Best sounding recordings ever - please help out!
Sebastian
I just upgraded my sound system to close to high-end. Now I would like to
know from you classical-music-aficionados what the BEST SOUNDING recordings
are.
I have many classical recordings on CD, but a really high percentage just
isn't real HI-FI - what I am looking for is something that sounds as if you
were right there, live.
I know there are big differences in CD mastering, but there are some
recordings that just sound amazingly teriffic - I would be very glad to hear
your opinions and recommendations.
For the style: I am a great Beethoven-lover, but I also like great Organ
works or Bachs "Passions" - just nothing "modern".
Thank you,
Sebastian. :)
Bob Harper
> Sebastian. :)
>
>
The Arnold Dances, conducted by the composer on Lyrita
SRCD.201, are about as good a recording of a symphony orchestra as I've
ever heard. The orchestra is out there in real space behind the
speakers, which have disappeared. The music's 20th Century, but not
'modern' in the sense I think you mean.
Bob Harper
john grant
recorded on an obscure label available by internet only, I think. The
interpretation is wonderful and the sound quality is a stunning example of
how well a piano can be reproduced when an engineer puts his mind to it. If
you Google her name, you'll quickly come up with the recording and where to
buy it.
--
John
WTC 1 part 2:
http://stations.mp3s.com/stations/190/the_welltempered_clavier_bk_1_.html
WTC 1 part 1:
http://stations.mp3s.com/stations/244/bach_welltempered_clavier_bk_1.html
"Sebastian" <terar...@yourwap.com> wrote in message
news:ag7qnf$lc9$01$1...@news.t-online.com...
Bob Harper
john grant wrote:
> I recently purchased Anne Marie McDermott playing Bach English Suites,
> recorded on an obscure label available by internet only, I think. The
> interpretation is wonderful and the sound quality is a stunning example of
> how well a piano can be reproduced when an engineer puts his mind to it. If
> you Google her name, you'll quickly come up with the recording and where to
> buy it.
>
> --
> John
> WTC 1 part 2:
> http://stations.mp3s.com/stations/190/the_welltempered_clavier_bk_1_.html
> WTC 1 part 1:
> http://stations.mp3s.com/stations/244/bach_welltempered_clavier_bk_1.html
>
gmn.com
The disc is GNMCO112, and yes, it sounds pretty darn good.
Bob Harper
vinyl1
RCA, and Mercury between 1955 and 1963. They all used simple microphone
patterns, all-tube equipment, and short mixing and mastering chains.
Which is the 'best'? That depends on what type of sound and what type of
music you like. Decca had the deepest bass, but their string sound was
sometimes harsh--although when it was good, it was very good indeed. RCA
had the sweetest strings, but bass could be limited and their whole approach
to recording was a little artificial compared to the other labels--they
mixed for the phonographs people used at the time. Mercury was the most
dogmatically pure label, and their recordings can sound a little bright and
harsh unless you have very good equipment.
From a musical and performance standpoint, I would say that RCA and Decca
were ahead of Mercury, but at the same time you will hear many gems of
contemporary American music on Mercury in very good sound. I also like to
later Mercs with Dorati and the LSO.
EMI was the best major label during the 70s, with anything recorded by the
Christopher Bishop/Christopher Parker team sounding particularly good.
Lyrita and Reference Recordings also made good recordings during this era,
but for obvious reasons they are musically limited.
Some of my favorites for top sound with excellent performances::
Decca:
SXL2009, Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique, Argenta/PCO
SXL2164, Ravel, Daphne and Chloe, Monteux/LSO (top performance, too)
SXL2268, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Scheherazade, Ansermet/OSR (my favorite style of
performance)
SXL2313, Herold/Lanchberry, La Fille Mal Gardee, Lanchberry/ROHCO
SXL6263, 'Romantic Russia', Solti/LSO
RCA
LSC2201, Moussorsky/Ravel, Pictures at an Exhibition, Reiner/CSO
LSC2225, 'Witches' Brew', Gibson/NSOL
LSC2398, Kabelevsky, The Comedians, Kondrashin/RCAVO
LSC2436, Resphigi, Fountains of Rome, Reiner/CSO
LSC2500, Strauss, Waltzers, Reiner/CSO
Mercury:
SR90006, Prokovief, Scythian Suite, Dorati/LSO
SR90153, Respighi, The Birds, Dorati/LSO
SR90212, Chabrier, Espana, Paray/DSO
SR90226, Stravinsky, Firebird, Dorati/LSO
SR90262, Dvorak, Symphony #9, Paray/DSO (my favorite performance regardless
of sound!)
But there are many other gems in these catalogs. I have listed the original
LP issues of these recordings, which usually sound the best when played
properly, but are also very expensive. Most of them have LP reissues, and
all can be found on CD, although they may be out of print. The new XRCD
series of the RCAs will probably be better than previous reissues. The
Classic LP reissues are disappointing, while the Speaker's Corner Decca LPs
can be quite good.
A.J. Robb
sound quality in those series tends to be really good.
And if you're interested in giving your system a good workout, go to
track 12 on the CD listed below:
~A.J.
"Sebastian" <terar...@yourwap.com> wrote in message news:<ag7qnf$lc9$01$1...@news.t-online.com>...
