What are you listening 2 now?

[Mirror Image]

Bruckner


Symphony No.1

I posted this before but there was no response whatsoever. Still I am curious if anyone noticed these described differences in the remastering.

Reverberation

And now Decca has remastered the Bruckner and Mahler symphonies with, in Mahler's case, as a bonus the second fix of the First from 1972, albeit only on the Blu Ray disc. The design can certainly be called original with double albums and numerous images of the original record sleeves. So two boxes to cherish. On the eye, because the ear is very disappointed. To put it plainly, Andrew Walter of Abbey Road Studios and his buddies have done enormous violence to Van Ginnekens - and thus automatically Haitink's - artwork. The comparison with the aforementioned transfers shows, razor sharp, read: relentlessly (I began to doubt myself that I sought refuge for a 'second opinion' with a friend with an even better installation than the undersigned, but with the same result ).

The inescapable conclusion must be that the leveling tendency that keeps our society in a firm grip in any field has also hit the record industry to the very core, as these two Haitink boxes poignantly prove. There is nothing left of the refined sublime sound image that Van Ginneken has recorded. For those who do not know better, the result of this 'remastering' will sound as if a good radio orchestra is at work here, the recordings of which have been immortalized in any and average studio anywhere in the world. Anyone who listens blindly and without prior knowledge will never think that these performances were recorded in one of the most beautiful concert halls in the world. Every trace of the special acoustics of the main hall of the Amsterdam concert hall will be searched in vain, simply because almost nothing can be heard of it. In some places the reverberation (from the room, or has it been added?) - to use a metaphor - is like the fake colorant that makes fast food extra attractive to the target groups that usually frequent the restaurants where it is manufactured.

Headache file

Furthermore, the volume has been scaled up very high, with the inevitable consequence that the pianissimi (which have become louder) lack any refinement, while due to the increased loudness during the climaxes (and there are, as is known, quite a few) the ceiling is extremely low. and because of this alone we have to speak of a musical headache file, simply because there is no reserve and let alone flexibility in the sound. And what it is all about - and here that leveling comes into the picture again - is the dynamics, and it has been almost completely retouched. All this makes listening to these performances an extremely tiring affair. The undeniable merit of Van Ginneken and his fabulous team - again, artists in their trade! - their eye was precisely for the layering of dynamics in all conceivable shades, both horizontally and vertically. With an enviable natural and precise definition of the orchestral arrangement, which - while listening - was envisioned so perfectly that it could, as it were, be drawn in this way. What we hear here is more of a virtual orchestra, of which the sonority - assuming that the term is still applicable here - is often questionably coarse-grained. The signature of both the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the team that guaranteed the, in principle, beautiful recordings, shines through their absence. In other words, the quality of the new mastering (or rather, the lack of it) even influences the interpretations. Take, for example, the melody of the strings in the second theme group from the funeral march of Mahler's Fifth Symphony, which in the original recording continues beautifully and full of 'schmalz', but here gets something toiling, not to say angular. Either the suspense-filled exhibition of the first theme group from the opening movement of Bruckner's Ninth, which has now been robbed of any subcutaneous tension and magic, or the resilience of the prelude to the final of the Achste by the same composer who appeared in this sounds almost tame.

Regardless, it seems that people wanted to tailor these remasterings to a generation that no longer has a clue as to the venerable tradition these recordings are based on. More specifically, to those who have all kinds of small sound boxes scattered throughout the house - from the kitchen to the toilet - through which everything sounds and must also sound 'synchronized', because that is simply part of these types of installations. . Adapting Radio 4 broadcasts to the driver's ear also falls into this category of approach. Last but not least, it is high time that a copyright was created that protects the legacy of leading sound engineers, so that these kinds of malproducts are now a thing of the past. Because Haitink delivered a work of art, Van Ginneken did no less. And what a! Anyone previously mentioned beautiful collector's box - an unparalleled collector's item! - van Haitink therefore has it in-house with the greatest possible care.

Fortunately, I have the right box based on this Dutch review

    ( new remastering)

      (The recommended )

I own both of these Mahler and Bruckner remastered sets and I have no issue with their remastering whatsoever. In fact, I think they sound fantastic, Jan. To be honest, I usually ignore negative reviews until I've had a chance to do some listening myself. I haven't heard the blu-rays that are within these sets, but I don't have much interest in listening to a blu-ray audio disc to begin with. I bought these sets because they offered more than just the symphonies and contained other works, too.

FWIW, I also own these two sets:



From what I've read there have been many people that have been impressed with the newer remastering and based on so many of those reviews, I wound up buying the sets and I'm glad I did. I think sometimes these people who write reviews, especially audio reviews have some kind of axe to grind and I think the review which you posted above is one of those examples to me. I think both of these sets are valuable additions to my Mahler and Bruckner collections.

[Traverso]

Since I just have the original CD issues of the Mahler cycle abd some of the Bruckner, I couldn't offer any insights.

But I did scrap these particular reissues from my shopping list.

Q

Right,stick with the original Philips recordings.The Bernard Haitink Symphony Edition (Decca) has the same Philips mastering.

[Traverso]

I own both of these Mahler and Bruckner remastered sets and I have no issue with their remastering whatsoever. In fact, I think they sound fantastic, Jan. To be honest, I usually ignore negative reviews until I've had a chance to do some listening myself. I haven't heard the blu-rays that are within these sets, but I don't have much interest in listening to a blu-ray audio disc to begin with. I bought these sets because they offered more than just the symphonies and contained other works, too.

