CDs, downloads, streaming

[jayne lee wilson]

Btw, if anyone is interested , you can get Richard Barrett’s amazing 'Music for Cello & Electronics' as a Hi-Res download from Qobuz for just £11.99, which is excellent value for a 2 CD set of music and playing that considerably extends the boundaries of both.

http://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/barrett-music-for-cello-and-electronics-arne-deforce-yutaka-oya/3760058360484

(eClassical want virtually $30 dollars for this recording)

That's an extraordinary price isn't it? Maybe The Barrett himself could weigh in on why it's so much more there... but I guess it's just another deal.

Still, here's an excellent example of what eClassical do best....

http://www.eclassical.com/violin-concerto-no-1-op-77-in-tempus-praesens.html

No, I don't want another DSCH Vn Cto 1 either, but note you can buy the Gubaidulina In Tempus Praesens for ....$5.22.......I never heard this in my life, but that's about to change. (And you get the booklet for free, even without buying.)

(...and if that doesn't get Beef buying from eClassical, nothing will...)

[Beef Oven!]

That's an extraordinary price isn't it? Maybe The Barrett himself could weigh in on why it's so much more there... but I guess it's just another deal.

Still, here's an excellent example of what eClassical do best....

http://www.eclassical.com/violin-concerto-no-1-op-77-in-tempus-praesens.html

No, I don't want another DSCH Vn Cto 1 either, but note you can buy the Gubaidulina In Tempus Praesens for ....$5.22.......I never heard this in my life, but that's about to change. (And you get the booklet for free, even without buying.)

(...and if that doesn't get Beef buying from eClassical, nothing will...)

Jayne, I’ve bought quite a few things from eClassical, and will buy more - I think I’ll pass on the Gubaidulina, though. Currently I’m satisfied with the DG CD of Offertorium and Hommage À T.S. Eliot.

[Dave2002]

I have this - https://www.amazon.com/Gubaidulina-T.../dp/B005RYGT90 including the violin concerto and Glorious Percussion. Acquired as a download from e-music - so the quality probably could be better, but it's adequate.

I'm now thinking of giving up all subscriptions - particularly e-music - which has been problematic - though it has had some good things. If I give up all subscriptions I could probably afford one of those very very large Mozart boxes each year - at least at the price I paid for it.

[jayne lee wilson]

I have this - https://www.amazon.com/Gubaidulina-T.../dp/B005RYGT90 including the violin concerto and Glorious Percussion. Acquired as a download from e-music - so the quality probably could be better, but it's adequate.

I'm now thinking of giving up all subscriptions - particularly e-music - which has been problematic - though it has had some good things. If I give up all subscriptions I could probably afford one of those very very large Mozart boxes each year - at least at the price I paid for it.

You're not tempted by having just one very good one i.e the CD-quality Qobuz HiFi? Like all streaming services it's a terrific way to explore new & unfamiliar music, and via Audirvana at least you get "Qobuz Discover", which includes the constantly-updated New Releases page. I just noticed Rattle's new Mozart 39-41 trilogy in Berlin so I could take a listen straight away in lossless quality.... (as my initial impressions of No.40 weren't very positive I'll reserve judgement for now!)....

The search engine works well, & as I keep saying it's a great service for £20 a month...(as long as your broadband is up to it of course...)

[Dave2002]

You're not tempted by having just one very good one.....

The search engine works well, & as I keep saying it's a great service for £20 a month...(as long as your broadband is up to it of course...)

Not really any more. £20 per month = £240 per year, and I paid less than that for a great wodge of Mozart in that huge box recently. I'm afraid I still like CDs. I would like to have better than CD quality, but often that is illusory as some so-called hi-res issues may well be "hi-res", but if the masters aren't up to it there's no point. I do think that some of the latest issues are very good - and better than CDs, but I arguably can't afford those. I go to live concerts and operas instead, and I can tell the difference.

Most live events knock many spots off recordings.

[jayne lee wilson]

Not really any more. £20 per month = £240 per year, and I paid less than that for a great wodge of Mozart in that huge box recently. I'm afraid I still like CDs. I would like to have better than CD quality, but often that is illusory as some so-called hi-res issues may well be "hi-res", but if the masters aren't up to it there's no point. I do think that some of the latest issues are very good - and better than CDs, but I arguably can't afford those. I go to live concerts and operas instead, and I can tell the difference.

Most live events knock many spots off recordings.

I don't see lossless streaming as a total replacement for purchased recordings (let alone a vast Mozart Edition) - it's both an excellent buyers' guide to them and - complementary, especially since you'll try a wide range of music and recordings on it without committing to a purchase. So you're encouraged to explore new repertoire or return to artists you may previously have disliked, or been put off by reviews. (I'd never have bought the new Rattle Mozart Symphonies, well-reviewed or not, but I was very intrigued to hear them. After the Gubaidulina broadcast on Radio 3 I searched for other recordings of the work on Qobuz, finding things I didn't know about and listening to them straightaway - finally purchasing one or two. So streaming does suit the patterns of my curiosity well.). Despite being devoted to "slow listening", I now find myself streaming, buying CDs and buying downloads as the mood takes me, or the thread of interest leads.... so, the whole gamut!

When I used to attend live concerts I'm afraid too many of them were disappointing, musically and sonically, for me ever to see them as any kind of ideal... I often preferred listening to the same works at home, but in any case they are again complementary: different but related experiences each with its own pros and cons.

[Dave2002]

Jayne

I'm not completely disagreeing with you, but I do find that on the whole CDs are cheaper - and I have already got a pretty massive backlog of CDs and other material to keep me going for some time to come. Plus also the FLAC or even the HD stream on R3 to enjoy at times.

I have managed to acquire some rather unusual pieces from download sources - such as e-Music - but I think I'm finding less worth investigating now. One I really liked was the percussion CD Impulse by the Percussion Ensemble Wurtemburg - which was for quite a while not available as a CD. I also learnt to like Glazunov symphonies from downloads of Fedoseyev's recordings - though there are now CDs of those available. Other downloads I have enjoyed include Myaskovsky's symphonies, and his cello concerto. I have complete sets of Verdi operas and Wagner - downloaded from iTunes or perhaps Amazon - though they don't get played too often. Then there's Jimmy Smith - Back at the Chicken Shack - though I did buy it on CD - the download probably came courtesy of Auto Rip!

I still go to live concerts and opera, so I have more than enough to cope with. Going to opera can cost more than even a large box set - though not always.

[Richard Barrett]

Maybe The Barrett himself could weigh in on why it's so much more there...

He knows nothing.

[mahlerei]

I anyone here downloading DXD files and, if so, are they having problems with them? The Fischer Mahler 3 from NativeDSD - a hefty 9GB - had tp be downloaded ytrack by track; now a DXD file from eClassical won't unzip. Any suggestions while I wait for Support to get back to me?

[BBMmk2]

My wife has said to me that I can't have anymore CDs till our new bookcases have arrived!!!

[Beef Oven!]

My wife has said to me that I can't have anymore CDs till our new bookcases have arrived!!!

We can’t help you with this, BBM!

[BBMmk2]

We can’t help you with this, BBM!

Chhers!

[Beef Oven!]

Chhers!

Hang on, isn’t this the time to switch to downloads?

[Nick Armstrong]

Hang on, isn’t this the time to switch to downloads?

[visualnickmos]

Hang on, isn’t this the time to switch to downloads?

...or switch wives!