This is a very interesting CD. I have not dusted this off in several years-I will revisit this over the weekend along with some of the other 20/21 collection items I have.
The guitar world has been (im)patiently waiting for these Preludes and Fugues to be recorded, and this does not disappoint. She is the composer's ex-wife, so presumably she knows how he wants them played! Many are extremely demanding, but she's makes them sound effortless. I hope the second set of 12 follows soon. Incidentally, he lists his main inspirations as Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, and Led Zeppelin. (The latter is hard to detect except perhaps in some driving rhythms, which the Russian influences also used in their music.)
The 20/21 series are very well produced in terms of the repertoires and the performances. And the Knussen albums with LS have specutaclar sonics thanks to Tryggie.
I listened to the Szell Symphony No. 40 this morning -- very good! Now playing another LP I got last weekend. This one is awesome as well, and Entremont is new to me: Chopin: The Four Ballades. Philippe Entremont, Columbia (1970). Picture not mine.
Now some string trios by Sergei Taneyev. Performed in 2015 by the Lubotsky Trio. Melodiya CD. String Trio in E flat major and String Trio in B minor.
If I remember correctly, I think they have several dates lined up in Europe. I was lucky enough to hear their recital of this music in Boston last April, and it was absolutely fantastic. Our seats were pretty close to the stage, and I think the tones from Gautier’s cello were some of the best pure sound I’ve ever heard. Bit of hyperbole, sure, but I definitely enjoyed it a lot. I’m also enjoying this new recording.
Well, that was an unpleasant surprise. For the first time in probably a couple of years, on a whim I did a search for classical SACDs on Amazon. (I haven't had much occasion to look for them, as some equipment issues that need not detain us have pretty much put me out of the SACD playing business for the time being.) The last time I did such a search, I got page after page after page of the things. This time? Three pages at most, a goodly fraction being the RCA Living Stereo issues that have been out for ages now. I guess the classical labels really are abandoning the format. So, from that, a heads up: if you're interested in classical SACDs, you may want to make haste to snatch up any on your want list. Mind you, even when "pages and pages" of SACDs were on offer, all too many of them struck me as recordings I wouldn't have wanted in standard CD form, much less at a premium for SACD. Nonetheless, I managed to put together a pretty decent little collection of SACDs that I did want when they still were fairly common; for instance, one of the better Beethoven Appassionatas that I've heard is by Arthur Pizzaro on SACD. Kurt Masur's old quadraphonic cycle of the Beethoven Syms. and its companion set of the overtures is another that I was happy to get, as was the Romeros' first recording of Rodrigo's Concierto de Andaluz for four guitars and orchestra, maybe a bit on the fluffy side but loads of flashy fun nonetheless. And so on.
While it's correct that fewer SACDs are produced and that some companies have given up on the format in the last few years, a lot is still produced, especially by companies like BIS, Chandos, Channel Classics, PentaTone, Reference Recordings and Challenge Classics. Additionally, while DG gave up on SACD a while ago, they instead offer the same kind of HiRes, and often Surround recordings on Blu-ray discs. The older Quad recordings done in the 1970s by DG and Philips are also being remastered in HiRes by PentaTone, and some key Quad recordings by RCA and Columbia (i.e., Sony) are similarly done (like PentaTone very well) by Dutton. The place to go for a listing of pretty much all the HiRes discs coming out, whether SACD or Blu-ray, and reviews of a fair number of these, is HRAudio.net. For those really into surround, there are even a handful of classical recordings being offered in Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D (the latter the ultimate format with potentially 11.2 channels). RCO Live has some in the latter category.
It's sunday morning and I'm listening to some Bach. Concertos for Piano performed by Evgeni Koroliov, Anna Vinnitskaya, Ljupka Hadzi Georgieva & Kammerakademie Potsdam. Very nice recordings with a full warm sound (in 24/96 hi-res).
Up early this Sunday morning. The vacuum tubes are warmed up, the coffee is strong and the music is historic! Playing the disc entitled “Early Piano Recordings” from the DG 120 box set. Performers include Alfred Grunfeld, Eugen D”Albert, Walter Rehberg, Wilhelm Kempf, Raoul Koczalski, Eduard Erdmann and Geza Anda. The recordings were made from 1907 to 1943. The early recordings which DG has restored and included in each section of the box set have been an interesting revelation for me. The level of artistry has been consistently high and they have rescued many superlative performances from oblivion.
Now: from the DG120 box: Monique Haas, piano. Pieces by Ravel, Debussy, Roussel, Bartok. Recordings from 1949, 1953 and 1956. Mono. Delightful! EDIT: I have now saved The Complete DG recordings of Monique Haas to my Amazon Music playlists.
I started a thread on Classical SACDs awhile back: Your Favorite Classical SACDs I also posted this yesterday on an SHM thread: Do they boost the treble on some of these SHM SACDs? I ask because I bought a classical 2 disc set recently and for an early 1960s recording, there is a lot of loud tape hiss. I have a CD mastering of the same performances and the tape hiss level is much lower. I had a similar situation with a classical XRCD this week. Both are Richter performances, with the SHM SACD being the Beethoven Cello Sonatas with Rostropovich. The discs were expensive too. Your Favorite SHM SACDs
Speaking of which, now enjoying this SHM SACD set. I bought it months ago, but the excessive tape hiss and the flat, cold sound turned me off of it. Giving it another try today, I have to say the clarity is stunning. I have to turn the volume way up, as it was transferred at a low level.
Listening to Symphony no. 7 followed by Quartet no. 7 from two of my favorite sets on LP: Beethoven: 9 Symphonien. Leonard Bernstein: Wiener Philharmoniker. DG. (Photo not mine) Beethoven: String Quartets opp. 59 & 74. Juilliard String Quartet. Epic. (Photo mine)
Listening to a Schubert piano disc-Wilhelm Kempfe. Part of DG120 box set, piano recordings section. Recorded 1967-1971.
