Deutsche grammophon

i have found DGG to be a consistently reliable label in terms of quality and interest.

Hello Gordon,

difficult question.

While there are many famous artists of classical music available on Deutsche Grammophon, the recording quality on vinyl is somewhat mixed. Some recordings are rather good, but many are a bit thin and sharp, lacking the richness in sound of the UK Decca ( SXL ) or RCA Living Stereo recordings.

So, if sound quality is important for you, Deutsche Grammophon on vinyl may be not first choice.

Best wishes

Manfred

Thanks for the replies.

Manfred, I guess I am not as bothered about sound quality as I am about 'accidentally' discovering the composers/compositions/musicians I like by sheer virtue of taking a chance and buying an album. I was hoping that DG might offer a starting point. Once I have found something I like I could then investigate Decca/HMV/RCA, etc.,?

quote:

Manfred, I guess I not as bothered about sound quality as I am about accidentally discovering the composers/compositions I like.

Voltaire, there is a load of great stuff on Deutsche Grammophon, I would go for great performers and conductors rather than labels though. If you like Beethoven piano for example, there is Pollini whose DG recordings are reference points, as well as Martha Argerich.

I really like DG recording quality, although I've never been keen on Karajan from any point of view.

Also there is the Archiv label which is a subsiduary of DG (early and Baroque music) and has a wealth of great recordings; notably Bach done by JE Gardiner, the sound quality is first rate but different to the regular DG catalogue.

regards,

mat

quote:

Originally posted by Voltaire:
Thanks for the replies.

Manfred, I guess I am not as bothered about sound quality as I am about 'accidentally' discovering the composers/compositions/musicians I like by sheer virtue of taking a chance and buying an album. I was hoping that DG might offer a starting point. Once I have found something I like I could then investigate Decca/HMV/RCA, etc.,?

That`s a good idea. Secondhand vinyl from DG is rather cheap, so you can buy alot of the black stuff to become acquainted with this music. When you know, what you like, choose another, better sounding recording from another label.

Btw.: Excellent samples of the best RCA or Decca recordings can be very expensive, but many of those recordings are available as reissues.

Best wishes

Manfred

quote:

Originally posted by mjamrob:
Voltaire, there is a load of great stuff on Deutsche Grammophon, I would go for great performers and conductors rather than labels though.

mat

Cheers, but my point is that I don't know which performers and conducters I like so I'm buying blind and I ws wondering if buying DG blind might be a good start?

quote:

Originally posted by Manni:

That`s a good idea. Secondhand vinyl from DG is rather cheap, so you can buy alot of the black stuff to become acquainted with this music. When you know, what you like, choose another, better sounding recording from another label.

Manfred

Exactly!

quote:

Cheers, but my point is that I don't know which performers and conducters I like so I'm buying blind and I ws wondering if buying DG blind might be a good start?

In that case if you are buying 2nd hand I don't think you will go far wrong "buying DG blind", as they tend to pick the best performers - hope you find some good stuff, fleabay is a pretty good source in my experience.

regards,

mat

quote:

Originally posted by mjamrob:

quote:

Cheers, but my point is that I don't know which performers and conducters I like so I'm buying blind and I ws wondering if buying DG blind might be a good start?

In that case if you are buying 2nd hand I don't think you will go far wrong "buying DG blind", as they tend to pick the best performers - hope you find some good stuff, fleabay is a pretty good source in my experience.

regards,

mat

Thanks Mat, I'll buy a couple of hundred quids worth this week and go from there.

Gordon

quote:

Thanks Mat, I'll buy a couple of hundred quids worth this week and go from there.

Gordon

Wow that is some blind spending spree!

Let us know what you get.

mat

Voltaire I have been buying secondhand Classical for a while now and DGG have been very consistent in my experience. I have a few Opera box sets on DGG that are fantastic. For me s/h Classical vinyl is just a brilliant buy at the prices they go for you can't go wrong really I bought a Karajan box set of all 9 Beethoven Symphonies for a tenner and its minty fresh and many other records for only £1 to £3 and box sets for a fiver. So knock yourself out you will not regret it



Dean...

quote:

Originally posted by Whizzkid:
Voltaire I have been buying secondhand Classical for a while now and DGG have been very consistent in my experience. I have a few Opera box sets on DGG that are fantastic. For me s/h Classical vinyl is just a brilliant buy at the prices they go for you can't go wrong really I bought a Karajan box set of all 9 Beethoven Symphonies for a tenner and its minty fresh and many other records for only £1 to £3 and box sets for a fiver. So knock yourself out you will not regret it



Dean...

