Végh Quartet - Kodály and Smetana - joint restoration by Dr John Duffy & Andrew Rose
Andrew Rose
Joint remastering by Dr John Duffy & Andrew Rose
PACM061 - Kodály - String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10; Smetana - String
Quartet No. 1 in E flat
Végh Quartet:
Sándor Végh (violin)
Sándor Zöldy (violin)
Georges Janzer (viola)
Paul Szabo (cello)
First issued in the UK in 1954 as Decca LP LXT2876
Transfer and restoration from US London LP LL-865 by Dr. John Duffy
Additional XR remastering by Andrew Rose at Pristine Audio, October 2008
Total duration: 46:25
The Végh Quartet were one of the truly great ensembles of the 20th
Century. Founded in 1940 by Sándor Végh, himself a founder member of the
equally legenday Hungarian Quartet, they were particularly noted for
their interpretation of their native music, with their Bartók cycles
being especially highly regarded.
Less well-known is this 1954 recording, which won huge praise upon its
release. First heard here as a PADA Exclusive, transferred and
remastered by Dr. John Duffy, it has undergone further transformation
with a full XR remastering by Andrew Rose.
As one would expect from a 1950's Decca recording, the original sound
quality was very good indeed - now it is superb, and brings further life
to a remarkable and hugely enjoyable pair of recordings. We cannot
recommend this release highly enough!
http://www.pristineclassical.com/LargeWorks/Chamber/PACM061.php
Notes on the restoration: This recording was originally presented to
Pristine Classical by Dr. John Duffy for inclusion in our PADA
Exclusives streamed audio service playlist. A fine recording, it had won
great plaudits upon its release in 1954, and was double-starred in the
1955 issue of The Record Guide, their highest accolade.
However, time moves on, and I felt that the original sound was perhaps
somewhat veiled and might benefit from a little XR remastering. I
quickly put together a rough remastering and sent this across the
Internet to Dr. Duffy. The title of his response - "Revelation" - says
it all, and I decided this recording really merited a full release.
Taking Dr. Duffy's transfer as my source, I then proceeded to produce a
full XR Ambient Stereo master. This proved more time-consuming than I
had expected - not only did the high-precision re-equalisation lift a
veil from the performers, it also exposed the inevitable weaknesses in
the medium - mid-50's vinyl, which then required further restoration
over and above that which Dr. Duffy had already so expertly dealt with.
The result, I feel, is a triumph - both musically and in performance -
and also as a joint restoration effort. Decca's reputation for high
quality recordings was rightly lauded, and this is an excellent example
of that. Very highly recommended recordings of some little-known but
excellent chamber music.
Kodály 1st mvt: http://tinyurl.com/PACM061
--
Andrew Rose - Pristine Classical
The online home of Classical Music: www.pristineclassical.com
Bob Lombard
> The magnificent Végh Quartet on home territory
>
> Joint remastering by Dr John Duffy & Andrew Rose
>
>
> PACM061 - Kodály - String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10; Smetana - String
> Quartet No. 1 in E flat
>
> Végh Quartet:
> Sándor Végh (violin)
> Sándor Zöldy (violin)
> Georges Janzer (viola)
> Paul Szabo (cello)
>
recording music is a more informative sample than the Smetana, where
direct comparisons are more likely.
bl
Andrew Rose
If you wish to hear it all you can take out a trial subscription to our
PADA streamed audio service - you'll get a week's free audition and can
cancel before it's up.
That said, I would suggest that the sound quality of the Smetana, if
anything, was the better of the two my a very small margin.
Performance-wise I'd say they're both top-notch - certainly that was the
verdict of the critics of the day.
Personally I was hugely impressed with the whole package, which is why I
chose to put a lot of extra work into it and put it out as a full release.
Bob Lombard
If there is one there it's that your choice may hinge on whether you
consider the recordings on the LP to be more significant as 'historical'
documents than as performances. If the latter, it would make sense to
make your sample the Smetana - there being a lot of recorded
performances to compare it to.
You may have noticed that your entire enterprise is suspect in some
quarters, notably the Moose Corners one. Is your main intent to bring
back historical performances in sound improved enough to be attractive
to people who are not necessarily aficionados of 'old' recordings, or
are you in the business of reissuing recordings which have passed out of
copyright, altering the recorded sound for 'commercial' reasons. We know
where the Moose Corners contingent stands on this. Personally, I find
that I don't care.
bl