Recordings That You Are Considering

[jwinter]

Opinions on this?



Seems like a huge steal at the price, though I wish it included full libretti.  I already have the Bohm Tristan, but otherwise I haven't heard anything here.  For the record, my only other Wagner operas on CD are Karajan & Janowski for the Ring, and Karajan for Parsifal (oh, and a Barenboim Tannhauser I burned from the library ages ago).

[Lethevich]

Opinions on this?



Seems like a huge steal at the price, though I wish it included full libretti.  I already have the Bohm Tristan, but otherwise I haven't heard anything here.  For the record, my only other Wagner operas on CD are Karajan & Janowski for the Ring, and Karajan for Parsifal (oh, and a Barenboim Tannhauser I burned from the library ages ago).

Get it while it's cheap - if you love Wagner you'll thank yourself later The Böhm Ring is worth (more than) the asking price alone...

[PSmith08]

Opinions on this?



Seems like a huge steal at the price, though I wish it included full libretti.  I already have the Bohm Tristan, but otherwise I haven't heard anything here.  For the record, my only other Wagner operas on CD are Karajan & Janowski for the Ring, and Karajan for Parsifal (oh, and a Barenboim Tannhauser I burned from the library ages ago).

Worth it. Sawallisch's Holländer, Lohengrin, and Tannhäuser are all very good (though I prefer other recordings of each). Levine's Parsifal has its moments; it is on the slow side, however, and it strikes me as self-consciously grand in a few places (I think I called it a little affected elsewhere). It isn't bad, though. Varviso's Meistersinger is pretty darned good from the orchestral side of the equation. The singing probably holds it back in a not-insignificant way, but Varviso makes up for some of that. Böhm's Ring has its partisans, but it is fast (like Boulez-fast, in fact, I think they're pretty much nose-to-nose on timings). Böhm also keeps things clear as far as the textures go. If you're coming from Karajan and Janowski, then this shouldn't be an insurmountable problem (if even one at all).

In other words, this would be a very good set at a substantially higher price; for its asking price, though, it's darned hard to beat this set. For the record, I paid more for the Philips "bargain" set of Böhm's Ring, not to mention some other recordings that came close to doubling the price of this (if they didn't do so).

[Wanderer]

...and very superfluous.

In what way?

Jwinter, if you're interested in getting Böhm's Ring at least, grab that set. At the current price, it's a steal.

[Hector]

This:
http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//GSP98006.htm
                                                                            because I heard some of it on the radio and one of the sections is Malaga and I'm interested in knowing whether Albeniz nails the criminal ex-pat nature of the resort.

[Opus106]

When Grumiaux is an option, you don't pass it up.

Duly noted. Thanks for your input.

[PerfectWagnerite]

Opinions on this?



Seems like a huge steal at the price, though I wish it included full libretti.  I already have the Bohm Tristan, but otherwise I haven't heard anything here.  For the record, my only other Wagner operas on CD are Karajan & Janowski for the Ring, and Karajan for Parsifal (oh, and a Barenboim Tannhauser I burned from the library ages ago).

THere is also this one which sells for a lot more but with the Boulez Ring instead. Interested?

[PSmith08]

THere is also this one which sells for a lot more but with the Boulez Ring instead. Interested?

That does look nice, if only for Schneider's Lohengrin (I don't want to buy the DVD and do some magic, so to speak), but the Boulez Ring and Nelsson Holländer are both available in separate releases. I guess, if you're into Werner Herzog's production, you could say that Boulez, Nelsson, and Schneider are all available in separate releases at prices that don't make the purchase of the "old" Richard Wagner Edition set worth it.

I didn't realize it, but it looks like the entire set has found its way back to the in-print (more or less) catalog.

[PerfectWagnerite]

I didn't realize it, but it looks like the entire set has found its way back to the in-print (more or less) catalog.

No kidding, and someone paid over $300 for it ! You could pick up each and every one of the operas separately and pay half that much. Isn't the Levine Parsifal and Sawallisch Tannhauser and Varviso Meistersinger and Boehm Tristan the same ones as the cheap box mentioned earlier in this thread??? Where are suckers like that when I try to sell my junk on ebay?

[Kullervo]

Not only a very inexpensive ($14 brand new) introduction to Ansermet, but also an intriguing group of composers/pieces. Given his reputation as a conductor (though I haven't heard anything by him) my main concern here is the recording/sound quality. Anyone heard it?

[Lilas Pastia]

Corey, Ansermet was a darling of record labels. If these recordings are studio-produced and preferebly in stereo, you can expect very good quality.
Copyright laws generally release ownership of sound recordings after 50 years so, in theory, you could have stuff produced by the Decca label in the period, say, of 1955-1958. Should that be the case, then go for it.

If not, anything can be expected. In those days the level of proficiency in orchestras was extremely variable, as were technical conditions in or out of the studios. My recommendation: check the recording dates and venues carefully. .

The same remarks apply to Munch or Monteux material. Potentially gold mine or mothball stuff, depending.

[Hector]

Corey, Ansermet was a darling of record labels. If these recordings are studio-produced and preferebly in stereo, you can expect very good quality.
Copyright laws generally release ownership of sound recordings after 50 years so, in theory, you could have stuff produced by the Decca label in the period, say, of 1955-1958. Should that be the case, then go for it.

