Beethoven Symphony Cycles

[cloughie]

As an aside, would anybody know if there's any difference, audio-wise, between the Testament or EMI re-issues of the Gilels/Ludwig B'hoven 4th pno conc?

I can’t find the Testament but that looks to have been remastered by them in 1996. The EMI I have is from EMI France in a 4 CD set of all the Beethoven Concerti - all the PCs are early recordings 1/2/3 are mono 1/2 PCO Vandernoot, 3 PCO Cluytens. The recordings were remastered in 1995 - to my ageing ears on my ageing KEFs the 4/5 sound very good indeed.

[Lordgeous]

Many thanks Cloughie.

[Dave2002]

That was Richard Osborne's assessment, not mine. I was quoting from his Gramophone piece.

I realised that, but it does make one wonder about whether it's worth taking any notice of such critics.

[cloughie]

I realised that, but it does make one wonder about whether it's worth taking any notice of such critics.

There’s no substitute for having a listen and making your own mind up.

[pastoralguy]

Today, I picked up Chailly’s recent DECCA set for a whole pound!

[Dave2002]

There’s no substitute for having a listen and making your own mind up.

I travelled several thousand miles to hear the live performance I mentioned.

Worth it? Absolutely.

[richardfinegold]

I was listening through the Savall cycle over the weekend. I consistently enjoy the lighter textures and the French or perhaps Mediterranean feel of the playing. Occasionally I miss the odd moment of rich string playing, such as the slow movement of the Fourth, that one associates with the Blomstedt Dresden recording, for example. Or it would be nice to linger over some details, as Walter does in the Pastoral. One can’t have everything

[bluestateprommer]

Very late in the game compared to probably everyone else here, but I recently acquired a second-hand CD set of HvK's 1962 Berlin PO DG cycle, for a song at a used shop, as, believe it or no, I've actually never heard any of Karajan's 1962 DG LvB cycle. Separately I also recently acquired a pristine CD set of Norrington's LCP cycle. In both cases, I had spare trade-in credit (unloading books and/or CDs, depending on the establishment in question) to be able to take each set off each establishment's hands. I'm planning to listen to each set in sequence, Karajan first and then Norrington.

The Norrington is a special find, because the set is still shrink-wrapped. The date on it reads 1989, i.e. it truly looks like a first-generation CD EMI set. It does make wonder if that set really sat on someone's shelf unlistened-to for 32+ years. I probably should take a picture or two of the box set before I de-shrink-wrap it.

[BBMmk2]

Very late in the game compared to probably everyone else here, but I recently acquired a second-hand CD set of HvK's 1962 Berlin PO DG cycle, for a song at a used shop, as, believe it or no, I've actually never heard any of Karajan's 1962 DG LvB cycle. Separately I also recently acquired a pristine CD set of Norrington's LCP cycle. In both cases, I had spare trade-in credit (unloading books and/or CDs, depending on the establishment in question) to be able to take each set off each establishment's hands. I'm planning to listen to each set in sequence, Karajan first and then Norrington.

The Norrington is a special find, because the set is still shrink-wrapped. The date on it reads 1989, i.e. it truly looks like a first-generation CD EMI set. It does make wonder if that set really sat on someone's shelf unlistened-to for 32+ years. I probably should take a picture or two of the box set before I de-shrink-wrap it.

Be interesting to hear your thoughts.

[richardfinegold]

Very late in the game compared to probably everyone else here, but I recently acquired a second-hand CD set of HvK's 1962 Berlin PO DG cycle, for a song at a used shop, as, believe it or no, I've actually never heard any of Karajan's 1962 DG LvB cycle. Separately I also recently acquired a pristine CD set of Norrington's LCP cycle. In both cases, I had spare trade-in credit (unloading books and/or CDs, depending on the establishment in question) to be able to take each set off each establishment's hands. I'm planning to listen to each set in sequence, Karajan first and then Norrington.

The Norrington is a special find, because the set is still shrink-wrapped. The date on it reads 1989, i.e. it truly looks like a first-generation CD EMI set. It does make wonder if that set really sat on someone's shelf unlistened-to for 32+ years. I probably should take a picture or two of the box set before I de-shrink-wrap it.

