Post by Chris October 28, 2012 (2861 of 4131)
|
|
bissie said:
We're quite nervous about the Minnesota situation, especially so, since I just ther other day listened to the 1st edit of the next Sibelius (S1+4), which is so superb that words fail me (see, I got it in anyway). It would be really tragic, if the third and final Symphony recording were to be much delayed or even cancelled.
Dear Bissie,
I note that Sibelius's 4th is missing from the list of upcoming releases. After the magnificent 2nd and 5th I can hardly wait for the the 1st and 4th: I hope they will still be released this year?
Emilia had me too,under her spell live for four days in Selbu Norway and since then often on SACD. She is really amazing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Robert
I despair also. I think part of the problem is that companies are still not submitting new release info on the site. Perhaps Praga are better at it than others. There are quite a lot of meaty new releases scheduled for November from such companies as Chandos, Challenge and LSO Live which are yet to be listed and might provoke comment (How about Elgar Starlight Express for starters). The only way we can see the details is to look at certain mail order houses which we cannot draw attention to directly. They are creaming off the new release business from readers of this site as they often have pre-release offers. I just ordered The LSO Faure disc for £6.00 delivered! Incidentally your Mendelssohn Symphonies/concertos box set has yet to appear here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
stvnharr said:
It's pretty unpopular here to mention that most old recordings can be exceedingly well served by a rbcd release, remastered or not. But those rbcd's cannot command high prices either, unless they are Japanese XRCD24's or something similar. And those releases are also not subjects for this forum.
How true. Pretty tough to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse, sound-wise that is. A good part of the enjoyment of canned/recorded music is capturing the beauty of sound of the respective instruments and/or voices. While there are many old recordings that were done well given the limitations of the recording equipment of the time, obviously, more modern recording techniques and hardware can do a much better job. For older stereo recordings, the advantages of SACD over RBCD are mostly nonexistent. In many if not most cases, why pay a premium for a remastered old performance, when a high-quality newer performance at lower cost is available? I know this will inspire some to wax eloquent concerning the unique virtues of artists, such as Richter, whose interpretations often were unique, but also at times merely eccentric. Yes, these older performances have their virtues, but so do many newer ones -- and in better sound.
|
|
|
Post by diw October 28, 2012 (2864 of 4131)
|
|
bissie said:
We're quite nervous about the Minnesota situation, especially so, since I just ther other day listened to the 1st edit of the next Sibelius (S1+4), which is so superb that words fail me (see, I got it in anyway). It would be really tragic, if the third and final Symphony recording were to be much delayed or even cancelled.
Robert
We are all looking forward to the rest of the symphony cycle, so hopefully the 1/4 will be released in the near future. I am curious as to whether any headway on the Bis/Minneapolis Beethoven overture disc has been made. Has any of it been recorded yet? Or is that still just a possible future plan?
And, yes, we all hope the next contract in Minneapolis (if there is one) will leave the recording relationship with Bis untouched.
Now that Litton has done the Stravinsky ballets, can you give us a clue as to what he might be recording next?
|
|
|
Post by BIS fan October 28, 2012 (2865 of 4131)
|
|
I really can't understand why people stay interested in the older recordings again and again. Why should I buy Tchaikovsky 4, 5 and 6 on SACD by Mravinsky for the impossible price asked? I only wish to broaden my collection so I'm very very much interested in new recordings by unknown or lesser known composers. So that's why I'm not interested in Jarvi's new Schumann 2 too. I already own the great Dausgaard BIS cycle and the Gardiner cycle and the older Szell cycle. That's enough. For me the new Sibelius cycle that's going on in Minnesota isn't that interesting too, owning already 3 cycles (Vanska, Jarvi and Askenazy - a bore by the way). Browsing through what I've bought this year so far it's BIS, Chandos, Naxos, Dutton and CPO. To broaden my collection, that is.
|
|
|
Post by Polarius T October 28, 2012 (2866 of 4131)
|
|
Euell Neverno said:
For older stereo recordings, the advantages of SACD over RBCD are mostly nonexistent. In many if not most cases, why pay a premium for a remastered old performance, when a high-quality newer performance at lower cost is available?
When I want to hear how an orchestra or a performer sounds in real life, I go to my hometown's concert hall to enjoy that (and an excellent hall it is, too, acoustically speaking); I don't even try to pretend I can recreate it at home. At home, what I want to hear is what I cannot hear at that concert hall: a performance that's beyond my reach otherwise, for reasons of geography, culture, or wrong age.
