Maag Edition - Decca Eloquence - mastering/pressing defect

[Kepler]

I was very happy to receive this set in the mail yesterday, but was startled by the rather abrupt start of the Mozart serenade on the first track of CD 1; sounded as though it was clipped; I obtained a copy of the earlier single CD eloquence reissue of the same performance, which does not have this problem. You can also hear the opening the first track on the Presto website for the older Eloquence issue.
I'm not sure if there's anyone at Decca/Universal/Eloquence to contact about this issue, but if you have the older CD you can hear the performance intact.

[drh8h]

On Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 8:10:39 AM UTC-5, Kepler wrote:
> I was very happy to receive this set in the mail yesterday, but was startled by the rather abrupt start of the Mozart serenade on the first track of CD 1; sounded as though it was clipped; I obtained a copy of the earlier single CD eloquence reissue of the same performance, which does not have this problem. You can also hear the opening the first track on the Presto website for the older Eloquence issue.
> I'm not sure if there's anyone at Decca/Universal/Eloquence to contact about this issue, but if you have the older CD you can hear the performance intact.

There should be a contact link on their website. They have always responded to my comments. BTW, this setis supposed to be remastered. Any noticeable improvement in the sound? I listened to some of the older Eloquence Maag issues from 2006, and they seemed perfectly adequate.

DH

[John Fowler]

MAJOR PROBLEM worse than a clipped note. The wrong music is playing on the CD.
It's supposed to sound like this:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kpFIGyDj6rYq9Tc_OXPUzRvrn0PPvHIEk
but something else is playing.
I don't have time right now to listen all the way through right now. maybe later.
In the meantime, does anyone else know what music is playing on track 1 of CD 1?
track 1 is supposed to be 5:04, but the music plays without pause into track 2 and finally ends at 3:48 of track 2

[John Fowler]

On Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 3:16:25 PM UTC-6, Mike Emerson wrote:
> And CD 20, which is supposed to be stereo, is monaural.

CD 20 is the 1962 Westminster recording of Schumann and Chopin Concerti by pianist Pou Ts'ong.
It certainly sounds like mono over my headphones.

[Frank Berger]

On 3/4/2021 4:27 PM, John Fowler wrote:
> On Thursday, March 4, 2021 at 3:16:25 PM UTC-6, Mike Emerson wrote:
>> And CD 20, which is supposed to be stereo, is monaural.

> And I just got my second Moderna shot and feel like crap. Not my day.
>

Looked another way, it's the best day you could have. But I understand where you are coming from as I am suffering from side effects from my first Moderna shot, gotten yeasterday. Headache, nausea, congestion, muscle aches. exhaustion. No fever, but then I can't remember the last time I had a fever. Even when I had Covid last March there was little or no fever. Maybe that's a sign that my immune system doesn't work so well, I don't know. I am diabetic, type 2, in pretty good control. Hang in there.

[John Fowler]

I was tired for two days after my first Modena shot, but no fever.
After my second shot three days ago, I had a 36 hour fever, and am just starting to feel better.
Doctors said not to take acetaminophen or ibuprofen, because the fever is a side effect of my body producing antibodies. Good kind of fever.

[Bob Harper]

Anecdotal reports (i.e. from people I know) indicate that side effects
from Moderna are worse than those from Pfizer. Don't know why.

Bob Harper

[Frank Berger]

That's fine advice, but what about getting rid of a headache? I get a headache whenever the weather changes and I have no ability to tolerate them. Fortunately, one or two doses of ibuprofen takes care of it.

[drh8h]

I believe this is their email address: eloq...@umusic.com. Since I don't have the set, it would probably be better that someone who does have it let them know.

DH

[Mark Obert-Thorn]

I contacted Cyrus Meher-Homji, the head of Eloquence, about the Mozart Serenade problem, and he said: "This was picked up and repressed. We can supply a new box for anyone experiencing issues. They can write to the Eloquence address but would need to include proof of purchase. "

Mark O-T

[Frank Berger]

Why on earth would the not ship just a corrected CD1? Because the guy making that decision does not have personally pay the shipping cost of a replacement box?

[Bob Harper]

Convenience, Frank, convenience. Besides, I suspect they pressed x
copies of the corrected CD, which all went into 'new' boxes. The extra
costs of either 1)taking CD1 out of the new boxes and waiting for a
re-pressing of that CD only would eat up any savings. Sounds odd, but I
suspect it's true.

Bob Harper

[John Fowler]

I could never understand why the manufacturer (Eloquence) doesn't just notify the retailer (ImportCDs in my case), and then the retailer could notify the customer of a recall.
Surely they must keep records.

[Randy Lane]

That was the case once that I recall.
JPC sent me replacement CDs for defective ones in the 2008 Karajan Orchestral box, without me even contacting them.

