Post by Johnno June 9, 2005 (1 of 19)
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Has anyone bought, or at least heard, this EXTON set of the complete orchestral works of Rachmaninov?
I love these works and Edo de Waat can be a very sympathetic conductor when the repertoire suits him.
Comments on the interpretations, orchestral playing and obviously recording quality would be greatly appreciated.
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Post by Arthur June 12, 2005 (2 of 19)
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Johnno said:
Has anyone bought, or at least heard, this EXTON set of the complete orchestral works of Rachmaninov?
I love these works and Edo de Waat can be a very sympathetic conductor when the repertoire suits him.
Comments on the interpretations, orchestral playing and obviously recording quality would be greatly appreciated.
Johnno:
This set is incredible and I would recommend it without qualification! I was a little hesitant to buy it partially due to the expense and partially due to De Waart's reputation for being kind of the poor man's Haitink: everything clean and balanced but without great sweep or passion. I got to hear him regularly during his time in San Francisco and he was largely responsible for turning that orchestra around. The lack of excitement charge was probably undeserved, but his willingness to accept violin sections of 14 and 13 players kept him from ever getting a truly rich sound in the big romantic pieces.
So, about this set: not what I expected at all. Yes the playing is clean, but the strings are much richer than I ever could have hoped for! He's still not an over-the-top romantic, but Rachmaninov can speak for himself on that score. What De Waart does do is phrase and shape the music completely convincingly. I liked the Fischer 2nd, but to me the De Waart is better.
The sound is absolutely top-flight.
I look forward to his Wagner, which I haven't heard but which has been highly praised on this forum.
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Post by Johnno June 13, 2005 (3 of 19)
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Arthur,
Many thanks for your comments. It was just what I wanted to hear actually, and when I say that I mean with the style of the interpretations. Too many people pull Rachmaninov around by overromanticising the music and, in my opinion, it suffers as a consequence, especially with repeated playings. Your comments suggest that these are "straight" interpretations but still sufficiently involved to make them interesting. It also sounds as if the orchestral playing is of a high standard as well -- rich string sound is important with this composer -- plus excellent recording.
How can I not order this set now?
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Post by raffells June 14, 2005 (4 of 19)
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Johnno said:
Has anyone bought, or at least heard, this EXTON set of the complete orchestral works of Rachmaninov?
I love these works and Edo de Waat can be a very sympathetic conductor when the repertoire suits him.
Comments on the interpretations, orchestral playing and obviously recording quality would be greatly appreciated.
Mr Waart has done plenty of Rachmaninov and I have his Symphonic Dances / Caprice Bohemien which was the alleged first recording.(I have an earlier meloydia?) .along with his piano concertos with the Monte Carlo /Orozco..These replaced my Ashkenazy/Previn set.. and I havent let go of them...The later San Fransico version did get some criticism.....To me I think the comments made about quality string sound in Rachmaninov is critical...Dave
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Post by Johnno June 16, 2005 (5 of 19)
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Dave, Thank you for your comments. If memory serves me correctly, those earlier recordings of the symphonies were on Philips with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, I think. I've never actually owned recordings of "Prince Rostislav", the Scherzo in D minor or the "Bohemian Caprice". I have one recording of "The Rock" (Previn) and the superb "Symphonic Dances" (Ashkenazy), two of "The Isle of the Dead" (Ashkenazy and Reiner) and Ashkenazy in the "Youth" symphony. I also have various recordings of the three numbered symphonies.
I've been looking around for this Exton set but it seems to be very elusive. I've been to Amazon.co.jp and couldn't track it down it there, despite Stephen's recommendation. Actually, I didn't find that site particularly "user friendly" -- and that was after I converted as much into English as I could! Any suggestions as to where I might be able to buy it? I couldn't find in on Amazon.com either.
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Post by brenda June 16, 2005 (6 of 19)
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Johnno said: Any suggestions as to where I might be able to buy it? I couldn't find in on Amazon.com either.
dear johnno, there's an english translation function on the Exton web site (Octavia Records) - link provided by Zeus under Labels. I'm sure that they'd be happy to help you track a copy down, - the site has contact us and message functions. Could you let us all know what their response is please, - I have a friend who'd love a copy but neither he nor I want to pay .japan prices. Cheers, B.
