Box Blather

Started by Ken B, April 19, 2014, 07:07:51 PM

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#1120
Quote from: Roasted Swan on May 26, 2021, 02:22:14 PM
Levine/Chicago was released around the time of Dutoit/Montreal and got rather overshadowed - not wholly fairly I would say.  Personally I would take "Petersplanets" with a big pinch of salt.  Just because a guy is fixated on a work doesn't mean he has special insight - Kaplan/Mahler 2 springs to mind!!!  Quite often he references flaws (tuning/ensemble/splits) which I literally cannot hear - and I'm picky!  It feels like he's saying stuff for the sake of finding something to say......

This is quite an astute opinion. I, too, took Peter's Planets list with a grain of salt. For example, he ranked Mehta/LA Phil. in the #11 spot? This is in my 'Top 3'! Anyway, this just proves your point. Also, the fact that Dutoit is his favorite also caused me to fluff off his rankings. I agree that a fixation on one work doesn't make one an expert, but I don't think Peter ever claimed to be, but it does make me wonder if he's bothered to listen to Holst's other works? If not, then I think he's done a great disservice to the composer.

Brian

I guess I fall in the middle...PPP has heard way more planets than I have and he's a valuable resource in that way, and his bottom 10 are probably safe to skip, but obviously different people have different taste. Like any review. I know to skip Dutoit because of a personal dislike for 80s Decca sound quality.

Don't understand at all how a project focused on one work is a disservice to a composer's other music. Maybe someone else should make an Egdon Heath website!

Mirror Image

Quote from: Brian on May 26, 2021, 06:29:57 PMDon't understand at all how a project focused on one work is a disservice to a composer's other music. Maybe someone else should make an Egdon Heath website!

If you put an intense amount of focus into one work, especially of the magnitude of Holst's The Planets, which has a ridiculous amount of recordings anyway, you've done this composer a disservice because this is exactly the work that has eclipsed his other output. You don't have to be a Holst expert to make this comment as it has cursed him since every Tom, Dick and Harry has decided to make a recording of it. To be honest, as awesome as The Planets is, it's not one of Holst's best works, IMHO.

staxomega

#1123
If anyone bought the Barbirolli Complete Warner would you care to say how it is?

I'm not really a huge fan of most English music and this comprises a large portion of the box, I don't dislike this music, I'd just rarely go out of my way to hear it. I'm open to reading more about these Barbirolli performances. Additionally like a quarter of the box is sourced from 78 rpm recordings. I did download the newer Art & Son transfers of Mahler (my main interest in this box) and they sound better than the original EMI CDs and Abbey Road ART remasters, these are finally starting to have the fidelity of the good sounding LPs. Unfortunately I highly doubt Warner are going to release these new transfers separately.

Thanks.

Spotted Horses

#1124
Quote from: Brian on May 26, 2021, 06:29:57 PM
I guess I fall in the middle...PPP has heard way more planets than I have and he's a valuable resource in that way, and his bottom 10 are probably safe to skip, but obviously different people have different taste. Like any review. I know to skip Dutoit because of a personal dislike for 80s Decca sound quality.

Don't understand at all how a project focused on one work is a disservice to a composer's other music. Maybe someone else should make an Egdon Heath website!

My second favorite "Planets" is 8th from the bottom, Maazel, Orchestra de Paris. (Take that with a grain of salt, I've only ever heard 4 versions of the planets; someone who has heard many more than that is not to to be taken seriously.) I didn't get it because I surveyed 100 alternatives, I like Maazel, I like the Orchestra de Paris, no brainer. (I've owned it since 1989.) All of the planets recordings are listed, albeit in random order. Other than that I find no value in the list.
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Biffo

#1125
I bought the set several weeks ago and I have listened to about 80% of it so far. One of my reasons for buying it was to hear the English music newly remastered and I haven't been disappointed. I haven't listened to all the Mahler yet so can't comment. The Warner remastering of Symphony No 5 doesn't sound very different to the final EMI version.

The 78 rpm material is interesting but I can't imagine listening to it very often.

I hesitated before buying such a large box but don't regret doing so.

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Biffo on June 23, 2021, 05:06:11 AM
I bought the set several weeks ago and I have listened to about 80% of it so far. One of my reasons for buying it was to hear the English music newly remastered and I haven't been disappointed. I haven't listened to all the Mahler yet so can't comment. The Warner remastering of Symphony No 5 doesn't sound very different to the final EMI version.

The 78 rpm material is interesting but I can't imagine listening to it very often.

I hesitated before buying such a large box but don't regret doing so.

Which box are you talking about?
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

Biffo

Quote from: Spotted Horses on June 23, 2021, 07:05:30 AM
Which box are you talking about?

The Warner/Barbirolli box mentioned by hvbias

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Biffo on June 23, 2021, 07:35:34 AM
The Warner/Barbirolli box mentioned by hvbias

I got that box too. Haven't managed to listen to a single bit of it yet. :(
There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind. - Duke Ellington

staxomega

#1129
Quote from: Biffo on June 23, 2021, 05:06:11 AM
I bought the set several weeks ago and I have listened to about 80% of it so far. One of my reasons for buying it was to hear the English music newly remastered and I haven't been disappointed. I haven't listened to all the Mahler yet so can't comment. The Warner remastering of Symphony No 5 doesn't sound very different to the final EMI version.

The 78 rpm material is interesting but I can't imagine listening to it very often.

I hesitated before buying such a large box but don't regret doing so.

Thanks, I listened to Symphony 5 and Five Ruckert Lieder and thought it sounded better than the EMI Great Recordings of the Century (Abbey Road ART) transfer, this one has a bit too much modulation in the upper frequencies.

