Opus Kura, Pristine: Cortot Thibaud Casals Trio recordings

[RiRiIII]

Always looking for better (or different but good)transfers of these well known and essential recordings, can anybody offer their input on the recent Opus Kura CD set?

Thibaud-Casals-Cortot Trio : All the Piano Trio recordings (1926-1928)
CD1
Beethoven: Piano Trio No. 7 ‘Archduke’
Schumann: Piano Trio in d
CD2
Haydn: Piano Trio in G, Op.73-2
Schubert: Piano Trio No.1, D 898
Mendelssohn: Piano Trio No. 1

OPK2100/1

http://www.opuskura.com/releases_e.htm

Or the Pristine Classical transfer of just the Schubert?

http://www.pristineclassical.com/LargeWorks/Chamber/PACM021.php


Many thanks.

Alex

[Frank Berger]

Don't forget that these were all mastered by Mark Obert-Thorn for Naxos.

[td]

And, need one add, by EMI, the owners of the recordings as well as of the masters, when they exist.

TD

[Frank Berger]

On 7/29/2013 8:55 PM, td wrote:
> And, need one add, by EMI, the owners of the recordings as well as of the masters, when they exist.
>
> TD
>

I'm sure others will comment on the quality of the EMI transfers, vs.
the others, but in any case, I don't think the EMI's are in print, are they?

[Mort]

Several of these are in the new 40-CD Cortot box from EMI, and the
transfers seem to be better than the previous ones, at least for the
pure piano discs. They were all newly remastered in France, albeit they
are pressed in Poland.

Mort Linder

[wkasimer]

On Monday, July 29, 2013 8:55:23 PM UTC-4, td wrote:

> And, need one add, by EMI, the owners of the recordings as well as of the masters, when they exist.

I have this set:

http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Schubert-Mendelssohn-Schumann-Haydn/dp/B000002S2Y

The transfers stink.

I haven't heard the Opus Kura transfer of this material, but their version of Casals' recording of the Bach cello suites is superior to any other that I've heard.

Bill

[RiRiIII]

This is very tempting!

Thanks,

Alex

[Frank Berger]

I have the impression that most reviewers think Obert-Thorn's transfers
for Naxos are better than the Opus Kura. Can anyone here compare them?

[wkasimer]

On Tuesday, July 30, 2013 10:53:33 AM UTC-4, Frank Berger wrote:

>>>>>> I have the impression that most reviewers think Obert-Thorn's transfers for Naxos are better than the Opus Kura. Can anyone here compare them?<<<<<

As I said, I haven't heard the Opus Kura transfers of the trios. But for the cello suites, I think that I've heard almost every legitimate transfer produced in the past twenty years, including M O-T's for Naxos, Winner's for Pearl, EMI (a couple of them), Opus Kura, and one or two that I've discarded. I've also listened to samples of Pristine's online.

The three that are worth considering are Opus Kura, Pearl, and Naxos (and I've kept all three). My preference is for the Opus Kura transfers. They are a bit noisier than O-T's for Naxos, so if that's important, you may prefer the Naxos. But the Opus Kura transfer gives the cello a presence that's largely missing from other transfers.

Bill

[Frank Berger]

Good to know.

[Mark Obert-Thorn]

On Tuesday, July 30, 2013 11:40:15 AM UTC-4, wkasimer wrote:
<<As I said, I haven't heard the Opus Kura transfers of the trios. But for the cello suites, I think that I've heard almost every legitimate transfer produced in the past twenty years, including M O-T's for Naxos, Winner's for Pearl, EMI (a couple of them), Opus Kura, and one or two that I've discarded. I've also listened to samples of Pristine's online. The three that are worth considering are Opus Kura, Pearl, and Naxos (and I've kept all three). My preference is for the Opus Kura transfers. They are a bit noisier than O-T's for Naxos, so if that's important, you may prefer the Naxos. But the Opus Kura transfer gives the cello a presence that's largely missing from other transfers. Bill>>

Just to set the record straight, I did not do the Naxos transfers of the Casals Bach Suites; Ward Marston did. Also, the only Cortot-Thibaud-Casals trio recording I transferred for Naxos was the "Archduke". Ward did the others.

