Recent recordings, hits and misses

[Jenn[_3_]]

Some recent shopping/gift results:

CD "hits"
Bach: Various Cantatas Solo Deo Gloria 141
Gardiner/English Baroque Soloists
The usual great sound and performances from these forces. String sound
is a bit subdued, but not offensive.

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde SFS 821936
MTT/SFS
Another outstanding release in this great Mahler series. The SFS sounds
better and better.

While You are Alive
Cantus
Beautiful contemporary choral music, beautifully recorded. The best
sounding small choral CD that I've experienced. Great job, JA!

Variations Stereophile 17
Robert Silverman, piano Music of Beethoven
Just stunning performance and sound. I like CDs for piano due to the
lack of pitch variation, but this is one is truly great. Again, great
job, John!

CD "misses"

Grainger: Transcriptions for Wind Orchestra Chandos 10455
Rundell/Royal Northern College Wind Orchestra
I collect recordings of this composer, and the playing here is
wonderful, with fine conducting by Clark. But the sound is awash in a
sea of over reverberation that is very distracting.

LP "hits"
Hindemith and Mozart Violin Concerti Classic/Everest 3040
Sibelius Violin Concerto Classic/Everest 3045
Borodin Symphonies and Prince Igor Overture Speakers Corner/London
Brahms 4 Walter/Columbia SO Classic/Columbia 6113
Prokofiev 5 Classic/Everest 3034
All GREAT sounding reissues by Classic and Speakers Corner. All highly
recommended.

Two used records from Harmonia Mundi:
Monteverdi Chamber Music HM 986
Purcell Choral Anthems HM 233
Typical fine HM sound, recorded in great sounding spaces

Three samplers from Opus 3:
Testrecord 4
30th Anniversary Celebration
Showcase
I had several LPs from this company before the selloff in the early 90s
and loved them. These recent releases are just as good. Among the best
recorded sound available, IMO. Being samplers, the music is an eclectic
mix, but every bit of them is wonderful, especially the small scale
jazz. SOTA LPs in my view.

LP "misses"
Elgar Enigma Variations/Brahms Haydn Variations
Classic/RCA LSC-2418
Excellent surfaces and fine performances, but the sound is ruined by so
much tape hiss, and a really distant perspective. I'd pass.

[Boon]

On Jan 2, 11:03�am, Jenn > wrote:
> Some recent shopping/gift results:
>
> CD "hits"
> Bach: Various Cantatas � Solo Deo Gloria 141
> Gardiner/English Baroque Soloists
> The usual great sound and performances from these forces. �String sound
> is a bit subdued, but not offensive.
>
> Mahler: �Das Lied von der Erde � �SFS 821936
> MTT/SFS
> Another outstanding release in this great Mahler series. �The SFS sounds
> better and better.
>
> While You are Alive
> Cantus
> Beautiful contemporary choral music, beautifully recorded. �The best
> sounding small choral CD that I've experienced. �Great job, JA!
>
> Variations � �Stereophile 17
> Robert Silverman, piano � Music of Beethoven
> Just stunning performance and sound. �I like CDs for piano due to the
> lack of pitch variation, but this is one is truly great. �Again, great
> job, John!
>
> CD "misses"
>
> Grainger: �Transcriptions for Wind Orchestra � Chandos 10455
> Rundell/Royal Northern College Wind Orchestra
> I collect recordings of this composer, and the playing here is
> wonderful, with fine conducting by Clark. �But the sound is awash in a
> sea of over reverberation that is very distracting.
>
> LP "hits"
> Hindemith and Mozart Violin Concerti � Classic/Everest 3040
> Sibelius Violin Concerto � �Classic/Everest 3045
> Borodin Symphonies and Prince Igor Overture � Speakers Corner/London
> Brahms 4 �Walter/Columbia SO � Classic/Columbia 6113
> Prokofiev 5 �Classic/Everest 3034
> All GREAT sounding reissues by Classic and Speakers Corner. �All highly
> recommended.
>
> Two used records from Harmonia Mundi:
> Monteverdi Chamber Music �HM 986
> Purcell Choral Anthems �HM 233
> Typical fine HM sound, recorded in great sounding spaces
>
> Three samplers from Opus 3:
> Testrecord 4
> 30th Anniversary Celebration
> Showcase
> I had several LPs from this company before the selloff in the early 90s
> and loved them. �These recent releases are just as good. �Among the best
> recorded sound available, IMO. �Being samplers, the music is an eclectic
> mix, but every bit of them is wonderful, especially the small scale
> jazz. �SOTA LPs in my view.
>
> LP "misses"
> Elgar Enigma Variations/Brahms Haydn Variations
> Classic/RCA LSC-2418
> Excellent surfaces and fine performances, but the sound is ruined by so
> much tape hiss, and a really distant perspective. �I'd pass.