Nick X Sun
say, Mahler Symphony No.5 by Abbado (4D from D-G) against Barshai (From
Laurel Recording) and see how wrong you will be.
Nick
"A.J. Robb" <ar...@iwu.edu> wrote in message
news:1e8bcf2d.02070...@posting.google.com...
Sol L. Siegel
>I just upgraded my sound system to close to high-end. Now I
>would like to know from you classical-music-aficionados what
>the BEST SOUNDING recordings are.
My candidate: the Shostakovich 1 & 7 with Bernstein on DG.
Don't care for the performance of 1, actually, but, among other
things, it's the only version I know where you can clearly make
out the piano in the big climax late in the finale.
-Sol Siegel, Philadelphia, PA
--------------------
"I am sure of very little, and I shouldn't be surprised if those things were
wrong." - Clarence Darrow
--------------------
(Remove "dammspam" from the end of my e-mail address to respond.)
A. Brain
since I got the LP of the
Bruno Walter stereo recording of Das Lied von der Erde, with the NYPO
circa 1960, with Miller and Haefliger, this has seemed to me to be an
ideal sounding recording. I don't even have the latest CD "remastering"
(whatever that means), but it still sounds great to me. When I bought
the Odyssey LP some thirty years ago, I was astonished at how good this
recording sounded compared to other recordings of the era, especially
those of the Cleveland Orchestra made by the same company.
As I have remarked before, this recording sounds much better than other
contemporaneous
Columbia recordings. It's better balanced, has no tape hiss, and just
sounds "natural". CBS has screwed up some of the documentation, leading
to some controversies over what orchestra was recorded and where. These
matters have been discussed here before. I think it is resolved that it
really was the NYPO. And that the Columbia Symphony Orchestra was like
the "gathered church" as described in the New Testament--wherever some
group played under the name, for purposes of recordings, in Cleveland,
Philadelphia, New York, or Los Angeles, that was the "Columbia Symphony
Orchestra". But in this particular instance, it was the NYPO in NYC,
not the "pick-up" orchestra in LA.
Another standout, i.e., a recording that makes one think, while
listening, that "this is a great recording sound-wise", is the '68
Kertesz/LSO recording of the Dvorak Requiem, now reissued on Decca
Legends, and currently reviewed in Fanfare and ARG. I can't imagine
that it could sound better than the older CD I have, regardless of how
it was "remastered". I also agree with one of the reviews that Ancerl's
recording on DGG has greater passion--I have both recordings. What I
find hard to believe is the contention of one of the reviews that a
Delos recording of this work, with some New Jersey orchestra, is better
than both the Kertesz and Ancerl.
I suppose most of the ng have recordings of the Mahler work, since this
is practically a Mahler
fanatic support group (though I don't think I have seen any posts on the
celebrated new MTT recording of M6). And Classics Today's review of
the reissue of the Haitink recording of DLvdE says that recording is all
you need. For once, I disagree with the proposition that one excellent
recording of a masterpiece may be all you need. I think you need the
Walter stereo, the Bernstein one that has a baritone (the incomparable
Fischer-Dieskau), and maybe even one more. The "character" of works
that include vocal parts makes for more easily determined
differentiations between and among performances.
But before you go out and buy another DLvdE, get one of these recordings
of the Dvorak Requiem.
--
A. Brain
Remove NOSPAM for email.
"Sol L. Siegel" <vod...@aol.comdammspam> wrote in message
news:20020707073125...@mb-ci.aol.com...
horizon
>
> I just upgraded my sound system to close to high-end. Now I would like to
> know from you classical-music-aficionados what the BEST SOUNDING
recordings
> are.
>
> I have many classical recordings on CD, but a really high percentage just
> isn't real HI-FI - what I am looking for is something that sounds as if
you
> were right there, live.
Two of the best sounding orchestral recordings I have ever heard are the
Pierre Monteux/LSO performance of Scheherzade (available in France on a
budget issue) and the Maazel Traviata (once available in the US on a
Decca/London Twofer package). The Monteux does have some tape drop out and
hiss since it is a vintage 1960s recording, and has not been optimally
remastered in any available Decca issue -- but remains an astonishing
achievement. And since most high end systems tend to blend any tape hiss
into the atmosphere of the room acoustic, I doubt it would present any sort
of a problem. Too bad Decca has not gotten around to issuing a definitive
remastering (as opposed to these cheap budget issues).
Also wonderful is a disc of Elizabethan ballads & instrumental music on
Virgin from a group called The Musicians of Swanne Alley. I think the title
is The Streets of London.
It's been a while since I heard it, but I also remember thinking that the
Berglund recording of Sibelius' Kullervo on EMI was also an astonishing
recording.
I created a web site dedicated to what I thought were great sounding
classical recordings about 6 years ago, but I haven't done anything to
update it in many years. But you might still find it useful.
http://home.nyc.rr.com/gmc/ (Just click on the Real World Audiophile CDs
link)
Matt C
Andante teneramente
> Check out the 4D stuff from D-G and the digital stuff from Archiv. The
> sound quality in those series tends to be really good.
Seconded.
I really can't understand why so many recordings from the sixties are
mentioned.
