Music lovers, record labels and reviewers' attitude to 'budget' labels.

[Alain Maréchal]

I think the Kubelik Stenhammar Serenade was subject to something similar as it appeared on Heliodor, but was not in the big DG box, but is on a Swedish Society’ label. .

Recording for Swedish Society by Phono Suecia using a Europa-Film engineer, according to Swedish Society SLT 33227. I think the record industry was probably a small world in Sweden in those days. The same names appear regularly in most of my Swedish LPs.

[cloughie]

Recording for Swedish Society by Phono Suecia using a Europa-Film engineer, according to Swedish Society SLT 33227. I think the record industry was probably a small world in Sweden in those days. The same names appear regularly in most of my Swedish LPs.

I had the Stenhammar on Heliodor 89622.

[Bryn]

I had the Stenhammar on Heliodor 89622.

ditto

[LMcD]

I think the Kubelik Stenhammar Serenade was subject to something similar as it appeared on Heliodor, but was not in the big DG box, but is on a Swedish Society’ label. Another good Turnabout was Nielsen 2 conducted by Garaguly. As well as Brendel, there were many W Klein piano recordings.

'Klien', I think? (Are we on the right thread? )

[cloughie]

'Klien', I think? (Are we on the right thread? )

Took me to the Klieners there! Not the Klassic Klein!

[Alain Maréchal]

Any forum members thinking of acquiring CDs of Swedish Society recordings should beware. They were issued twice. The first versions were straightforward reissues AAD of the original recordings, and retain all the glorious acoustic of the various concert halls ( in at least one case a school), complete with occasional faint noises off. The later versions were completely remastered and sound as though they were recorded in an acoustically dead studio. I prefer the earlier versions, but fortunately I can get those acoustics from the LPs.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Fona Records issued licensed Vox recordings in Denmark but they embarked on a 'prestige' series of original recordings - Det-Kongelige-Kapel (The Royal Chapel) - in the mid 1960s, which included the Nielsen Violin Concerto etc and the Symphony No 4, plus works by Niels Gade, Holmboe etc. The Garaguly Nielsen recordings were not part of that series but were also issued by Fona. I've no idea whether they were originally recorded by Vox and then licensed to Fona or vice versa. I've no idea how DG got in on the act, license-wise.

A-ha! As soon as you mentioned "Fona", the memory (my own - but very randomly-accessed) sputterred into something approaching action. Back in March 2012, in the BaL on the Nielsen #4, this topic came up. See post #54 on that Thread:

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?4618-BaL-4-03-12-Nielsen-s-Symphony-no-4/page3&highlight=fona

... later in December of that year, the Fona/Turnabout relationship also cropped up, as shown post #125 on this Thread:

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?7051-Carl-Nielsen-Symphonies/page16&highlight=fona

The Markevitch Nielsen is available on:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8624689--igor-markevitch-vol-1

My suspicion would be that they might be CD transfers from LP originals, rather than from master tapes but I may well be wrong.

In my crawl through the undergrowth of the Internet, I found an online review of this set which also suggested that the transfer had been made from a good LP copy, rather than from the mastertapes. (Alas, I can no longer find the review! )

[Alain Maréchal]

mmm - re post #125 of http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...highlight=fona

I think perhaps the Dougie has hit on something in that last remark. I wonder if it is time to go. I intended to coincide mine with a certain other departure, but that seems to be a very moveable feast.

I wonder, just wonder, if possibly collecting records is only marginally connected with listening to music?

[cloughie]

mmm - re post #125 of http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...highlight=fona

I think perhaps the Dougie has hit on something in that last remark.

Don’t know because the link doesn’t work on my ipad!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Don’t know because the link doesn’t work on my ipad!

It's the same as the second link in #37 here, cloughie. HighDoug's "last remark" there is

OK, back to the trainspotting books now.

[LMcD]

Don’t know because the link doesn’t work on my ipad!

Just for the record, it doesn't work on my PC. Thanks for the alternative in #40!

[HighlandDougie]

Ah well, things haven't changed very much since my geeky input on Fona Records (just don't get me started on Decca SXL pressings or Heliodor 478 XXX vs 89 XXX) - and am just about to sit down with a large glass of rosé to read, "Ferrovissime: Le hors-série 12 - Les Locomotives de Vitesse Bicourant et Polytension.

[akiralx]

In more recent years Arte Nova have released many excellent bargain CDs which were well reviewed, I'm thinking pianist Alfredo Perl's Beethoven recordings fort example, and others by Adrian Leaper and Paul Daniel.

I certainly treasure Hiroshi Wakasugi's Arte Nova CD with the Saarbrucken RSO (often conducted by Skrowaczewski on the same label) of Bruckner's Second Symphony, given a pretty glowing review by RO in Gramophone - I prefer it to the recordings by Giulini, Karajan, Wand, Jochum (x2), Solti and Barenboim (x2) anyway...

[Conchis]

Naxos were an enterprising label from virtually the beginning, weren’t they? Lots of out of the way repertoire, which is what I’m familiar with. I don’t know their mainstream stuff at all. The Naxos house pianist Jeno Janko was/is highly rated by many. I’ve never been disappointed by a Naxos disc.

I’ve never heard a Pilz disc, let alone owned one: the cheap generic artwork always put me off (presentation is important!). Naxos’ art has never been great at any time, but Pilz got out of their way to look cheap.

What about the Laserlight label? That was, iirc, my introduction to Wagner back in 1990: a cassette, bought very cheaply, of the overtures etc played by an Eastern European orchestra, though I forget which. The performances, I later realised, were servicable at best, ropey at worst but they’d obviously ‘sold’ the composer to me.

[visualnickmos]

..........The Naxos house pianist Jeno Jando was/is highly rated by many. I’ve never been disappointed by a Naxos disc.

I’ve never heard a Pilz disc, let alone owned one: the cheap generic artwork always put me off (presentation is important!). Naxos’ art has never been great at any time, but Pilz got out of their way to look cheap.

He is quite a remarkable player. Regarding Pilz and their 'Vienna Master' series - I have a few of them and they are very good. Sometimes it's very refreshing to hear superb playing from the "lower divisions" and I don't mean that in a negative way at all.