Soltissimo 1 finally!!

Randy Lane

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Jul 16, 2016, 11:02:18 PM7/16/16

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I plunked out high $$$ for Soltissimo 2,3, and 4 (Korean boxes with non-operatic 70s, 80s, and 90s recordings), but it is #1, with everything prior to 1970, that I have most eagerly awaited. It is finally here, set to release on 07/31.

http://tower.jp/item/4304064/Soltissimo-1---The-Orchestral-Recordings-by-Georg-Solti-on-Decca-in-Early-Years

drh8h

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Jul 17, 2016, 7:33:53 AM7/17/16

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On Saturday, July 16, 2016 at 11:02:18 PM UTC-4, Randy Lane wrote:
> I plunked out high $$$ for Soltissimo 2,3, and 4 (Korean boxes with non-operatic 70s, 80s, and 90s recordings), but it is #1, with everything prior to 1970, that I have most eagerly awaited. It is finally here, set to release on 07/31.
>
> http://tower.jp/item/4304064/Soltissimo-1---The-Orchestral-Recordings-by-Georg-Solti-on-Decca-in-Early-Years

Any clue whether these have been remastered (24/96, 24/192, OIBM)? Eloquence has been putting out many of his early recordings lately and a number of them appeared in Japan years ago, which I mostly have. I suspect they are all the same transfers, except the new-to-cd items. The most unusual thing in Solti's discography has to be the Russian disc he made with the BPO c. 1959, not issued for about fourteen years and made almost redundant in the meantime by his "legendary" (over- and misused word) LSO recording of practically the same repertory. Really, the one time I heard this record--the LSO versions whip them on every count.

How did it come about and was that the only time he conducted them? Come to think of it, is that the only Berlin Phil recording by Decca made in those days?

If you get the set, could you let us know about the mastering? I have vols. 2 and 3, and would consider buying it if the sound is improved. Thanks.

Mark Obert-Thorn

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Jul 17, 2016, 8:56:26 AM7/17/16

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On Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 7:33:53 AM UTC-4, drh8h wrote:
>I suspect they are all the same transfers, except the new-to-cd items. The most unusual thing in Solti's discography has to be the Russian disc he made with the BPO c. 1959, not issued for about fourteen years and made almost redundant in the meantime by his "legendary" (over- and misused word) LSO recording of practically the same repertory. Really, the one time I heard this record--the LSO versions whip them on every count.
>
> How did it come about and was that the only time he conducted them? Come to think of it, is that the only Berlin Phil recording by Decca made in those days?

It's unclear from the write-up, but the BPO recordings may be on this new 2-CD set from Decca Eloquence:

http://www.mdt.co.uk/tchaikovsky-symphonies-2-and-5-sir-george-solti-eloquence-2cds.html

They say it's part of a series of early Solti Deccas.

Mark O-T

drh8h

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Jul 17, 2016, 11:42:29 AM7/17/16

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Yes, they are on the new Eloquence set. I have been not-so-patiently waiting for three weeks since I ordered it from the UK. Did the Royal Mail get Brexited? The only one of the Eloquence series I have is the Bartok 2 CD, which I got solely for the LSO MSPC. One of the disks is a straight reissue of the earlier 24/96 LSO Bartok Concerto reissue. The rest are uncredited, but appear to have been issued somewhere before, so I think we can assume no new remasterings.

Mark Obert-Thorn

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Jul 17, 2016, 3:53:22 PM7/17/16

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On Sunday, July 17, 2016 at 11:42:29 AM UTC-4, drh8h wrote:
> Yes, they are on the new Eloquence set. I have been not-so-patiently waiting for three weeks since I ordered it from the UK. Did the Royal Mail get Brexited?

I got a shipment from Amazon UK within nine days that I ordered after Brexit, so the Royal Mail wasn't affected.

MO-T

drh8h

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Jul 18, 2016, 4:28:51 PM7/18/16

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Received it today after three weeks. The BPO items are only claimed to be First International CD releases, although the notes say one of the items did appear on CD but this the first "integral" release. But the notes writer is somewhat confused about the Tchaikovsky Symphonies so I don't have enormous confidence in what he is saying. Discussing the 1950s recordings in the set, he states Solti never did them again, and in the next sentence mentions CSO recordings of the Fifth and Sixth. Apparently the digital Fourth and the redo of the Fifth (a big improvement!) don't count.

The biggest problem to my ears with these BPO recordings is the wind playing. It marred some of Karajan's best recordings from the 60s.

Randy Lane

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Aug 6, 2016, 11:11:01 AM8/6/16

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One nice thing the Korean designer did. Several times multiple LPs are combined into 1 CD. In order still satisfy the collector that wants all of the original covers these combo CDs are in foldables like a double would be, but with the front and back of one fold being the cover of LP 1 and the other fold being the front and back of LP2. Much more practical than always having one CD per LP.

Herman

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Aug 6, 2016, 11:57:39 AM8/6/16

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On Monday, July 18, 2016 at 10:28:51 PM UTC+2, drh8h wrote:

>
> The biggest problem to my ears with these BPO recordings is the wind playing. It marred some of Karajan's best recordings from the 60s.

this may be a matter of taste. The Berlin Philharmonic, no matter what kind of playing you're used to, had no weak player in any section.

Bob Harper

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Aug 6, 2016, 12:27:37 PM8/6/16

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No doubt. I remember someone once criticizing Lothar Koch (BPO), calling
him 'loathsome Lothar'. I repeated that characterization here and
Michael Schaffer jumped down my throat--not unjustly, I now believe.
Regardless of what one might think about individual wind players (or any
other instrument), there's no question that Karajan's BPO was filled
with virtuosos at every position. I think it was Gunter Wand who once
criticized it (before he started conducting it regularly!) as a
'Perfektions Orchester'.

Bob Harper