New releases

[richardfinegold]

EI have the Bernstein Symphony box, and also his DG Sibelius (c/w Elgar!). I recently wanted to play the 7th to a small group of friends, and I left the choice of NY vs Vienna PO to the last minute. The Vienna version has some nice touches, but the NY version has enormous momentum and my CD sounded pretty good. In the end that was the one I played, which I think stunned some who'd not heard either that performance or the symphony before.

Is it likely that this new set will bring significant advantages? There is mention of improved sound on other Bernstein reissues.

The difference between the new remastering of the 7th and the original lp is about the most dramatic improvement in sound I've ever heard moving from 1 format to another. The lp was terrible, apparently mixed for AM Car radio play.

[CallMePaul]

One that does catch my eye is the Lutoslawski Piano Concerto with Zimerman/BPO/Rattle coupled with the Second Symphony .

Yes it's Number One - it's Top of the Pops! (Well, the specialist classical chart, but still a surprise)

[Bryn]

Just 'pre-ordered' the 3 CD Levit variations set. An 'no brainer' at around £18. An extra £3.89 for a 16GB micro SDHC card and adaptor took the order into the free delivery category.

[Dave2002]

Petrenko Shostakovich box set to be released 25th September - around £33 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B011A8X3B...ing=UTF8&psc=1

[Barbirollians]

Now it seems that Sony are going to release Bruno Walter's last Beethoven set for a song - how many sets of these symphonies do I need ….

[HighlandDougie]

Petrenko Shostakovich box set to be released 25th September - around £33 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B011A8X3B...ing=UTF8&psc=1

Even cheaper from MDT:

http://www.mdt.co.uk/shostakovich-the-complete-symphonies-vasily-petrenko-naxos-11cds.html

While I am at it - but at a fairly eye-watering price - there is this rather tempting set.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Igor-Stravinsky-Complete-Columbia-Collection/dp/B00TH53056/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1441624858&sr=1-3&keywords=igor+stravinsky

I know that there have been at least two earlier boxes (Original Jackets plus The Works of Igor Stravinsky) - and a CBS Masterworks Heritage 2-CD set of some of the early 1950s recording - but, if the quality of the re-masterings, documentation and packaging of the big Pierre Boulez box is anything to go by, I see a request to Santa for this one.

[mathias broucek]

While I am at it - but at a fairly eye-watering price - there is this rather tempting set.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Igor-Stravinsky-Complete-Columbia-Collection/dp/B00TH53056/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1441624858&sr=1-3&keywords=igor+stravinsky

I know that there have been at least two earlier boxes (Original Jackets plus The Works of Igor Stravinsky) - and a CBS Masterworks Heritage 2-CD set of some of the early 1950s recording - but, if the quality of the re-masterings, documentation and packaging of the big Pierre Boulez box is anything to go by, I see a request to Santa for this one.

It looks lovely, but many of us got the same material in a big box for about £20 (?) a few years ago

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It looks lovely, but many of us got the same material in a big box for about £20 (?) a few years ago

Yup - still available at that sort of price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Works-Igor-Stravinsky/dp/B000PTYUQG/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1441629993&sr=1-2-fkmr1&keywords=igor+stravinsky%2C+complete+cbs+recordings

... I got the original box in 1991 - cost me a bit more than £20 then (but less than £150) - worth every penny. 22 CDs in that box - 57 in the new set. Presumably the American recordings from the 1940s and '50s are also included? (Or is it mostly the repackaging that puts, say, the Rite of Spring on an entire CD in order to match thhe original LP releases?)

EDIT: Ah! Reading the blurb lower down in the Amazon link, a mixture of the two, with 23 recordings appearing on CD for the first time.

Oh, Lor' ....

[Don Petter]

Yup - still available at that sort of price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Works-Igor-Stravinsky/dp/B000PTYUQG/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1441629993&sr=1-2-fkmr1&keywords=igor+stravinsky%2C+complete+cbs+recordings

... I got the original box in 1991 - cost me a bit more than £20 then (but less than £150) - worth every penny. 22 CDs in that box - 57 in the new set. Presumably the American recordings from the 1940s and '50s are also included? (Or is it mostly the repackaging that puts, say, the Rite of Spring on an entire CD in order to match thhe original LP releases?)

