Starting the day with some Haydn keyboard works. Joseph Haydn - Piano Sonatas XVI:41, 16, 2, 32 & 46 - Bart van Oort, fortepiano Spotted a sort of pattern in my listening: 1. Buy mini-box set (5-15 CDs) 2. Listen to at least 1CD per day, both to hear the new stuff and check all the CDs play correctly. 3. Due to the resulting slight over-exposure to said artist/medium, put the box aside for a while. 4. Rediscover it a few months later, and enjoy just dipping in at random. Anyway, re-arranged my CDs yesterday and discovered I have plenty of space to expand. Expanding my meagre collection of Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich is the top priority, and perhaps some more Schubert.
Been umming and ahhing about this set for ages. Did I need it ? (I already have some of the performances, Don Juan, Don Quixote for example). I finally weakened, so, on its way to Chez Wugged.......
Now listening to the second CD of the 2CD “Romeo and Juliet” complete ballet recording included in Previn Warner box. 6/73.
Previewing this set with Symphony 10: Shostakovich - Symphony 10 - Barshai/WDR Sinfonieorchester These seem to be excellently recorded. Did Brilliant commission this set, or did it fall into their hands after some other entity went bust?
This is indeed one of the best complete cycles of Shostakovich's Symphonies. I do not have my copy in front of me at the moment, but iirc this was originally recorded for another label, cannot remember what label, but it was never released. Brilliant Classics bought the license from them to release it.
CD11 of this set: Frederic Chopin - Piano Sonata Nos. 2 & 3, Fantasie in F Minor Op 49 - Vladimir Ashkenazy
Narciso Yepes: Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez Orquesta Nacional de España / Ataulfo Argenta RCA, rec. 1958 [Made in Spain.]
The cycle was recorded by the German regional radio station WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk or West German Radio), based in Köln (Cologne), not by a particular label. It was also WDR that released the set.
I find the Barshai cycle to be competently played, but it’s never been a favorite of mine (that honor goes to Kondrashin, Rozhdestvensky and Haitinik). Anyway, my understanding of this Barshai cycle is it was recorded by the Musical Concepts label, but Brilliant Classics must have bought the rights to license the performances, so they released it as a complete set. Honestly, I’m just guessing here, but this sounds like what happened.
An outstanding set right there. Kempe was one of the great Straussians. I own the Japanese hybrid SACD of this set which was a joint issue between Warner and Tower Records and it sounds fantastic. The new remastering which happened in the early 2010s was a revelation to me. As a result I got rid of the older set I had and kept this set: The set you bought uses the same remastering as the set I posted above. Anyway, ENJOY!!!
As I noted upthread the cycle was recorded by the German regional radio station WDR, not by a particular label. It says so on the cover: "Eine Aufnahme des Westdeutschen Rundfunks, Köln, 1992/1994/1995/1997/1998" ("A recording by the West German Radio, Cologne"). Brilliant Classics released it in conjunction with WDR. I agree with your favourites Kondrashin and Haitink, but I find the Rozhdestvensky unlistenable, hard/piercing, horrible sound. The sound takes over from the music, and I can't stand it. The Barshai/WDR is in my "overflow room"
