Topic: New Releases

[Mandryka]

Two reissues from Ensemble Organum on January 4

I’m told that further rereleases in this series has been put in hold because sales have been disappointing, same for his planed new recording of chant from Morocco. .

[Que]

I’m told that further rereleases in this series has been put in hold because sales have been disappointing, same for his planed new recording of chant from Morocco. .

Well, a retail price of €12 for a reissue is not exactly encouraging for prospective buyers...

Will the planned issue of a box set go through?

Q

[Mandryka]

Will the planned issue of a box set go through?

Q

I think it may be necessary to organise a petition.

It looks to me as though it was quite a lavish release, with well produced packaging, I don't know if they'd commissioned any new copy or images for the booklets. All that must have put the ROI on a knife edge.

[Mirror Image]

Profoundly stupid, when they could have made them separate tracks that could be skipped.

This. When narration should be able to be skipped and isn’t equals a no purchase from me.

[Brian]

Blockbuster month coming from BIS in June. Baroque soprano aria premieres with Elin Rombo, Brahms violin sonatas with Ulf Wallin and Roland Pontinen (an ultra-complete 2CD series with transcriptions of his other chamber stuff and songs), The Wooden Prince with Susanna Malkki conducting in Helsinki, Bach Lute Suites with Franz Halasz (guitar), an album of Russian string orchestra music by Arensky, Prokofiev, and Scriabin conducted by Oramo, Debussy's Printemps and Nocturnes with Singapore/Shui, the Goldberg variations arranged and played by FP Zimmermann, Tamestit, and Poltera, and solo recitals of music by Nikos Skalkottas and G.I. Gurdjieff.

Why such a huge flood of June releases from BIS? Because June is the first month where all BIS releases will have the new "ecopak" production rather than the old jewel cases. Exciting.

[Ken B]

Blockbuster month coming from BIS in June. Baroque soprano aria premieres with Elin Rombo, Brahms violin sonatas with Ulf Wallin and Roland Pontinen (an ultra-complete 2CD series with transcriptions of his other chamber stuff and songs), The Wooden Prince with Susanna Malkki conducting in Helsinki, Bach Lute Suites with Franz Halasz (guitar), an album of Russian string orchestra music by Arensky, Prokofiev, and Scriabin conducted by Oramo, Debussy's Printemps and Nocturnes with Singapore/Shui, the Goldberg variations arranged and played by FP Zimmermann, Tamestit, and Poltera, and solo recitals of music by Nikos Skalkottas and G.I. Gurdjieff.

Why such a huge flood of June releases from BIS? Because June is the first month where all BIS releases will have the new "ecopak" production rather than the old jewel cases. Exciting.

Last year I moved all my single discs to binders and got rid of the jewel cases. I was amazed at the weight.

[Mirror Image]

Blockbuster month coming from BIS in June. Baroque soprano aria premieres with Elin Rombo, Brahms violin sonatas with Ulf Wallin and Roland Pontinen (an ultra-complete 2CD series with transcriptions of his other chamber stuff and songs), The Wooden Prince with Susanna Malkki conducting in Helsinki, Bach Lute Suites with Franz Halasz (guitar), an album of Russian string orchestra music by Arensky, Prokofiev, and Scriabin conducted by Oramo, Debussy's Printemps and Nocturnes with Singapore/Shui, the Goldberg variations arranged and played by FP Zimmermann, Tamestit, and Poltera, and solo recitals of music by Nikos Skalkottas and G.I. Gurdjieff.

Why such a huge flood of June releases from BIS? Because June is the first month where all BIS releases will have the new "ecopak" production rather than the old jewel cases. Exciting.

Really looking forward to the Debussy from Shui and the Bartók from Malkki.

[Mandryka]

I've started to enjoy the first two volumes a lot, not least because I like the organ at  Sant Jaume ,Vila-real  Valencia, which is a restoration of an authentic organ.

