LSO Live sale - plus Blu-rays

[Dave2002]

I went looking for CDs and box sets which include Blu Rays, and I found some LSO Live recordings.

There seems to be a sale on at the moment.

Some include:

https://lsolive.lso.co.uk/collection...avis-anthology Colin Davis (not Blu Ray)

https://lsolive.lso.co.uk/collections/box-set-sale box sets

Here are the Blu Rays - though not all are on at sale prices - https://lsolive.lso.co.uk/collection...-audio-blu-ray
The Thomas Ades disc might be interesting, though not on offer.

The Nielsen symphonies and the JEG Mendelssohn set seem tempting.

[Dave2002]

Did I blink? I went back to the LSO site, and although many discs are still listed as at Sale prices, the prices may have changed since I last looked about an houre ago! I wasn't expecting that - or am I imagining this? Some now don't appear as attractive as they seemed not long ago.

[richardfinegold]

I went looking for CDs and box sets which include Blu Rays, and I found some LSO Live recordings.

There seems to be a sale on at the moment.

Some include:

https://lsolive.lso.co.uk/collection...avis-anthology Colin Davis (not Blu Ray)

https://lsolive.lso.co.uk/collections/box-set-sale box sets

Here are the Blu Rays - though not all are on at sale prices - https://lsolive.lso.co.uk/collection...-audio-blu-ray
The Thomas Ades disc might be interesting, though not on offer.

The Nielsen symphonies and the JEG Mendelssohn set seem tempting.

I have the Nielsen and Mendelssohn sets. In general, the difficulties of the recording venue cancel out any advantage of BluRay technology. The Nielsen is flabby musically, the JEG another story that has been dpraised here and elsewhere

[Dave2002]

I have the Nielsen and Mendelssohn sets. In general, the difficulties of the recording venue cancel out any advantage of BluRay technology. The Nielsen is flabby musically, the JEG another story that has been praised here and elsewhere

I can imagine the audio difficulties - though not sampled yet. Do you listen in surround sound, or stereo?

Although the Barbican has been criticised as a venue, I have enjoyed concerts there. I'm not sure how some of the recordings made there manage to come out so poorly - it should be possible to do better. A shame.

[richardfinegold]

I can imagine the audio difficulties - though not sampled yet. Do you listen in surround sound, or stereo?

Although the Barbican has been criticised as a venue, I have enjoyed concerts there. I'm not sure how some of the recordings made there manage to come out so poorly - it should be possible to do better. A shame.

I’ve listened in both 2 channel and surround. The BluRays do offer some sonic benefit vs the CDs in 2 channel, but when the base acoustic is so airless and cramped, one doesn’t get the kind of difference that one notices immediately with other BluRays.
Presto routinely runs sales on LSO Live (although not presently). I would recommend interested purchasers wait for the next time they offer.
I just ordered the Paavo Jaarvi/Bremen Brahms set on sale from Presto in Blu Ray. I’ve gotten interested in smaller orchestra Brahms recently, because one can hear so much of the inner workings that are usually difficult to hear, and PJ is always interesting.

[Petrushka]

A good number of LSO Live recordings have been re-released under licence on the Alto label at a reasonable price and often with better cover artwork than the dull, unimaginative originals. Not sure of the logic in the LSO Live move in moving these away from their own label but presume there is some business sense in it somewhere.

https://altocd.com/

[jayne lee wilson]

Years ago I usually enjoyed LSO Live in the way I enjoyed live BBCSO FM/AAC relays, living with the compromises,, but to some extent in spite of the acoustic..... still the best usually overcame it, my favourite back then was the Gergiev Prokofiev Symphonies and at least some of Davis' Sibelius. These orchestral characters fared better in the space than, say, Haitink's Brahms.

I went off it after a while, the acoustic became dull and predictable to the ear......until...

