Record Review: non-BaL discs reviewed, etc.

[Maclintick]

A few points on what I've just been hearing on Recorded Review with Andrew McGregor. I didn't hear 'Building a Library'

Vladimir Jurowski conducting LPO in Rachmaninov's Symphony No.1 seemed lacking in the excitement I wanted, in what felt a very moderate performance. Strings lacking in richness.

It was horribly dry, wasn't it, even for the unforgiving RFH ? Sounded more like 50s mono than a modern recording. BTW, was it me or was the "remastered" BPO/Furtwängler 1942 Bruckner 5 extract horrifically out-of-tune, ghastly & strident. I began to suspect first my radio, then my ears, then my sanity, in that order, especially as the remastering was so fulsomely praised by AMcG & Erik Levi....

[teamsaint]

Vladimir Jurowski conducting LPO in Rachmaninov's Symphony No.1 seemed lacking in the excitement I wanted, in what felt a very moderate performance. Strings lacking in richness.

Must have lost something between the hall and the production desk.

I was there, and it was absolutely great.
And here are my comments from the night just to prove it.

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?1119-What-was-your-last-concert/page148&highlight=Jurowski

[HighlandDougie]

It was horribly dry, wasn't it, even for the unforgiving RFH ? Sounded more like 50s mono than a modern recording. BTW, was it me or was the "remastered" BPO/Furtwängler 1942 Bruckner 5 extract horrifically out-of-tune, ghastly & strident. I began to suspect first my radio, then my ears, then my sanity, in that order, especially as the remastering was so fulsomely praised by AMcG & Erik Levi....

Unfair! "fulsomely praised", it was not. They said that it was probably the best of the bunch in terms of the transfer from tape but they didn't say that it sounded exactly wonderful, which it most certainly did not. Given their provenance (from an early stage in the development of reel-to-reel tape technology) - and the fact that they were stored somewhere in the USSR from 1945 for 40 (??) years - the remastering was really not that bad. I thought that the performance of, say, the Brahms 4th was so gripping that I forgot about/adjusted to the shortcomings of the sound within about 10 seconds.

[teamsaint]

Rach Sym 1 would be a good shout for the new “ Recordings in Discussion Sub forum”.

[Maclintick]

Unfair! "fulsomely praised", it was not. They said that it was probably the best of the bunch in terms of the transfer from tape but they didn't say that it sounded exactly wonderful, which it most certainly did not. Given their provenance (from an early stage in the development of reel-to-reel tape technology) - and the fact that they were stored somewhere in the USSR from 1945 for 40 (??) years - the remastering was really not that bad. I thought that the performance of, say, the Brahms 4th was so gripping that I forgot about/adjusted to the shortcomings of the sound within about 10 seconds.

Listening again, the Bruckner 5 extract was surely an extreme outlier. After exceptional Ravel, Brahms, Beethoven (Erich Rohn's luscious tone & portamento caught beautifully) Strauss & Schubert, the wretched intonation & stridency of the Bruckner came as a shock. Here the BPO & Furtwängler sounded massively adrift, and as this extract came immediately after Erik Levi praised the transfer as "best of all, in vivid sound" it really jarred, & caused me to comment with insufficient clarity ! I should have made it clear that it was the playing I objected to, rather than the re-masterings, which are quite remarkable, given their provenance, as you say.

[HighlandDougie]

Listening again, the Bruckner 5 extract was surely an extreme outlier. After exceptional Ravel, Brahms, Beethoven (Erich Rohn's luscious tone & portamento caught beautifully) Strauss & Schubert, the wretched intonation & stridency of the Bruckner came as a shock. Here the BPO & Furtwängler sounded massively adrift, and as this extract came immediately after Erik Levi praised the transfer as "best of all, in vivid sound" it really jarred, & caused me to comment with insufficient clarity ! I should have made it clear that it was the playing I objected to, rather than the re-masterings, which are quite remarkable, given their provenance, as you say.

