What download have you bought?

[Beef Oven!]

Decided to listen to the Joseph Martin Kraus, Symphony in C minor that is included in this set. The more often I listen to Kraus, the more I feel him to be a creator of excellent music.

Breezier than the Concerto Köln, Werner Ehrhardt performance that I have on CD.

[HighlandDougie]

Debussy: Printemps
Rachmaninov: Spring
Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Rodion Pogassov (Baritone)/Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra/Vasily Petrenko (24/96 from e-classical.com)

Interesting programme - the Rachmaninov is an improvement on the Dutoit CD (albeit that has Sergei Leiferkus). Fine playing from the RLPO - and a good recording. I'm not a big fan of the Philharmonic Hall acoustics but the Rite positively leaps out of the speakers. Currently discounted.

[richardfinegold]

Copland: Third Symphony and 3 Latin American Sketches.
Slatkin/DEtroit SO

and Shostakovich Symphonies 6&12. Petrenko/Liverpool

These are both Naxos “High Resolution “ downloads at the wallet friendly price of $12 each from Presto. The sound quality is good, if not quite knock your socks of variety . I compared the Petrenko to a “CD quality” download of the same forces in the tenth and there is more immediacy and a fuller soundstage.
Musically, the Slatkin is a winner. I had his previous recording on RCA with the St Louis SO, which was Bernstein-esque in execution, a rousing if fairly standard view. The newer recording can still get the blood flowing but is much more contemplative, and many passages that can potentially sound bombastic now sound almost elegaic. This side of Copland tends to be ignored and it’s good to have a new view. The Latin American pieces are new to me and frankly sound like second rate touristy Copland, but it’s good to have them, and future downloaders can save a few pence by omitting them.
The sound on this disc is an accurate representation of what the DSO sounds like inOrchestra Hall.
I bought the Petrenko because in the thread on the Eleventh in the Forum someone touted this as the Performance that made them accept and appreciate the 12th, which is a work that I have never viewed as more than some warmed over bits of the 11th that Shostakovich threw together to fill some Party obligation. The performers seem to be giving it their all, but after two hearing (I haven’t listened to the Sixth yet) it sounds like they are applying lipstick to the proverbial pig

[mahlerei]

... applying lipstick to the proverbial pig

I cannot abide Petrenko at the best of times, but I find his Shostakovich is beyond awful. No, if you want to hear a DSCH 12 that will change your mind, try Wiggkesworth. That did it for me.

[mathias broucek]

New Celibidache release from MPO

http://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/mahler-kindertotenlieder-strauss-richard-tod-und-verklarung-sergiu-celibidache/0793052112998

[Beef Oven!]

New Celibidache release from MPO

http://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/mah.../0793052112998

Very tempting!

[mathias broucek]

Very tempting!

Go on, you know it makes sense!

[Beef Oven!]

Go on, you know it makes sense!

[Beef Oven!]

£8.39 for a Hi-Res 24/96 download of DSCH 4, 5 & 6 strikes me as excellent value (£5.59 if you're a sublime subscriber - I'm not). 4 unquestionably being his finest symphony and 5 being excellent and popular. What was he thinking of with the structure of 6?

I bought this for two reasons. First I'm an incurable Gergiev fan, and second, I want to give symphony #6 a real ventilation. I already have the Petrenko Naxos download, which is a truly excellent performance and recording of this unusually structured symphony, along with my trusty Barshai set. Perhaps I should just stream various recordings, but I'm too much of a dinosaur and I must 'own' 'hard' copy

[HighlandDougie]

Nielsen: Symphonies Nos 3 Op.27 & 4 Op.29

Seattle Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard (24/96 download)

No Hi-Res download available from Qobuz so I used a site new to me - Primephonic (https://www.primephonic.com/news). As one might have hoped from this conductor, fine performances, recorded live. Recording up to the usual very high Seattle standards. Notes on how he sees the symphonies by TD himself. I'm hoping/assuming that this will be the start of a cycle, especially as TD has been appointed to succeed Ludovic Morlot.

[Beef Oven!]

Nielsen: Symphonies Nos 3 Op.27 & 4 Op.29

Seattle Symphony Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard (24/96 download)

No Hi-Res download available from Qobuz so I used a site new to me - Primephonic (https://www.primephonic.com/news). As one might have hoped from this conductor, fine performances, recorded live. Recording up to the usual very high Seattle standards. Notes on how he sees the symphonies by TD himself. I'm hoping/assuming that this will be the start of a cycle, especially as TD has been appointed to succeed Ludovic Morlot.

Thanks for the link HD, I'd never heard of this firm.

Looking through their catalogue, they have quite a few things a fair bit cheaper than what I paid on Qobuz. For example, I paid £12 for my Giovanni Antonini Haydn 2032 Hi-Res downloads and these guys have them for £3 cheaper. Same with Dausgaard's Mahler 10. It says 30% off on these titles, so maybe these are promotional prices rather than normal prices. Anyway, I'll add the firm to my list of Qobuz/eClassical when I go looking for a download.

Going the other way, aren't those Nielsen Dausgaard downloads a bit steep?

Edit: Not sure whether the £9.09 is for each symphony or the whole album. It's confusing.

[HighlandDougie]

Thanks for the link HD, I'd never heard of this firm.

Looking through their catalogue, they have quite a few things a fair bit cheaper than what I paid on Qobuz. For example, I paid £12 for my Giovanni Antonini Haydn 2032 Hi-Res downloads and these guys have them for £3 cheaper. Same with Dausgaard's Mahler 10. It says 30% off on these titles, so maybe these are promotional prices rather than normal prices. Anyway, I'll add the firm to my list of Qobuz/eClassical when I go looking for a download.

Going the other way, aren't those Nielsen Dausgaard downloads a bit steep?

Edit: Not sure whether the £9.09 is for each symphony or the whole album. It's confusing.

I was confused too at first but it’s for the whole album - so a reasonable price for a high-res download.

[Beef Oven!]

I was confused too at first but it’s for the whole album - so a reasonable price for a high-res download.

Yes, a very good price. And when you register with them, you Get a 20% welcome discount too, which I assume can also be used against the price.

[robk]

Following Beef Oven's link to Primephonic I downloaded 'Bohemia' with Tamsin Waley-Cohen & Hue Watkins at a very good price. Unfortunately track 15 is missing and tracks 13 & 14 are wrongly described. I have emailed the company - so will find out what their customer support is like.

[Beef Oven!]

Following Beef Oven's link to Primephonic I downloaded 'Bohemia' with Tamsin Waley-Cohen & Hue Watkins at a very good price. Unfortunately track 15 is missing and tracks 13 & 14 are wrongly described. I have emailed the company - so will find out what their customer support is like.

Hmm, Let us know what happens. Btw, HD provided the link, not me.