Hi WBF Members,
Wondering if anybody can help me with regards to the classic performance of 'Carl Orff - Carmina Burana' in stereo ?
One of my resolutions last year was to buy the best vinyl LP of 'Carl Orff - Carmina Burana' in stereo I could afford and get my hands on as it is one of my all time favourite classical performances.
I already had one of the earlier Deutsche Grammophon versions (Ref Code: 139 362) and a Halle 'Classics for Pleasure' (Ref Code:- CFP4381) version which both I had bought second hand close to 20 years ago playing them all those years ago on my Linn LP12 with Naim amplification and Linn Kann Speakers on stands.
However even after cleaning these two old versions on my Keith Monks Classic RCM three separate times with playing the LP in between each of the washes (which was a soiled / pre-wash and a main wash for each of the three separate washes) last year they both still had ticks and pops and high surface noise from very faint surface scratches etc. which stopped me from fully enjoying the music when I played them.
So, in order to start my journey in finding the best version of 'Carl Orff - Carmina Burana', last year I ended up buying another 10 versions of it (to go with the two versions I already had) i.e. total 12 versions (which were all washed on my Keith Monks Classic RCM before I played them on my Kuzma XL DC with Kuzma 4Point 11" arm & Eminent Ex cartridge linked to my CH P1 Phono stage which is connected to my Hifiman EF1000 Amp & Susvara Headphones).
From these 10 versions I bought last year plus the two versions I had bought close to 20 years ago, I thought the best three versions I had bought to date (from reading online reviews etc.) were as follows;
1) A brand new record in mint condition (but still has some minor ticks and pops and surface noise that can be heard during quiet passages) (no date of manufacture given on record nor sleeve) Deutsche Grammophon (Ref Code:- 'STEREO 139 362A / SLPM 0139362') conducted by Eugen Jochum, played by the Berlin Opera & Berlin Orchestra and sang by Gundula Janowitz, Gerhard Stolze & Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and the the Berlin Choir.
2) A second hand in good condition (minor surface scratches with some ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) EMI 'Angel Series' Ltd Edition copy (Ref Code:- SAN 162 / (1E065-00053)), conducted by Rafael Frubeck De Burgos, played by the New Philharmonia Orchestra and sang by Lucia Popp, Gerhard Unger, Raymond Wolansky & John Noble and the the The New Philharmonia Chorus.
3) A second hand average condition (has surface scratches and plays with a lot of ticks and pops with high surface noise which are quite loud during quiet passages) 1975 MFSL / Angel / EMI 'Original Master Recording' copy (Ref Code:- MFSL 1-506) conducted by Andre Previn, played by the London Symphony Orchestra and sang by Sheila Armstrong, Gerald English & Thomas Allen and the London Symphony Choir and the St Clement Danes Grammer School Boys Choir
The three listed above were the best sounding (to my ears on my headphone system) out of all 12 versions in the order I have listed them above with the Deutsche Grammophon (Ref Code:- 'STEREO 139 362) version being well in front for overall sound clarity although not as realistic as the other two (especially the MFSL 1-506 version) I guess because this newer version was digitally processed and recorded onto vinyl.
However the MFSL 1-506 version sounded quite masked and not very clear at all especially with doing an A to B direct comparison with the other two which surprised me with it being an MFSL 'Original Master Recording' and all that and what it cost me for such a mediocre condition LP (for both the sleeve and LP itself).
The EMI 'Angel Series' Ltd Edition copy (Ref Code:- SAN 162 / (1E065-00053) was a mix in sound character to the other two. For the price I paid for it and the relatively good condition it was in, it was a good buy and sounded quite good although not with the clarity of the Deutsche Grammophon (Ref Code:- 'STEREO 139 362') version.
The other nine versions were either poor sounding (not just due to high surface noise and ticks & pops but also production and recording of the music) or just didn't sound right due to the orchestra and performer & singers etc. so I will most probably never play them again ! These other nine versions (carrying on from the first three listed above and in no particular music / sound performance or condition order and include the two I bought close to 20 years ago (4) & 5))) are;
4) Bought close to 20 years ago, a second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) Deutsche Grammophon (Ref Code:- 'STEREO 139 362') conducted by Eugen Jochum, played by the Berlin Opera & Berlin Orchestra and sang by Gundula Janowitz, Gerhard Stolze & Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and the the Berlin Choir.
5) Bought close to 20 years ago, a second hand in average to good condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1982 EMI 'Classics for Pleasure' (Ref Code:- CFP4381) conducted by Maurice Handford, played by the Halle Orchestra, sang by Sheila Armstrong, Brian Rayner Cook, Peter Hall and the Halle Choir and Boys of Manchester Grammer School Choir.
6) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1965 EMI 'HMV Greensleeve' series (Ref Code:- ESD 7177 / 037-00053), conducted by Rafael Frubeck De Burgos, played by the New Philharmonia Orchestra and sang by Lucia Popp, Gerhard Unger, Raymond Wolansky & John Noble and the the The New Philharmonia Chorus.
7) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1966 EMI Records (Ref Code:- SAN 162 / 1E065-00053), conducted by Rafael Frubeck De Burgos, played by the New Philharmonia Orchestra and sang by Lucia Popp, Gerhard Unger, Raymond Wolansky & John Noble and the the The New Philharmonia Chorus.
8) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1966 EMI Records (Ref Code:- SAN 162 / 1E065-00053), conducted by Rafael Frubeck De Burgos, played by the New Philharmonia Orchestra and sang by Lucia Popp, Gerhard Unger, Raymond Wolansky & John Noble and the the The New Philharmonia Chorus.
9) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1976 / 1979 DECCA 'Jubilee Series' (Ref Code:- JB78), conducted by Antal Dorati, played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, sang by Norma Burrows, Louis Devos, John Shirley-Quirk and the Brighton Festival Chorus and Southend Boys Choir.
10) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1960 CBS (Ref Code:- 72169), conducted by Eugene Ormandy, played by the Philadelphia Orchestra, sang by Janice Harsanyi, Rudolph Petrak, & Harve Presnell and the Rutgers University Choir.
11) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1965 Helidor (Ref Code:- 89 525), conducted by Herbert Kegel, played by the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, sang by Jutta Vulpius, Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, Kurt Rehm & Kurt Hubenthal and the Leipzig Radio Choir and the Children's Choir. (Have two exact copies of this LP as bought one of them by mistake with not knowing I already had one lol ).
12) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1961 Supraphon Records (Ref Code:- SUA ST 50409), conducted by Vaclav Smetacek, played by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, sang by Milada Subrtova, Teodor Srubar & Jaroslav Tomanek and the Czech Philharmonic Chorus.
So, does anybody out there have a better version(s) of 'Carl Orff - Carmina Burana' to the three I have listed above and any of the other nine listed, and if so what is it / are they ?
p.s. sorry for the very long post but I had to list all the information !
Wondering if anybody can help me with regards to the classic performance of 'Carl Orff - Carmina Burana' in stereo ?
One of my resolutions last year was to buy the best vinyl LP of 'Carl Orff - Carmina Burana' in stereo I could afford and get my hands on as it is one of my all time favourite classical performances.
I already had one of the earlier Deutsche Grammophon versions (Ref Code: 139 362) and a Halle 'Classics for Pleasure' (Ref Code:- CFP4381) version which both I had bought second hand close to 20 years ago playing them all those years ago on my Linn LP12 with Naim amplification and Linn Kann Speakers on stands.
However even after cleaning these two old versions on my Keith Monks Classic RCM three separate times with playing the LP in between each of the washes (which was a soiled / pre-wash and a main wash for each of the three separate washes) last year they both still had ticks and pops and high surface noise from very faint surface scratches etc. which stopped me from fully enjoying the music when I played them.
So, in order to start my journey in finding the best version of 'Carl Orff - Carmina Burana', last year I ended up buying another 10 versions of it (to go with the two versions I already had) i.e. total 12 versions (which were all washed on my Keith Monks Classic RCM before I played them on my Kuzma XL DC with Kuzma 4Point 11" arm & Eminent Ex cartridge linked to my CH P1 Phono stage which is connected to my Hifiman EF1000 Amp & Susvara Headphones).
From these 10 versions I bought last year plus the two versions I had bought close to 20 years ago, I thought the best three versions I had bought to date (from reading online reviews etc.) were as follows;
1) A brand new record in mint condition (but still has some minor ticks and pops and surface noise that can be heard during quiet passages) (no date of manufacture given on record nor sleeve) Deutsche Grammophon (Ref Code:- 'STEREO 139 362A / SLPM 0139362') conducted by Eugen Jochum, played by the Berlin Opera & Berlin Orchestra and sang by Gundula Janowitz, Gerhard Stolze & Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and the the Berlin Choir.
2) A second hand in good condition (minor surface scratches with some ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) EMI 'Angel Series' Ltd Edition copy (Ref Code:- SAN 162 / (1E065-00053)), conducted by Rafael Frubeck De Burgos, played by the New Philharmonia Orchestra and sang by Lucia Popp, Gerhard Unger, Raymond Wolansky & John Noble and the the The New Philharmonia Chorus.
