New releases

[Bryn]

I thought that I had talked myself comprehensively out of 'RCO 125 The Radio Legacy: Anthology of the RCO, Volumes 1-7' as Amazon had increased the price to well over £500 (I can't believe that I'm even typing this amount) but then I've gone and discovered that it's €499 on the RCO's own site which, given the current exchange rate, works out at a bit less than the original Amazon price, although it's still a ridiculously large sum. Postage seems to be free (and it weighs over 5kg - ). So the deed is done - how, though, am I going to hide it from TOH? I just about got away with the Berlin Phil 100, the Britten Complete Works, the Decca Analogue Years, both Mercury Collector's Editions, oh, and not forgetting the Archiv 1947 - 2013 and Abbado Symphony boxes but any suggestions on concealing the RCO behemoth gratefully received. And on TOH-appropriate Christmas presents costing under £5.00 as that's that Christmas money blown.

Hmm. Have now cancelled the amazon.co.uk order and placed one via the RCO site. Too complicated to me to get it delivered to work, so it looks like it will be a visit to the sorting office if they use Royal Mail for the delivery. The cost would appear to be in the order of £420 including 'free' p&p. Just remember that the Dutch for United Kingdom is Verenigd Koninkrijk when it comes to selecting the country to be delivered to.

[amateur51]

Hmm. Have now cancelled the amazon.co.uk order and placed one via the RCO site. Too complicated to me to get it delivered to work, so it looks like it will be a visit to the sorting office if they use Royal Mail for the delivery. The cost would appear to be in the order of £420 including 'free' p&p.

Which is really a bit of a bargain on a £/CD basis. I look forward to hearing from HD, Bryn and any other purchasers about what treasures this set contains in due course.

I notice that Decca is now selling its Britten-monster box in separate sets too now.

[Bryn]

Which is really a bit of a bargain on a £/CD basis. I look forward to hearing from HD, Bryn and any other purchasers about what treasures this set contains in due course.

Indeed, less than half the standard cost of individual Naxos discs. Oh, and I note that the RCO site says they anticipate delivery (presumably to them, rather than their customers) on November 15th, which raises the possibility of an earlier delivery to our doors than that indicated by Amazon et al.

Bear in mind that "The Radio Legacy is a limited edition: no more than 1000 copies are available".

[amateur51]

Indeed, less than half the standard cost of individual Naxos discs. Oh, and I note that the RCO site says they anticipate delivery (presumably to them, rather than their customers) on November 15th, which raises the possibility of an earlier delivery to our doors than that indicated by Amazon et al.

Bear in mind that "The Radio Legacy is a limited edition: no more than 1000 copies are available".

I'll mention the limited edition factor in my next letter to Mr Dunkin'-Smiff, Bryn

[Bryn]

I'll mention the limited edition factor in my next letter to Mr Dunkin'-Smiff, Bryn

As mentioned earlier, I hope to recoup the outlay on the 152 disc set by selling my individual boxes of volumes 2-7 + the Chailly box. However, one of them ought really to go to a kind resident of the principality of Wales who has made it possible for me to listen repeatedly to the discs in volume 1 during the past several months.

[Ferretfancy]

I've just found time to listen to Petrenko's release of Shostakovich 4. What a disappointment ! Everything is there ( when you can hear it ) but there's absolutely no tension or that tragic sense which runs right through this amazing symphony, even the cataclysmic climax before the muted ending goes for nothing.

I don't think the performance is helped by Mike Hatch's recording. He has the strings and upper woodwinds balanced very close with the brass and percussion less prominent, except when there are loud bass drum thumps or a heavy spot light on the tam tam smashes. In contrast some of the very quiet passages are so distant as to be almost inaudible. In fact, once or twice my partner, who was sitting at the other end of the room, thought that the performance had stopped.

Back to Kondrashin, Rozhdestvensky or Previn.

[Barbirollians]

I've just found time to listen to Petrenko's release of Shostakovich 4. What a disappointment ! Everything is there ( when you can hear it ) but there's absolutely no tension or that tragic sense which runs right through this amazing symphony, even the cataclysmic climax before the muted ending goes for nothing.

I don't think the performance is helped by Mike Hatch's recording. He has the strings and upper woodwinds balanced very close with the brass and percussion less prominent, except when there are loud bass drum thumps or a heavy spot light on the tam tam smashes. In contrast some of the very quiet passages are so distant as to be almost inaudible. In fact, once or twice my partner, who was sitting at the other end of the room, thought that the performance had stopped.

Back to Kondrashin, Rozhdestvensky or Previn.

Gramophone Record of the Month ! according to Edward Seckerson !

[Barbirollians]

I have just been listening to Anne Sophie Mutter's new recording of the Dvorak Violin Concerto with the BPO and Honeck . Apparently , this is her first recording with the BPO since the days of Karajan .

David Gutman accuses her over of calculation in Gramophone ( bought a copy to read on the train yesterday - I hate the texture of the cover paper -feels like a nail on a blackboard sounds) . I couldn't disagree more . The only element of calculation is that she has been very careful to stress the Czech rhythms and play the tunes idiomatically rather than applying a broad brush romantic gloop to the concerto .

It is magnificent - one wonders whether the accompaniment might have been a touch warmer had Andris Nelsons who with the CBSO accompanied her so marvellously in Birmingham in September but it is a truly thrilling account of the work and up there with Suk/Ancerl as my personal favourite despite the claims of Perlman , Faust and Chung.

