préludes. The earlier set does indeed sound better.

 

Sorry, but I have to disagree. I've never liked the "Telarc sound"; I can't really put my finger on it, but, like the "ECM sound", it has always sound kind of "artificial" and cold (= technique above feeling) to me. I've also always had the impression that they put sound quality above performance quality. Not my cup of tea.

 

There's a lovely, cheap, set of excerpts.

 

I know the label started using a variation on the microphone set-up used in the Mercury Living Stereo series, but using Schoeps Collets instead of the Neumann/Telefunken tube-powered beasties favored by Robert Fine. World of difference in sound. Certainly "thinner" sounding, in the sense that there's less lower-midrange info printed to the master tape. The Mercury Living Presence series also had a touch of that hard/cold quality found in the early, minimally miked recordings of Telarc, but the "House Sound" of the Cleveland label took it to an extreme. Later on, there were plenty of outside producers and plenty of seasoned audio engineers who made Telarc recordings with significantly different sound qualities.

 

Evening, classical mavens!

Now playing this one. I don't think he does as well as reputed in Rachmaninoff.

 

Try Chailly's no.3 and Temirkanov no.5

 

(On the spin this fine morning)

As this depicts on the cover.....
A nice one to wake up to at first light with a fresh cupa coffee!

 

I regularly hit up Rasputin's super cheap bins of LPs. With some records, one can't seem to find a decent pressing, no matter how hard one tries. And sometimes, a $1 record turns out better than any copy of the title one has previously encountered. It looks like that happened with this fifty cent copy of Antonín Dvořák's Eighth [previously Fourth] Symphony as performed by George Szell leading the Cleveland Orchestra, Epic records, gold label. Other than a few sequential clicks in the first movement the record sounds marvelous, surprising as the LP has no sleeve. One of the best performances of one of Dvořák's best pieces.

 

Any preference between these two?

 

Isn't the Originals edition the complete version?

 

on 2 CD's ? Probably without al the dialogues, that what blows the Rene Jacobs version to 3 CD's, but thenin order to understand waht is happening these interludes are necessarry- somehow one should have a way to programthem out like those interludes on HipHop CD's, that get annoyng pretty ssson.

The prices for the best classical recordings have just been awarded by the german sociey for classical music (critcs), maybe this os of interest to some of you:


PREIS DER DEUTSCHEN SCHALLPLATTENKRITIK 2010

BACH Moteten - BIS SACD - Bach Collegium Japan - Damo Suzuki

MAHLER Lieder -Vocals - Gerharher Piano - Gerald Hübner (RCA/SONY)

DVORAK - Sir Charles Mackerras conducts Czech Philharmonic Orchestra SUPRAPHONE/SIGNUM1

CHOPIN Klavierkonzert 1 & 2 Rafael blechacz & RoyalCconcertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam conducted by Jerzy Semkow Deutsche Gramophon)

SCHUMANN - complete works for piano played by ERIC LE SAGE (ALPHA NOTE)

Sonderpreis (special price) der Kritik geht an
Andreas Spreer & TACET für
"Hommage An Steuerman" Klavierwerke von Schönberg & Steuermann performed by Erica Haase, Carmen Piazini und Eduard Steuermann
TACET CD

Record of the Month November = WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART _ Klavierkonzerte Nr. 20 köchel Verzeichnis 466 und Nr 27 KV 595 /EMI CD 63 minutes
performed by EVGENY KISSIN & Kremerata (Kremerata also conducted by Kissin)
Musik 5 from 5 stars sound quality 5 from 5 stars as well.
"as close to perfect Mozart as one can imagine.."
seems like a must have addition for my collection !

 

Yes, it is. I found that out when I dug a little deeper.

However, in between me asking and you answering, I found that the Highlights version doesn't have a couple of key arias, incl. "Zum Ziele Führt Dich Diese Bahn."

I have the Ostman version on L'Oiseau-Lyre, and used to have the one by Sir Colin Davis on Philips, so I'm pretty familiar with the melodies.

I'm going to take the complete Bohm version out of the library. I thought it would be speaking part-free, but it isn't, at least not as far as I can tell so far.

 

The Klemperer recording, from the same year, is speaking part-free.

 

Bohm's got the best guys, Klemperer's got the best gals.

 

Thank you. I'll have to look for that.

 

Well don’t stop there. Go ahead and get the complete Rach piano recordings by Ashkenazy with Previn & the LSO on the concertos (which are excellent). This was issued before the newer remaster and I presume has the same mastering that George is referencing.

Rachmaninov: The Piano Concertos

 

Looks tempting (but depends on price, of course), thanks for thumbs up.

 

I don't think Ashy does nearly as well with the concerti as he doies with the preludes, FWIW.

 

So, it seems too redundant for the price. How good are his other solo works?

 

i listened to my copy of the 2cd Ravel set on Nimbus-excellent,once you
adjust to the resonant acoustic that Nimbus favors (apropriate label name.)
the Vox 2cd set from 1955 is also very good,with an opposite sound quality-
quite dry.

 

Much better can be had, I think.

Etude Tableaux - (which I don't think are complete in the Ashy set) Ogdon on Testament is my favorite.

Piano Sonata 2 - Horowitz Live 1981 Carnegie Hall

Suites - I haven't heard a recording yet that really impressed me.

 

To my surprise and delight I found this cute version of Die Zauberflöte on the other audiophile german classical label Dabringhaus Gold with a flute (sic-Flöten) quartet with Roel Dielmens, the Kußmaul brothers on strings plus Konrad Huntelar on flute- a wonderful mellow tone, just lovely ...
The perfect choice for those who can't stand all those vocals and talking

 

Next on the playlist was CD 5 from the Beethoven Sonaten set by Daniel Barenboim

 

That was my very first set of Beethoven sonatas. This week I ordered my 15th.