Re: [ARSCLIST] Preservation media WAS: Cataloguing still :-)

[Don Cox <doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 07/09/06, Tom Fine wrote:
> If you want a higher caliber of performance, all of the major labels
> have put together deep-discounted reissues of older and usually
> excellent recordings. Classical, especially back catalog, has become
> pretty commoditized -- when it's still in print! I can't see why any
> label would pay to record the Beethoven symphonies again in today's
> economic climate, but then you look and the same material that's been
> done 50 ways to Sunday keeps getting released again. It seems to be an
> ego thing with any present-day conductor who is lucky enough to have a
> steady recording gig.

The arguments for new recordings of Beethoven (by Dausgaard and Vanska,
for instance) are that there is a newly revised edition of the scores,
and that performance styles have changed because of a better
understanding of how orchestras played and sounded in Beethoven's day.

Also, the selling point for the Dausgaard series is that he is recording
all of Beethoven's orchestral music, so there are some unusual pieces on
the discs as fill-ups.

> Speaking of classical, someone else mentioned the good quality of the
> 1970's London recordings.One of my favorites was their 4-LP box set of
> Solti/Chicago doing the Brahms symphonies. Really nice, lush sound. I
> bought the CD reissue (now out of print) and was very underwhelmed by
> the quality. The reissue engineer tweaked EQ or something so the
> result is harsh and overly bright compared to the LPs, which have a
> deep, darker quality, like a lot of wood and velvet seat covers.

The early Decca transfers to CD were quite poor. They have improved -
for example, the recent reissue of the Monteux "Daphnis and Chloe"
sounds much better than the 1990 issue.

Regards
-- 
Don Cox
doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx