Post by Chris May 10, 2014 (1 of 15)
|
|
While I certainly agree with the reviewer that this is both a wonderful performance and a recording that in most respects still shines after all these years,it should be made clear that we are actually talking about an early 60s DECCA VPO Sofiensaal recording first released on LP.
And I strongly doubt it would have been recorded in mch.
But yes,both the wonderful string sound and sense of air also around wind instruments and real venue acoustic captured is more realistic,than what Karajan got from DGG in the 70s in the same music with the BPO in the Philharmonie imo.
I still play my original LP once in a while.
And Decca also has the Ernest Ansermet Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Swan Lake complete in a LP boxed set and also on SACD? if I am not wrong.
But I guess that for real present day, SOTA SQ, the recent Chandos recordings of Tchaikovsky ballets from Bergen would be hard to beat.
Karajan and the VPO are hard to beat interpretatively though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
There is no reason that Decca could not produce a MC from the studio master. Technically you can produce a MC version of anything.
What I was pointing out is that on the inside sleeve they state " where possible, tracks will be made available in 5.1 surround, but in order to pay respect to the original material this is not possible for every release."
I shall clarify that in the review just in case it is misleading. Thanks.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I don't think I want a 5.1 MC remastering of something that was originally in 2 channel. I'm a big multichannel fan, but I don't really see the benefits of it.
|
|
|
Post by Links May 13, 2014 (4 of 15)
|
|
onenairb said:
There is no reason that Decca could not produce a MC from the studio master. Technically you can produce a MC version of anything.
Nonsense.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Links said:
Nonsense.
And why not?
|
|
|
|
|
|
onenairb said:
And why not?
The most one could've hoped for in an early '60s recording was three channels..........Universal is NOT going to do a 5.1 mch transfer from three channels (if that WAS the case)!
|
|
|
Post by AmonRa June 4, 2014 (7 of 15)
|
|
Many early recordings were mixed live to stereo tape as there were no multitrack machines available, so there is no MCH information to mix a MCH version from. Certainly it is possible to synthesize the center and back channels, but most MCH preprocessors can do it also at home.
In the early eighties digital recordings were also stereo only, as there were no multitrack digital recorders yet.
|
|
|
Post by Chris June 4, 2014 (8 of 15)
|
|
AmonRa said:
Many early recordings were mixed live to stereo tape as there were no multitrack machines available, so there is no MCH information to mix a MCH version from. Certainly it is possible to synthesize the center and back channels, but most MCH preprocessors can do it also at home.
In the early eighties digital recordings were also stereo only, as there were no multitrack digital recorders yet.
And how wonderfully natural and realistic some of them still sound ,because they got it right from the start instead of trying to fix things later at the mixing desk and having to try to sort out all the timing delay and phase problems that come with multimiking.
This Karajan release is imo,while still ok,not really one of the very best examples of "good old analogue" at its best.
There are many old DECCAS that are even better than this one imo. And from EMI in those days mid 50s to early 60s some of the just announced Karajan/Philharmonia/ Kingsway Hall/ Blumlein recordings soon to be released on SACD are in their original LP form some of the most realistically balanced recordings ever made of an orchestra imo.
Their shortcomings are of course occasional tape overload, with congested climaxes,tape speed variations and compared to what is possible with today's digital systems,limited dynamic range.
But balance wise they are still absolutely wonderful in their realism and at least in that respect, still after all these years,better than many present day productions.
Among today's labels there are at least two that still work at getting it right in the hall,and at the actual sessions,Channel Classics and Chandos.In both cases the excellent results speak for themselves imo.
|
|
|
|
|
|
AmonRa said:
Certainly it is possible to synthesize the center and back channels, but most MCH preprocessors can do it also at home.
This is exactly my point. I am not suggesting that all these recordings were made using multitrack equipment, just that you can take any sound source and manipulate it into a multichannel presentation. And I don't just mean send the same signal to 5 different speaker either.
There are plenty of original mono and two track recordings now available on SACD with an MC presentation. E.G. Sonny Rollins: Way Out West
|
|
|
|
|
|
I wouldn't want such manipulation.
|
|