What are the highlights as far as the English music goes? Most of this box should be up for streaming.

Also any complaints with the Halle Orchestra? When I was streaming some of this I didn't think they were awful, but they weren't playing at the level of good or excellent orchestras.

Brian

Quote from: hvbias on April 25, 2021, 03:31:51 PM
Regarding the Grumiaux box, I started a thread on another board as there were a bunch of us there that bought it: https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/arthur-grumiaux-complete-philips-recordings-program-for-replacement-cd-45.1082991/
Just today (months later) got an email from Decca saying that Grumiaux replacement CDs are on their way now. Also included a 10% off code for the Decca Classics online store.

Catching up on previous conversation: Previn's LSO Planets is really good, by the way. Saturn is too slow for me maybe but I enjoyed everything else a great deal, including a not very pompous Jupiter and absolutely ferocious Mars.

My copy of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra box set is preordered to arrive August 21.

Brian

Quote from: Brian on July 09, 2021, 12:07:24 PM
Just today (months later) got an email from Decca saying that Grumiaux replacement CDs are on their way now. Also included a 10% off code for the Decca Classics online store.
Never got this, by the way.

Looking forward to the Markevitch (DG/Philips), Kocsis (Philips), and Falla (Warner) big boxes.

staxomega

#1132
Quote from: Brian on August 30, 2021, 09:41:41 AM
Never got this, by the way.

I received mine just recently, it was postmarked 11/6/2021 from the Italian Universal branch. I'm going to assume that was June 11, 2021 and it wasn't mailed from the future  :laugh:

Others in Europe received them months ago. I don't think many Americans on that music forum have received it yet.

The new erato

#1133
Yes, in Europe we use the logical day month year sequence.

Madiel

Quote from: The new erato on August 30, 2021, 07:17:48 PM
Yes, in Europe we use the logical day month year sequence.

Also, the home team is first in sporting fixtures.  ;)
I am now working on a discography of the works of Vagn Holmboe. Please visit and also contribute!

staxomega

That was some not very good dad humor, I know that doesn't translate well on the internet (thought adding the  :laugh: might have helped). I've lived in Republic of Ireland for seven years and am generally well travelled.

Mookalafalas

Quote from: Brian on July 09, 2021, 12:07:24 PM

My copy of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra box set is preordered to arrive August 21.

  Perhaps you've talked about this in other threads? I'd be curious about your impression.  I love what little I've heard by them. I really like stripped down performances (Listening to Cafe Zimmerman right now).
 
   BTW, I moved to Japan with my family. In a MUCH smaller house. With no man cave, I can't really enjoy music like I used to--I played 8-10 hours a day back in my old house.
  However, my school gave me a huge private office. I have to keep music down low, so I'm going to go the headphone route, and just got some deluxe cans. Thinking about the Orpheus box as something fresh to break them in on...
It's all good...

DavidW

I'm going the other way.  I'm moving into a much larger place and will have a room just for listening to music.  And no across the wall neighbors (like in my current tiny apartment) to force me to keep the music quiet.

Que

Quote from: DavidW on September 25, 2021, 05:55:37 AM
I'm going the other way.  I'm moving into a much larger place and will have a room just for listening to music.  And no across the wall neighbors (like in my current tiny apartment) to force me to keep the music quiet.

You're lucky!  :)

Brian

Quote from: Mookalafalas on September 25, 2021, 05:42:35 AM
  Perhaps you've talked about this in other threads? I'd be curious about your impression.  I love what little I've heard by them. I really like stripped down performances (Listening to Cafe Zimmerman right now).
Karl has listened to almost two-thirds of the box and he is going in order - go through his comments in the listening thread. I've listened to 28 CDs in full and parts of 6 more (including, on the Saint-Saens cello album with Mischa Maisky, everything except "Le cygne"). Generally speaking, everything has been fabulous. The worst performances I've heard aren't bad, they're just normal, this-is-fine type performances. (Cough, Rodrigo, cough.) The best...well Orpheus has several amazing qualities. One is the precision and energy which they achieve without a conductor. The playing on albums like Rossini overtures, all things Stravinsky, and the Bartok Divertimento/Dances is totally virtuosic, exciting, witty, and fun, without any leader "whipping them into shape."

Generally speaking their Haydn has incredible wit and sparkle and sensitivity. It sings and chuckles and although the playing is much too professional and American to be described as "rustic" or "rough and ready" or similar, it also never becomes genteel or fuddy-duddy. Probably my favorite performance of 80 ever, and 80 is my favorite Haydn symphony. The Mozart recordings have totally rejuvenated my interest in Mozart. I listened to the disc with the two Sinfonias concertante today and holy cow - absolutely the best in modern instrument Mozart. Somehow they strike the same balance as in Haydn, avoiding the sleepy "baby loves Mozart" preciousness and hero-worship of some performers while playing the music with absolutely ridiculous beauty.

What else...the Gil Shaham album has me thinking I should get the Gil Shaham complete box. (Naturally, the price tag on that has shot up.) The Weber/Rossini clarinet disc is total joy, and Patrick Gallois is absolutely amazing in the Vivaldi flute concertos. The Kodaly Summer Night and Hungarian Rondo were total amazing surprises to me. Their Copland is correctly legendary. There is some debate about the Handel recordings since they are decidedly not HIP, but they are stylish, tasteful, and showcase all the soloists well. Plus I already have Savall for Water/Fireworks Music and Pinnock for Op. 6. Unfortunately I did not enjoy the disc of premiere recordings of music from the 1980s. As mentioned, the Rodrigo is eh-whatever, as are the English and French albums.