What Classical Music Are You Listening To Tonight?

[ehoove]

A bit on Mono this evening:
Rachmaninoff
Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op 18
Fritz Reiner - Conducting the Chicago Symphony
Liszt
Concerto No.1 in E flat
Alfred Wallenstein conducting the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra
Arthur Rubinstein - Piano on both
RCA Victor LM-2068 (shaded dog)
Magnificent mono recording!
Regards,
Jim

[ehoove]

Time for a bit of Tape:
Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade
Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra
RCA 7.5 ips ERP1 OO28-C
Wonderful piece of tape!
Regards,
Jim

[Toccata]

Imagine a denser, darker, but less melodically distinctive Scriabin. Powell plays magnificently. Good but not stellar sound.

[ehoove]

Rachmaninoff
Symphony No.2
London Philharmonic Orchestra - Sir Adrian Boult
RCA Victor LM-2106 (Mono Shaded Dog)
Very solid performance, good sonics, and wonderful Conducting
Regards,
Jim

[bart]

Marin Marais - Suitte d'un Goût Étranger - Pièces de Viole du IV Livre, 1717



From hraudio.net:

To celebrate Marin Marais' 350th birthday, Jordi Savall has made his first complete recording of Marais' most intricate work: the Suitte d'un Goût Etranger. As indicated in the detailed liner notes, these 33 pieces offer the quintessence of the art of Marais, with fascinating titles like La Rêveuse (The Dreamer), La Singulière (The Special), La Bizarre (The Weird), La Superbe (The Proud), including the final Badinage, full of nostalgia. No other work in the baroque repertoire surpasses this fabulous 'Suitte'. Surrounded by superb artists, Jordi Savall performs the type of repertoire with which he so famously made his mark in the film Tous les matins du monde.

Pierre Hantaï (clavecin)
Xavier Díaz-Latorre, Rolf Lislevand (théorbes et guitares)
Philippe Pierlot (viole de gambe basse)
Andrew Lawrence-King (harpe double)
Pedro Estevan (percussion)
Jordi Savall (viole de gambe basse)

I listened to the first SACD in stereo, the second in surround (4.0 recording).
My stereo system has the edge on detail and transparency, my multi-channel adds ambience.
This is a terrific set played both ways.

[bart]

Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade
Stravinsky - Song of the Nightingale
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner



This album is a true sonic delight, and the performance is sublime too.
I'm listening in 3-channel, and I'm astonished each time again how good the sound engineers did their job on these almost 60 year old recordings.

Has anyone compared this with the Analogue Productions SACD of the Rimsky-Korsakov?

[bart]

Haydn - String Quartets
The Amsterdam String Quartets



Already winding down towards the night with these fine interpretations of some of Haydn's string quartets.

[bart]

We decided to play Volume 2 as well:

Haydn - String Quartets vol. 2
The Amsterdam String Quartet

[tima]

Originally Posted by bart

Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade
Stravinsky - Song of the Nightingale
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Fritz Reiner



This album is a true sonic delight, and the performance is sublime too.
I'm listening in 3-channel, and I'm astonished each time again how good the sound engineers did their job on these almost 60 year old recordings.

Has anyone compared this with the Analogue Productions SACD of the Rimsky-Korsakov?

Not the SACD, but I've compared the Classic Records vs. Analogue Productions LPs and the latest AP LP versions are a genuine improvement. Listening to the newer release you realize it avoids the somewhat darker/heavier cast of the earlier version. That may be less mid-bass emphasis which tends to obscure lower frequency information with the result being better frequency balance and better structure revealed in the lower frequencies. Overall the newer release offers better tonality - this is the most obvious difference I heard. Clearer low frequencies also means improved dynamic contrast. They are also much quieter, though that may be more of a vinyl property.

On the several of the AP Living Stereos vinyl editions I've compared, the results are largely consistent with what I heard on the Scheherazade. I can only speculate similar for the SACDs; Arthur Lintgen likes 'em. "For the first time the magic of the original LP pressings is audible on SACD." Wrt the Resphigi Pines & Fountains (the only original I have), the frequency balance on the new LP is far and away better than the original.

For vinyl lovers, if you like the music, the new editions are worthwhile, particularly if earlier copies have come to show their age. I suggest to try one and see what you think.

[McPlanar]