What download have you bought?

[Bryn]

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No 2 in G minor, Op.16/Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor, Op.18

Denis Matsuev (Piano)/Orchestra of the Mariinsksy Theatre/Valery Gergiev (Qobuz 24/192 download)

Bought to test out the ex-dem Marantz amplifier and related SACD/DAC player I've just bought via e-bay Germany, largely because I've found earlier recordings from this combination on physical SACD to be rather intractable. Piano closely miked, orchestral sound a bit of a mush etc etc. Matsuev is very much of the basher school in the Prokofiev, which is, I suppose, a work which can take his type of muscular pianism. Equipment passes with flying colours, not so sure that my ears won't take the rest of the day to recover from the aural onslaught.

Tempted by that current promotion myself. A somewhat unexpected pairing, don't you think?

[HighlandDougie]

Tempted by that current promotion myself. A somewhat unexpected pairing, don't you think?

I know what you mean. Apart from the fact that they are both second piano concertos, I'm not convinced that they make a very happy combination. Yuja Wang's coupling of the Prok 2 with Rach 3 works better IMV.

The Prokofiev is OK - one can't but admire Matsuev's virtuosity but I found the Rachmaninov a bit wearisome. Too much showing off virtuosity for virtuosity's sake and not a lot of poetry (or, indeed, insight) on Matsuev's part in this concerto. The orchestra is still recessed by comparison with the piano, although the high-res format definitely opens out the, in that notorious hi-fi geek cliché, "soundstage". In short, a bit of a curate's egg. I'm restoring calm by thrilling yet again to to Osmo Vänskä's Sibelius 3/6/7 coupling - which in high-res format sounds utterly glorious.

[Beef Oven!]

DSCH 4 - Haitink LPO

At first, I was very pleased to add this to my collection. A 2016 re-release of an excellent performance and recording. However, buyer beware; For some inexplicable reason, the symphony is split into 5 tracks. This of itself is not a problem, so long as tracks 1/2 and 4/5 (movements 1 & 3) play seamlessly. But they don't, there's a horrible click/pause between them. I have complained to Qobuz and expect a refund/credit.

Whoever had the idea to split this recording into 5 tracks and not bother to ensure seamless play should be dismissed, or if they can provide some mitigation, then a final written warning and a 12 month demotion. I did not suggest this to Qobuz because if they carried out my excellent idea, I'd feel guilty the next day (even though the culprit deserves that and more).

[richardfinegold]

DSCH 4 - Haitink LPO

At first, I was very pleased to add this to my collection. A 2016 re-release of an excellent performance and recording. However, buyer beware; For some inexplicable reason, the symphony is split into 5 tracks. This of itself is not a problem, so long as tracks 1/2 and 4/5 (movements 1 & 3) play seamlessly. But they don't, there's a horrible click/pause between them. I have complained to Qobuz and expect a refund/credit.

Whoever had the idea to split this recording into 5 tracks and not bother to ensure seamless play should be dismissed, or if they can provide some mitigation, then a final written warning and a 12 month demotion. I did not suggest this to Qobuz because if they carried out my excellent idea, I'd feel guilty the next day (even though the culprit deserves that and more).

Nice cover art. What the heck does it have to do with the Shostakovich Fourth?
I have both the Haitink recordings on CD, this one and the remake with the CSO. They sound remarkably similar despite 35 intervening years. I think B.H. Is the perfect Conductor for this music because he can sort thru the chaos and hysteria without losing sight of the big picture.
I have two DACs. One of them emits a loud metallic grinding noise at the end of a download track, when downloads are played from usb sticks inserted into my Oppo 105. This doesn’t happen with my other DAC or with the native Oppo DAC. The manufacturer of the offending DAC wasn’t very helpful in response to inquiries

[Richard Barrett]

I think B.H. Is the perfect Conductor for this music because he can sort thru the chaos and hysteria without losing sight of the big picture.

Although IIRC he doesn't get the percussionists to play very precisely together at the end of the second movement in the London recording, which ruled it out for me.

Whether one hears "chaos and hysteria" in this piece might depend to some extent on the angle you're viewing it from. When compared with the music of previous generations of composers maybe it comes across like that. Viewed, on the other hand, in the context of say the early revolutionary Russian composers, the Second Viennese School, Varèse and so on, its expressive world looks if not generic then at least authentic to its time in a way his susequent evolution wasn't (leaving aside the self-preservatory reasons for this). I find it tragic to think that if this piece hadn't been suppressed, if it had found a sympathetic international audience which it surely would have done, subsequent musical history might have looked very different.

[Cockney Sparrow]

I surmise that Qobuz doesn't, and practically speaking, can't check what it puts up for sale, but relies on the source label to meet a standard with the files they are carrying, or accessing to deliver to a purchaser. (I had a faulty movement in Mahler 3 / Bychkov/Avie download file which they rectified immediately - I'm sure they will refund you or rectify the matter BeefO).

I'm not sure you are into this but anyone who can or has used a program such as Total Recorder** can use it to join files together to combine "tracks", certainly in mp3, and probably (IIRC) FLAC format. May well be possible in other file formats - I see that Qobuz don't offer this in anything other than CD quality, so no Hi-Res file in this case. (Also I can't recall if you are an apple user - but there will be other programs with this capability for PC and Apple users - just that I am familiar with the above program .