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Post by zeus June 16, 2005 (7 of 19)
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Johnno said:
I've been looking around for this Exton set but it seems to be very elusive. I've been to Amazon.co.jp and couldn't track it down it there, despite Stephen's recommendation. Actually, I didn't find that site particularly "user friendly" -- and that was after I converted as much into English as I could! Any suggestions as to where I might be able to buy it? I couldn't find in on Amazon.com either.
All you need to do is click on the amazon.co.jp link (on the page for the set) and this will take you directly to the relevant listing on amazon.co.jp. Trust me! If the buttons aren't readable, click on "Display in English" then "Add to Shopping Cart" etc. If you click on "Your Account" at top right, a bit down the page you'll see "Set your ordering language preference". Thereafter, all the Checkout pages should be (mostly) in English. It's worth mastering amazon.co.jp as they're probably the cheapest place to buy Japanese SA-CDs. Standard shipping to this part of the globe takes about two weeks.
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Post by raffells June 16, 2005 (8 of 19)
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Johnno said:
Dave, Thank you for your comments. If memory serves me correctly, those earlier recordings of the symphonies were on Philips with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, I think. I've never actually owned recordings of "Prince Rostislav", the Scherzo in D minor or the "Bohemian Caprice". I have one recording of "The Rock" (Previn) and the superb "Symphonic Dances" (Ashkenazy), two of "The Isle of the Dead" (Ashkenazy and Reiner) and Ashkenazy in the "Youth" symphony. I also have various recordings of the three numbered symphonies.
I've been looking around for this Exton set but it seems to be very elusive. I've been to Amazon.co.jp and couldn't track it down it there, despite Stephen's recommendation. Actually, I didn't find that site particularly "user friendly" -- and that was after I converted as much into English as I could! Any suggestions as to where I might be able to buy it? I couldn't find in on Amazon.com either.
HI Johnno We actualy both have the orchestra wrong...I have NO Excuse...Its the Royal Philharmonic according to the box in my hand.6746397..Probably explains why I thought the orchestral side was very good.....Notes from (2) Meloydia discs Svetlanov show Scherzo 1887 ? Makes him 13 years old and 17 years old for Price Ros anda few years later came Boheme...All in all he didnt overdo the orchestral works in his long lifetime.....Dave
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Post by Johnno June 17, 2005 (9 of 19)
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zeus said:
All you need to do is click on the amazon.co.jp link (on the page for the set) and this will take you directly to the relevant listing on amazon.co.jp. Trust me! If the buttons aren't readable, click on "Display in English" then "Add to Shopping Cart" etc. If you click on "Your Account" at top right, a bit down the page you'll see "Set your ordering language preference". Thereafter, all the Checkout pages should be (mostly) in English. It's worth mastering amazon.co.jp as they're probably the cheapest place to buy Japanese SA-CDs. Standard shipping to this part of the globe takes about two weeks.
I hate to be picky, but I followed your advice and ended up looking at a series of small squares punctuated by the occasional number or letter. If that is supposed to represent a description of my purchase, it simply isn't good enough. I want to see what I'm buying in English!
I'll either wait for the set to become available elsewhere -- or I'll wait for something else.
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Post by zeus June 17, 2005 (10 of 19)
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Johnno said:
I hate to be picky, but I followed your advice and ended up looking at a series of small squares punctuated by the occasional number or letter. If that is supposed to represent a description of my purchase, it simply isn't good enough. I want to see what I'm buying in English!
I'll either wait for the set to become available elsewhere -- or I'll wait for something else.
The small squares means that you haven't installed the Japanese language additions for your browser. If you need the confidence of seeing it in English (or don't want to use Babel Fish) you can always order it from HMV Japan ... it'll just cost you more (delivered). Sometimes discs originating in Japan appear on US or European online vendor sites but generally at a substantial mark-up ... they're mainly targeting people who don't have the initiative to order it directly from Japan themselves.
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