If not, anything can be expected. In those days the level of proficiency in orchestras was extremely variable, as were technical conditions in or out of the studios. My recommendation: check the recording dates and venues carefully. .

The same remarks apply to Munch or Monteux material. Potentially gold mine or mothball stuff, depending.

Munch and Monteux worked with crack American orchestras, though.

Ansermet was lumbered with the Suisse Romande, barely able to get round the notes sometimes.

I suspect that the best performance on this set is the Martin.

They should all be Decca recordings.

[Drasko]

Here is complete tracklisting with recording dates for that Membran Ansermet set. Haven't heard it but wouldn't keep my hopes too high regarding sound quality.

http://www.membran.net/files/11372_222340_lc.htm

[PSmith08]

No kidding, and someone paid over $300 for it ! You could pick up each and every one of the operas separately and pay half that much. Isn't the Levine Parsifal and Sawallisch Tannhauser and Varviso Meistersinger and Boehm Tristan the same ones as the cheap box mentioned earlier in this thread??? Where are suckers like that when I try to sell my junk on ebay?

They are indeed. And the suckers are probably at the place where people don't do enough research to realize that only the Schneider Lohengrin isn't out on CD at this point, but it is on DVD because of Werner Herzog's production. Even Boulez' Ring is on CD again, though it's getting a little scarce, but I'm not sure why you'd want to listen to it without the production.

[Kullervo]

Here is complete tracklisting with recording dates for that Membran Ansermet set. Haven't heard it but wouldn't keep my hopes too high regarding sound quality.

http://www.membran.net/files/11372_222340_lc.htm

Corey, Ansermet was a darling of record labels. If these recordings are studio-produced and preferebly in stereo, you can expect very good quality.
Copyright laws generally release ownership of sound recordings after 50 years so, in theory, you could have stuff produced by the Decca label in the period, say, of 1955-1958. Should that be the case, then go for it.

If not, anything can be expected. In those days the level of proficiency in orchestras was extremely variable, as were technical conditions in or out of the studios. My recommendation: check the recording dates and venues carefully. .

The same remarks apply to Munch or Monteux material. Potentially gold mine or mothball stuff, depending.

Thanks to both of you. It is so inexpensive that I will pick it up despite the probably-dodgy sound quality.

[scarpia]

Corey, Ansermet was a darling of record labels. If these recordings are studio-produced and preferebly in stereo, you can expect very good quality.
Copyright laws generally release ownership of sound recordings after 50 years so, in theory, you could have stuff produced by the Decca label in the period, say, of 1955-1958. Should that be the case, then go for it.

If not, anything can be expected. In those days the level of proficiency in orchestras was extremely variable, as were technical conditions in or out of the studios. My recommendation: check the recording dates and venues carefully. .

Ansermet was "a darling of record labels?"  He recorded for the same label throughout his entire career, Decca.    These recordings are mostly the old mono recordings Ansermet made with Decca.   If this release is taking advantage of loss of copyright, they would have to be mastered from an LP pressed during the copyright free era, i.e., a 50 year old pressing.  Better to get the authorized release made from the master tapes, IMO.

http://www.amazon.com/Ernest-Ansermet-Decca-Recordings-1953-1967/dp/B000JU7N7Y/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1218754266&sr=1-3
http://www.amazon.com/Rimsky-Korsakov-Scheherazade-orchestra-Festival-Overture/dp/B000004241/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1218754266&sr=1-9
http://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Ballets-Stage-Works-Orchestral/dp/B00005ND3M/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1218754470&sr=1-15

[Lilas Pastia]

I don't think it matters that only one label was involved. An exclusivity contract is the sign of valuable property for the label. Like Rubinstein, Callas, Tebaldi, Bernstein etc.

In those days an Ansermet record  was the sign of audio excellence -helped in no small part by the sumptuous acoustics of the Suisse romande orchestra's hall. Most of his repertoire has been re-recorded in stereo and was eventually picked up and refurbished by Dutoit in Montreal (again exploiting the unsinkable audio excellence vein).

In this particular case, some of those recordings feature other orchestras as well. I personally would jump on this at the price. Music making of that era has vanished for good.

[scarpia]

I don't think it matters that only one label was involved. An exclusivity contract is the sign of valuable property for the label. Like Rubinstein, Callas, Tebaldi, Bernstein etc.

In those days an Ansermet record  was the sign of audio excellence -helped in no small part by the sumptuous acoustics of the Suisse romande orchestra's hall. Most of his repertoire has been re-recorded in stereo and was eventually picked up and refurbished by Dutoit in Montreal (again exploiting the unsinkable audio excellence vein).

In this particular case, some of those recordings feature other orchestras as well. I personally would jump on this at the price. Music making of that era has vanished for good.

No argument with that, Ansermet was a prominent Decca artist.  I have a few of those recordings, released by or properly licensed from Decca, and they are quite interesting, but with variable sound.  I generally prefer the Stereo "remakes" even if they are perceived to be less authentic because of the much better audio quality.
 

[antoine]

i bought a recording from onclassical and the final audio is really really surprising on my new hi-fi!!! anyone knows this label?!? 

[antoine]

i bought a recording from onclassical and the final audio is really really surprising on my new hi-fi!!! anyone knows this label?!? 

ops. the site is this http://www.onclassical.com/artists/luisi/partitas-ii/