[Que]

I've started to enjoy the first two volumes a lot, not least because I like the organ at  Sant Jaume ,Vila-real  Valencia, which is a restoration of an authentic organ.

Looks very good. 

Q

[Wanderer]

Why such a huge flood of June releases from BIS? Because June is the first month where all BIS releases will have the new "ecopak" production rather than the old jewel cases. Exciting.

Not really. More like waiting to ascertain just how much they're prepared to lower the quality and durability of the CD packaging and the protection it affords the disc for econom..."ecological gains". Other efforts in this area (e.g. the new Gerstein Busoni Piano Concerto CD) are not reassuring.

[Biffo]

Re: durability of packaging. Over the years I have found jewel cases to be the worst - in some cases just opening them causes them to fall to bits. The multi-disc jewel cases are the worst being prone to fall in several pieces. I have lost count of the number of discs I have received, including sealed ones, where the central disc holder has disintegrated filling the case with tiny lumps of plastic.

[aukhawk]

(VW 9th, Manze)

Look at the timings! Overall, Manze takes 10 minutes more than Thomson; especially the Finale: Andante tranquillo, is taken extremely slow here, with over 15 minutes. We'll have to wait for the whole thing, but at first hearing, the whole spirit of the symphony is different, here. 

Now I'm interested!  (Never did like the 9th much, but the samples on Presto sound most promising)

[Brian]

Not really. More like waiting to ascertain just how much they're prepared to lower the quality and durability of the CD packaging and the protection it affords the disc for econom..."ecological gains". Other efforts in this area (e.g. the new Gerstein Busoni Piano Concerto CD) are not reassuring.

For what it's worth, this design is different from, say, the cheap cardboard sleeves some other labels have used (like the old 90s Harmonia Mundi reissues with white jackets). BIS said the production cost is higher, not lower, and they said that at least initially they intend to absorb that added cost themselves.

[Mandryka]

Looks very good. 

Q

Yes, I think so, you have to be in the mood for brash baroque organ music of course, but when I am I can happily listen to a whole CD of this Cabanilles release, and for me that’s most unusual with anything, so I guess he’s doing something right for me at least.  I think you need good speakers and amp, if you don’t have it, don’t go there, the art of Cabanilles is really a lot about impressive, cathedral sized sounds. All the more so in fact since Timothy Roberts is keen to play symphonically, exploring the most colourful registrations.

The organ is very good I think, and well recorded. If I have one gripe, it’s that he just used the one organ. I’d have liked to have see a complete Cabanilles which shows us a whole range of good organs, like Ayarra’s Arauxo.

[Todd]

Warner Italy v Decca Italy.  The listener wins!

[relm1]

Look at the timings! Overall, Manze takes 10 minutes more than Thomson; especially the Finale: Andante tranquillo, is taken extremely slow here, with over 15 minutes. We'll have to wait for the whole thing, but at first hearing, the whole spirit of the symphony is different, here. 

This is good news for me.  I'm a believer that this symphony is best heard slow.  Let's see if he gets the white hot intensity moments nailed too, but I'm definitely a fan of drawing this one out.

[Mandryka]

WTC stuff.

Rather nice, I’m not sure it contains great insights, but charming and well recorded. They make a good team, there’s a palpable sense of the pleasure they’re taking in playing.

[Brian]

Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations are releasing a 2CD set of Mozart's final three symphonies. Oddly, they're including a performance of No. 40 on both discs; it's not clear yet (vague wording) whether it's the same performance duplicated, or two slightly different ones.

[Ghost of Baron Scarpia]

Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations are releasing a 2CD set of Mozart's final three symphonies. Oddly, they're including a performance of No. 40 on both discs; it's not clear yet (vague wording) whether it's the same performance duplicated, or two slightly different ones.

Mozart revised the 40th symphony to add clarinets, presumably the original and revised version are both recorded. The Hogwood edition also includes both versions.

[Ras]

Savall's new Mozart looks like this and is to be released in Germany in a few days whereas Americans will have to wait till June (at least according to amazon).