What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. XI)

Robert Plant. The Principle Of Moments. On vinyl from 1983. Inspired by Larry's post. Love the music and it's a nice production with solid bottom end sonics and a big soundstage.

Lyrical solo piano from 2001.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chEbcMvlBdk

playing disc 1 of 6 cd box-set / Melodiya © 2006 : )

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

String Quartet no.1 in C major, Op.49  [1935]

String Quartet no.2 in A major, Op.68  [1944]

String Quartet no.4 in D major, Op.83  [1949]

The Borodin Quartet

Mikhail Kopelman - violin 1

Andrei Abramenkov - violin 2

Dmitri Shebalin - viola

Valentin Berlinsky - cello

Recorded in Moscow, 1978 (Op.49), 1982 (Op.68 & Op.83)

~<>~

Incredible, the expanse of passion and depth of despair that can fit into such a little box-set.

A chilly and brisk Russian major key gives cold comfort to the UK wintry weather.

Debs

From a newly remastered DG's Kleiber Complete Symphony Box set.

I don't have the original pressing to compare to but the vinyl is flat and quiet. And no off-centre hole~ (whew! ) Reasonably dynamic and less strident than a usual digital files, I assume they put on a 24/96 file on here. It ceratinly does not sound like an analogue mastering to me.

First time listening to Kleiber's 8th. This is a youthful rendition and he does not get the music gets too overcooked. Sensitive and delicate shows restrained emotion. This one feels like it needs the 3rd movement and sounds rather incomplete as a whole. ( which it is )

Kuma, my Kleiber set came yesterday and will play it over the weekend.  You sound a little dissapointed or underwhelmed?  I hope it is better than OK? 

Marin Marais:  La Rêveuse, & autres pièces de viol

Sophie Watillon (basse de viole)

Frederike Heumann (basse de viole)

Xavier Diaz (theorbe & guitare baroque)

Evangelina Mascardi (guitare baroque)

Luca Guglielmi (clavecin)

Recommended years ago by Haim and more recently Debs sent the reminder here a short time ago.  Good idea as one sometimes forgets just how good this Sophie Watillon album is.  Hard to believe it will be a decade coming up this year since she passed away.

Frédéric Chopin:  Katia Skanavi (klavier)

Noble and optimistic music for those who have a soul, a heart, and a brain.  

Carlos Kleiber's Beethoven 5th is one of my favourite. ( along with his father's ) It is nice to revisit every so often to experience Carlos' exhilarating but lyrical handling of this familiar score. 

This is what Beethoven meant when he was quoted saying: "Music should strike fire from the heart of man, and bring tears from the eyes of woman.."

I would kill to attend a live concert played like this. To me, the 5th is so over played and it can be corny and trite. But the whole score comes alive under Carlos' usual enthusiasm.

Now as far as the sound of the new remaster goes, it has a lower noise floor and self noise and on balance it is better than a typical digital clean up job. Strong pizzicato and transients are clearer and sharper than my Canadian reissue. But Subtle digital artifacts show up in a  brass section as well as strings.

Overall presentation is more opaque and forward compared directly to the analogue pressing. The orchestra moved closer and more immediate rather than slightly laid back perspective of the original.

There is a natural flow and breathing of notes which are missing from this digital remaster. Clean but still too antiseptic. Winds reasonably retain natural colours without peakiness but elegance and flow seem to be stripped away. Oddly, the underlying spacious bass I can hear from the original press also missing and It gets too compressed at the climax, too. 

So I still prefer the original analogue pressing. 

Doug,

At least these are better than Speakers Corner's disastrous Glenn Gould box sets. No off center whole and vinyls are quiet and flat. ( except for Brahms LP there is a slight noise in some spots but I haven't cleaned it )

I think DG's new digital recording put on a vinyl sounds better than these digitally remastered old catalogues. I don't see much of a point to remaster if they are going to change the balance from the original analogue recording. 

Brahms' 4th, I do not have the original CD or LP but the new remaster sure sounds *digital*. No gross distortions throughout but dynamics are not there and it just doesn't sound natural to me. I do think that it might be less compressed than many of poor sounding DG CD release from the same era. Now Brahms was the only digitally recorded program out of the rest. I was never particularly impressed with DG's early digital efforts unlike wonderful Philips, Denon, or JVC back in the late 70s early 80s.

I am curious of what you think of the set. My Box set has the serial number of #1421.

There are no production credit for remastering except that Optimal in Germany manufactured the records.

Chiller than this exceptionally mild morning, but tomorrow it snows so will need to line up something warmer...

Thanks kuma - I need to play Heavy Weather shortly - it's been a while

1967 (Mono)

Original Vinyl

Good strike!

On CD

Evanescence ~ Fallen (2009)

On Spotify via Macmini :-

The Barr Brothers - The Barr Brothers

Hawkwind   -Space Bandits-

                     -Palace Springs-      on c.d.

from the early '90's, and harking back to the 'Warrior on the Edge of Time' album.

Free - Fire And Water (1970)

Original vinyl