[Jenn[_3_]]

In article ,
Jenn wrote:

I had a gig up in Palo Alto yesterday, so I stopped by my favorite
Northern CA LP and stereo shop, The Analog Room in San Jose. So many
new LPs on display, I could have spent a bloody fortune. I settled on
6, new and used:

New:
Stacey Kent: Dreamsville Candid Records

I know that I'm not supposed to know about these things because I'm an
"ivory tower professor" at a "rural community college", but this is
GREAT female jazz vocal singing. And the recording is simply marvelous,
in a "singer and combo is in the room with you" kind of way. Very
highly recommended.

Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale and smaller works
Speaker's Corner/Mercury

Mendelssohn and Prokofiev Violin Concerti Heifetz/Munch/BSO
Classic Records/RCA

Prokofiev Lt. Kije and Stravinsky Nightingale (again)
Classic Records/RCA

Better than the original RCA and the Chesky reissue, I think.

Respighi The Birds Dorati/LSO
Speaker's Corner/Mercury

Used:

Kodaly and Bartok works Mercury Dorati/Philharmonia Hungarica

A decent copy of a fine recording, Side 1=great Side 2=fair

Berlioz Harold in Italy Munch/BSO

A pristine copy of a great record. Expensive but worth it.

A great day: making music and buying recordings! ;-)

Anyway, as I was saying...

I spent last evening, my first available since getting these recordings,
carefully listening to one of them. I had a lot of time with the
Classic Records Prokofiev Lt. Kije. This is one of my favorite
recordings of all time. I have the original RCA, the really good Chesky
reissue, and all of the CD reissues. The two RCA CDs and the JVC
release are all quite good. I could easily live with them if I had to.
There is minimum "damage" to the instrumental timbres on each of these
CDs. But the current Classic Records issue is another matter all
together. This is the best of all of the recordings, IMO, and the best
Classic Records release that I've heard. It's a stunning recording.
Bud Herseth's solos are so believable. The string section, especially
the first violins, are incredible sounding in their timbres and their
stereo imaging. I believe that this is now my favorite recording in any
format that I've heard in my home.