EDIT: Ah! Reading the blurb lower down in the Amazon link, a mixture of the two, with 23 recordings appearing on CD for the first time.

Oh, Lor' ....

While not making up anything like the full difference between 22 and 57, some of us may have many of the early recordings on the two 3-CD Andante volumes.

[jayne lee wilson]

Stunning Prokofiev album I've been enjoying for a few weeks now, limited listening time encouraging me to dwell upon it.
DG wrote of the orchestra as "thinly-upholstered" in his very positive Gramophone review, but I don't find that true of this 24/96 download - it's warm, smooth, yet effortlessly transparent to inner detail, and the BSO have a tonal beauty of their own. A great advert for hi-res.

Honest, true to the music, open, fresh - these qualities are true of both recording and interpretation; not Karajan's, or Gergiev's, or Ansermet's Prokofiev 5th - more Prokofiev's Prokofiev 5th - fully expressing what's in the music, as clearly as possible. What detail though - I've never heard the ruminative little 3-note motif after the finale's start so clearly, true of so many other details too.

The 1930 4th is marvellously bracing & danceable, and I've just started to listen to the earlier release of 3 and 7 - another outstanding issue!

[Bryn]

Not new to the catalogue, but a return for most of the Hat Art Feldman releases. Worth browsing QOBUZ. Lossless downloads for around £7.99 per CD's worth. Downloads of multi-CD releases tend to be at a lower cost per disc's worth.

[Bryn]

I was wary of the quality of the transfers that this set might carry, but they seem fine. The Sonatas and Interludes are from the 1950 Dial recording by Maro Ajemian, for whom they were composed. The Classic Folkways recording of Indeterminacy (Cage and Tudor). The contents of five LPs on three CDs. These all fall into the 'historical' category. Al are also available as lossless downloads, but at a higher total price. No programme notes or recording/transfer details. Recommended if you don't already have the recordings. The Piston Sonatina for Violin and Harpsichord is played by Alexander Schneider and Ralph Kirkpatrick, in itself a further recommendation.

[Stanfordian]

Stunning Prokofiev album I've been enjoying for a few weeks now, limited listening time encouraging me to dwell upon it.
DG wrote of the orchestra as "thinly-upholstered" in his very positive Gramophone review, but I don't find that true of this 24/96 download - it's warm, smooth, yet effortlessly transparent to inner detail, and the BSO have a tonal beauty of their own. A great advert for hi-res.
Honest, true to the music, open, fresh - these qualities are true of both recording and interpretation; not Karajan's, or Gergiev's, or Ansermet's Prokofiev 5th - more Prokofiev's Prokofiev 5th - fully expressing what's in the music, as clearly as possible. What detail though - I've never heard the ruminative little 3-note motif after the finale's start so clearly, true of so many other details too.

The 1930 4th is marvellously bracing & danceable, and I've just started to listen to the earlier release of 3 and 7 - another outstanding issue!

Hiya JLW,

I have this release together with the earlier two issues in the set. I've heard several accounts and I think think these are as good as any I've heard. I agree there are lots of detail.

[Barbirollians]

I see that in the latest Eloquence round that as well as the Anja Thauer and Monteux Beethoven they are re releasing Peter Katin's recordings of Eachmaninov 1 and 2 and Tchaikovsky - rather a shame they did not do this whilst he was alive.

[Don Petter]

Forgive me if these have been mentioned already, but there are two chamber boxes (commodes?) on the horizon:

Complete Quartetto Italiano (Decca, Philips,DG), 20th Nov:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013L20N4G?keywords=italiano%20complete&qid=1444899341&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Complete Busch Quartet/Adolf Busch ('Warner'), 6th Nov:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Warner%2BClassics/2564601931

I imagine the former might be available more cheaply come the time, but the latter on offer seems quite a bargain.