Aha! I entirely take the point - it would have made for uncomfortable (verging on the disagreeable) listening if one was coming to this performance afresh. I'm not a huge WF fan, that Brahms 4th and some other recordings apart, but this Bruckner 5th is exceptional as a performance (the Testament issue was a revelation to me). Still, not sure that I could be persuaded to shell out €229,98 for the set, even as an object of desire in this age of the internet of things. Would I ever listen to it ...

[Alison]

Recording quality on a lot of those LPO own label discs is frankly disappointing, dry and cold. Heard live, the upper strings of the orchestra are quite classy.

The LSO make a much better job of an inferior acoustic at the Barbican.

[pastoralguy]

Aha! I entirely take the point - it would have made for uncomfortable (verging on the disagreeable) listening if one was coming to this performance afresh. I'm not a huge WF fan, that Brahms 4th and some other recordings apart, but this Bruckner 5th is exceptional as a performance (the Testament issue was a revelation to me). Still, not sure that I could be persuaded to shell out €229,98 for the set, even as an object of desire in this age of the internet of things. Would I ever listen to it ...

Mrs. PG asked me if I would like the set as a belated birthday present but I too wonder if I would ever listen to it once the initial enthusiasm had worn off. Many years ago, I did a blind testing of listening to all the available recordings of Beethoven's Pastoral symphony and WF was the one I swore I'd never listen to again. (Just too pulled around iirc).

However, there's no denying that the context of these recordings is unique and I do wonder if the circumstances under which they were recorded adds to the atmosphere. Hmm...

[Richard Tarleton]

I was glad to hear AMG's comment at the end of his disc of the week, about how Lise Davidsen sounded better live, and how the recording didn't do her justice. He used the word "metallic" - on the strength of the 4 songs played I was thinking "brass" as I listened, hard-edged, devoid of tenderness and deeply unappealing. I can imagine where comparisons with Flagstad might be coming from (though KF could do deep tenderness), but Janet Baker? - wide of the mark. Very odd.

[Stanfordian]

On Record Review new release from the Halle / Elder 'Siegfried' - I had to turn it off the singing of Rachel Nicholls and O’Neill was to my ears excruciating.

Of course the Halle is one of Britain's finest orchestras - They make a great sound.

[Barbirollians]

On Record Review new release from the Halle / Elder 'Siegfried' - I had to turn it off the singing of Rachel Nicholls and O’Neill was to my ears excruciating.

Phew not just me then. I thought the Halle played wonderfully but the soprano sounded very stretched and O’Neill Not much better.

[Goon525]

The twofer problem reared its ugly head again today, not so much with DON's BaL - he can look after himself, but with (theoretically) Kate Molleson's review of Mozart symphonies with Jordi Savall, and a Beethoven cycle under Adam Fischer. KM actually sounded quite interesting when she could get a word in edgeways, but we heard at least as much about AMcG's views. I like him, and respect his knowledge of the recorded repertoire, but I think a guest reviewer should be able to present their review.

[gradus]

Phew not just me then. I thought the Halle played wonderfully but the soprano sounded very stretched and O’Neill Not much better.

The vocal stamina needed for these roles is so extreme that it's a near-miracle that anyone can tackle them. Interesting to know what Wagner meant when he said that he wanted to hear singers with an Italianate style sing his roles. But what music!

[Master Jacques]

The vocal stamina needed for these roles is so extreme that it's a near-miracle that anyone can tackle them. Interesting to know what Wagner meant when he said that he wanted to hear singers with an Italianate style sing his roles. But what music!

Is that not a myth, perpetrated by marketing people (led by the composer himself) who wanted to sell his music as impossibly difficult, so that the "conquering" of it came across as an amazing, athletic feat?

Having heard the lax rhythmic phrasing and thin tone of O'Neill added to the ugly, pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey efforts of Rachel Nicholls to ping the high notes, we'd be forgiven for being taken in by such publicity puffs. But listen once to Alberto Remedios and Rita Hunter under Goodall, or Jess Thomas and Helga Dernesch under Karajan, to get a truer impression of the duet's lyrical beauty, and the superb technique with which Wagner's writing helps his singers 'place' their voices for the longer, higher phrases.

[Nick Armstrong]

Phew not just me then. I thought the Halle played wonderfully but the soprano sounded very stretched and O’Neill Not much better.

Quite!