It should be a study in contrasts.
The unopened Norrington reminds me of a time that I was shopping for lps around 15 years ago. As a student I worked in a store called Liberty Records that prided itself on having in stock every lp in print. It had undergone name changes in the interim but some of the old employees still worked there. At the time I was on a mission to find a 1960s recording of Beethoven’s Archduke Trio by the Suk Trio. It had been issued in the States by the long defunct Quintessance label and I had remembered stocking it on the shelves. I found it in the shrink wrap at the price that it would have sold for back in the day

[Bryn]

It should be a study in contrasts.
The unopened Norrington reminds me of a time that I was shopping for lps around 15 years ago. As a student I worked in a store called Liberty Records that prided itself on having in stock every lp in print. It had undergone name changes in the interim but some of the old employees still worked there. At the time I was on a mission to find a 1960s recording of Beethoven’s Archduke Trio by the Suk Trio. It had been issued in the States by the long defunct Quintessance label and I had remembered stocking it on the shelves. I found it in the shrink wrap at the price that it would have sold for back in the day

Would that be the analogue SQ encoded originally on Supraphon or the later digital recording released by Denon?

[richardfinegold]

Would that be the analogue SQ encoded originally on Supraphon or the later digital recording released by Denon?

The analogue one. It had to have been analogue as this was around 1977.

[Bryn]

The analogue one. It had to have been analogue as this was around 1977.

Denon were making fairly frequent digital recordings by 1975. I recall my excitement at finding Yuji Takahashi's stereo recording (issued initially on LP) of Cage's Sonatas and Interludes at Steve's Sounds. This was an early digital recording made in 1975 and released in 1976. That was by no means the first, not the first, either:

January 1971: Using NHK's experimental PCM recording system, Dr. Takeaki Anazawa, an engineer at Denon, records the world's first commercial digital recordings, The World Of Stomu Yamash'ta 1 & 2 by Stomu Yamash'ta (January 11, 1971)[3] and Something by Steve Marcus & Jiro Inagaki (January 25, 1971). Both had to be recorded live, without edits. Marcus is released first (in February 1972), making it the first released digital recording. On January 27 Yamash'ta records Metempsychosis in the Nippon Columbia studio, Tokyo, with percussion and a brass section.

from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_recording

[Dave2002]

Denon were making fairly frequent digital recordings by 1975. I recall my excitement at finding Yuji Takahashi's stereo recording (issued initially on LP) of Cage's Sonatas and Interludes at Steve's Sounds. This was an early digital recording made in 1975 and released in 1976. That was by no means the first, not the first, either:

January 1971: Using NHK's experimental PCM recording system, Dr. Takeaki Anazawa, an engineer at Denon, records the world's first commercial digital recordings, The World Of Stomu Yamash'ta 1 & 2 by Stomu Yamash'ta (January 11, 1971)[3] and Something by Steve Marcus & Jiro Inagaki (January 25, 1971). Both had to be recorded live, without edits. Marcus is released first (in February 1972), making it the first released digital recording. On January 27 Yamash'ta records Metempsychosis in the Nippon Columbia studio, Tokyo, with percussion and a brass section.

from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_recording

Stomu Yamash'ta - now there's an artist whose work might be difficult to find on CD these days. There are LPs available - see eBay - but typing his name into Amazon reveals many items which are "currently unavailable". However, some of his work is available from streaming services including Amazon Prime.

[silvestrione]

I was listening through the Savall cycle over the weekend. I consistently enjoy the lighter textures and the French or perhaps Mediterranean feel of the playing. Occasionally I miss the odd moment of rich string playing, such as the slow movement of the Fourth, that one associates with the Blomstedt Dresden recording, for example. Or it would be nice to linger over some details, as Walter does in the Pastoral. One can’t have everything

Yes, though I am a life-long admirer of Savall, I did find at times his Beethoven tending towards the metronomic, the first movement of the Pastoral like a machine set going