http://www.membran.net/
What's your opinion on this label? It has some very good recordings on budget price.
For example, Helmut Walcha playing Bach's music for organ (10CD's). Is it the same recording as the one by Archiv music? Any differences maybe on the quality of the sound?
Also Karajan conducting Bach's Mass in B minor (1952). That recording is also availiable by EMI.
I don't know about the Walcha, but I highly recommend the Michelangeli Vol. 1 10 CD set. This set has some real treasures and you'd pay far more to buy them all on separate disks (on which I doubt the sound quality of these old, live recodings would be any better). I am eagerly awaiting Vol. 2, which I have on order.
Quote from: Erevos on April 20, 2007, 09:28:41 AM
http://www.membran.net/
What's your opinion on this label? It has some very good recordings on budget price.
For example, Helmut Walcha playing Bach's music for organ (10CD's). Is it the same recording as the one by Archiv music? Any differences maybe on the quality of the sound?
Also Karajan conducting Bach's Mass in B minor (1952). That recording is also availiable by EMI.
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The Walcha set is the Archiv mono recordings from 1947-52. With a tad ambience tastefully added. A real bargain.
Quote from: premont on April 22, 2007, 03:29:39 AM
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The Walcha set is the Archiv mono recordings from 1947-52. With a tad ambience tastefully added. A real bargain.
Available in Norway for 13 USD. Of course I've bought it some time ago.
Quote from: erato on April 22, 2007, 07:47:06 AM
Available in Norway for 13 USD. Of course I've bought it some time ago.
And from JPC for 11 Euro´s:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/hnum/6348063/rk/classic/rsk/hitlist
Quote from: premont on April 22, 2007, 03:29:39 AM
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The Walcha set is the Archiv mono recordings from 1947-52. With a tad ambience tastefully added. A real bargain.
Probably transfers from LP, which is legal because the recordings are out of copyright (in Europe).
Can't imagine that DG licensed and gave access to the original recordings.
Q
I have their set of Schnabel playing the Beethoven piano sonatas. The reason I purchased it is that I was in the middle of collecting the Naxos releases of this music, when they were deleted in North America because of a copyright dispute between Naxos and EMI. I live in Canada, and that settlement should only have affected the US market, but for some reason the recordings are now unavailable here, too.
Anyway, I picked up the Membran set to fill in the gaps resulting from the missing Naxos volumes. Compared to the Naxos transfers (by Mark Obert-Thorn), the sound quality of the Membran is significantly poorer to my ears. Though the Membran has less surface noise, this seems to be accomplished at the expense of the piano tone, which has a hollow, "sucked out" quality, and is much less immediate and present than on the Naxos discs. The Membran set also comes without any notes. Still, for US$16 for a ten CD set, I guess I can't complain too much. I just wish I could still get the Naxos'.
Quote from: Shrunk on April 22, 2007, 11:31:10 AM
I have their set of Schnabel playing the Beethoven piano sonatas. The reason I purchased it is that I was in the middle of collecting the Naxos releases of this music, when they were deleted in North America because of a copyright dispute between Naxos and EMI. I live in Canada, and that settlement should only have affected the US market, but for some reason the recordings are now unavailable here, too.
Anyway, I picked up the Membran set to fill in the gaps resulting from the missing Naxos volumes. Compared to the Naxos transfers (by Mark Obert-Thorn), the sound quality of the Membran is significantly poorer to my ears. Though the Membran has less surface noise, this seems to be accomplished at the expense of the piano tone, which has a hollow, "sucked out" quality, and is much less immediate and present than on the Naxos discs. The Membran set also comes without any notes. Still, for US$16 for a ten CD set, I guess I can't complain too much. I just wish I could still get the Naxos'.
Is it possible to order the Naxos disks from overseas? The shipping will be costly though. Are you missing many volumes?
I have the Mozart Decca Don Giovanni (Krips) and Cosi (Böhm). Membran (like Naxos or Regis) pick up expired copyright stuff. Those 2 sets are beautifully presented. No libretto, but detailed synopsis. I can't compare the sound to the original issues, though, They're still sitting on the shelf waiting their turn for the medical examination!
Other worthies they have reissued: Zauberflöte and Die Entführung aus dem Serail under Fricsay (ex-DGG), Britten's The Turn of the Screw (Britten's own recording, originally on Decca), Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos and Humperdinck's Hansel und Gretel (Karajan, ex-EMI).
BRO sells them for a song.
Thanks for the suggestions. Has anyone heard Karajan's Mass in B minor on membran?
Quote from: Shrunk on April 22, 2007, 11:31:10 AM
I have their set of Schnabel playing the Beethoven piano sonatas. The reason I purchased it is that I was in the middle of collecting the Naxos releases of this music, when they were deleted in North America because of a copyright dispute between Naxos and EMI. I live in Canada, and that settlement should only have affected the US market, but for some reason the recordings are now unavailable here, too.
Anyway, I picked up the Membran set to fill in the gaps resulting from the missing Naxos volumes. Compared to the Naxos transfers (by Mark Obert-Thorn), the sound quality of the Membran is significantly poorer to my ears. Though the Membran has less surface noise, this seems to be accomplished at the expense of the piano tone, which has a hollow, "sucked out" quality, and is much less immediate and present than on the Naxos discs. The Membran set also comes without any notes. Still, for US$16 for a ten CD set, I guess I can't complain too much. I just wish I could still get the Naxos'.
I have those Beethoven sonatas by Schnabel. The sound quality is not very good, but we're talking about a very old recording here from the 30's or 40's if i remember correctly.