Rubinstein on XRCD
deac...@yahoo.com
have been remastered by JVC using their proprietary digital encoding
and mastering process known as XRCD. They all play on normal CD
players.
Chopin: 4 Scherzi
Brahms: F minor Sonata
Chopin: 2 Sonatas.
These have long been favourites of music lovers. I must have bought
them when they were first released in the early 1960s on LP. And then
on CD as part of the Rubinstein Chopin Collection, and again as Living
Stereo issues and finally as part of the completely remastered Artur
Rubinstein Edition.
Well, all those editions are well and good.
But the magicians at JVC have extracted more information from the same
mastertapes than any of the RCA engineers since the very beginning.
And when you consider that these include Jack Pfeiffer and Max Wilcox
plus assorted engineers like Lewis Layton and Anthony Salvatore, we
are talking a major achievement.
You immediately recognize the Rubinstein sound, including his
warm-toned American Steinway. Particularly in the bass register of the
piano which has gained enormously from the new transfers. On my
system, which admittedly is not run of the mill, I would say, the
detail revealed in these new transfers is quite extraordinary.
There is a trace of tape hiss - normal for material of this vintage, I
think - but nothing at all bothersome.
Musically, there are many pianists who play the Chopin items faster,
but none with a surer sense of the music's ebb and flow. Rubinstein
was always the master of musical transitions, in my opinion, and he
sews this music together with the touch of a real master. I still feel
the finale of Op. 35 is too dry, but repeated hearings of this from AR
in recital over the years were the same; this is just the way he
wanted it to go. The B minor sonata is much more successful.
The Brahms has always been very special and dominated the catalogue
for decades. His Scherzo has a very special brio which no other
pianist has brought to it. And we have to remember Rubinstein's
oft-quoted comment: "For me, Brahms was a contemporary composer".
Right on!
So, although these CDs are NOT long in duration, musically, and now
sonically, they will have an endless shelf-life, and I doubt that any
future transfer, even to SACD or DVD Audio, will ever be done with the
kind of love and affection that the JVC engineers have brought to this
project.
There will be nay-sayers about these releases, who question the hype -
actually I haven't heard or read any - and the price, but personally,
with treasured recordings like this, I find the price irrelevant.
TD
Kalman Rubinson
been playing them frequently in the past 2 weeks.
Kal
Steve Molino
news:11j5vvsqhqod6q86q...@4ax.com...
> Three items from Rubinstein's early stereo recordings for RCA Victor
> have been remastered by JVC using their proprietary digital encoding
> and mastering process known as XRCD. They all play on normal CD
> players.
>
I am really tempted with these, especially the Scherzi. I did break down
and buy the Munch Beethoven Eroica after the last series of posts on the
XRCDs. I have to say that it sounds very good, but it didn't strike me as
remarkably better. Did I manage to buy the one exception to the rule?
By the way, I have seen several of these XRCDs appear on Ebay so I suspect
that some are not finding them quite the revelation that others have.
Paul Goldstein
says...
There are also several used copies of a few RCA/XRCD titles at the San Francisco
Amoeba. For the execessively touchy, I hasten to add that I do not draw any
adverse inferences about the quality of these issues from the fact that they
turn up in the used bins.
Paul Goldstein
deac...@yahoo.com
People may just copy them and then sell off the original.
Incidentally, there was no commercial in my comments, Steve and resent
the implication. I am not involved with JVC or RCA in any way shape or
form.
TD
TD
deac...@yahoo.com
wrote:
>For the execessively touchy, I hasten to add that I do not draw any
>adverse inferences about the quality of these issues from the fact that they
>turn up in the used bins.
Nor do I.
Everything turns up in the used bins at one time or another. And I do
mean everything.
TD
Bob Lombard
wrote:
>In article <GnCIb.6033$Do6.2...@news4.srv.hcvlny.cv.net>, Steve Molino
I suppose it's unnecessary, but I'll point out that the XRCDs are in
standard CD format (44KHz, 16 bit) so are easily ripped and copied.
The original can then be sold by the unethical. So eBay and/or used
bin presence may not be significant.
bl
Steve Molino
news:ohu5vv4m26k73gv4m...@4ax.com...
For you to resent something as innocuous as that is rather amusing, given
the vehemence with which you attack others. Either way, I only meant
"commercial" in the sense of your strong advocacy of this product, which I
do not take issue with in any way. My question was very specific and I did
not feel that the entire post needed to be repeated.
And, yes, I'm sure there are unethical people that burn these XRCDs and then
sell them off, but I am also equally sure that there are some who bought
them and were underwhelmed and hoped to recoup some of their money. My own
experience fits more closer to this latter group. If I had had a chance to
listen to the Munch Eroica and compare to my current version, I would not
have spent the $30. As it is, it IS certainly superior in very small ways
and so I will keep it and sell off my other version instead since I have
already made the investment.
Not everything is an invitation to a fight, Tom.
deac...@yahoo.com
<s_molin...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>Not everything is an invitation to a fight, Tom.
Not all comments are innocent, Steve.
TD
Steve Molino
news:v796vvgu2f9g5ou7u...@4ax.com...
I would rather assume they are and occasionally be disappointed than assume
they aren't and get all worked up. But hey, different strokes...
Andrys Basten
Useful MUSIC threads are so rare to see, and this one was
interesting.
Your characterization of the opener as a "commercial" (since the
word normally means a paid advertisement) led to the focus again
(for the reader) on the usual bickering.
But if it's fun for some, what the heck, it IS NY's eve :-)
Ring out the old, ring in the, um
- A