BaL 2.03.19 - Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence, Op.70

[richardfinegold]

Glad to see the Borodin won. When I acquired the Chandos/Melodyia set it felt sui generis and I have not been tempted to augment it

[Barbirollians]

Thanks for the recommendation of the VCO/Entremont ( fhgl I think ) that is a proper Tchaikovsky record - very romantic but not self-indulgent. The Serenade is up there with the Barbirolli.

[gurnemanz]

https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-5619/

Third ear compares all Borodin performances and calls the Chandos Souvenir "nonpareil" and says its style "has never been surpassed" and "it stands as a central recommendation for interpretation and musicianship." 3E suggests those who want better sound can go for EMI, a close second, but it's a "bit plummy" and misses Dubinsky [who is great!]... Teldec comes a distant third...

Just caught up with BaL. I have had the Borodins' 1993 Teldec 2 CD set for a while and been very happy with it. Not considered in BaL, presumably because not available (at least only used or at an inflated out-of-print price). Interesting to see it called "a distant third" above. Gramophone favoured it above the earlier one recommended on BaL and I see that the classicstoday review linked to above also favours the later one:

"But for all its interest, the set must yield to the later, reconstituted Borodin Quartet’s 1993 Teldec recording in vibrant sound, full of instrumental detail, and possessing a more relaxed interpretive stance. Timings often lie, but while the timings for each movement of the two Borodin sets differ by seconds, you get the impression that the interpretations on Chandos are a bit hectic while the Teldec’s tempered vigor is just right."

Whichever Borodin version one might prefer (I think I only need one) it seems a shame that the newer version is not generally available as an option.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Thanks for the recommendation of the VCO/Entremont ( fhgl I think ) that is a proper Tchaikovsky record - very romantic but not self-indulgent. The Serenade is up there with the Barbirolli.

[Mal]

Just caught up with BaL. I have had the Borodins' 1993 Teldec 2 CD set for a while and been very happy with it. Not considered in BaL, presumably because not available (at least only used or at an inflated out-of-print price). Interesting to see it called "a distant third" above. Gramophone favoured it above the earlier one recommended on BaL and I see that the classicstoday review linked to above also favours the later one:

"But for all its interest, the set must yield to the later, reconstituted Borodin Quartet’s 1993 Teldec recording in vibrant sound, full of instrumental detail, and possessing a more relaxed interpretive stance. Timings often lie, but while the timings for each movement of the two Borodin sets differ by seconds, you get the impression that the interpretations on Chandos are a bit hectic while the Teldec’s tempered vigor is just right."

Whichever Borodin version one might prefer (I think I only need one) it seems a shame that the newer version is not generally available as an option.

Rough Guide goes for Chandos as well.

"A distant third" was my summary of Arvid Ashby's "Third Ear' estimation that, in full, reads:

"In the third set [Teldec] the sound is very fine, with good balance and nice acoustics, but the players have lost some of their original naturalness, composure, and finesse, nor is there quite the same blend and homogeneity heard earlier; some of the louder dynamics sound forced. Anyone coming to the Teldec without hearing the earlier Melodiya/EMI won't be disappointed, but why settle for second-best?"

Penguin 1999 suggests *both* Melodiya and Teldec are equally "superb, unassailable recommendations", although criticises the Teldec sound in comparison, saying it's a "shade drier".

Everyone seems to agree it must be a Borodin quartet :)

Found Teldec on utube and, to be honest, I'd be happy to own it if I didn't have Chandos. I can see where Gramo and 3E are coming from, but I think they are far too critical, turning slight differences into dismissals far too readily, at least for "Souvenir". So I think Penguin have it right - joint gold medal.

[gurnemanz]

"A distant third" was my summary of Arvid Ashby's "Third Ear' estimation that, in full, reads:

"In the third set [Teldec] the sound is very fine, with good balance and nice acoustics, but the players have lost some of their original naturalness, composure, and finesse, nor is there quite the same blend and homogeneity heard earlier; some of the louder dynamics sound forced. Anyone coming to the Teldec witout hearing the earlier melodiya/EMI won't be disappointed, but why settle for second-best?"

Penguin 1999 suggests *both* Melodiya and Teldec are equally "superb, unassailable recommendations", although criticises the Teldec sound in comparison, saying it's a "shade drier".

Thanks for update.

[HighlandDougie]

Sorry thumb is still down, SJ should have said that Chandos had provided the best transfer, if he thought that. Did he even listen to the Alto or Melodiya transfers? Given that he obviously thought this Borodin performance was streets ahead of the rest he should have tied down *exactly* which release was the one to go for, and AMcG should never have been in a position to muddy the waters. The Chandos release might be out of print, as it's not on the Chandos web site, and it's become scare & expensive in the last year. So maybe AMcG's researchers had spotted this, hence the alternatives. But if this is so, why not spell that out? And why isn't the Chandos release easily available? Is it a copyright problem? Also, surely, with its resources, the BBC should have been able to sort out the "when & where" question. It's so much easier to just sit there and listen to CDs than do proper investigative journalism...

I spotted "Valentin Berlinsky: A Quartet for Life" compiled and edited by Maria Matalaev has been published recently (1 Oct 2018). Anyone have access to that? Maybe it will throw some light on "when & where"?

Just to add to Mal's transfer choice(s), this has just been delivered:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-Quartets-Florence-Mstislav-Rostropovich/dp/B000R927PK/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=ASIN+%3A+B000R927PK&qid=1552301747&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

OK, it's not super-cheap but Aulos (which is Korean) are pretty good at transfers (e.g. Kondrashin's DSCH cycle), suitably authorised by Melodiya. If I understand the notes correctly, Aulos's sound engineers went to Moscow to work with Melodiya and this 2-CD set is the result. No recording date information, alas, other than the year. It sounds fine to me - slightly close recording, appropriate to chamber music, but with clarity and warmth, equally appropriate to the wonderful playing.

[Mal]

Here's another expensive transfer, from Urania, which I think is (now) an Italian company:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-String-Quartets-Souvenir-Florence/dp/B01MUFPYJU

It's available on Amazon Unlimited, and is perhaps a bit mellower and fuller than Chandos, but it's marginal, and Chandos perhaps has more "penetration", so I'll stick with Chandos.

[Cockney Sparrow]

Urania and that recording is also on Naxos Music Library, with PDF booklet :
"Urania Records is an independent record company based near Lake Como. Its carefully restored historical recordings, with some of the twentieth century’s greatest performers, include several rarities and preciously unpublished works. "

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthrea...-library/page4

And, I'm hearing surface noise - not intrusive - perhaps its taken as read, this is a digital copy of a vinyl pressing? (The "PDF Booklet" - all of 4 pages - says the source material is a 1965 recording in Russia, and not much more.