Bal 24.01.15 - Bartok: Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta

[Ian]

Articlette on Opus Records, Bratislava on WIKI, Ian:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPUS_Records

There is, as you may know, a "catalogue" of sorts of their releases on Discogs' site, but I couldn't find any Bartok:

http://www.discogs.com/label/20727-O...ical&limit=100

Haven't been able to find any info at all.

Anyway, looking forward to the program - wouldn't be surprised if the front runners trump the couple I've got.

[Ian]

I have it on good authority that there may be a feature on vinyl on 'Record Shop Day' in April. There does seem to be a bit of a vinyl revival on at the moment.

I still often still play the vinyl I've collected since the late 60s. I've got a few CD reissues of LPs but none of them sound as good as the original vinyl. Modern digital is great but early digital can be very glassy sounding.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I still often still play the vinyl I've collected since the late 60s. I've got a few CD reissues of LPs but none of them sound as good as the original vinyl. Modern digital is great but early digital can be very glassy sounding.

Some early digital was excellent - the Decca and Philips issues in particular. DG was a different matter, but they do seem to have mended their ways.

[Pulcinella]

This is scary. Are you sure you aren't me? I did exactly the same! We used the Reiner recording, followed by the newly issued Boulez

Spooky certainly, given that elsewhere you mentioned going to the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool.
I was at Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby.
You?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Spooky certainly, given that elsewhere you mentioned going to the Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool.
I was at Merchant Taylors' School, Crosby.
You?

I was at Bangor University at the time, and a group of us went to Liverpool to hear concerts from time to time. I was born in Salford, moved to near Stockport, but went to a boarding school in West Yorkshire.

So despite our Brahms/Bartok experience, we appear not to be the same person.

[Beef Oven!]

Was it said that HvK's DG recording was 1973? I thought it was 1969.

Are they just reading off the CD booklet which gives the release date of 1973 or doing some research on the recordings?

Perhaps it's me that's wrong.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Oh dear, we don't like change.

Change should be for the better. This isn't it.

[pastoralguy]

I'm sitting in the car whilst Mrs. PG shops for clothes...! I'm really enjoyingthis discussion. Andrew and Rob strike me as a good combination with neither trying to dominate.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

They do have a mutual respect, and it's less fawning than usual.

[MLF]

They do have a mutual respect, and it's less fawning than usual.

I agree. Contrary to received wisdom, I think this format can work with the right combination of reviewer and presenter - at least for a listener such as myself (an enthusiastic relative newcomer). I think RC and AM work well together.

I really liked the slow Stokowski version.

[doversoul1]

Well, here he is, Rob Cowan the record critic, at least to me who knows next to nothing about this music. His talk makes very good sense.

Rob, if you ever get to read this, do hang on. Better days will come (I hope…)

[Dave2002]

I think the Reiner is also available on LP. Is it time that CD Review started taking vinyl into account? Sorry if this opens a can of worms. Perhaps it should change its name - Record Review sounds quite catchy.

I think that some of the SACD versions of Reiner's version are in 3 channel format. Whether that adds anything I can't say, though I think it might. I would expect a 3 loudspeaker arrangement to sound fuller. There were a number of 3 channel recordings made around that time, though in some cases the intention was to mix down to 2 for stereo - for example some Mercury recordings. OTOH I think some were made specifically for 3 channel listening. I believe that the Reiner recording has been issued in both 2 and 3 channel formats over a period of years. It also appears in some of the big collection boxes, but only in 2 channel CD format.

[visualnickmos]

I really liked the slow Stokowski version.

So did I, to my utter surprise!

[visualnickmos]

It's gonna be Reiner!

[Black Swan]

I too must eat my words and say that I a enjoying it as well. I have in the past not like RC much as a critic/presenter but I am really enjoying this program. It could be that it is due to my love of the work being reviewed.

J