I just took a quick look at "Das Lied von der Erde" (Haefliger, Miller,
Walter, April 1960) but I failed completely to hear an advantage over other
recordings from the same period, say "Bluebeard's Castle" (Fricsay),
"Valses nobles et sentimentales" (Orch Suisse Romande, Ansermet).
In general the CDs that impressed me with a natural and rich sound with
many subtle nuances were recently recorded.
I remember in particular
- Bartók, 2nd sonata for violin and piano (Mutter/Orkis), DG 4D
- Schönberg, Pierrot Lunaire (Schäfer, Boulez), DG 4D
- Schönberg, 1st chamber symphony (SWR Orch, Gielen), Philips
Sorry, if they are too "modern".
Regards
Arthur La Porta
>
> Check out the 4D stuff from D-G and the digital stuff from Archiv. The
> sound quality in those series tends to be really good.
>
>
recordings to be the worst imaginable. Totally artificial sounding. I
basically stopped buying DG when they started using that system.
I agree with vinyl's recommendation of Mercury and Decca from the late
50's, early 60's. For something in the same spirit but using modern
technology, there is Telarc.
SanV
>Must 4D be better than ADD? What a silly conclusion.
He didn't say that.
Martha & Russ Oppenheim
Sebastian wrote:
>
> Hi there. :)
>
> I just upgraded my sound system to close to high-end. Now I would like to
> know from you classical-music-aficionados what the BEST SOUNDING recordings
> are.
>
Way back when the West Was Young - which is to say the mid-fifties - one
of the "High Fidelity" Magazine critics (C G Burke IIRC) wrote "This is
the best orchestral recording ever made" of the then-new Prokofiev
Scythian Suite and Lt Kije on Westminster conducted by Scherchen.
Matthew B. Tepper
@news.iupui.edu:
> On Sun, 7 Jul 2002 00:52:10 -0400, "Nick X Sun" <xs...@vt.edu> wrote:
>
>>Must 4D be better than ADD? What a silly conclusion.
>
> He didn't say that.
It's all comparing hype with flummery.
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html
My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Top 3 worst UK exports: Mad-cow; Foot-and-mouth; Charlotte Church
Sol L. Siegel
>It's been a while since I heard it, but I also remember thinking
>that the Berglund recording of Sibelius' Kullervo on EMI was also
>an astonishing recording.
Bournemouth (analog) or Helsinki (digital)?
Joshua Kaufman
>
> "horizon" mcarn...@nyc.rr.com writes:
>
> >It's been a while since I heard it, but I also remember thinking
> >that the Berglund recording of Sibelius' Kullervo on EMI was also
> >an astonishing recording.
>
> Bournemouth (analog) or Helsinki (digital)?
>
Certainly the Bourenmouth sounds very good, and easily my favorite
performance of the four recordings I've heard, but it's still not even
close soundwise to some RCA and Mercury recordings from the 60s:
listening to Stokowski Stereo Collection past couple days -- my god some
of these were recorded in the early 60s and have NO analog hiss and
easily sound as good as anything today.
-Joshua
--
AOL-IM: TerraEpon ICQ: 5404138
horizon
"Joshua Kaufman" <terrr...@fuse.net> wrote in message
news:3D286BEB...@fuse.net...
It's the Bournemouth I was referring to, and my focus is really on the
native transparency of the engineering. To me, with my system, things like
hiss really don't matter at all (since, as I mentioned, it tends to blend in
to the hall/studio acoustic). I'm going to have to play the Berglund again
and see what I think of the engineering today. I don't think I've heard any
of the Stoky RCA stuff in many years, but I remember some of it as sounding
very gimmicky, and such gimmicks are just the think that a high-end system
ruthlessly reveals. And the RCAs are very uneven in my opinion -- the
Reiner Heldenleben/Zarathustra disc is fabulous, but, for instance, the
early 60's Beethoven 5 is a rather bad engineering job (which is a shame,
because I do love Reiner's way with the piece).
Matt C
vaneyes
> On Sun, 7 Jul 2002 00:52:10 -0400, "Nick X Sun" <xs...@vt.edu> wrote:
>
> >Must 4D be better than ADD? What a silly conclusion.
>
> He didn't say that.
No, he didn't.
The discussion has been steered by a few, from suggesting items, to
which label or which SPARS code is better. Not surprising, but it is
fruitless. There are so many good things to choose from all. The
biases presented by some here are not too different from a golfer and
his/her golf ball preference.
The thread's originator might be better off searching via google.com
Regards
Gustav
Just curious about your new system. Would love to hear details. Cheers.
Gustav
"Sebastian" <terar...@yourwap.com> wrote in message
news:ag7qnf$lc9$01$1...@news.t-online.com...
Farrell90405
Concertos...Lenny B's DG Mahler...some of Boulez' Mahler...a lot of old Philips
LPs (practically any Mozart LP on Philips sounds better than most to me)...
And I glanced at an article in the current The Absolute Sound that says current
classical recordings are of much higher sound quality than CDs were in the
1980s. Don't remember who wrote it, and I don't have the magazine.
Farrell90405
(available at the San Francisco Symphony website) has excellent sound.
Sebastian
I am glad that many of you had suggestions, and I really will look into
some of them. Schoenberg is a little to modern for my taste, while Bartok I
really enjoy.
