BaL 19.10.24 - Schubert: Octet

[Pulcinella]

Winner can be discovered at approximately 1 h 48 minutes on BBC Sounds.

Thanks for PM informing me of the (expensive indeed) winner (a 2CD set)

Schubert & Widmann: Octets


Jörg Widmann (clarinet), Dag Jensen (bassoon), Sybille Mahni (horn), Yasunori Kawahara (double bass), Isabelle van Keulen, Veronika Eberle (violins), Rachel Roberts (viola), Tanja Tetzlaff (cello), Carolin Widmann, Florian Donderer (violins), Hanna Weinmeister (viola), Gustav Rivinius (cello)

• Release Date: 13th Sep 2010
• Catalogue No: AVI8553209
• Label: Avi Music
• Length: 87 minutes

https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...widmann-octets

[Retune]

Quite optimistic to pitch this as a double full price CD, paired with a new work written by one of the performers (albeit a festival commission that's a response to the Schubert). But a BaL pick should shift some of the remaining stock. Violinist Isabelle van Keulen appears both with Widmann and with one of the runners up, the Wigmore Soloists, where she got rather lost in the oddly balanced mix. The Nash Ensemble were the other finalists. I liked what I heard of the Isabelle Faust HIP recording that Tasmin Little was less keen on. Previous winners the Wiener Oktett (90s recording) were dismissed with rather faint praise.

[cloughie]

There’s an intriguing ambiguity in this frank post Smitts - it’s not clear whether “ not quantity , but choice “ refers to CD’s , women or even both!

…and does that include enough time to hear and read them.

[LMcD]

Quite optimistic to pitch this as a double full price CD, paired with a new work written by one of the performers (albeit a festival commission that's a response to the Schubert). But a BaL pick should shift some of the remaining stock. Violinist Isabelle van Keulen appears both with Widmann and with one of the runners up, the Wigmore Soloists, where she got rather lost in the oddly balanced mix. The Nash Ensemble were the other finalists. I liked what I heard of the Isabelle Faust HIP recording that Tasmin Little was less keen on. Previous winners the Wiener Oktett (90s recording) were dismissed with rather faint praise.

Presto's price is £27.00 for 87 minutes of music.

[Wolfram]

Presto's price is £27.00 for 87 minutes of music.

Not sure I want to pay nearly 30 quid for this, as fine as the accompanying Widmann piece is I’m sure. Rather taken with the Nash Ensemble though. I think I’ll invest in them, while there are still copies to be had.

[LMcD]

Not sure I want to pay nearly 30 quid for this, as fine as the accompanying Widmann piece is I’m sure. Rather taken with the Nash Ensemble though. I think I’ll invest in them, while there are still copies to be had.

I'll happily stick with my 1990 Vienna Octet recording.

[oliver sudden]

Special offer! One CD for the price of two!

I wonder if they were originally aiming at a sub-80-minute total timing and missed by that much?

[Goon525]

Special offer! One CD for the price of two!

I wonder if they were originally aiming at a sub-80-minute total timing and missed by that much?

There are now CDs around that play for 88 minutes, eg reviewed in the current BBCMM, Beethoven symphonies 1, 2 and 4, Orchestra Consuela.

[cloughie]

I'll happily stick with my 1990 Vienna Octet recording.

Or the 1954 mono or 1958 stereo recordings by the V8.

[Retune]

Presto's price is £27.00 for 87 minutes of music.

Yes, I meant it was optimistic of them to think that the punters would pay that much. This may be why there are still copies of this 2010 CD set around to buy new. A BaL pick of that vintage that wasn't some high profile release often turns out to be download only. Still, kudos to Widmann for both performing in the winning recording of this piece, and composing (and again performing in) his own response to it. That must be something of a first. Or is it..?

[smittims]

Nice one, Heldenleben. It seems that was a Freudian slip, now I look back over the last 50 years!

[oliver sudden]

There are now CDs around that play for 88 minutes, eg reviewed in the current BBCMM, Beethoven symphonies 1, 2 and 4, Orchestra Consuela.

I am aware of this but was assuming that they had some good technical reason for not making this one of them, since putting out a double when a single could do the job seems likely to deter custom and lord knows CDs need all the custom they can get nowadays.

(Do you or does anyone else here know what the constraints are? I could google but that might spoil the fun.)

[oliver sudden]

(…I now know more than ever wanted to about long-term credit default swaps but hope I can clear that space again as soon as feasible.)

[Wolfram]

I'll happily stick with my 1990 Vienna Octet recording.

As the online seller from whom I ordered the Nash recording appeared not to have it after all, and has refunded me, I too will be happily sticking with 1990 Vienna recording.

[Nick Armstrong]

Indeed, one of her final three has twice been strongly criticised on the grounds of recording balance. So why is it in the last three?

Indeed, I had to go back and check if I’d mis-remembered the versions she’d criticised…

Enjoyable to hear some of the extracts of a work I don’t know that well, and hear her performer’s comments - but it left me puzzled by the logic of some of her choices