The account of the Romance in F Minor is pretty extraordinary too. This a Romance tinged with sadness . Revelatory stuff.

[Andrew Preview]

Anyone heard Janine Jansen's new Bach concertos disc? Listening on Spotify, I'd say it's broadly in the Daniel Hope / Richard Tognetti category of historically informed performance on modern instruments. The concertos are played one-to-a-part, but a greater weight of sound makes that less obvious than on Rachel Podger's Brecon Baroque recording. Oddly, for a disc entitled "Concertos", she's included a couple of the sonatas for violin and harpsichord in place of the usual D minor concerto for two violins.

Some people do write utter tosh. The concertos here are not played one-to-a-part at all, which would certainly account for the greater weight of sound. On reflection, "broadly in the Daniel Hope / Richard Tognetti category" should probably be "very broadly". Apart from that, these are definitely Bach concertos and, um, the soloist is definitely Janine Jansen.

[hafod]

Bernard Haitink: SYMPHONY EDITION (Decca/Universal, 36cd)
contents: http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en...st&ADD_OTHER=1
Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Schumann, Tchaikovsky.
International release Jan. 2014.

Confusingly, there is also this already released:
Bernard Haitink: The Symphonies 23cd
Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Symphonies-Haitink/dp/B00EUWY9WE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=FP2WHFW2B6W6&coliid=I2R1IDWIQGNO2C

The Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky cycles are available separately but only the former is excluded from the Symphony edition. Confused? So am I!

[Alison]

Bernard Haitink: SYMPHONY EDITION (Decca/Universal, 36cd)
contents: http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en...st&ADD_OTHER=1
Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Schumann, Tchaikovsky.
International release Jan. 2014.

Confusingly, there is also this already released:
Bernard Haitink: The Symphonies 23cd
Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Symphonies-Haitink/dp/B00EUWY9WE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=FP2WHFW2B6W6&coliid=I2R1IDWIQGNO2C

The Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky cycles are available separately but only the former is excluded from the Symphony edition. Confused? So am I!

That's very confusing. Think I will already have all the recordings involved. What we really needed was a reissue of the LPO Beethoven symphony cycle. The First and Third were highlights of the recent Philips years box.

[Petrushka]

That's very confusing. Think I will already have all the recordings involved. What we really needed was a reissue of the LPO Beethoven symphony cycle. The First and Third were highlights of the recent Philips years box.

Who are these boxes aimed at? I agree wholeheartedly with Alison about the LPO Beethoven 1 & 3 in the Years box and the need for a reissue of that LPO cycle.

Most of the recordings in the Symphony Edition box have been reissued again and again, many very recently either as boxes or single issues and collectors will have snapped them up then. Frustratingly, I still don't have the Bruckner '0', 2 or 6 from his cycle as they haven't appeared outside of the boxed set or one or two of the Beethoven symphonies. The record companies show little thought or imagination in their reissue policy and the constant regurgitation of the same material is becoming boring.

Had I got none, or very few, of he recordings I wouldn't have hesitated. As it is...

[akiralx]

I have just been listening to Anne Sophie Mutter's new recording of the Dvorak Violin Concerto with the BPO and Honeck . Apparently , this is her first recording with the BPO since the days of Karajan .

David Gutman accuses her over of calculation in Gramophone ( bought a copy to read on the train yesterday - I hate the texture of the cover paper -feels like a nail on a blackboard sounds) . I couldn't disagree more . The only element of calculation is that she has been very careful to stress the Czech rhythms and play the tunes idiomatically rather than applying a broad brush romantic gloop to the concerto .

It is magnificent - one wonders whether the accompaniment might have been a touch warmer had Andris Nelsons who with the CBSO accompanied her so marvellously in Birmingham in September but it is a truly thrilling account of the work and up there with Suk/Ancerl as my personal favourite despite the claims of Perlman , Faust and Chung.

The account of the Romance in F Minor is pretty extraordinary too. This a Romance tinged with sadness . Revelatory stuff.

Did you get the version with the DVD of the live BPO concert? it is very good, even finer than the studio CD. I like her interpretation but there is still a little bit of febrile overwrought tone which has been present since her really great version of the Sibelius. Not sure if I prefer this to Pamela Frank's version with Mackerras on Decca, but very good all the same.

[DublinJimbo]

BIG NEWS

The final volume of the Pacifica Quartet's magnificent traversal of Shostakovich's string quartets is now available from Cedille.

Shostakovich's quartets 13-15 are coupled with Schnittke's 3rd. I'm downloading it as I write (2 CDs, 24/96, at a reduced price of $12 for a limited time).

[richardfinegold]

BIG NEWS

The final volume of the Pacifica Quartet's magnificent traversal of Shostakovich's string quartets is now available from Cedille.



Shostakovich's quartets 13-15 are coupled with Schnittke's 3rd. I'm downloading it as I write (2 CDs, 24/96, at a reduced price of $12 for a limited time).

The Pacifica played these quartets in concerts at the University of Chicago's Mandel Hall. I heard two of the concerts and wished that I could have attended the entire cycle. I don't know if the recordings were culled from these concerts. Are there notes supplied with the downloads? And what site did you download from? Are these DSD or PCM?