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My copy of IsoMike SACD Mozart Piano Sonatas set arrived in perfect condition on December 20. It was packed very carefully and professionally. I am really pleased with the serial number. Thanks, Ray! Have a Happy Xmas and a Prosperous New Year!
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Post by ducati January 6, 2011 (42 of 55)
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Happy new year, all! Any chance for a New Year's sale on discs, Ray? I'm itching for some new material, and I happened to spin an isomike test disc I got as a freebie with some audio equipment... Wow..! I'd love to hear the Silverman discs.
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Post by Nagraboy January 6, 2011 (43 of 55)
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Beagle said:
Fitzcaraldo,
It's just the old Beagle, but your question interests me. I wondered the same thing as I looked at the -- GASP! -- price!
...When I recovered consciousness (and after I read the on-line liner notes) I realised that this was one of those things where I would have regrets if I purchased it piece by piece (e.g. Naxos Complete Haydn Quartets). Silverman has recorded these works as a single life-time oeuvre, like a Beethoven Quartet Cycle. I treasure my Philips/Uchida cycle of Mozart piano sonatas... and whenever Canadian Customs chooses to let this box set across the border, I expect to have a new magnus opus to hug.
How do you find the sound Beagle? I also love the Philips/Uchida cycle and recently bought the 'Linn Records - Mozart in Vienna' SACD and found the sound to be maybe a bit too reverberant, whereas the Uchida sonatas are much drier and clearer. So my question is what is the acoustic like on this recording compared with the Philips/Uchida?
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Post by Beagle January 6, 2011 (44 of 55)
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Nagraboy said: what is the acoustic like on this recording compared with the Philips/Uchida?
Yo Greg! At first I was going to say "Utterly different!" -- because I got LOST in all those discs, seven from Silverman and five from Uchida. Hey, Mozart's easy to get lost in, and it's past my bedtime! Okay... I've got it sorted now:
The Silverman sound is of course more detailed than the Uchida sound, i.e. SACD adding silver detail to the high strings, golden detail to the low. The Silverman instrument is definitely a Steinway Grand; Uchida's instrument is probably the same*, but her rapid-fire fingering makes her instrument sound at times almost like a fortepiano. Uchida's microphones seem closer than Silverman's (which we know are circa 20 feet overhead). I was thinking that the Silverman discs were a bit too dry until I finally did this comparison this evening (it's been deep in my to-do list, so thanks for asking); the sound is not too dry and it certainly isn't too reverberant.
Uchida is definitely playing faster than Silverman. The timings for K479 are
* Uchida___4:48 / 5:43 / 3:13
* Silverman 5:37 / 9:24 / 5:06
-- but I suspect Silverman is doing any-and-all repeats, because he doesn't sound like he's playing half-again slower than Uchida.
______________________
*The box and thick booklet of the Philips Mozart Edition makes virtually no mention of the pianist! (only her name under her photo), and no mention of her instrument.
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Post by Nagraboy January 7, 2011 (45 of 55)
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Thanks for the reply Beagle and the in-depth comparison.
Looks like I'm going to have to shell-out again! Really looking forward to hearing these discs. I've been reading about the Isomike recordings for a few years now, but these will be my first...so a double discovery awaits!
Thanks again, happy listening.
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Post by Beagle January 7, 2011 (46 of 55)
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Hmmm, first IsoMike, you say? Even if your life is driven by a mad obsession with Mozart and/or keyboard, DO order a Fry Street Quartet disc: the charm of IsoMike is best illustrated with multiple instruments -- that's what all those flying baffles are for: slicing up the sound space (the Haydn disc isn't too far away on the musical spectrum from the Mozarts...).
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Post by Nagraboy January 8, 2011 (47 of 55)
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Beagle said:
Hmmm, first IsoMike, you say? Even if your life is driven by a mad obsession with Mozart and/or keyboard, DO order a Fry Street Quartet disc: the charm of IsoMike is best illustrated with multiple instruments -- that's what all those flying baffles are for: slicing up the sound space (the Haydn disc isn't too far away on the musical spectrum from the Mozarts...).
Yeah, I've heard of that one through Russ Andrews in the UK who sells Kimber Kables and the IsoMike discs. Another one for the list, cheers!
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Post by Piano70 January 24, 2011 (48 of 55)
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I’m truly gratified that the reviewer enjoyed the Mozart Piano Sonata set as much as Ray, Graeme Brown and I enjoyed making them. I was just wondering what would have led him to assume ahead of time that I was a dilettante or a smart-aleck (as opposed to, say, witty, charming, urbane, or humorous)? ....Robert Silverman
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Post by Fugue January 24, 2011 (49 of 55)
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Piano70 said:
I’m truly gratified that the reviewer enjoyed the Mozart Piano Sonata set as much as Ray, Graeme Brown and I enjoyed making them. I was just wondering what would have led him to assume ahead of time that I was a dilettante or a smart-aleck (as opposed to, say, witty, charming, urbane, or humorous)? ....Robert Silverman
Robert,
Welcome to this forum. I'm sure many of us would like to personally praise your artistry and to thank for the pleasure that this outstanding brings us.
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Post by Beagle January 24, 2011 (50 of 55)
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DWalcutt wrote: I had not heard of Robert Silverman and had no idea what to expect, and being a skeptic, I braced myself for the playing of a dilettante - maybe a smart alecky sort of guy.....
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Dear Robert,
If it's any consolation, I have heard of you in glowing terms for nearly 40 years. You were thrust into my awareness around 1972 by our old fustigating friend Bob Kerr on his daily CBC programme, Off the Record. I know CBC is audible below the 49th Parallel in Seattle but I guess Eugene Oregon is a bit too far below the horizon.
Beagle of Westcock
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