To Gustav:
I bought a new amplifier, it's a MARANTZ SR-8000, in combination with a set
of CLS12 Speakers by ELAC. The system is completed with surround speakers
and a center speaker, all by ELAC - they certainly are the best sounding
speakers on the "sub 1000$ a piece" market.
My source is mainly JVC progressive scan DVD/CD player, but I will upgrade
to the HARMAN KARDON DVD-30 with DVD-Audio compatibility, to enjoy the new
DVD-A recordings of Beethoven's symphonies. Did anyone listen to those yet?
For the record people: can you recommend a good record player, because I
really have trouble finding out which one is "good" and which one is "bad".
I don't want to spend THAT much on a good record player, but at the same
time, I don't want to just have a turntable. If you guys have any
recommendations, I would be VERY glad to hear them.
Thank you all very much,
Sebastian. :)
Eric Nagamine
>
> I don't know whether it is the "warmth" of the sound or what, but ever
> since I got the LP of the
> Bruno Walter stereo recording of Das Lied von der Erde, with the NYPO
> circa 1960, with Miller and Haefliger, this has seemed to me to be an
> ideal sounding recording. I don't even have the latest CD "remastering"
> (whatever that means), but it still sounds great to me. When I bought
> the Odyssey LP some thirty years ago, I was astonished at how good this
> recording sounded compared to other recordings of the era, especially
> those of the Cleveland Orchestra made by the same company.
If you think the Odyssey LP sounds good, you should hear the original 3
sided gatefold Columbia LP which sounds even better and great cover art
and notes. The Walter Edition CD sounds good if a bit grainy in
comparison with the Odyssey.
> As I have remarked before, this recording sounds much better than other
> contemporaneous
> Columbia recordings. It's better balanced, has no tape hiss, and just
> sounds "natural". CBS has screwed up some of the documentation, leading
> to some controversies over what orchestra was recorded and where. These
> matters have been discussed here before. I think it is resolved that it
> really was the NYPO. And that the Columbia Symphony Orchestra was like
> the "gathered church" as described in the New Testament--wherever some
> group played under the name, for purposes of recordings, in Cleveland,
> Philadelphia, New York, or Los Angeles, that was the "Columbia Symphony
> Orchestra". But in this particular instance, it was the NYPO in NYC,
> not the "pick-up" orchestra in LA.
>
The reason for the screw up is in part due to a letter in CRC, that
wouldn't have caused the problem if they had bothered to check facts
before running the letter. The NY phil archives, various discographers,
and the the Ryding bio of Walter all correct this.
> I suppose most of the ng have recordings of the Mahler work, since this
> is practically a Mahler
> fanatic support group (though I don't think I have seen any posts on the
> celebrated new MTT recording of M6). And Classics Today's review of
> the reissue of the Haitink recording of DLvdE says that recording is all
> you need. For once, I disagree with the proposition that one excellent
> recording of a masterpiece may be all you need. I think you need the
> Walter stereo, the Bernstein one that has a baritone (the incomparable
> Fischer-Dieskau), and maybe even one more. The "character" of works
> that include vocal parts makes for more easily determined
> differentiations between and among performances.
If weren't for James King, the Haitink is worthy of being mentioned with
the Walter. There is a Haitink bootleg in Japan of Baritone version with
Hampson that I think is superior to the LB/DF-D on decca, in part due to
having a superior tenor in Ben Heppner.
--
-----------
Aloha and Mahalo,
Eric Nagamine
Eric Nagamine
>
> And the RCAs are very uneven in my opinion -- the
> Reiner Heldenleben/Zarathustra disc is fabulous, but, for instance, the
> early 60's Beethoven 5 is a rather bad engineering job (which is a shame,
> because I do love Reiner's way with the piece).
The Heldenleben/Zarathustra are among the first stereo recordings RCA
did in Chicago and were considered experimental as the stereo crew of
Pffeifer/Chase were the secondary one at the sessions. From what I've
read it was just a two mike set up, though there is the hole in the
middle effect. (probably from the spacing of the mikes) Simply wonderful
though with none of the problems associated with multimiking.
I too love the Reiner Beethoven 5th. It has great tension and is just
magnificent by the time it gets to a blazing finale. I've read in
several rags that the recording was not done by Mohr/Layton, even though
it was indicated as such on the jacket. Something about a work stoppage
by the engineers at RCA led to some substitute outsiders doing the
recording.
Norman M. Schwartz
"Eric Nagamine" <en...@hawaii.rr.com> wrote in message
news:3D2897DF...@hawaii.rr.com...
> horizon wrote:
> I too love the Reiner Beethoven 5th. It has great tension and is just
> magnificent by the time it gets to a blazing finale. I've read in
> several rags that the recording was not done by Mohr/Layton, even though
> it was indicated as such on the jacket. Something about a work stoppage
> by the engineers at RCA led to some substitute outsiders doing the
> recording.
>
I'll cast my vote for the Reiner Beethoven 7th. However if it's the "best
sounding recordings ever", IMO they can be found on the CDs of the "Wilson
Audiophile" label, all of which seem to have been made using a 30 ips analog
recorder (and are o/p). FWIW one of their recordings was made at Lucasfilm's
Skywalker Ranch, said to have an "incredibly low noise floor and fully
adjustable acoustics".
