Decca Legends

David

Yes, I've got the Schubert "Arpegionne Sonata" with Britten & Rostropovitch. Can't say if it's better than the original but it sounds fine to me. Want a listen?

Tom
Enjoying it all

That is a fantastic recording - it's the one that first introduced me to Bruckner, and I've never looked back. Can't comment on new mastering, but if your old one still gives you pleasure, then I'd stick with it I think

throb

quote:

---

Originally posted by Tom Alves:
David

Yes, I've got the Schubert "Arpegionne Sonata" with Britten & Rostropovitch. Can't say if it's better than the original but it sounds fine to me. Want a listen?

Tom
Enjoying it all

---

I also own the Schubert "Arpegionne Sonata" CD. It comes with cello sonatas by Schumann and Debussy in addition.
The Bruckner #4 you're referring to is full sounding IMO. None of that bland distortion you might get from the FForte Bruckner likes to use a lot. It's my only copy of the 4th and I'm pleased with it.

So far I have purchased only two Decca Legends - Solti's 1965 Bartok Concerto for Orchestra and Erich Kleiber's 1950s Eroica and Fifth from Beethoven. Both sound quite fine, though I cannot say for sure whether the transfers are better than previous ones. My experience with re-re-reissues is that some newer transfers sound more detailed and cleaner, but they are often also somewhat drier. The performances that I bought are easily worth the price of admission. The Bohm Bruckner is pretty much self-recommending, so I say just buy it.

And I'd have said that anything by E. Kleiber is self-recommending. But I have his 3rd and 5th Beet on vinyl, so I'm really happy.

I think Kleiber's Marriage of Figaro is out on Decca Legends, and that's a great recording of great performances.

Regards.

Phil

I've got a few of the Decca Legends (Karajan's Tosca, Britten's Mozart, Solti's Bartok and a few others) and in each case the sound is just awful. Rather than being an improvement, the sound is consistently worse. It is dry, scratchy and bright. The earlier issues are much better.

This contrasts with the EMI Great Recordings of the Century series, where the reissues are all much better than any previous versions.

The Phillips reissues are also an improvement, but the DG reissues are variable, some are marginally better, a few marginally worse, but generally not much difference.

Ross

This contrasts with the EMI Great Recordings of the Century series, where the reissues are all much better than any previous versions.--Ross Blackman

If I had to single out the outstanding combination of composition, performance and recording of all time, Klemperer's delivery of Mahler's second symphony would definitely make its way to the short list. The fact that you're unable to place EMI's original several musical notches above the "Great Recordings of the Century" reissue (remixed for home theatre and kitchen boom-boxes) says a great deal about the sub-woofer you've added to your system (and/or the ear that put it there in the first place).

Vuk.

[This message was edited by Vuk Vuksanovic on THURSDAY 29 August 2002 at 06:42.]

Ah, Vuk, you can always be relied on for amusement.

Ross

Well I'm almost tempted to get a copy, just to see how bad it truly is. My original recording (Decca Ovation) is one of my favourite recordings. Apart from an excellent performance, the orchestra seems to have been recorded from a distance, giving the more of a feel of sitting in the audience rather than being the conductor of the piece that so many modern recordings seem to prefer. God help us when surround sound becomes established and we end up listening from the position of the violas.

David

Almost missed Tom's offer. I'm always happy to listen to any Schubert I've not heard before. So yes please.

David