Bargains

[TBuckley]

A couple of Melodiya download bargains from Presto:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/9445397--shostakovich-complete-symphonies

https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...ymphonies-live

It looks like the initial £8.75 flate rate for FLAC downloads was an error - pricing is now rather different.

[Bryn]

It looks like the initial £8.75 flate rate for FLAC downloads was an error - pricing is now rather different.

£17.23 from QOBUZ.

[mathias broucek]

Chandos had 60% off Naxos (£2.30 for 16 bit lossless). Good price but I think I've got most of the interesting stuff..

[cloughie]

It looks like the initial £8.75 flate rate for FLAC downloads was an error - pricing is now rather different.

Not quick enough - never mind!

Presto would have made a few quid from me as I was considering a number of the Melodiya £7 bargains - they won’t now!

[cloughie]

Chandos had 60% off Naxos (£2.30 for 16 bit lossless). Good price but I think I've got most of the interesting stuff..

Interesting that this seems to apply to individual discs but not sets. The offer is available until 31st March. The Alsop Schumann Syms look a good buy.

[mathias broucek]

Interesting that this seems to apply to individual discs but not sets. The offer is available until 31st March. The Alsop Schumann Syms look a good buy.

Have pulled the trigger on some Lord Berners (which I'm enjoying so far) and Edward German.

Yes, irritating that box sets are excluded!

[cloughie]

Have pulled the trigger on some Lord Berners (which I'm enjoying so far) and Edward German.

Yes, irritating that box sets are excluded!

I’ve also gone for the two Edward German CDs and Louise Farrenc symphonies.

[mathias broucek]

I’ve also gone for the two Edward German CDs and Louise Farrenc symphonies.

Farrenc is a good shout. I may email Chandos about multi disc as they seem to price these as a multiple of single disc anyway!

[cloughie]

Farrenc is a good shout. I may email Chandos about multi disc as they seem to price these as a multiple of single disc anyway!

Good idea mathias - I’ll do thecsame - quitevinterested in the A Fisher Brahms Syms.

[gramophonic]

Ooh, glad I stumbled upon these Farrenc mentions.
I have
music for violin & piano (Laurent Cabasso & Gaëtane Prouvost) (Integral, 2007)
and
Piano Quintets op 30 & 31 (Linos-Ensemble) (CPO, 1993)
These might both be out of print.
I will definitely see about these symphonies, she was an interesting composer, to my ears anyway. I have a bit of a thing for lessser-known romantic era composers.
Shame I missed out on this Naxos offer, though I have a huge pile of Naxos I haven't yet listened to, so shouldn't moan!

[Retune]

Free ClassicSelectWorld downloads today:

Mozart: Divertimenti, K. 287 & K. 138 - English Chamber Orchestra, David Blum (FLAC or mp3):

https://www.classicselectworld.com/products/mozart-divertimenti-k-287-k-138-english-chamber-orchestra-david-blum-digital-download

[Edit: Oh dear, hearing some serious distortion in the Mozart]

'BIG TCHAIKOVSKY BOX' (mp3):

https://www.classicselectworld.com/products/big-tchaikovsky-box

'BIG BRAHMS BOX' (mp3):

https://www.classicselectworld.com/products/big-brahms-box

The Tchaikovsky box includes what are presumably the 1962 Vienna Festival Monteux/LSO/John Ogdon live recordings of the Romeo & Juliet overture, 1st piano concerto and 5th symphony, as well as Stokowski & the ASO in the 4th. The Brahms box includes Oistrakh & Kondrashin with the USSR SSO in the violin concerto. There are many lesser-known artists, of course.

[Dave2002]

Sorry to hear about the distortion in the Mozart. Which format was that - or is it present in all of them? I don't normally expect miracles from this source, but usually I do expect the sound to be acceptable, and sometimes it's quite a lot better than that. I didn't know about David Blum and the ECO - he often made recordings with an American orchestra - the Esterhazy Orchestra IIRC. Certainly at the time his recordings were made they were quite highly esteemed.

[Retune]

Sorry to hear about the distortion in the Mozart. Which format was that - or is it present in all of them? I don't normally expect miracles from this source, but usually I do expect the sound to be acceptable, and sometimes it's quite a lot better than that. I didn't know about David Blum and the ECO - he often made recordings with an American orchestra - the Esterhazy Orchestra IIRC. Certainly at the time his recordings were made they were quite highly esteemed.

I tried FLAC and mp3 - it's most obvious on track 8 of both, like electronic interference on a radio broadcast or someone clapping along to the music! I can't imagine this was on the original recording - must have happened when it was transferred or encoded. The mp3 versions of the K138 tracks also seem to have lost their metadata tags.

Edit: A copy on YouTube seems to be OK:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tAasUJ4U4U&list=OLAK5uy_nySsEeo1BInN-QwCVwHb4WJv6uHyLyINM&index=8

I raised it on their chat system, and got a quick reply saying they are aware of the problem and will fix it tomorrow.

I've not noticed problems with other files from this site so far - working my way through the excellent Colorado String Quartet recordings of the complete Beethoven quartets at the moment, which come as very decent VBR mp3s (those I've listened to, at any rate) and cost me all of £1.20 after tax:

https://www.classicselectworld.com/products/beethoven-complete-string-quartets-colorado-string-quartet-digital-download

[Dave2002]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tAasUJ4U4U&list=OLAK5uy_nySsEeo1BInN-QwCVwHb4WJv6uHyLyINM&index=8

I raised it on their chat system, and got a quick reply saying they are aware of the problem and will fix it tomorrow.

I've not noticed problems with other files from this site so far - working my way through the excellent Colorado String Quartet recordings of the complete Beethoven quartets at the moment, which come as very decent VBR mp3s (those I've listened to, at any rate) and cost me all of £1.20 after tax:

https://www.classicselectworld.com/p...gital-download

Thanks for the update. Maybe I need to download the files again tomorrow. Right now just started listening - the sound could be described as warm or dull depending on your POV - but it's not terrible. Probably could be made to sound somewhat better with a suitable audio editor - but for casual listening it's pleasant enough - somewhat distant recording - I'm guessing not too close miked, but in a non resonant acoustic environment. There are surely other recordings which must sound better, so probably not many people are going to try to tweak this one. I have liked David Blum's performances in the past, though - and these seem decent.

There are perhaps some extraneous noises in track 8 and maybe some of the others. Unless the firm has changed the Tchaikovsky and Brahms boxes recently I'll leave them, as I have had them several times already. It does update some of the collections from time to time I think.

[Retune]

There are perhaps some extraneous noises in track 8 and maybe some of the others.

They've now emailed to say they've posted updated versions of the Mozart - much better sound on #8 etc. (only heard a few 'pops' in a quick test, compared to the full Rice Crispies effect I was getting before!) and the tags in the mp3 download are fixed. Not sure if you got the old version the first time, but if so it's worth another download.