Post by Jonty August 28, 2005 (1 of 31)
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Like the Leroy Anderson disc this is a real improvement on the CD. I have always thought this my favourite performance of The Nutcraker and it now sounds even better. The Serenade has been much improved although I look forward to the Stokowski recording from Pentatone later in the year. These latest Mercury transfers seem to be getting more out of the tapes.
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Post by Daland August 29, 2005 (2 of 31)
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Jonty said:
Like the Leroy Anderson disc this is a real improvement on the CD. I have always thought this my favourite performance of The Nutcraker and it now sounds even better. The Serenade has been much improved although I look forward to the Stokowski recording from Pentatone later in the year. These latest Mercury transfers seem to be getting more out of the tapes.
Having never heard this recording on CD, I was greatly impressed by both the performance and the sound when I received the SACD version (from jpc) a week ago. I think that The Nutcracker is one of Tchaikovsky's most inspired scores and cannot understand why so many conductors are content with the Nutcracker Suite. They don't know what they are missing - just think of the Christmas tree scene, the magic journey across the pine forest or the great pas de deux.
Antal Dorati had a flair for ballet music, which he demonstrates here most convincingly with a reading full of verve and elegance. The warm and richly detailed sound of this three-channel recording deserves the highest praise.
The Serenade for Strings, recorded four years earlier (in 1958) with a different orchestra, is less successful in sonic terms. The strings are a bit edgy in the opening movement, but things improve later on. Even so the sumptuous sound I had hoped for did not materialize. Overall this is a minor quibble given the superlative reading of The Nutcracker.
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Post by Johnno August 29, 2005 (3 of 31)
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I played my CD of this recently and thought it lacked sparkle (It's been ages since I played it last) so I'm really looking forward to the SACD.
By the way, why is it that the US (where I've ordered my set from ) aren't getting these latest MLPs till October? It's ridiculous.
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Post by Johnno September 3, 2005 (4 of 31)
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BTW, when I mentioned "sparkle" above, I was referring to the CD transfer not the performanace, which is superb. For a Mercury, this disc seems to have a somewhat veiled sound -- at least that's how it sounded through my No. 2 gear. I remember the LP set being vivid enough.
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The reviewer mentioned the outrageous price of this set. Astonishingly, tower.com still has this set as $18.98 (must think it's a one disc set). I believe it's also the same price in store.
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Post by Claude November 11, 2005 (6 of 31)
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In Europe, the set is priced like a single disc. I got it for 13 Euros at JPC.de
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Post by 51surr November 13, 2005 (7 of 31)
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rosenkavalier817 said:
The reviewer mentioned the outrageous price of this set. Astonishingly, tower.com still has this set as $18.98 (must think it's a one disc set). I believe it's also the same price in store.
Thanks for the info I just went online and ordered it at 18.98. What a bargain(quote reminds me of Galaxy Quest).
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It's available from MDT.CO.UK for $14.36 USD. This price includes shipping to the U.S.
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Post by Merlin December 10, 2008 (9 of 31)
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It's available from YourMusic.Com for $13.98 including shipping.
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Post by TerraEpon December 10, 2008 (10 of 31)
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Merlin said:
It's available from YourMusic.Com for $13.98 including shipping.
That's a bit of a misstep -- you have to be a member of YourMusic, which means committing to at least one disc a month. And considering their selection, most people here probably wouldn't find it worthwhile.
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