BaL 12.03.16 - Rachmaninoff: Symphony no. 3 in A minor

[Nick Armstrong]

That's the one I have, with the addition of AP's autograph along the red panel on the right. (When I handed it to him to sign, I'll always remember him turning it over in his hands with a surprised expression and a "Hey, I didn't know they'd brought this out" ... so I guess we can't always be up to speed with new boxsets... )

[BBMmk2]

I'm undecided: Previn or Ashkenazy?

Previn! :)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Warner tend not to just put three CDs in their big boxes - £17.99 sounds like a much larger set, if, indeed, it is what I'm hoping it's going to be (this is more exciting than speculating on the Proms! ). That's why my fingers are crossed that the three symphonies, the Piano Concertos, The Bells, the shorter orchestral works, and the piano duet pieces will be included. EXCEPT, of course <doh> the Concertos & Duets were DECCA recordings! Warners only rebox EMI stuff, don't they? Perhaps it's going to be a SONY box of Previn's non-RVW RCA recordings, to go with that RVW cycle?

[Nick Armstrong]

In many ways a good BAL but some extraordinary omissions- Kletzki and Jansons did not even get a mention and poor old Stokowski was just described in passing as weird . I couldn't understand her enthusiasm for the Zinman - very dull . A sound winner though not my favourite by any means .

Well you won't be surprised from my earlier 'comparative' post that, having now heard this BAL this morning, I am flabbergasted by the reviewer totally ignoring the Jansons. Yes not everyone's favoured version can be mentioned, and I entirely accepted her reason for eliminating lots (a failure to get an immediate grip on the launch of the initial tutti passage).

But the thing is, the Jansons passes that test with flying colours. Mystifying. Plus you get the Russian trumpets she said you "need"... I've listened again this morning. It's just so very good, the recording is sensational (there's a bass drum 'thud' at 7' 09" in the first movement which is wonderfully palpable and makes the foundations here shake )

Instead we get multiple extracts from Zinman... and Slatkin... and Noseda

I thought the review started well - I had no idea Rachmaninov had recorded it (call me a rank amateur) and that was fascinating to hear - and she was right about the opening violin solo in the second movement of the new Jurowski/LPO (and in pinpointing later a part of the problem I picked up with the rest of the performance).

But it then became frustrating. Lots of little inconsistencies...

.... for instance, an extract from the Ormandy was prefaced by "few are more convincing than Ormandy in this passage" - well, who? and why aren't we hearing them instead?? (I suspect she meant 'no one is more convincing' - so say so!).

As mentioned upthread, the Ashkenazy performance is a very, very worthy winner - electrifying. I just wish the recording were better - we need a Japanese team to get to work on it and give the upper registers of the strings much more space and air and texture....

(I see it is available from HMV Japan in SHM-CD format - I wonder if jayne has any tips about whether this is likely to help matters...)


.

[Nick Armstrong]

I'm undecided: Previn or Ashkenazy?

Ashkenazy and Jansons!!

[HighlandDougie]

The Ashkenazy recordings I have as SHM-CDs (the Sibelius symphonies; the Prokofiev Piano Concertos) all show an improvement over their normal CD predecessors but, caveat emptor, SHM-CDs can't turn silk purses into sows' ears - Maazel's Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet still sounds uningratiating to me as an SHM-CD. The highly reliable CD Japan (which uses normal airmail so, touch wood, I've never had to pay import duty) lists the Rach 3 at:

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UCCD-5521

[HighlandDougie]

Warner tend not to just put three CDs in their big boxes - £17.99 sounds like a much larger set, if, indeed, it is what I'm hoping it's going to be (this is more exciting than speculating on the Proms! ). That's why my fingers are crossed that the three symphonies, the Piano Concertos, The Bells, the shorter orchestral works, and the piano duet pieces will be included. EXCEPT, of course <doh> the Concertos & Duets were DECCA recordings! Warners only rebox EMI stuff, don't they? Perhaps it's going to be a SONY box of Previn's non-RVW RCA recordings, to go with that RVW cycle?

Alas, FHG, the issues listed by Amazon all have separate Amazon reference numbers so I'm pretty sure that it won't be a box next month. We'll have to wait for that (and keep our fingers crossed that Sony get the message about the earlier RCA LSO recordings from the interest in the R V-W reissue and reissue them at some point)

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Alas, FHG, the issues listed by Amazon all have separate Amazon reference numbers so I'm pretty sure that it won't be a box next month. We'll have to wait for that (and keep our fingers crossed that Sony get the message about the earlier RCA LSO recordings from the interest in the R V-W reissue and reissue them at some point)

darn! For a moment there ...