(**Discussed on the threads for this summer's Prom's experimental lossless streaming. In the event, Total Recorder offered facilities which weren't available in some other programs; I was fortunate not to have to get to grips with a new program for that experiment).

[Bryn]

I surmise that Qobuz doesn't, and practically speaking, can't check what it puts up for sale, but relies on the source label to meet a standard with the files they are carrying, or accessing to deliver to a purchaser. (I had a faulty movement in Mahler 3 / Bychkov/Avie download file which they rectified immediately - I'm sure they will refund you or rectify the matter BeefO).

I'm not sure you are into this but anyone who can or has used a program such as Total Recorder** can use it to join files together to combine "tracks", certainly in mp3, and probably (IIRC) FLAC format. May well be possible in other file formats - I see that Qobuz don't offer this in anything other than CD quality, so no Hi-Res file in this case. (Also I can't recall if you are an apple user - but there will be other programs with this capability for PC and Apple users - just that I am familiar with the above program .

(**Discussed on the threads for this summer's Prom's experimental lossless streaming. In the event, Total Recorder offered facilities which weren't available in some other programs; I was fortunate not to have to get to grips with a new program for that experiment).

I found serous errors in the QOBUZ downloads of the Ives Ensemble recording of Feldman's SQ2. I emailed them about the faulty files and they took down the listing immediately. I have not checked whether they have since replaced the download (I was fortunate enough to find the CDs in excellent condition for around the price of the download).

Regarding Feldman, I purchased the Hyperion 96/24 downloads of For Bunita Marcus (Marc-André Hamelin) yesterday. Their downloader failed to install after several attempts, including updating and re-installing the required Adobe Flash and Air. I gave up and downloaded the 36 files one by one.

Why is it Hyperion use the notoriously malware-vulnerable Adobe software? I never have similar problems with the QOBUZ and Amazon downloaders, the latter only used for the 'free' mp3s which come with most CDs purchased direct from amazon.co.uk.

[Beef Oven!]

I preordered this a short while ago from Qobuz (don't know why one needs to preorder a download!) and as at 3.30pm, I'm told it will be available in about 8 hours.

Symphonies 80, 81, 19 & Symphony in C minor VB142. 24/96 Hi-Res.

At the outset, it was said that Giovanni Antonini would be recording the Haydn symphonies using both Il Giardino Armonico and Kammerorchester Basel. This is the first appearance in this series from the Basel band.

[Bryn]

I preordered this a short while ago from Qobuz (don't know why one needs to preorder a download!) and as at 3.30pm, I'm told it will be available in about 8 hours.

Symphonies 80, 81, 19 & Symphony in C minor VB142. 24/96 Hi-Res.

At the outset, it was said that Giovanni Antonini would be recording the Haydn symphonies using both Il Giardino Armonico and Kammerorchester Basel. This is the first appearance in this series from the Basel band.

Hmm. Might have a listen to the CD rate FLAC stream.

[HighlandDougie]

I posted about the following on the WHYBLTN 3 thread but, as I have enjoyed listening to it several times since downloading it (a work that I have rather guiltily liked since I was a student) and, as it's sort of topical:

Prokofiev: Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution

Ernst Senff Chor, Berlin/Staatskapelle Weimar/Kirill Karabits

Download (€4.99 for Hi-Res) available at:

https://www.audite.de/en/product/CD/97754-cantata_for_the_20th_anniversary_of_the_october_revolution.html

Booklet - but, alas, no texts (or not that I could find - just think Dave Spart and let your imagination do the rest) - also available at the above site

[Petrushka]

I posted about the following on the WHYBLTN 3 thread but, as I have enjoyed listening to it several times since downloading it (a work that I have rather guiltily liked since I was a student) and, as it's sort of topical:

Prokofiev: Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution

Ernst Senff Chor, Berlin/Staatskapelle Weimar/Kirill Karabits

Download (€4.99 for Hi-Res) available at:

https://www.audite.de/en/product/CD/97754-cantata_for_the_20th_anniversary_of_the_october_revolution.html

Booklet - but, alas, no texts (or not that I could find - just think Dave Spart and let your imagination do the rest) - also available at the above site

I was present at the Gergiev Prom of this piece last September and even though the programme text was in front of me, I found it well-nigh impossible to follow and gave up.

[DublinJimbo]

I posted about the following on the WHYBLTN 3 thread but, as I have enjoyed listening to it several times since downloading it (a work that I have rather guiltily liked since I was a student) and, as it's sort of topical:

Prokofiev: Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution

Ernst Senff Chor, Berlin/Staatskapelle Weimar/Kirill Karabits

Download (€4.99 for Hi-Res) available at:

https://www.audite.de/en/product/CD/97754-cantata_for_the_20th_anniversary_of_the_october_revolution.html

Booklet - but, alas, no texts (or not that I could find - just think Dave Spart and let your imagination do the rest) - also available at the above site

The texts take up the final six pages of the booklet I downloaded. I've uploaded my copy for you, which you'll find here.

[HighlandDougie]

The texts take up the final six pages of the booklet I downloaded. I've uploaded my copy for you, which you'll find here.

DJ

Much in your debt

Many thanks - hope that you enjoy the performance as much as I have done.

HD

[Beef Oven!]

It's downloading as I type - says 12 minutes to go (not like I'm bothered, or anything)

[Beef Oven!]

Chairs are for wimps.