Oh, I assure you my first thought was it was a DGG too. It has too much music on each side. But still for a 1959 album it has surprisingly good stereo. If only it was worth listening too 
What are you currently listening to (Classical)?
- Thread starter Bachtoven
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Oh, I assure you my first thought was it was a DGG too. It has too much music on each side. But still for a 1959 album it has surprisingly good stereo. If only it was worth listening too
I love Paul Dukas's music
Anyway, you'll almost never find me endorsing a HiQ LP release - not because of the music or performances but because they just don't seem to have their act together at the Hayes pressing company in the UK (where apparently the reburbished original EMI presses reside).
But I bit the bullet and made an exception for this Beecham disk. There is always something captivating about a Beecham performance. I bought two copies of this in the hope at least one would be OK. Turns out both were identical in pressing quality and were actually fairly reasonable, save for an annoying low frequency thump every revolution for a minute or so on side 2 on both copies (the Pelleas and Melisande). Pressing quality still has a way to go on this label but I am at least encouraged that this release was a decent one by modern standards. A pity nevertheless that the company does not make high resolution digital downloads available for all their LP releases. Afterall, there are other remastering facilities that can make a digital transcription concurrent with the analogue one and I am sure Abbey Road would have such a capability.
which version/conductor? I have Fischer's, and in fact, have all of his Bruckners to date.
Enjoy! One of my 3 favorite composers...Bach, Haydn, Handel for me. I have the entire set from Adam Fischer, and just got the entire symphony box set using only historical period instruments from Hogwood/Bruggen/Dantone that was just recently released.
I often wondered why I didn't see the Paris symphonies, so I decided to get them. It was my birthday, so my girlfriend treated me to the box set!
I frequently hear Christopher Hogwood's music played on the classical station on Sirius, and I've enjoyed it. I believe he passed away recently.
Here are the final three vinyl LPs I bought in my October "batch" that I recommend (one with caveats). The first (with the caveats) is another Analogphonic release. Again, a very high production standard all-round, great pressing, great sound....except that whoever engineered the original sessions placed the violin extremely "up front" in the overall sonic landscape. I think I might know why. I suspect this release - when it originally came out - was intended as one of those "popular-oriented" classical releases - the sort of release that a pop music collector might own a small handful of. And hence the balance reflects a pop "taste" in the same way a vocalist might have been lit in a small acoustic popular group. If you can put up with the orchestra being 30 feet away whilst Milstein saws away on your lap, it is still a great recording to own.
And another Decca reissue via Universal Music. Though it does not specifically say, I suspect this is another Sean Magee cutting as I can see the little "I..I" symbol in the deadwax that I have seen in his other remasterings. Not sure if it is sourced from original tapes or 24/96 but it sounds great all the same. Probably the latter since there is a download voucher included (only mp3 for the download) with the LP though the blurb at both Acoustic Sounds and Elusive Disk says it was made from the original analogue tapes. Like other Universal Decca releases, the cover is made of thin, mat cardboard and nothing to get excited about. But at $19 US, all these releases are bargains and they have never disappointed me in the sonics or value for money stakes. The Candide Overture - all 4 and a bit minutes of it - is the highlight of this release (and the first time I've bought it on vinyl).
And finally, a very well known symphony - Tchaikovsky's 6th. I've been waiting for a worthy vinyl reissue of this for years now. Speakers Corner did bring out a Fricsay on DG a few years back however it was apparently comprised of a mishmash of different recording sessions in different acoustics and was never commercially released back in the 60s. On the other hand, I reckon Speakers Corner are sitting on an absolute goldmine with their superb Columbia reissues - all of which have been excellent performances with surprisingly excellent sonics for the most part. I say surprisingly only because I doubt many collectors would rate the Columbia classical catalogue in the top-tier so far as engineering is concerned, though quite honestly I've found a lot of them to be at least as good as many of my DG and Decca titles. This release has a very late 50s sound - meaning very forward sounding with some natural compression, though it is very smooth, silky and detailed sounding as well. I really enjoyed this one.
And another Decca reissue via Universal Music. Though it does not specifically say, I suspect this is another Sean Magee cutting as I can see the little "I..I" symbol in the deadwax that I have seen in his other remasterings. Not sure if it is sourced from original tapes or 24/96 but it sounds great all the same. Probably the latter since there is a download voucher included (only mp3 for the download) with the LP though the blurb at both Acoustic Sounds and Elusive Disk says it was made from the original analogue tapes. Like other Universal Decca releases, the cover is made of thin, mat cardboard and nothing to get excited about. But at $19 US, all these releases are bargains and they have never disappointed me in the sonics or value for money stakes. The Candide Overture - all 4 and a bit minutes of it - is the highlight of this release (and the first time I've bought it on vinyl).
And finally, a very well known symphony - Tchaikovsky's 6th. I've been waiting for a worthy vinyl reissue of this for years now. Speakers Corner did bring out a Fricsay on DG a few years back however it was apparently comprised of a mishmash of different recording sessions in different acoustics and was never commercially released back in the 60s. On the other hand, I reckon Speakers Corner are sitting on an absolute goldmine with their superb Columbia reissues - all of which have been excellent performances with surprisingly excellent sonics for the most part. I say surprisingly only because I doubt many collectors would rate the Columbia classical catalogue in the top-tier so far as engineering is concerned, though quite honestly I've found a lot of them to be at least as good as many of my DG and Decca titles. This release has a very late 50s sound - meaning very forward sounding with some natural compression, though it is very smooth, silky and detailed sounding as well. I really enjoyed this one.
This new acquisition is knocking my socks off! In addition to absolutely marvelous performances, the choice of venue and the way the sound engineer has captured every tiny detail in stunningly realistic perspective is unlike anything I've ever heard.
J. S. Bach: 'O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort ', BWV 20
J. S. Bach: 'O Ewigkeit, du Donnerwort ', BWV 20
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