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That's encouraging, as I've long felt many EMI CDs would benefit from careful remastering. Keep us posted.
That's encouraging, as I've long felt many EMI CDs would benefit from careful remastering. Keep us posted.
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I've just ordered the Brahms-Beethoven disc with Oistrakh, Slava, Szell and Herbie.
I had the Brahms concerto with Oistrakh on vinyl when I was a teenager but always found the loud double stopping passages distorted. It's better on cd but still intrusive. Perhaps the SCAD will be better. (Of course, perhaps that's just the way he played on the day!)Comment
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However, I think I prefer Oistrakh with Klemperer in Brahms, and it's currently around £3 on regular CDs - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-lis...&condition=new
I didn't realise these SACDs were going to come in book formats. The Schuricht Bruckner SACD has just arrived. I've never heard it before. I can also compare with Jochum's Bruckner, as the CD box set came in the same post. Will report back in due course.Comment
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I've had a listen only to the Beethoven Triple of this set - it's a wonderful sound, the remastering is excellent. I must try and listen to the Brahms tomorrow - I'm not expecting miracles as the recordings weren't EMI's greatest in the first instance.Originally posted by pastoralguy View PostComment
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To be honest, it was a toss up between The Brahms/Beethoven disc and the Elgar/Delius but since I'm allergic to Delius I went for the violin option.Originally posted by PJPJ View PostComment
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My goodness. I've just listened to the GROC cd of Oistrakh/Szell/Cleveland Brahms concerto. IMHO it's almost unlistenable to. Ever since that vinyl Lp, I've had a problem with that recording since I find the 'glare' and distortion beyond belief.
Having gone from an Alba stero to a Meridian/Quad combo I would have hoped the sound would improve but no doughnut.
Fingers crossed for the SACD!!Comment
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I've just been sampling these for sound quality. So far I've only listened to the CD layer on the SACD. The sound quality on both Jochum's (CD only) and Schuricht's recording does seem slightly challenged, but the Signature quality does seem more involving. Somewhat surprisingly there is significant background noise (low rather than high frequencies) - listen particularly to the start of the 2nd movement of the 8th. Maybe this is/was real background noise in the recording location, in which case I suppose it's acceptable. It should have been possible to reduce some of this with suitable filters, though maybe a decision was made to leave it, as sometimes filtering can kill the overall sound quality. As I don't know what the originals of the Schuricht recording sounded like I can't judge whether this release is an improvement. I'd have to "invest" in one or two more of these to be able to make that assessment, and I'm really not sure if I want yet another copy of the Elgar with Du Pré, or the Oistrakh/Rostropovich recordings.Originally posted by Dave2002 View Post
I am listening to Schuricht's Bruckner 8th as I type this - 2nd movement. It is fairly involving, and the bass is considerably less muddled than on Jochum's version. Quite why the pitch of timps should be better defined I don't know, as there really shouldn't be major difficulties in recording at lower frequencies for either CD or SACD, and in any case I'm listening to the CD layer.
I'll come back to these quite a while later to judge them as interpretations, as I'm now starting to get drawn into the music, which brings interpretive issues in, rather than sound quality. It may still be the case that other recordings by other recording companies provide better sound quality. Both of these EMI recordings seem to have fairly brittle sound for the brass instruments, and the string sound is OK, but not the best I've ever heard.
At this fairly early stage I would say that the Signature issue has merits, and the sound quality does allow more involvement with the music, but there are still limitations. As I recall, it's possible that Karajan's Bruckner 8th might be a better experience (he did several - maybe the DG version has better sound). I'm not in a hurry to compare the SACD layer with the CD layer of this single Signature disc. Perhaps someone else will get there before I do. I'll try that if someone reports a significant improvement with the SACD layer, but I'm assuming initially that it's the remastering which gives the different quality of these Signature discs, rather than the SACD vs. CD distinction.
The 3rd movement of Schuricht's Bruckner 8th is still playing in the background. It is still involving, and worth hearing - though I'll stray into interpretation if I go on. I do wonder if the dynamic range has been compressed - surely the climaxes should really come out - BIS would have done that ... but with newer recordings. Have EMI gone for clarity rather than realistic dynamics? The loud passages are hardly deafening! Maybe they've even indulged in the CFM and other radio "tricks" of boosting the levels throughout, because many listeners may not notice the difference between a quiet orchestra and one playing flat out? I am certainly not reaching to turn the volume down in climaxes. I'll leave it there.
I'm not sure that it's worth my while replacing existing CDs with these considerably more expensive SACDs, but if there are new recordings, or new issues of music I don't already have I'll consider buying more. They are considerably more expensive than regular CDs though, which may deter others, and particularly those who look for bargain basement offerings.Comment
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Play.com sell these for £14.99 including postage which seems quite reasonable considering the general price of single SACDs. I've only listened to the Elgar 'Cello Concerto so far and I think it sounds just wonderful. The packaging is excellent although I would have preferred to have had the text of the Delius on more than the tiny reproduction of the original LP cover. I'm certainly inclined to buy more though and hope that there are more releases in the offing.Comment
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I ordered from Amazon and was disappointed it didn't arrive today. Still, Hopefully Monday will be the great day and I'm off Tuesday so might get a chance to listen.:pComment
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I'm particularly interested in Schuricht's Bruckner 8 & 9 having never previously heard them having been deterred by negative comments on the sound quality. Judging from Dave2002's comments it still seems to be a problem."The sound is the handwriting of the conductor" - Bernard HaitinkComment
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They didn't exactly get glowing reviews at the time:Originally posted by Petrushka View Post
http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page...s.+Od.+P.T.%29.Del boy: “Get in, get out, don’t look back. That’s my motto!”Comment
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Oddly, though, the Gramophone reviewer said that the HMV recordings were first rate! Presumably couldn't hear the low level noise because of turntable rumble! Not that the background noise is the major issue - I just like less brittle sound, or maybe my hearing isn't so good today.Originally posted by Parry1912 View PostThey didn't exactly get glowing reviews at the time:
http://www.gramophone.net/Issue/Page...s.+Od.+P.T.%29.
Petrushka
I did warn that I don't have any references for direct comparisons. Is Schuricht's SACD 2 fer a bad buy? Probably not, but it depends if you generally pay full to medium price. I often don't and for me anything more than a few pounds/disc should be spectacular, either in performance or sound quality, and ideally both. I'm not regretting this so far, but I don't want to buy too many at that kind of price.Last edited by Dave2002; 14-04-12, 18:31.Comment
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