We've had a Bruckner thread, this one is in response to last weekend's CDR session on some of the re-issues of OK's EMI career. I've been back to listen during the week to the Beethoven symphonies that I had always regarded as required listening [in my day it was OK, Toscanini, Walter and Furtwangler that were out in front]. I discovered that not all issues of the classic OK set are sonically equal!!
Some months ago someone [apologies I don't remember who] posted some audiograms showing how some CDs limited heavily. Well OKs Eroica from 1955 [NOT the 1959 stereo remake] made in Kingsway Hall has been issued more than once on CD. This:
shows that one CD caused considerable limiting - see the second row where I have reduced the gain to show that the peaks are restricted. The GROC issue - third row - however has avoided that and the bottom trace shows what the top one should be like. Listening shows that the earlier CD's gritty sound on loud passages is due to this limiting.
By the way as well as the CDR review of the EMI CD releases there is a current set of downloadable remasterings from Pristine Audio of the classic stereo set from OK. There is no 3, 5 and 7 from 1955 of course but people may want to sample that Pristine set [not yet complete - 7-9 to come]. It sounds very well indeed and is available in 24 bit FLAC if you are really after the ultimate. OK doesn't do the repeats in No 3. This is consistent because he doesn't do them anywhere else either. Looking at the Karajan/Philharmonia Eroica from 1952 the timings [Karajan omits repeats too] are almost identical with OK - so much for the latter being a slowcoach. These OK timings are consistent with his Vienna/Philharmonia cycle from 1960. Like many of his contemporaries he was always quicker and more convincing in public performance.
PS: I still have a set of LPs issued in 1970 [from which I think the Pristine downloads may be derived] for the centenary so will give them a spin when I have a bit of time to clean the discs up. I've gpt to fnd them first of course
Istill remember the RFH cycle in 1970 - sadly OK was too ill to do al the concerts and Colin Davis did some instead.
Some months ago someone [apologies I don't remember who] posted some audiograms showing how some CDs limited heavily. Well OKs Eroica from 1955 [NOT the 1959 stereo remake] made in Kingsway Hall has been issued more than once on CD. This:
shows that one CD caused considerable limiting - see the second row where I have reduced the gain to show that the peaks are restricted. The GROC issue - third row - however has avoided that and the bottom trace shows what the top one should be like. Listening shows that the earlier CD's gritty sound on loud passages is due to this limiting.
By the way as well as the CDR review of the EMI CD releases there is a current set of downloadable remasterings from Pristine Audio of the classic stereo set from OK. There is no 3, 5 and 7 from 1955 of course but people may want to sample that Pristine set [not yet complete - 7-9 to come]. It sounds very well indeed and is available in 24 bit FLAC if you are really after the ultimate. OK doesn't do the repeats in No 3. This is consistent because he doesn't do them anywhere else either. Looking at the Karajan/Philharmonia Eroica from 1952 the timings [Karajan omits repeats too] are almost identical with OK - so much for the latter being a slowcoach. These OK timings are consistent with his Vienna/Philharmonia cycle from 1960. Like many of his contemporaries he was always quicker and more convincing in public performance.
PS: I still have a set of LPs issued in 1970 [from which I think the Pristine downloads may be derived] for the centenary so will give them a spin when I have a bit of time to clean the discs up. I've gpt to fnd them first of course
Istill remember the RFH cycle in 1970 - sadly OK was too ill to do al the concerts and Colin Davis did some instead.