New releases

[jayne lee wilson]

Without wishing to slaughter a sacred cow, I'll be provocative and say the Walter VPO M9 is only of documentary interest, to hear a genuine Mahler acolyte conducting the work. As a recording to listen to M9 it is pretty woeful, as the conductor acknowledged when expressing his frustration that the recording had even been made and released. He much preferred his later recording where his insights are better realised. The VPO playing really veers between acceptable and abysmal, and it unfortunately can't hold a candle to many M9 interpretations released since then.

Yes, it can be hard to tolerate - but it does give you "the sound of old Vienna" and the tempo/phrasing is also important to hear, less monumentalised than many later efforts. Walter's later CSO stereo one has lately been remastered to superb effect by Pristine Classical but really, the world isn't short of great Mahler 9s - shame that Kondrashin's Moscow one was taped so early, it's amazingly fresh and imaginative but suffers dynamic compression... yes to Maderna, Klemperer, and Haitink's original RCO one.

[Parry1912]

but it does give you "the sound of old Vienna"

Did they play a lot of kazoos in "old vienna"?

[mathias broucek]

Did they play a lot of kazoos in "old vienna"?

[Bryn]

Yes, it can be hard to tolerate - but it does give you "the sound of old Vienna" and the tempo/phrasing is also important to hear, less monumentalised than many later efforts. Walter's later CSO stereo one has lately been remastered to superb effect by Pristine Classical but really, the world isn't short of great Mahler 9s - shame that Kondrashin's Moscow one was taped so early, it's amazingly fresh and imaginative but suffers dynamic compression... yes to Maderna, Klemperer, and Haitink's original RCO one.

And Ancerl, though for me, Norrington really hits the spot.

[HighlandDougie]

Technophobes look away now but, thanks to the eagle eyes of PJPJ who alerted me to their existence, Qobuz is now offering a batch of EMI Classics as 24/96 downloads. Infuriatingly difficult to track down as a group on their website but, for those who can access Qobuz, this is an utter joy:

http://www.qobuz.com/album/wolfgang-sawallisch-schumann-the-four-symphonies/5099992802353

The sound is astonishingly good - and the performances have more than stood the test of time.

There is some Klemperer, Lipatti in Besançon, Furtwängler (the Brahms Violin and Double Concertos with Menuhin and with Boskovsky/Brabec; Wagner). It looks as if they might have been intended as a second tranche of EMI SACD releases, given the repertoire and performers.

[mathias broucek]

... though for me, Norrington really hits the spot.

I'd duck, if I were you....

[DublinJimbo]

Qobuz is now offering a batch of EMI Classics as 24/96 downloads. Infuriatingly difficult to track down as a group on their website ...

Not all that difficult, really.

Some of the releases offer very short measure, but the total timing of the Samson François is very generous.

[HighlandDougie]

DJ

Duh! I feel even thicker than usual - I spent ages using the search function then gave up so many thanks for the list. Previn/Rachmaninov next I think

HD

[Barbirollians]

Without wishing to slaughter a sacred cow, I'll be provocative and say the Walter VPO M9 is only of documentary interest, to hear a genuine Mahler acolyte conducting the work. As a recording to listen to M9 it is pretty woeful, as the conductor acknowledged when expressing his frustration that the recording had even been made and released. He much preferred his later recording where his insights are better realised. The VPO playing really veers between acceptable and abysmal, and it unfortunately can't hold a candle to many M9 interpretations released since then.

Really where was that ? He must have authorised the release at the time ?

I can see why he was annoyed his 1961 stereo recording was overshadowed. It is a masterly recording - only Barbirolli amd Abbado are in the same league to my ears .

[jayne lee wilson]

Rereleases, shmereleases... give us the NEW!

Apart from that miraculous Hyperion/Stenz/Koln/Quixote (which needed a thread to itself), I've been intrigued by the new recording of Haydn's Die Tageszeiten (6,7,8) by La Petite Bande and Kuijken (Accent CD/lossless flac from TCS). The sheer beauty of playing and recording are seductive in themselves despite rather moderate tempi, and the small orchestra (7 winds, 7 strings) can seem to lack the weight and sensuousness of other versions (they don't take you to distant paradisical shores likes Harnoncourt and the VCM in No.6 (ii) - LPB a bit pedestrian here) but the spacious resonance of the acoustic and the way the soloists explore each nuanced detail of the score is heavenly in itself. Sometimes I felt the LPB's expressiveness was too relaxed or restrained, and I'm still not quite sure whether it's erratically brilliant, or a beautiful, radical new exploration - but fascinating it certainly is!

(When I first tried the 320 kbps/mp3 excerpts on TCS, I got the impression of a close, dryish recording, but this isn't true - it's very spaciously set in the Galaxy Studios in Mol. Onsite samples can be dynamically compressed sometimes.)

[amateur51]

Sir Adrian - Lord of the Proms

http://www.mdt.co.uk/boult-sir-adrian-lord-of-the-proms-documents-10cds.html

[amateur51]

Sir Colin Davis - The Philips Years

http://www.mdt.co.uk/davis-sir-colin-the-philips-years-decca-15cds.html

[Dave2002]

Sir Colin Davis - The Philips Years

http://www.mdt.co.uk/davis-sir-colin...cca-15cds.html

That contains the Mozart Symphony 25 I've been looking for http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4785601, though whether I'll feel it worth paying for the other CDs in the box I'm not so sure. Perhaps the relevant tracks will appear at a reaonable price in a reasonable quality level on a download site.

[Petrushka]

Here's another fine release from the wonderful ICA label: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mozart-Symph...I15T6MR07755AJ

Any forum members at this concert?

Here's another great release from ICA: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sir-Georg-So...I3ST5HUWJL6RMY

I was present at this one!

[Parry1912]

I see that details of Decca's Britten Anniversary box are now available:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Decca/4785364

Cheaper on Amazon, BTW.