[John Fowler]

ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIME ?
Apparently the Fou Ts'ong CD is a lost cause.
The 1962 Westminster LP was recorded in stereo (see the original jacket), but the CD in the new box is mono (CD 20).
I contacted Eloquence on Facebook and received this answer:
"Write to us at Eloquence and we will send you a replacement copy.
The tapes available to us for the Fou Ts’ong were marked as Stereo - apologies but there is nothing we can do there.
The mistake on CD1 was corrected."

[Mike Emerson]

On Saturday, March 6, 2021 at 8:02:25 AM UTC-5, John Fowler wrote:
...

> Apparently the Fou Ts'ong CD is a lost cause.
> The 1962 Westminster LP was recorded in stereo (see the original jacket), but the CD in the new box is mono (CD 20).
> I contacted Eloquence on Facebook and received this answer:
> "Write to us at Eloquence and we will send you a replacement copy.
> The tapes available to us for the Fou Ts’ong were marked as Stereo - apologies but there is nothing we can do there.
> The mistake on CD1 was corrected."

You can download the surprisingly good-sounding free stereo LP at Rediscovery Records < https://rediscovery.us/paperbacks.html >. It's a tracked and tagged excellent 320kbps/mp3 rip and converts nicely to CD-burnable flacs.

[MiNe109]

Thanks!

[John Fowler]

US Amazon just posted my review of the Peter Maag Edition on Eloquence.
Not really a review, more of a consumer warning.
Has anyone received a replacement disc of CD 1 from Eloquence? I am still waiting.
Review:

Eloquence is probably my favorite classical label (yes, I know it's really Decca), but in the past month they have made an embarrassing number of errors.
Do you have the 20 CD Peter Maag box yet?
It might be a good idea to wait a few months.
CD 1 is supposed to be Mozart Serenades 4 & 5 but it ain't (I'm not sure what it is).
I contacted Eloquence and they promised to send me a replacement.
CDs 8 and 20 have mono versions of stereo recordings from 1959 and 1962 (a relic of the stereo/mono dual LP inventory from the early days of stereo on LP).
In January 1959 Maag and the London Symphony recorded 12 German Dances by Mozart in stereo with the London Symphony (CD 8, tracks 1-12).
A highlight of this box.
Apparently Decca couldn't find the stereo master for the first 6 Dances, so they are mono.
CD 20 is a 1962 recording of Chopin & Schumann Piano Concerti played by Fou Ts'ong with Maag and the London Symphony, recorded in stereo by Westminster.
Decca couldn't find the stereo master tape so they used the mono , but you can download a surprisingly good-sounding stereo MP3 (copied from an LP or an open-reel tape) for free at the ReDiscovery website

Deutsche Grammophon had the same problem when they decided to reissue William Steinberg’s magnificent 1960s Beethoven set with the Pittsburgh Symphony on CD.
DG could not find the stereo master tape (or 35mm film) for the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth in their vault.
Instead of issuing the finale in mono, DG located some well-preserved commercial LPs and created a new master with really phenomenal stereo sound.
Since Eloquence, Decca, and Deutsche Grammophon are today part of the same company, why couldn’t someone have done the same for the missing Maag stereo masters?

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR CD 1 IS DEFECTIVE:
--- If track one plays for 5:04, followed by four seconds of silence until track 2 begins, you have a GOOD CD.
--- If track one plays for 2:43, followed by four seconds of silence, then resumes @ 2:47 and plays uninterrupted through the break until 3:48 of track 2, followed by four seconds of silence, then resumes @ 3:52, then continues uninterrupted through the break into track 3 etc., you have a BAD CD.
Contact Eloquence at their website.
Good luck.

[Ron Grames]

Excuse my late addition, but here is an oddity: The Eloquence box of all of Fou Ts'ong's Westminster recordings has the Schumann and Chopin concertos (CD 7) in definite stereo. The placement of some wind instruments seems unrealistically wide, but there it is. I have the Maag box purchased with the corrected CD 1, but the CD 20 is still monaural, as are the K.509 German Dances.

Perhaps this has already been mentioned elsewhere, but if not I thought you would like to know.

[Jeff]

On Monday, August 14, 2023 at 2:15:03 AM UTC-4, Ron Grames wrote:
> Excuse my late addition, but here is an oddity: The Eloquence box of all of Fou Ts'ong's Westminster recordings has the Schumann and Chopin concertos (CD 7) in definite stereo. The placement of some wind instruments seems unrealistically wide, but there it is. I have the Maag box purchased with the corrected CD 1, but the CD 20 is still monaural, as are the K.509 German Dances.
>
> Perhaps this has already been mentioned elsewhere, but if not I thought you would like to know.

Interestingly a previously issued single CD on Eloquence 480 3609 also has the German dances in mono, coupled with 2 concerti with Julius Katchen.