Mark Obert-Thorn

[Oscar]

On Tuesday, July 30, 2013, wkasimer wrote:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Schubert-Mendelssohn-Schumann-Haydn/dp/B000002S2Y
>
> The transfers stink.

Charles Levin did those.

Here's what Jed Distler had to say in a Classics Today review of Naxos 8.11085 (Mendelssohn/Schumann Trios) http://tiny.cc/o9110w

<< Ward Marston’s transfers boast considerably less surface scratch than his earlier Mendelssohn/Schumann restorations for Biddulph. The improvement stems from cleaner shellac pressings this time around, plus the past decade’s technological advances. Stalwart collectors, however, should seek out the deleted three-disc Cortot/Thibaud/Casals collection from EMI Références, where Charles Levin’s brighter transfers add more bite to the string tone and heft to Cortot’s sonority. In any event, if you want the Mendelssohn and Schumann on a single disc and at a great price, Marston’s clean, mellow transfers will do just fine. >>

[wkasimer]

On Tuesday, July 30, 2013 5:40:54 PM UTC-4, Mark Obert-Thorn wrote:

>>> Just to set the record straight, I did not do the Naxos transfers of the Casals Bach Suites; Ward Marston did.<<<

Thanks for the clarification, Mark. I couldn't locate the Naxos set in my ocean of CD's, hence the error.

Bill

[Mort]

Hi,

That set is from 1992. The new big Cortot box was remastered in 2012. I
do not have any old trio discs for comparison.

Mort Linder

[td]

That's a help, Bill.

Please elaborate on the word "stink" in relationship to the original 78s.

What note or notes were you missing?

Was there some specific aspect of the playing that escaped you?

Have you perhaps checked your hearing recently?

TD

[td]

I have them all.

They bear the inevitable faults of all 78 RPM recordings. Some of us grew up with the originals and don't min. Others seem to want them to be supercharged by Mr. Rose before enjoyment is possible.

This is a truly boring topic which leads nowhere.

TD

[wkasimer]

On Wednesday, July 31, 2013 10:00:26 PM UTC-4, td wrote:
>>>> That's a help, Bill. Please elaborate on the word "stink" in relationship to the original 78s. What note or notes were you missing? Was there some specific aspect of the playing that escaped you? <<<<

Which notes or specific aspects are you missing when you listen to the Opus Kura or Marston transfers, Tom?

Either it makes no difference, in which case it doesn't really matter whether one listens to the EMI, the Opus Kura, or the Marston transfers, or it *does* make a difference, in which case it *does* matter. You can't have it both ways.

>>>>Have you perhaps checked your hearing recently?

Annually.

Bill

[td]

It matters not a whit to me what happens after my death. I'll be out of here and feeling nothing.

TD

[td]

They are all reasonable facsimiles of the 78s, some with roll off of the "non- music" noise, others with all that noise spat out as thoigh it were as important as the music.

It's a matter of taste.

Do you take your Scotch neat, or with water, or with soda, or ice cubes?

Such a boring topic.

And nobody speaks of the performances themselves, which are not above criticism, I should say.

TD

[johngra...@gmail.com]

On Tuesday, July 30, 2013 7:53:33 AM UTC-7, Frank Berger wrote:

>
>
> I have the impression that most reviewers think Obert-Thorn's transfers
>
> for Naxos are better than the Opus Kura. Can anyone here compare them?

No idea what most reviewers think, but the Opus Kura blows the Naxos so far out of the water it's not even funny.

I never really liked these performances--thought they were dry as stale toast--till I heard the OK. Now I'm a fanatic. I can hear everything from clicking on the fretboard to room reverb to Casals breathing in the OK. The Naxos still sound like dry toast, though not as dry as the horrible EMIs.

[tomdeacon]

WHAT are you talking about?

There is NO context here.

--
TD