3) A second hand average condition (has surface scratches and plays with a lot of ticks and pops with high surface noise which are quite loud during quiet passages) 1975 MFSL / Angel / EMI 'Original Master Recording' copy (Ref Code:- MFSL 1-506) conducted by Andre Previn, played by the London Symphony Orchestra and sang by Sheila Armstrong, Gerald English & Thomas Allen and the London Symphony Choir and the St Clement Danes Grammer School Boys Choir
The three listed above were the best sounding (to my ears on my headphone system) out of all 12 versions in the order I have listed them above with the Deutsche Grammophon (Ref Code:- 'STEREO 139 362) version being well in front for overall sound clarity although not as realistic as the other two (especially the MFSL 1-506 version) I guess because this newer version was digitally processed and recorded onto vinyl.
However the MFSL 1-506 version sounded quite masked and not very clear at all especially with doing an A to B direct comparison with the other two which surprised me with it being an MFSL 'Original Master Recording' and all that and what it cost me for such a mediocre condition LP (for both the sleeve and LP itself).
The EMI 'Angel Series' Ltd Edition copy (Ref Code:- SAN 162 / (1E065-00053) was a mix in sound character to the other two. For the price I paid for it and the relatively good condition it was in, it was a good buy and sounded quite good although not with the clarity of the Deutsche Grammophon (Ref Code:- 'STEREO 139 362') version.
The other nine versions were either poor sounding (not just due to high surface noise and ticks & pops but also production and recording of the music) or just didn't sound right due to the orchestra and performer & singers etc. so I will most probably never play them again ! These other nine versions (carrying on from the first three listed above and in no particular music / sound performance or condition order and include the two I bought close to 20 years ago (4) & 5))) are;
4) Bought close to 20 years ago, a second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) Deutsche Grammophon (Ref Code:- 'STEREO 139 362') conducted by Eugen Jochum, played by the Berlin Opera & Berlin Orchestra and sang by Gundula Janowitz, Gerhard Stolze & Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and the the Berlin Choir.
5) Bought close to 20 years ago, a second hand in average to good condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1982 EMI 'Classics for Pleasure' (Ref Code:- CFP4381) conducted by Maurice Handford, played by the Halle Orchestra, sang by Sheila Armstrong, Brian Rayner Cook, Peter Hall and the Halle Choir and Boys of Manchester Grammer School Choir.
6) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1965 EMI 'HMV Greensleeve' series (Ref Code:- ESD 7177 / 037-00053), conducted by Rafael Frubeck De Burgos, played by the New Philharmonia Orchestra and sang by Lucia Popp, Gerhard Unger, Raymond Wolansky & John Noble and the the The New Philharmonia Chorus.
7) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1966 EMI Records (Ref Code:- SAN 162 / 1E065-00053), conducted by Rafael Frubeck De Burgos, played by the New Philharmonia Orchestra and sang by Lucia Popp, Gerhard Unger, Raymond Wolansky & John Noble and the the The New Philharmonia Chorus.
8) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1966 EMI Records (Ref Code:- SAN 162 / 1E065-00053), conducted by Rafael Frubeck De Burgos, played by the New Philharmonia Orchestra and sang by Lucia Popp, Gerhard Unger, Raymond Wolansky & John Noble and the the The New Philharmonia Chorus.
9) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1976 / 1979 DECCA 'Jubilee Series' (Ref Code:- JB78), conducted by Antal Dorati, played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, sang by Norma Burrows, Louis Devos, John Shirley-Quirk and the Brighton Festival Chorus and Southend Boys Choir.
10) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1960 CBS (Ref Code:- 72169), conducted by Eugene Ormandy, played by the Philadelphia Orchestra, sang by Janice Harsanyi, Rudolph Petrak, & Harve Presnell and the Rutgers University Choir.
11) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1965 Helidor (Ref Code:- 89 525), conducted by Herbert Kegel, played by the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, sang by Jutta Vulpius, Hans-Joachim Rotzsch, Kurt Rehm & Kurt Hubenthal and the Leipzig Radio Choir and the Children's Choir. (Have two exact copies of this LP as bought one of them by mistake with not knowing I already had one lol ).
12) A second hand in average condition (with surface scratches and ticks and pops & surface noise during the quiet passages) 1961 Supraphon Records (Ref Code:- SUA ST 50409), conducted by Vaclav Smetacek, played by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, sang by Milada Subrtova, Teodor Srubar & Jaroslav Tomanek and the Czech Philharmonic Chorus.
So, does anybody out there have a better version(s) of 'Carl Orff - Carmina Burana' to the three I have listed above and any of the other nine listed, and if so what is it / are they ?
p.s. sorry for the very long post but I had to list all the information !