FWIW, I also own these two sets:



From what I've read there have been many people that have been impressed with the newer remastering and based on so many of those reviews, I wound up buying the sets and I'm glad I did. I think sometimes these people who write reviews, especially audio reviews have some kind of axe to grind and I think the review which you posted above is one of those examples to me. I think both of these sets are valuable additions to my Mahler and Bruckner collections.

You have the real thing, ( Philips) I waited a long time to replace my LP's.By that time I could purchase these marvelous boxes for really attractive prices.



Beethoven,Bruckner,Brahms,Mahler,Schumann & Tchakovsky in one handsome box,I could'n't resist this one.

[Traverso]

Rossini

Some real nice overtures CD1 (10) to begin with Guillaume Tell

[Mirror Image]

You have the real thing, ( Philips) I waited a long time to replace my LP's.By that time I could purchase these marvelous boxes for really attractive prices.



Beethoven,Bruckner,Brahms,Mahler,Schumann & Tchakovsky in one handsome box,I could'n't resist this one.

I still stand by my initial assertion that the new remastering is fabulous. I have no issues with it.

[Traverso]

I still stand by my initial assertion that the new remastering is fabulous. I have no issues with it.

[Traverso]

Heinz Holliger




 

[Florestan]

Symphony No. 3

Exquisite.

[Traverso]

Symphony No. 3

This symphony alone is worth a dozen symphonies of M... but  hush, I won't utter a letter more. 

Mo........?   

[Florestan]

Mo........?   

Certainly not Messiaen and certainly not Mo...t

[vandermolen]

Rosenberg - Symphony No. 1

A very interesting symphony. I feel echoes of Sibelius pervading it throughout, but my impression is that Rosenberg didn't intend to be derivative.

https://www.youtube.com/v/ZlmaWL-112k


Hisato Osawa (or Ohzawa) - Symphony No. 1

https://www.youtube.com/v/TV300I8Sc04

Tumultuous, dense, hard to follow, unmemorable. A very apt candidate for the worst first symphony ever.

How interesting! Hilding Rosenberg's 1st Symphony. Never heard it before and AFAIK there is no CD. So, thanks very much for posting it Cesar. He was a very fine composer.

[vandermolen]

Some Missing-In-ActionSKOVSKY this morning, his Cello Concerto :

And IMO that's the greatest performance of it. I think that I heard a broadcast of it on the radio, probably in my late teens or early 20s, and had to dash out to buy it (HMV Concert Classics LP).
Here it is - my first encounter with Miaskovsky:

[Iota]

Schumann: Symphony No.2


Holliger does a brilliant job of allowing the music to dance across the Alpine meadows that seemed to be conjured up in my head as I was listening. The Scherzo a particularly irrepressible joy that slapped a stupid but very welcome grin across my Sunday morning face.

[Florestan]

Schumann: Symphony No.2


Holliger does a brilliant job of allowing the music to dance across the Alpine meadows that seemed to be conjured up in my head as I was listening. The Scherzo a particularly irrepressible joy that slapped a stupid but very welcome grin across my Sunday morning face.

+ 1 + 1 +1 (+1 to this particular recording)

Schumann's symphonies are a sheer joy, all of them. I should question any listener who'd not enjoy them.

[vandermolen]

Sibelius Symphony 5 (Original version):

[vandermolen]

+ 1 + 1 +1 (+1 to this particular recording)

Schumann's symphonies are a sheer joy, all of them. I should question any listener who'd not enjoy them.

One of my very favourite Caspar David Friedrich paintings.

[Iota]

+ 1 + 1 +1 (+1 to this particular recording)

Schumann's symphonies are a sheer joy, all of them. I should question any listener who'd not enjoy them.

Indeed, and I think Holliger captures their spirit brilliantly.

[Brahmsian]

Schumann's symphonies are a sheer joy, all of them. I should question any listener who'd not enjoy them.

I do agree with you, Andrei.

[aukhawk]

I've noticed it, Fergus. Great minds think alike. 
Next on my list are M's SQs but with the Eroica Quartet.

The Eroicas recording of Mendelssohn's Octet is particularly worthwhile.  They present an 'original version' which restores substantial cuts in three of the four movements.  Regardless of the merits of the restored sections (basically if you like this music, you just get a bit more of the same so what's not to like), the performance as a whole is first-rate (in a very crowded field) - it's the recording I most often turn to.


Mendelssohn, Octet - Eroica Quartet

[ritter]

First listen to Darius Milhaud's Opus Amerucanum No. 2, Suite from the Ballet Moïse, from 1947, from this recording:


What we get here is not the whole suite, but rather some of its sections, and from what I can tell even at least one movement is presented as an excerpt. Be that as it may, we get some 15 minutes of IMHO not particularly inspired or distinguished music, most of it very "majestic" (to such an extent that it quickly becomes tiresome and recalls some bad "epic" film music—perhaps the fact that some movements are omitted is not such a bad thing after all?).

Also on the CD is a major work by Stefan Wolpe, the suite from the ballet The Man from Midian. I used to listen to Wolpe years ago, but haven't done so for a long time. This work is turning out to be quite interesting, and I'm really enjoying it.