Much more recently I found some new favourites, and upgrades to my Dac a few years ago really brought them to life:
Mendelssohn Symphonies/JEG are now among my top choices for the works, aurally pleasing and consistently exciting on CD, better still (more body, warmth, presence etc) on Hi-RES/SACD. Same goes for the recent Schumann 2/4 and Rattle's outstanding Bruckner 6. And the Gergiev Prokofiev sounds better too (I can't see this on the current website though...is it there somewhere, or on Alto? Still on Amazon etc).

Worth recalling that they have had some very good tonmeisters on the case - e.g. Tony Faulkner, who has recorded many at 176.4khz, sounding all the better for it I think...some SACDs are mastered in DSD (e.g. the Schumann/JEG), which should help in a highly resolving system, at least if your DAC/player keeps the dsd/pcm discrete.

Colin Davis' Nielsen is more uneven (2 especially disappointing), but the c/w 4/5 is superbly done, the 5th one of the best ever, and among DJF's top choices in a Gramophone Collection survey last year. Again fine sound in any hi-res/lossless medium - but LSO Live is probably quite system dependent: fairly dry, explicit but slightly distanced, they need a healthy volume to bring the presence/detail alive in the room, which can lead to some hardness... so adjustability in the DAC can be essential and very telling on PCM - I usually run in "NOSDAC"-style + Pure Impulse Response/steep roll-off. Brings out warmth and immediacy. Inherent system warmth won't hurt either.

[Petrushka]

Jayne, I think that the Prokofiev symphonies were originally on Philips which, though live, were not issued on the LSO Live label. Romeo and Juliet was though.

I'd forgotten about the Rattle Bruckner 6. Just off to order it!

[jayne lee wilson]

Jayne, I think that the Prokofiev symphonies were originally on Philips which, though live, were not issued on the LSO Live label. Romeo and Juliet was though.

I'd forgotten about the Rattle Bruckner 6. Just off to order it!

Of course it was, thank you Pet, careless of me. (No central heating for a week now, brain going numb I think, fan heaters giving me a headache.....engineer here tomorrow, but only to test for.... asbestos (!?)....in the floor below the old cracked boiler).

My Prokofiev set has Decca on the front and Philips on the back, Universal....... but unsurprisingly the sound is very similar to the LSO Live tapings as the excellent Mallinson/Stokes recording team feature frequently on LSO Live.

I was surprised at RO's reservations about the Bruckner 6, especially his comment about variable "sound profile", which I don't really pick up here (in three different media...)....I certainly don't hear the ending as a "raucous blare"......How very odd. (Simeone was much more positive on RR).
I guess its back to ears, rooms, systems again....as I found with that NYPO/Gilbert Nielsen last night (WAYLT) slight differences in level and listening position can sometimes make a big difference to one's audition. All part of the fun of course .

I recall much disagreement here about the classic Klemperer B6, one of my (and RO's) favourites sonically and musically.... maybe the 6th casts another less happy spell in some places!

[Petrushka]

Of course it was, thank you Pet, careless of me. (No central heating for a week now, brain going numb I think, fan heaters giving me a headache.....engineer here tomorrow, but only to test for.... asbestos (!?)....in the floor below the old cracked boiler).

My Prokofiev set has Decca on the front and Philips on the back, Universal....... but unsurprisingly the sound is very similar to the LSO Live tapings as the excellent Mallinson/Stokes recording team feature frequently on LSO Live.

I was surprised at RO's reservations about the Bruckner 6, especially his comment about variable "sound profile", which I don't really pick up here (in three different media...)....I certainly don't hear the ending as a "raucous blare"......How very odd. (Simeone was much more positive on RR).
I guess its back to ears, rooms, systems again....as I found with that NYPO/Gilbert Nielsen last night (WAYLT) slight differences in level and listening position can sometimes make a big difference to one's audition. All part of the fun of course .

I recall much disagreement here about the classic Klemperer B6, one of my (and RO's) favourites sonically and musically.... maybe the 6th casts another less happy spell in some places!