I'm really happy to see Opus 3 releasing LPs again. I bought a few in
the '80s and nearly every one became a reference. My favorite is
probably the Concertos for Double Bass with the Oskarshamn Ensemble.

Thanks, Jenn!

Boon

[George M. Middius[_4_]]

Jenn said:

> Some recent shopping/gift results:

What does this have to do with Stynchblob/sugar/CIGS? Or with Sacky's
runaway phobias or the Krooborg's borganoia?

Mistress, I suspect you're simply trying to stir up trouble.

[John Atkinson[_2_]]

On Jan 2, 2:03 pm, Jenn > wrote:
> While You are Alive
> Cantus
> Beautiful contemporary choral music, beautifully recorded. The best
> sounding small choral CD that I've experienced. Great job, JA!
>
> Variations Stereophile 17
> Robert Silverman, piano Music of Beethoven
> Just stunning performance and sound. I like CDs for piano due to the
> lack of pitch variation, but this is one is truly great. Again, great
> job, John!

Thank you very much, Jenn. It us gratifying that my
efforts can lead to pleasure on listeners' parts.

A happy and music-filled New Year to you and Marcy. -- John

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

[Jenn[_3_]]

In article
>,
John Atkinson > wrote:

> On Jan 2, 2:03 pm, Jenn > wrote:
> > While You are Alive
> > Cantus
> > Beautiful contemporary choral music, beautifully recorded. The best
> > sounding small choral CD that I've experienced. Great job, JA!
> >
> > Variations Stereophile 17
> > Robert Silverman, piano Music of Beethoven
> > Just stunning performance and sound. I like CDs for piano due to the
> > lack of pitch variation, but this is one is truly great. Again, great
> > job, John!
>
> Thank you very much, Jenn. It us gratifying that my
> efforts can lead to pleasure on listeners' parts.

A great deal of pleasure in this case. Compare your Whitacre: Lux
aurumque with the disk that is pretty much everyone's Whitacre reference
on Hyperion. There's is an excellent recording, but yours is on a whole
different level, IMO. And Silverman's vocals are an added bonus! ;-)

>
> A happy and music-filled New Year to you and Marcy. -- John

Many thanks, John, and the same to you. For me, I'm hoping to avoid the
Vivaldi Gloria for a year or two!

>
> John Atkinson
> Editor, Stereophile

[MiNe 109]

In article
>,
Boon > wrote:

> My favorite is
> probably the Concertos for Double Bass with the Oskarshamn Ensemble.

The cd isn't shabby either.

Stephen

[Shhhh! I'm Listening to Reason!]

On Jan 2, 1:03 pm, Jenn > wrote:

> LP "hits"
> Hindemith and Mozart Violin Concerti Classic/Everest 3040
> Sibelius Violin Concerto Classic/Everest 3045
> Borodin Symphonies and Prince Igor Overture Speakers Corner/London
> Brahms 4 Walter/Columbia SO Classic/Columbia 6113
> Prokofiev 5 Classic/Everest 3034
> All GREAT sounding reissues by Classic and Speakers Corner. All highly
> recommended.