Eric Nagamine
Those band recordings that Wilson did however are damm Lousy!!!! I've
heard high school bands play better than that pseudonymed air force
band. The recording site acoustic was bad and the sound pales in
comparison to what Mercury did at Eastman. A real waste of tape, vinyl,
and polycarbonate.
Nick X Sun
is outrageous, but the sound is wonderful. I bought it because I just
couldn't resist the temptation after having seen so many good things about
this performance and so many bad things on the sound from RCA living stereo.
Nick
"Norman M. Schwartz" <nm...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:9i1W8.11675$Iu6.6...@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
RX-01
> Hi there. :)
>
> I just upgraded my sound system to close to high-end. Now I would like to
> know from you classical-music-aficionados what the BEST SOUNDING recordings
> are.
Just a few suggestions:
1. Mahler symphony 2. CBSO conducted by Rattle on EMI.
2. Mahler symphony 5. BPO conducted by Abbado on DG.
3. Barenboim's Beethoven symphony cycle on Teldec. I haven't actually
listened to the CDs, but from what I've heard (from reviews and
people's opinions on this newsgroup) these must be stunning recordings
with very vivid sound (also remember that Barenboim divides the
violins left and right).
Hope this helps!
RX-01
Sebastian
Thanks, RX-01.
I think BARENBOIMs work is also available as DVD-Audio - did you ever try
those? Are they much superior to the standard CD?
Thank you,
Seb
"RX-01" <kon...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:19a471bf.02070...@posting.google.com...
A.J. Robb
>
> >Must 4D be better than ADD? What a silly conclusion.
>
> He didn't say that.
Thank you. :-)
~A.J.
Daniel Levenstein
Dresden recordings (specifically as engineered by Claus Strueben) and
well-recorded piano CD's.
A couple of Dresden tips: you can get the 9-CD complete Kempe/Strauss
set for $28 at MDT. Also MDT has the 9-CD set Jochum/Bruckner for the
same amazing price.
For Beethoven, try the Bruggen complete symphonies at for $43 (5 CD's)
at http://www.kuijperklassiek.nl/
For piano, try
Perahia Chopin Ballades on Sony
Uchida/Debussy Etudes on Philips
Eva Knardahl/Grieg on Bis
Gilels/Waldstein on DGG
various Moravec/Chopin on VAI
Plenty more of course, but that's a start. Don't know whether chamber
music is your thing.
Sebastian
Thanks for your input - where can I get these great MDT prices? Their UK
website has that set at 55 British Pounds.
Thank you,
Seb
Norman M. Schwartz
>
> Those band recordings that Wilson did however are damm Lousy!!!!
> and polycarbonate.
> --
Are you that unfamiliar with these recordings to have forgotten to include
gold? :-))
Van Eyes
news:20020707135056...@mb-bh.aol.com
> And I glanced at an article in the current The Absolute Sound that says current
> classical recordings are of much higher sound quality than CDs were in the
> 1980s. Don't remember who wrote it, and I don't have the magazine.
I would agree, generally-speaking. You can't ignore technological
advances, and for my listening pleasure, more sound advances were made
in the 1990's than the 1980's. I hear this in new and remastered
recordings. There are always exceptions of course, ie tech blunders,
marketing shams. However, no matter what the era, artistry and
atmosphere obviously mean a whole lot for sound, ie playing skills with
subtle tricks, acoustics. Although the sound is generally better, I
often find these latter components not as successful in today's
recordings. Getting into topics for other discussion...Music students
more automated these days? Producers and engineers not choosing
carefully enough their recording venues?
Regards
--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG
Norman M. Schwartz
> Those band recordings that Wilson did however are damm Lousy!!!! I've
> heard high school bands play better than that pseudonymed air force
> band. The recording site acoustic was bad and the sound pales in
> comparison to what Mercury did at Eastman. A real waste of tape, vinyl,
> and polycarbonate.
> --
Well, the subject is "Best sounding recordings ever" and not best performed
recordings, and it's entirely conceivable that a high school band recording
sounds better than one featuring the winds of the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, or the Netherlands Wind Ensemble, the last
of which offer a good sounding recording of the Gran Partita, even if not
the best ever, on Philips 420711-2. I've listened to passages of band
recordings of 5 of the Fennell Mercurys and 2 of the Wilsons, (one of which
is also a waste of gold, according to your standard). While I can and do
enjoy the Mercury recordings, they are all murky, are congested in loud
passages, possibly from overload distortion (?), and a bit compressed in
direct comparison to the Wilsons. The latter are clean as a whistle and IMHO
the acoustic site is *outstanding*. Some of the Fennells date from 1958;
perhaps they were great to begin with, and sound better on the early LPs,
(the tapes having deteriorated and seen some restoration to enable transfer
to CD?).
Chris Martin
not, try the Delos recording with De Preist and the Oregon SO:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000056T8Z/
The sound engineering and conducting on this disc are so good, it is
actually painful to listen to the inadequacies of all the other CD's
in my collection.
There are also a bunch of Delos discs that are meant to demonstrate
sound engineering for orchestral recordings:
http://www.delosmus.com/genre/demo.html
-Chris
Alan Cooper
news:b97cd122.0207...@posting.google.com...
> Eva Knardahl/Grieg on Bis
Definitely agree with that one, and note that a few volumes in the series
are still available from Berkshire.
While you're there, also order the following item:
Leifs, Hekla {Volcano. Features a 22-member percussion section}.
Shostakovich, Can-Can. Ibert, Bacchanale. Ginastera, Malambo. Revueltas,
Night of the Mayas + Other Pcs.by Hanson, Rangstrom, Druckman, Schulhoff,
Bolcom et al. ('Earquake: The Loudest Classical Music of all Time'
w.Helsinki Phil./ Segerstam)
Add to cart | Price: $6.99 | Country: AUSTRIA | D/A code: D | Code: ODE
894-2 | BRO Code: 25206 | Label: ONDINE
The best-sounding recording that I know is a collection of band music by
Robert Simpson performed by the Desford Colliery Caterpillar Band on
Hyperion CDA 66449. The music is pretty spectacular, too.
AC
Farrell90405
L'Oiseau-Lyre.
Bruce Hodges
terms, is an all-Rachmaninoff CD from Eiji Oue and the Minnesota
Orchestra on Reference Recordings. It includes the "Symphonic
Dances," the "Vocalise" and Respighi's orchestrations of the
"Etudes-Tableaux" originally for piano. After just one hearing, I was
thinking that this might be the best orchestral recording I've ever
heard.
Whatever you think of Rachmaninoff, Oue's interpretations (excellent),
or the playing of the Minnesota Orchestra (terrific), the sound is
amazingly present and clear. The final movement of the "Symphonic
Dances" would surely show off any high-end music system to great
advantage.
FYI, I've heard a couple of other recordings from the same company,
also outstanding.
--Bruce
Matthew B. Tepper
agree the sound is fabulous -- I wonder if it was he or de Waart who
restored the two cubes that Marriner had removed from the back of the
stage? Some of the musical selections are fluffy, but then just how often
do you ever get to hear the music of Henri Rabaud?
--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/index.html
My main music page --- http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/berlioz.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Top 3 worst UK exports: Mad-cow; Foot-and-mouth; Charlotte Church
Paul Goldstein
>
but then just how often
>do you ever get to hear the music of Henri Rabaud?
As often as I care to ;-) (Florent Schmitt too.)
Paul Goldstein
Sebastian
best sounding disc ever.
I will get this as soon as possible - THANK YOU! :)
Do you guys have a special store for my classical music needs? I am quite
"new" to the sujet, and I thought maybe there's some niche store that has an
even better selection than Amazon.
Thanks,
Seb :)
John Thomas
"Sebastian" <terar...@yourwap.com> wrote:
Are you in Japan? If so, try HMV.jp online.
--
-regards,
John Thomas
Daniel Levenstein
posting, and their sale must have passed.
Lawrence Chalmers
up late. The source
for me is MDT, though not as any items as Amazon's, but labels, new
releases not available readily in the US, and prices which are often
less than at the store (incl. shipping).
They're search engine is quick too. I live in San Francisco, which has
the Tower classical annex which is a shade less than it was and Virgin
Records. Hardly ever do I go there, except to see what 'else' there may
be than at Mdt - and the other online sources world-wide. I have this
group to thank for turning me on to geat resources, great recordings I
never would have
thought to buy. Welcome to the group and may it enhance your journey
into the wonders of classical recordngs.
Eric Nagamine
Guess we're going to have to agree to disagree on the Wilsons and the
Mercury. I have both early LP & CD reissues of the Mercuries find little
if any problems with them. To me one of the strong points is the
soundstaging of Fennell's block set up.
As far as performance levels, I was comparing the Wilson Band to a HS
Band. No problems with the quality of the CSO, VP, and NWE bands which
are superb. The NWE's Stravinsky and Strauss recordings are
exceptionally fine. The VP winds also did a great 2nd Strauss Sonatina
that was terrific. In the case of the Strauss I'd consider both
technically & tonally superior to the EWE.
Thomas Muething
>In my opinion, the best-sounding classical recordings were made by Decca,
>RCA, and Mercury between 1955 and 1963. They all used simple microphone
>patterns, all-tube equipment, and short mixing and mastering chains.
>
[pointless list snipped, especially the supremely silly "musically
limited for obvious reasons" remark about Lyrita]
He was not asking for the best OLD recording. Sorry, but no 1960s-, not
to mention 1950s-, recording can compete with modern digital sound at
its best. The only analogue recordings I've heard that outclass most of
the competition are some of Wilkinson's RCA and Decca recordings from
the 1970s. But where state-of-the-art sound is concerned, I think
nothing compares to Keith O. Johnson's Reference Recordings. I'd
recommend the Farnon disc "Horatio Hornblower," but if film music and
light music are not your cup of tea, consider one of the Minnesota
Orchestra recordings Johnson has engineered, or the Arnold Overtures.
Some of John Timperley's recordings are superb, e.g. Maxwell Davies' The
Devils (Collins, OOP). But this IS "modern" music.
Thomas
David Wachter
are still wondrous.
Reiner's Strauss (both the waltz dynasty and Richard) is wonderful. Every
time I pull out the 1954 Also sprach Zarathustra, I'm amazed at what an
"experiment" produced. (And speaking of early "experiments," were the
Reiner/Rubinstein Brahms D minor Concerto and the Cantelli/NBC Symphony
Franck Symphony (both from 1954) ever released on CD?)
At the same time, I wish the 1959 Beethoven's Fifth had gotten sound to
match its blazing intensity--I don't think I've heard another recording in
which the finale is taken so fast (and it works, too). If, in fact, the
producer and engineer were not Mohr and Layton, that might explain why the
recording sounds both dark and overblown, somehow. But I still keep coming
back to this performance above all others, even above the wonderful Carlos
Kleiber/VPO performance. Reiner's performance is electrifying, and the
transition from the scherzo blazes like no other, with spectacularly clean,
impassioned playing. But then, this was the first recording I ever heard of
the piece, way back when I was a high school freshman in the 60s, so I guess
I may have imprinted on it.
David
"Eric Nagamine" <en...@hawaii.rr.com> wrote in message
news:3D2897DF...@hawaii.rr.com...
> I too love the Reiner Beethoven 5th. It has great tension and is just
> magnificent by the time it gets to a blazing finale. I've read in
> several rags that the recording was not done by Mohr/Layton, even though
> it was indicated as such on the jacket. Something about a work stoppage
> by the engineers at RCA led to some substitute outsiders doing the
> recording.
>
>
> --
> -----------
> Aloha and Mahalo,
>
> Eric Nagamine
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Matthew B. Tepper
news:3d2b2782$1...@corp.newsgroups.com:
> Reiner's Strauss (both the waltz dynasty and Richard) is wonderful.
> Every time I pull out the 1954 Also sprach Zarathustra, I'm amazed at
> what an "experiment" produced. (And speaking of early "experiments,"
> were the Reiner/Rubinstein Brahms D minor Concerto and the
> Cantelli/NBC Symphony Franck Symphony (both from 1954) ever released
> on CD?)
Yes -- the Cantelli was issued first on EMI, later on Testament.
A.J. Robb
~A.J.
Brian Cantin
> Reiner's Strauss (both the waltz dynasty and Richard) is
> wonderful. Every time I pull out the 1954 Also sprach Zarathustra,
> I'm amazed at what an "experiment" produced. (And speaking of early
> "experiments," were the Reiner/Rubinstein Brahms D minor Concerto
> and the Cantelli/NBC Symphony Franck Symphony (both from 1954) ever
> released on CD?)
The Reiner/Rubinstein Brahms D minor Concerto has been released
on cd, although I don't particularly care for the remastering job.
The stereo lp issue sounds better to me.
--
Brian Cantin
An advocate of poisonous individualism.
To reply via email, replace "dcantin" with "bcantin".
Raymond Luxury Yacht
many cases the terms of measurement are different. Nobody's making
much of an effort to to turn this dissonance into a vocabulary of
priorities, so the target just keeps moving around. It makes me
wonder why you'd get a high-end system when people can't even talk
about sound in a way that really enables anything other than a
hit-or-miss buying method. I'd love to actually learn something here,
larger-picture-wise, but so far, I'm seeing only lists of favorites.
Issues in picking a recording with good sound:
Staging: the orchestra inhabits a fixed, static space- where should it
be?
Recording acoustic: you can't make Avery Fischer Hall sound like the
Concertgebouw no matter how clever you are
Miking: related to staging- how you'd produce a realistic stage with a
lot of mikes is not clear to me. Close miking vs. far and detail vs.
hall perspective-that's another judgement call. What is considered
most "real?"
Dynamic fidelity: I've heard people complain that recent cds have
artificially boosted dynamic range- BIS, for example. Don't know if
this is true. I'd have to imagine that old Mercuries have a
compressed range and that even if cds offer some corrective that the
peaks are clipped.
Hiss- well? You can obviously have an impressive sound picture and
still have hiss- you'd probably hear right through it, much the same
way many older 78's sound quite marvelous once you hear past the
crackles.
ADD vs. DDD, etc.- related to the above, obviously. I don't
understand how DG's "4D" system and EMI's "ART" system are anything
other than fancy branding names for a process that is being used
elsewhere. Anyone who knows that there really is something unique to
them ought to back it up with details. In the meantime it seems
stupid to believe they exist.
Distortion/saturation: if one can handle ADD sound, what wbout when
the mikes crap out in a big climax?
Digital enhancements: besides the dynamic fiddling, I've heard
different tapes of identical concerts and seen how a good digital
mastering job can sweeten the sound of a grade-b orchestra. Is this
cheating?
This is by no means an exhaustive or technical list- everyone should
correct me if they can. But if you're going to recommend good sound,
you ought to list what makes it good sound- in every case.
Who's gonna step up to the plate?
Ray
Bruce Hodges
for more specifics, here are more comments on the Oue/Minnesota
Rachmaninoff on Reference Recordings.
First and perhaps most important, the instruments sound like what
they're supposed to sound like. There is a veracity that is
convincing, almost deceptive. (The cymbals and triangle, for example,
sound especially realistic.) This might be the single criterion I
would weigh most highly.
Second, the soundstage is well balanced. The orchestral layout seems
very accurate, with strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion
perceivable in their usual positions.
Third, the dynamic range of the recording is very wide, but not
abnormally so. By comparison, for example, the BIS Shostakovich 7th
Symphony with Mark Wigglesworth and BBC/Wales is superb, but the range
does, indeed, seem slightly artificial. (Or am I being persuaded by
his ultra-dramatic interpretation?)
But in an analysis in which "realism" scores high marks (granted, an
assumption), artificially extending the dynamic range, at either end
of the spectrum, won't get the ultimate plaudits, since
demonstration-quality sound involves more than sheer volume level,
seductive as it may be. (Reference's web site indicates that they use
a variety of miking techniques, depending on what is being recorded
and where, and doesn't indicate what was used for this particular
disc.)
Finally, the clarity is also outstanding, with no hiss or other
distortion that I can discern.
In short, the recording sounds as "natural" as I have heard - given
that it is, of course, a recording.
--Bruce
Marcus Maroney
> Hi there. :)
>
> I just upgraded my sound system to close to high-end. Now I would like to
> know from you classical-music-aficionados what the BEST SOUNDING recordings
> are.
>
> I have many classical recordings on CD, but a really high percentage just
> isn't real HI-FI - what I am looking for is something that sounds as if you
> were right there, live.
>
> I know there are big differences in CD mastering, but there are some
> recordings that just sound amazingly teriffic - I would be very glad to hear
> your opinions and recommendations.
>
> works or Bachs "Passions" - just nothing "modern".
Here are some basic recommendations (all excellent in sound, and, for
me, in performance, the latter point being, of course, debatable :)):
Analogue - Steinberg's Planets (DG Originals), Munch's Daphnis et
Chloe (RCA), Barbirolli's English String Music disc (EMI), Fricsay's
Kodaly disc (DG Originals), Beaux Arts Trio's Schubert Trios (Philips
Duo)
Digital - Sinopoli's Dvorak Stabat Mater (DG), Holst's The Cloud
Messenger (Chandos), John Scott's recitals of Dupre organ music (2
Discs on Hyperion), Gardiner's Schumann symphonies (Archiv),
Carmignola's Four Seasons (Sony), Gatti's Respighi Roman trilogy
(Conifer or Musical Heritage Society), Zimerman's Liszt Sonata (DG)
Cheers,
Marcus Maroney
marcus....@yale.edu
Rtsina
>> know from you classical-music-aficionados what the BEST SOUNDING recordings
>> are.
>>
>> I have many classical recordings on CD, but a really high percentage just
>> isn't real HI-FI - what I am looking for is something that sounds as if you
>> were right there, live.
>>
>> I know there are big differences in CD mastering, but there are some
>> recordings that just sound amazingly teriffic - I would be very glad to
>hear
>> your opinions and recommendations.
>>
>> For the style: I am a great Beethoven-lover, but I also like great Organ
>> works or Bachs "Passions" - just nothing "modern".
>
and the Atlanta Symphony performing the Firebird Suite. While it's an early
digital recording, it has not been surpassed for dynamics and sonic fidelity,
in my opinion. The performance is pretty good too.
DT
David R L Porter
Boulez/Barenboim/Zukerman: Berg Chamber Concerto on DG (Hopefully it's
not too modern for you)
Bryn Terfel. 'The Vagabond' (also on DG), especially the Finzi sequence
(likewise).
Solti's Salome (Strauss), last scene
Most of Kempe's Strauss orchestral works set (most specially, Le
Borgouis Gentilhomme suite, which has a ravishing piano entry) (Mind you
I think the LP is slightly superior.)
And as it happens I was listening today to 'Scotland's music', a 2-CD
anthology on Linn Records, which has some of the best recording of a
female voice I've heard.
My most recent audio revealtion was an LP - Barenboim conducting Elgar's
Serenade for Strings in a 2-LP collection on CBS Masterworks. If this
has been well transferred to CD it should sound very good. It's good
survey of Elgar, too. (DC 40146: Pomp & Circ Marches 1-5, Enigma Vars,
Serenade for Strings and others.
--
Best wishes,
David
david....@zetnet.co.uk
Visit us at www.porterfolio.com
Chloe Pajerek
> The Arnold Dances, conducted by the composer on Lyrita
> SRCD.201, are about as good a recording of a symphony orchestra as I've
> ever heard. The orchestra is out there in real space behind the
> speakers, which have disappeared. The music's 20th Century, but not
> 'modern' in the sense I think you mean.
>
> Bob Harper
Another terrific Lyrita, from about 1973, is the set of
miscellaneous concertos by William Mathias. I believe
that the common thread among these recordings
is the engineer Kenneth Wilkinson.
- Chloe
Derek Haslam
Chloe Pajerek <ch...@qpc.com> wrote:
> Another terrific Lyrita, from about 1973, is the set of
> miscellaneous concertos by William Mathias. I believe
> that the common thread among these recordings
> is the engineer Kenneth Wilkinson.
Quite a few of those Lyritas are of real demonstration
quality. One that springs to mind is Myer Fredman's Bax 2.
I only have the LP and the recording engineer isn't
credited. Is this another of Kenneth Wilkinson's?
Derek Haslam
--
D.L.Haslam
Powerbase Support http://www.pendle.ukgateway.net/
gggg gggg
Dave's Faves: My Personal Favorite Recordings No. 2 (Earquake)