You are probably right in that SACD does relatively little in improving the sound of an RBCD. But a careful new remastering aimed at a discriminating and picky audiophile audience perceived to do nothing but focus on the sonics can make a big difference, a difference that I'm just glad to pay for in the cases that matter to me, if I can afford it.
If you don't mind if it's Richter playing or someone else, all power to you. For me that's, however, about the difference that separates great immortal art from consumer entertainment and hobby activities. :-)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Speaking of Richter, it is quite possible that one may actually prefer performances by others. To each his own, but Richter's recorded performances were not always distinguished or "immortal," as you put it. Blind obsequious worship of the past ignores both the present and the future. There are many fine pianists other than Richter, whose recordings deserve to be heard. To imply that all else is inferior mediocrity is a bit of a reach, to say the least.
|
|
|
Post by deckerm October 28, 2012 (2868 of 4131)
|
|
I am really guilty of nostalgia on some pieces. To me, it has been a life long journey to be able to replace Artur Rubinstein with someone actually alive and able to see. Sadly, I compare all modern pianists with him, and since his playing is what formed my 'reference standard' of what Chopin should sound like, all others seem to fail. Still, I buy what I can buy in hoping to find the new reference, and while some have come close (Zimerman), most have failed that mark.
I understand your point regarding the re-issue frenzy that this site likes. There is no amount of money i am willing to spend on SACDs from Japan that could actually make a 1950 recording sound better on my system than the latest remastered redbook. I have a nice multi channel rig, but not the ridiculous system one would need to actually perceive a difference. My listening room is not an anechoic chamber, my speakers are modest, and I use a receiver to drive my SACD player.
I am on a current music buying binge these days. For years, i had the mindset that I would not purchase ANY music unless it was on SACD, and sadly, that removed a whole bunch of music from my listening pleasure. I am now correcting that (thank you Amazon) and Bis gets a lot of that business. I hope the Sibelius continues, as frankly, I consider the first movement of the first symphony to be the best of all the Sibelius symphonies, and Maestro Litton was the conductor who really set that bar when he was here in Dallas. I hope Minnesota is equally good.
|
|
|
Post by Johnbs October 28, 2012 (2869 of 4131)
|
|
Dear Robert
I am not sure that I understand the problem - it is possible to be excited about both reissues in improved sound and new recordings. For reissues, the question is usually whether the remastering makes them worthwhile as the artistic quality is usually well known, while for new recordings the primary question is usually whether they are artistically worthwhile (as the recording quality of most new SACDs is high now for labels like BIS).
As long as BIS continues to release interesting repertoire, I will buy it as a matter of course, so I feel less need to read the discussions than for, say, Richter re-releases.
Thanks for helping me spend most of my available cash!
John
|
|
|
Post by ramesh October 28, 2012 (2870 of 4131)
|
|
bissie said:
Please, pretty please, I am not complaining, really I am not. But I would like to ask you nice people, if, looking at the Forum of today, we serious producers of high-quality, high-res contents in modern, extremely expensive recordings in Mch, selling them to you at a - compared to CD - extremely favourable price, can derive much inspiration from the interest shown by you for what we do.
Just look at the Forum, first page, and the "Discussion" items there:
1) Shostakovich: Three Concertos, collated from recordings 1956,1959 and 1961
2) Richter in Prague, Chopin from 1960
3) Van Cliburn and Fritz Reiner from whenever, but not "today"
4) Richter from 1972 with Schubert
5) Richter Beethoven from 1965 and 1986
6) YEAH MAN - in 6th place with a post from 2 days ago - a modern recording!! Paavo Järvi. Of course no comment from anyone.
7) Furtwängler with Wagner
Chandos, perhaps even we, where does this leave us?
Robert
Well Robert,
I'm probably the most guilty party for 1,2,4 & 5- after some time away from this site. But this is because I'm a Richter and Oistrakh fan.
Rest assured, I am not curtailing BIS purchases- my latest was the Evelyn Glennie 'Ecstatic Drumbeat,' and have the new Aho on order. I'm completing the Brautigam Beethoven series and just started buying his Mozart concertos. [ Though here I have bought most of the Zacharias SACDs on MDG. ] Last week the Channel violinist Ning Feng performed in Auckland, so I am endeavoring to persuade the two new concert-goers I sat beside to buy his Channel SACDs. Arabella Steinbacher on PentaTone is another violinist I haven't overlooked.
The Glennie disc is fabulous, as is NY Polyphony's 'EndBeginning.'
|
|
