Tracking down track or CD details

[Dave2002]

Sometimes details of performances are difficult to track down, perhaps particularly for some cheap download or streaming issues. For example, I've just discovered a track of Balakirev Symphony 1 - 2nd movement, which seems to be by the Grand Symphony Orchestra of Radio and Television (presumably Moscow) - with no conductor mentioned. The track time (Spotify) is 6:52. Even odder though is when playing, the orchestra comes up as the State Symphony Orchestra of the USSR.

It is very good, so it would be nice to know who the conductor was. There is also a similar track on iTunes conducted by Svetlanov, but the track timing is slightly different, and the recording doesn't sound quite the same. Partly that could be because of tweaking and the compression used.

Maybe this problem doesn't happen enough to be a major iirritation, but just sometimes it at least presents a puzzle.

The track in question is from here http://open.spotify.com/album/7Iy2pqlAnlxgvJc4MTsroq

[sifaka]

Dave, the Scherzo Vivo (2nd movement) of my cd of Balakirev 1st Symphony is timed at 6.52.
The cd also has the 2nd symph. and is on Revelation RV10038.

Symphony no 1 is the SSO of the USSR, conducted by Evgeny Svetlanov. Symph. 2 is indeed the Grand Symphony of Radio and television but is conducted by Gennadi Rozhdestvensky.

Hope this helps.

[Lion-of-Vienna]

Try using "allmusic.com" - this is very good for supplying performer details and track listings. I googled "Balakirev Symphony 1 Grand Symphony Orchestra" and then scrolled down until I found the entry for allmusic.com. Very useful!

[Alain Maréchal]

When I opened the link given by Dave2002 the player mentions Svetlanov as the conductor.

A colleague has a gadget (is "App" the term?) on her portable phone (which apparently has to be "Android" - you can sense my lack of technosavvy) called "Shazam", and its free. When pointed at the speakers, after a few seconds it identifies the track, piece, performer, by linking it with a sound database. It works! I was amazed, trying to catch it out with quite a few obscure pieces, and failing.