Khachaturian

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Does anybody have Khachaturian Gayne (entire) Ballet conducted by Loris Tjeknavorian?
How is the sound quality?
I heard that the Jpn album sounds a little better than the original RCA issue, but not great.
Thanks.

[vandermolen]

Does anybody have Khachaturian Gayne (entire) Ballet conducted by Loris Tjeknavorian?
How is the sound quality?
I heard that the Jpn album sounds a little better than the original RCA issue, but not great.
Thanks.

I have this CD if it is the one you mean. I've hardly played it but I don't have the original RCA recording to compare it with. As far as I recall the sound quality was very good.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Yes, this album. The GMG web site doesn't accept a pic when I use iPad.
Thanks for the info. Several reviews on the album at the Amazon site stated that the sound quality was not good.
I will order it immediately.
I believe there are only two recordings of the entire ballet available, including this one.
The other recording by the U.S.S.R. Orchestra is an revised, extended version, and I love it.

[Roasted Swan]

Yes, this album. The GMG web site doesn't accept a pic when I use iPad.
Thanks for the info. Several reviews on the album at the Amazon site stated that the sound quality was not good.
I will order it immediately.
I believe there are only two recordings of the entire ballet available, including this one.
The other recording by the U.S.S.R. Orchestra is an revised, extended version, and I love it.

Certainly there appears to be more music on the USSR Radio & TV SO recording which over the 2 discs totals over 140 mins of music.  The Tjeknavorian/Nat PO I have is this iteration


(odd spelling!)

runs to just 100 minutes - so something must be missing!  I've not listened to it recently but from memory the RCA set is perfectly fine sound-wise and of course the actual playing of the Nat. PO is top notch.....

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

The first album discussed by Vandermolen is a Japanese remastered issue of the album you are referring to.
The USSR recording was the score expanded in1957 (and 1952).

[Roy Bland]

I have this despite mastering quite scarce sound quality.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I have this despite mastering quite scarce sound quality.

Yes I like the recording. The pic shows my album. The name of conductor is wrong, and this is the same as yours. Also, it says the spirit of Russia while Khachaturian is an (Georgia-born) Armenian. The cover art of your album looks cool. Great and wild performance!

[Roy Bland]

So was he Kakhidze or Fedoseyev? Are you sure is same performance?Is this rear cover of your disc?

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

So was he Kakhidze or Fedoseyev? Are you sure is same performance?

Yes, the same performance. I can't  pronounce, let alone remember, his name. I just call him Django Kamikaze.

[vandermolen]

Yes, this album. The GMG web site doesn't accept a pic when I use iPad.
Thanks for the info. Several reviews on the album at the Amazon site stated that the sound quality was not good.
I will order it immediately.
I believe there are only two recordings of the entire ballet available, including this one.
The other recording by the U.S.S.R. Orchestra is an revised, extended version, and I love it.

I found my copy of the Japanese recording today. The reason why I couldn't recall it clearly is because I never listened to it previously. It was still in its cellophane wrapper! 
Anyway, I'm playing it now and the sound quality sounds fine to me although I'm not listening on state-of-the-art technology and I don't have any previous release to compare it with. Speaking personally I wish that the Japanese had released Tjeknavorian's recording of Khachaturian's First Symphony with the LSO which has never been issued by any company on CD. They filched the LP cover for the Gayaneh release:

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I found my copy of the Japanese recording today. The reason why I couldn't recall it clearly is because I never listened to it previously. It was still in its cellophane wrapper! 
Anyway, I'm playing it now and the sound quality sounds fine to me although I'm not listening on state-of-the-art technology and I don't have any previous release to compare it with. Speaking personally I wish that the Japanese had released Tjeknavorian's recording of Khachaturian's First Symphony with the LSO which has never been issued by any company on CD. They filched the LP cover for the Gayaneh release:

I ordered the Japanese cd yesterday!
I didn't know about the S1 by the same conductor. I like all the three symphonies by Khachaturian.
I listened several AVS label recordings of Khachaturian by Tjeknavorian, and they all sound fine.

[MusicTurner]

Yes I like the recording. The pic shows my album. The name of conductor is wrong, and this is the same as yours. Also, it says the spirit of Russia while Khachaturian is an (Georgia-born) Armenian. The cover art of your album looks cool. Great and wild performance!

I'd suppose the cover is by the local painter Martiros Saryan, but I might be wrong.
Alternatively perhaps Larionov or Gontcharova, less likely Piroshmanvili.

I have the LP version of #1 only.

[vandermolen]

I ordered the Japanese cd yesterday!
I didn't know about the S1 by the same conductor. I like all the three symphonies by Khachaturian.
I listened several AVS label recordings of Khachaturian by Tjeknavorian, and they all sound fine.

The earlier LSO recording of Symphony No.1 conducted by Tjeknavorian (pictured above) is incomparably better than his later ASV version. I prefer it to the versions conducted by Gauk and by the composer himself. I wish that Sony Japan would release it. I hope that you enjoy the Gayaneh CD set.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

As for the complete ballet of Spartacus, it seems that there are only three recordings, including Jurowski, Zhuraitis(Bolshoi) and old Bolshoi recording.
The sound quality of the old Bolshoi recoding is very poor, but the performance is exceptionally good, so it is frustrating. The cover art says Grigorovich, but I am not sure if he really conducted this gig.

If anybody know another recording of complete Spartacus, please let me know. Just like Gayne suite, I don't like the songs of Spartacus suite while I love the complete ballet.

[Symphonic Addict]

This is Jurowski's Spartacus, which is 2h16min long:




But this is 3h02min long:



I've only heard the Zhuraitis and it's absolutely fantastic, almost as good as Gayaneh, just that Spartacus has more drama.

[Roy Bland]

IMHO Spartacus lacks freshness and inspiration of Gayaneh.It's dull orchestration and rhetoric made not the most succesful Khachaturian's work.I prefer Masquerade regarding Valencia's widow i can't say because there isn't complete recording.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

IMHO Spartacus lacks freshness and inspiration of Gayaneh.It's dull orchestration and rhetoric made not the most succesful Khachaturian's work.I prefer Masquerade regarding Valencia's widow i can't say because there isn't complete recording.

Spartacus is not a comparison to Gayne in terms of innovativeness, Sophistication, and exoticism. However, I love the classism and dynamism of Spartacus. Commercially, and ironically, Spartacus was more successful than Gayne. Yes, Valencias Widow is a great composition as well. But, there are only few recordings of 5 pieces. Also, I like the Symphony 3, ha ha.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

I've only heard the Zhuraitis and it's absolutely fantastic, almost as good as Gayaneh, just that Spartacus has more drama.

Yes, the Bolshoi/Zhuraitis recording is unbelievable!

[vandermolen]

Spartacus is not a comparison to Gayne in terms of innovativeness, Sophistication, and exoticism. However, I love the classism and dynamism of Spartacus. Commercially, and ironically, Spartacus was more successful than Gayne. Yes, Valencias Widow is a great composition as well. But, there are only few recordings of 5 pieces. Also, I like the Symphony 3, ha ha.

Nothing wrong with Symphony No.3 

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

Two videos of entire ballet of Gayane are on YT. Decent sound.

https://youtu.be/DF6SNJKNxK8

https://youtu.be/sR5imaQWwrQ



Plus, Spartacus.

https://youtu.be/SMA3p33_FIc