Post by RWetmore July 22, 2012 (21 of 34)
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flyingdutchman said:
So Randall, report?
I still haven't gotten them yet. I chose the cheapest shipping option...
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Post by stvnharr July 22, 2012 (22 of 34)
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RWetmore said:
I still haven't gotten them yet. I chose the cheapest shipping option...
Economy shipping from CD Japan can often take 6 weeks to get the US. Regular airmail gets here in 2 weeks or less. I always use regular email, as the long wait can make one nervous if you've ever had discs lost in the mail.
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Post by Claude July 23, 2012 (23 of 34)
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Airmail from Japan is really fast (one week to Europe, compared to 2-3 weeks from the US), so the small additional cost is worth it.
I would rather have sampled one of the Mravinsky discs first. The new Universal DSD transfers are generally good, but depending on the recording they are not always a substantial upgrade worth $60.
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Post by akiralx July 24, 2012 (24 of 34)
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I am listening to the SHM-SACD Fifth now. Sounds very good via Stax earspeakers, but I don't have the Esoteric to compare so it's debatable how useful my comments are.
Soundstage seems wide, plenty of air around the aural image. The strings sound great but it's how realistic the brass and wind sound which struck me first. I had this performance on an old DG Classikon CD years ago - this sounds a hell of a lot better. In fact it's made me reassess the performance, which I was never 100% keen on. Now it sounds very authentic and eloquent, even if I do prefer Szell...
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Post by akiralx July 24, 2012 (25 of 34)
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I should add the packaging is nice, a kind of deluxe digipak though the SACD is in a plastic sleeve in its own SHM stamped paper envelope. The robust card gatefold reveals five pages of Japanese notes and a facsimile of the LP reverse (in readable German, English and French).
The whole thing is presented in a heavy duty clear plastic envelope whose gummed flap has a habit of catching on the digipak when you try to put it away...
The Nov 1960 recording is attributed to the Vienna Musikverein - I thought they were all done in Wembley Town Hall?
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Post by Claude July 24, 2012 (26 of 34)
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From the Esoteric page:
"Mravinsky went on a long concert tour of England, France, Belgium, Holland, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria from October to November 1960 with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. At that time, Mravinsky's travel abroad was strictly restricted and he could not tour the West for a long time after his live concerts in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria from May to June 1956. Mravinsky and his orchestra overwhelmed audiences in all the cities that they played with their impregnable ensemble performances centered around their forte in Russian compositions including the Shosotakobich's Eighth Symphony first performed in England (available as a live recording on September 23 by BBC). Taking up that opportunity, Deutsche Grammophon made recordings of Tchaikovsky's three late symphonies. The Fourth Symphony was recorded in London after the performance in Edinburgh, England, which was the first performance venue of the 1960 tour, and the Fifth Symphony and Sixth Symphony “Pathetique” were recorded in Vienna after the last tour performance there. "
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Post by RWetmore July 28, 2012 (27 of 34)
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OK, I finally got my order. Now, I have not owned or listened to these performances for at least 10 years (probably more like 15 years). Originally, I think I had the first CD release on DG from the early 1990s.
I listened to the 5th and overall the transfer sounds excellent with a full dynamic range. Plenty of 'air' and nuances present. Tape hiss is relatively low.
I wish I could offer a more direct comparison to the current CD and prior SACD release, but I can't. However, I can say I'm glad to have these and don't regret buying them.
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RWetmore said:
OK, I finally got my order. Now, I have not owned or listened to these performances for at least 10 years (probably more like 15 years). Originally, I had the first CD release on DG from the early 1990s (I think).
I listened to the 5th and overall the transfer sounds excellent with a full dynamic range. Plenty of 'air' and nuances present. Tape hiss is relatively low.
I wish I could offer a more direct comparison to the current CD and prior SACD release, but I can't. However, I can say I'm glad to have these and don't regret buying them.
I appreciate your findings Randall. I wish someone who had the Esoteric and this set would come forward and tell us what they think.
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Post by dist1610 July 30, 2012 (29 of 34)
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Post by dist1610 July 30, 2012 (30 of 34)
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