I've returned to vinyl after about 20 years away from it, and since my musical taste now leans more toward classical, I've been buying a lot of used LPs. DG had some great artists during the vinyl age - Kubelik, Giulini, Pollini, early Zimerman, Abbado, Bohm - so there's plenty to sample. One thing I have noticed is that German pressings tend to sound better than Italian or British pressings (those are the three countries that seem to predominate among the LPs I've bought).

I've also noticed that EMI recordings, released under the Angel name in the states, tend to sound even better than DG. EMI also recorded outstanding artists.


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Always manage a quality front cover...which is half the battle.

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:
i have found DGG to be a consistently reliable label in terms of quality and interest.

I would second that.

quote:

Originally posted by MilesSmiles:

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:
i have found DGG to be a consistently reliable label in terms of quality and interest.

I would second that.

Thirded.

I really like the DG recordings. There's the tulips versions of course, obviously they're better but only really in a round earth hifi sense. I find DG recordings consistently closer to live symphonic performance than Decca. Sorry blighty. Except Karajan, no real interest there although I always use his Brahms tulips to set up my turntable as I do not mind if they get damaged.

Also all the Archiv records are top notch, musically and technically.

quote:

Originally posted by winkyincanada:

quote:

Originally posted by MilesSmiles:

quote:

Originally posted by mikeeschman:
i have found DGG to be a consistently reliable label in terms of quality and interest.

I would second that.

Thirded.

I have to admit, that really bad recordings from DG are rare. But the other way around excellent recordings are an exception as well.

Is is obviously no accident, that nearly all vinyl reissues of classical music are from Decca, Emi, Mercury and RCA. During the "Golden era of vinyl" many audiophile recordings were produced by these companies, but not by DG.

For some Hi-End listeners here in Germany DG stands for "Deutsche Gruselphon" ( Grusel means horror ). This is of course an exaggeration .

All the best

Manfred

quote:

Originally posted by Manni:
I have to admit, that really bad recordings from DG are rare. But the other way around excellent recordings are an exception as well.

Is is obviously no accident, that nearly all vinyl reissues of classical music are from Decca, Emi, Mercury and RCA. During the "Golden era of vinyl" many audiophile recordings were produced by these companies, but not by DG.

When discussing old recordings, differentiation needs to be made between excellent performances and excellent sound, because they're not one and the same, of course.

The audiophile reissues obviously focus on sound, but not all of the performances are particularly good. And sometimes the sound isn't either. Mercury is generally too hot sounding, and Decca is too processed, with spotlighting and other studio knob twiddling.

I find a lot of audiophile favored recordings to be second rate performance-wise.


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quote:

I find a lot of audiophile favored recordings to be second rate performance-wise.

Definitely seconded

mat

quote:

Originally posted by mjamrob:

quote:

I find a lot of audiophile favored recordings to be second rate performance-wise.

Definitely seconded

mat

ditto for me.

When digital recordings became more common in the late 70s, some labels began to advertise the fact on album covers. DG went for this in a big way but some of the results were thin and nasty to listen to.
The good thing is that you can build a good vinyl collection from charity shops. I can't afford to throw money away but a good maxim for me is to buy all stock if it looks OK and then anything I can't live with is donated back to the charity shop. At £1-2 each you'll soon have a decent collection, the charity benefits and you'll hardly notice the cost.
Happy hunting.

I started buying vinyl in 1966 - first time around, in other words.
I would say buying DG at random will not yield better results than buying at random irrespective of label. DG acquired a wholly undeserved, in my opinion, reputation for exceptional quality, presumably because it is German.
You need to recall that, prior to the CD era, the record industry was dominated by six majors: EMI and Decca in the UK, Philips in Holland, DG in (West) Germany, and CBS and RCA in the US.
Personally I would say Decca and Philips bought at random would give you better than average; CBS and RCA worse than average (particularly in the case of CBS), EMI and DG average.
Philips can seem a bit dull, but a great roster of reliable artists (Alfred Brendel, Colin Davis, Quartetto Italiano, Beaux Arts Trio etc).

I completely agree with Jeremy on this.

ATB from George

Thanks guys...I'm going to try a few over the next few months.

Gordon