Ah well, as you say; Fingers Crossed.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Instead we get multiple extracts from Zinman... and Slatkin... and Noseda

... and from a Previn recording which doesn't seem to be readily available from the usual suppliers (unless, of course, she knows something that we don't*) which she then goes on to dismiss for its sound quality!


* - In which case, why not TELL us?!

[Alison]

Yes Cali, the Jurowski is a let down. 'Convey the tensions of a live performance' .. It doesn't!

Have to say I do miss the old studio recordings of London orchestras.

LPO/Jurowski in (say) Abbey Road might have produced something more treasurable.

[cloughie]

Yes Cali, the Jurowski is a let down. 'Convey the tensions of a live performance' .. It doesn't!

Have to say I do miss the old studio recordings of London orchestras.

LPO/Jurowski in (say) Abbey Road might have produced something more treasurable.

Have you tried Petrenko, Alison?

[Nick Armstrong]

Have you tried Petrenko, Alison?

Didn't like the sound of his 'zero rubato' approach AT ALL...

The Ashkenazy recordings I have as SHM-CDs (the Sibelius symphonies; the Prokofiev Piano Concertos) all show an improvement over their normal CD predecessors but, caveat emptor, SHM-CDs can't turn silk purses into sows' ears - Maazel's Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet still sounds uningratiating to me as an SHM-CD. The highly reliable CD Japan (which uses normal airmail so, touch wood, I've never had to pay import duty) lists the Rach 3 at:

http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/UCCD-5521

Interesting, HD, thanks. CD Japan is about 39p more than HMV.jp but the duty point is interesting...


.


Anyone who wants to hear Pletnev's narcissistic reading can have mine free, I'm getting rid. Ferney...?

[Nick Armstrong]

As mentioned upthread, the Ashkenazy performance is a very, very worthy winner - electrifying. I just wish the recording were better - we need a Japanese team to get to work on it and give the upper registers of the strings much more space and air and texture....

(I see it is available from HMV Japan in SHM-CD format - I wonder if jayne has any tips about whether this is likely to help matters...)

I may have solved this within the context of my own set-up... I tried a Lossless download from PrestoClassical - and beamed via the Airport Express, the sound is much better! Perhaps since I bought the CD quite soon after its release, things have improved. But at first hearing, this download route means I won't have to trouble our Japanese vendors. Plus I prefer downloads these days anyway. So feeling rather happy

[Barbirollians]

Well you won't be surprised from my earlier 'comparative' post that, having now heard this BAL this morning, I am flabbergasted by the reviewer totally ignoring the Jansons. Yes not everyone's favoured version can be mentioned, and I entirely accepted her reason for eliminating lots (a failure to get an immediate grip on the launch of the initial tutti passage).

But the thing is, the Jansons passes that test with flying colours. Mystifying. Plus you get the Russian trumpets she said you "need"... I've listened again this morning. It's just so very good, the recording is sensational (there's a bass drum 'thud' at 7' 09" in the first movement which is wonderfully palpable and makes the foundations here shake )

Instead we get multiple extracts from Zinman... and Slatkin... and Noseda

I thought the review started well - I had no idea Rachmaninov had recorded it (call me a rank amateur) and that was fascinating to hear - and she was right about the opening violin solo in the second movement of the new Jurowski/LPO (and in pinpointing later a part of the problem I picked up with the rest of the performance).

But it then became frustrating. Lots of little inconsistencies...

.... for instance, an extract from the Ormandy was prefaced by "few are more convincing than Ormandy in this passage" - well, who? and why aren't we hearing them instead?? (I suspect she meant 'no one is more convincing' - so say so!).

As mentioned upthread, the Ashkenazy performance is a very, very worthy winner - electrifying. I just wish the recording were better - we need a Japanese team to get to work on it and give the upper registers of the strings much more space and air and texture....

(I see it is available from HMV Japan in SHM-CD format - I wonder if jayne has any tips about whether this is likely to help matters...)


.

Get the Naxos version of the composer's recording . I doubt you will regret it.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I may have solved this within the context of my own set-up... I tried a Lossless download from PrestoClassical - and beamed via the Airport Express, the sound is much better! Perhaps since I bought the CD quite soon after its release, things have improved. But at first hearing, this download route means I won't have to trouble our Japanese vendors. Plus I prefer downloads these days anyway. So feeling rather happy

I'm a little surprised. This is a Decca recording, and of all companies, Decca have produced very few duds.