Hope the boiler/central heating issue gets fixed very soon; last thing you want at this time of year.

RO is usually Holy Writ for me where Bruckner (and Beethoven) are concerned but have to admit I disagreed about the Klemperer Bruckner 6. I've never really got on with it (don't know why) and I turn with relief to Haitink, Karajan and Jochum amongst others. It's many years since I last heard the Otto K so perhaps I ought to give it another try.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

I have a fair number of LSO Live discs, as partner used to work for the distributor. I’ve probably got rid of more than I have kept on account of the Barbican sound quality. Yet the Jiri B/BBCSO Martinu symphonies, also recorded there but by BBC engineers, are far better...

[jayne lee wilson]

I have a fair number of LSO Live discs, as partner used to work for the distributor. I’ve probably got rid of more than I have kept on account of the Barbican sound quality. Yet the Jiri B/BBCSO Martinu symphonies, also recorded there but by BBC engineers, are far better...

....a different orchestra, with a conductor who characteristically drew a warm sound from almost any orchestra he directed. And for me, despite that warmth and melodiousness, certainly not an ideal recorded sound for Martinu Symphonies, lacking colour, timbral contrast, rhythmic bite and dynamic impact. But this seems as much due to the interpretative style as the acoustic....Belohlavek's first Martinu recording, the 4th with the Prague SO on Panton, is crisply rhythmical and more alive, but this quality is somewhat understated in his three other accounts.
That early 4th remains my favourite Martinu from him. I still enjoy at least some of the Barbican set, especially No.2, his only recording of it; but given the variables, I don't find the sound balance all that far from the typical LSO Live profile.

[BBMmk2]

JLW, Behlalovek was one of those conductors who , I think was quite a warm-hearted person. He used to stand with the Prommers, every season. His character certainly cane through the sound of the orchestra he conducted.

[Dave2002]

I have a fair number of LSO Live discs, as partner used to work for the distributor. I’ve probably got rid of more than I have kept on account of the Barbican sound quality. Yet the Jiri B/BBCSO Martinu symphonies, also recorded there but by BBC engineers, are far better...

Have you any idea why the recordings from the Barbican often sound pretty awful? Is it the hall? As I wrote earlier, I have heard some good concerts there - but maybe I was forgiving of the acoustics. Is it the recording techniques used - maybe too many (or too few?) mics, too many close mics? I don't know. Is it because the performances really are live, and the microphone positions are a compromise between practicality for the live concert with an audience, and for optimum recording? Perhaps some moderate tinkering at the post processing stage would help - add in a bit of reverb - I know it's cheating - but to get a good result something like that might be better than leaving things as they are.

Maybe it's my own equipment - though I think other people don't like some of these recordings too much.

What do the LSO people themselves think? Given that it's one of the best orchestras in the world, they might not want to have recordings which don't do them fair justice.

[richardfinegold]

All Orchestras make their recordings live these days, in various halls. I’ve never been to to the Barbican but have seen it criticized for years in multiple review journals for the acoustics. I do remember being excited when the LSO Live Series appeared because they were offering SACD recordings,and then being taken aback at how desiccated they sound. The performances on those first discs weren’t very good, either; Colin Davis last recordings unfortunately are a patch on his legacy. I wasn’t surprised when I heard that Simon Rattle had prioritized a new hall.
The LSO isn’t the only great ensemble to be stuck with an inadequate venue. The New York Philharmonic Hall is the worst that I have ever personally experienced. The low strings become a soupy mess. I had heard the Orchestra on tour in Chicago the year before and it’s a shame that the hometown audience doesn’t get to hear their band at its best. I also was at one of the last concerts the Philadelphians gave at the Academy of Music before it got torn down, and it is no wonder that the Orchestra of Stowkowski and Ormandy rarely recorded there. Back in New York I’ve been told that one of the hottest tickets is when the Philharmonic plays at Carnegie Hall.