It looks like you've changed your mind on the Everests, or at least
the Hindemith. Have you compared the Classic reissues to the
originals? I'm wondering whether higher-quality vinyl or some other
production process has made a difference.

Also, do you know if Classic remastered them?

As I said, to me there are other labels that I prefer. To me Everest
is in the middle of the pack but the only Everests I have are
originals.

[Jenn[_3_]]

In article
>,
"Shhhh! I'm Listening to Reason!" > wrote:

> On Jan 2, 1:03 pm, Jenn > wrote:
>
> > LP "hits"
> > Hindemith and Mozart Violin Concerti Classic/Everest 3040
> > Sibelius Violin Concerto Classic/Everest 3045
> > Borodin Symphonies and Prince Igor Overture Speakers Corner/London
> > Brahms 4 Walter/Columbia SO Classic/Columbia 6113
> > Prokofiev 5 Classic/Everest 3034
> > All GREAT sounding reissues by Classic and Speakers Corner. All highly
> > recommended.
>
> It looks like you've changed your mind on the Everests, or at least
> the Hindemith.

At the time of the other mention, I had only heard the Elgar/Brahms, and
I remain less than impressed with that record. The Hindemith and the
Sibelius records are really good.

> Have you compared the Classic reissues to the
> originals? I'm wondering whether higher-quality vinyl or some other
> production process has made a difference.

No, I've only heard one of the originals years and years ago, and that
was of a different recording.

>
> Also, do you know if Classic remastered them?

No, I don't. A good question.

>
> As I said, to me there are other labels that I prefer. To me Everest
> is in the middle of the pack but the only Everests I have are
> originals.

[John Atkinson[_2_]]

On Jan 4, 4:38 am, "Soundhaspriority" > wrote:
> John, my compliments as well. At the Merkin Hall event, I practically
> emptied the table of Stereophile recordings, but neglected to tell you
> how I felt

Good to hear you appreciated my efforts, Bob.

> I will be back in NY again soon, with a new, misguided concept
> to backpacking a recording setup into a nightclub :)

Hope it goes okay. My next Stereophile release will also
be a "backpacking" venture, as it's a "best of" compilation
of the live recordings I have made over the past 2 years
of Attention Screen performing at Otto's Shrunken Head in
the East Village. All were made with a single pair of DPA
cardioids as I rarely had more than 15 minutes to set up.
A less refined, less perfectly balanced sound, with much
noiser audiences than the Merkin Hall recording, but there
is an honesty to the presentation that I hope listeners will
appreciate.

Then after that, there is my live Cantus pop concert
CD, then my CD of Robert Silverman performing the
Brahms Handel Variations and the Schumann
Symphonic Etudes. I also have a DJ project that
may or may not see the light of day. So it's a varied
music life, these days.

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile

[John Atkinson[_2_]]

On Jan 4, 4:20 pm, "Soundhaspriority" > wrote:
> "John Atkinson" > wrote in message
> ...
> > My next Stereophile release will also be a "backpacking"
> > venture, as it's a "best of" compilation of the live recordings
> > I have made over the past 2 years of Attention Screen
> > performing at Otto's Shrunken Head in the East Village.
>
> I want one! When will it be available?

Probably April. Right now we are arguing about the track order.

> But standing in the way of purity is the hassle of driving around Greenwich
> Village for a parking space, and carting the gear in while tempting a
> ripoff. I just got burned out. I began to wonder again if some innovation
> could combine the absolute minimization of bulk to the point where the
> equipment could be backpacked.

I have the advantage on you in that I can travel into
Manhattan on the subway. I have my Metric Halo ULN-2
and my laptop mounted in an SKB 2U Studio Flyer - see
http://www.swee****er.com/store/detail/StudioFlyer -
which, with just the ULN-2, also has room for the mikes
and cables. I carry my lightweight Manfrotto stand and a
boom, along with a couple of extra cables, in a shoulder
bag originally designed for a rifle. I can be set-up and
ready to roll in 15 minutes.

But the band has to be capable of achieving a good
acoustic balance.

Just don't let it rain!

John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile