Whats on your turntable tonight?

For Christmas Day, we've been listening to a bunch of non-seasonal music:

Stravinsky "Firebird," on Classic Records 45 rpm reissue of the Dorati/Mercury. We use this record to validate final system setup, the third side is a montrous test of one's system. I recently heard this sound just horrible at friend's home and he couldn't understand why I liked it so much; all I could tell him was that it wasn't the record. But to hear it well does take some immaculate system setup.

Bizet's "L'Arlesienne Suites 1 and 2" and Chabrier's "Espana Rapsodie" also on a Classic Records 45rpm reissue (RCA LSC 2327-45). Another great Decca recording that built RCA's reputation: the eminent Kenneth Wilkinson, engineer, in Kingsway Hall.

Joni Mitchell, her self-titled first album in a pressing my wife has had since it first came out nearly 40 years ago -- still holding up exceptionally well!

Rossini-Respighi, "La Boutique Fantasque" from the Royal Ballet Gala Performances set, Ansermet, RCA LDS 6065-45 (another Classic Records 45rpm reissue) and another great Decca recording on contract to RCA, again with Kenneth Wilkinson engineering the recording at Kingsway Hall.

Adam, "Giselle: Introduction" also from the Royal Ballet Gala Performances set (above).

More to come later in the evening...

Slipknot!! Great to see your post here, and glad you're feeling better.

Lucious records. I need to pull out the Gunther Schuller recording, and may do so tonight while a friend is over who enjoys more contemporary music.

Late last night I was playing Shostakovich's Symphony No.1 in a performance by Jean Martinon, RCA LSC 2322-45 (Classic Records reissue).
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Tonight was a broad sampling of a bit here and a bit there with a friend over to listen. Here's a sampling of what passed across the turntable over about 5 hours:

Doc Watson, "Home Again!" Cisco reissue of Vanguard VSD 79239.

Bill Berry, "Shortcake" on Pure Audiophile PA-004

Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, "Recording Together for the First Time" Roulette SR52074 (Classic Records reissue)(great music, OK sound, definitely would not put this in a top 25 list for sonics, but this LP is probably as good as this can sound)

Ella Fitzgerald, "Ella in Berlin" (Live) Verve MG VS-64041 (outstanding UCJU-9004 reissue) an amazing performer, who else could get away with what she does and makes work so wonderfully?

Louis Armstrong, "St. James Infirmary" (yes, back again as it will again and again because it is so special) (Classic Records 45 rpm reissue from "Satchmo Plays King Oliver")

Stravinsky, "Firebird" (also back again because it is such a challenge to play well) (Classic Records 45 rpm reissue)

Beethoven, "Septet" with the Vienna Octet on SuperAnalogue 9111 reissue of the Decca. Pure magic, this is a superb recording, performance and pressing.

Schuller, "Seven Studies on Themes of Paul Klee" on the Speakers Corner reissue of the Mercury. (Thanks to Slipknot for reminding me to pull this out!)

Nathaniel Rosen, cellist, on "Orientale" NorthStar Records, NS 0027 - a true gem of a record containing a collection of short works for cello and piano. A truly special record if you happen to find a copy.

"Italian Violin Music 1600-1750" on Klimo Open Window OW 002, another remarkable record. Baroque violin, cello and harpsichord in an exceptional recording.

"La Spagna" - music of Spain from the 15th-17th Centuries by the outstanding early music group Atrium Musicae de Madrid directed by Gregorio Paniagua. BIS LP 163/164

"Musique Arabo-Andalouse" (Music of Arabic-Spain of the 9th-13th Centuries), also by Atrium Musicae de Madrid directed by Gregorio Paniagua, on Harmonia Mundi HM 389
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Jaybo, thanks for sharing. I think you're pointing out some music that I don't know and perhaps ought to explore (?). I'll have to find someone enar me who has some of this in their collection so I can hear it.
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Holst, "Capriccio" and "Double Concerto for Orchestra", Imogen Holst/English Chamber Orchestra, Lyrita SRCS 44 -- the Capriccio is "big music" tuneful Holst with full orchestra, the Double Concerto is "I can be atonal, too" Holst. Excellent performances and recording.

Vaughan Williams, "Lark Ascending" and "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis", Marriner/ASMF, Argo ZRG 696. My favorite performance of the Lark Ascending with the marvelous Iona Brown as the violinist; this is "died and gone to heaven music" for me.

Holst, "Planets" -- reconfirming once again my preference for the characterfulness of the Andre Previn/London Symphony performance on EMI ASD 3002, even though the sonics on my copy could be better. Pulled out the Mehta/LAPO performance on the King SuperAnalogue reissue for a refresher check: just no where near as good a performance, and the sonics are overrated based on what I hear on my copy. I'll listen to the Previn performance for the music!

Hmmm, getting sucked into the Holst/"Ballet Music from the Golden Goose" as I'm typing and listening. Time to drop the laptop and just listen to the music...
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Tonight...

Ben Webster, "Soulville" - Verve 8274 (Speakers Corner reissue) - yeah, it's great.

Skip James, "Today!" - Vanguard VSD 79219 (Pure Pleasure reissue mastered by Hoffman and Gray) - very clean and natural sound; recommended.

John Lee Hooker, "Sings the Blues (That’s my story)" - Riverside OBC-538 (Analogue Productions reissue)

John Lee Hooker, "Burnin' (1961)" - Get Back GET7502 (buy for the music not the sound, which is grainy and aggressive)
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The last couple of evenings have found us listening with friends to a variety of music, and this afternoon we listened with a group of fellow vinyl nuts at a friend's house. The music has ranged from Zappa to Prokofiev to Talking Heads to Wild Child Butler to Armstrong/Elington to Tchaikovsky to Bill Evans.

After two hours of listening to vinyl, one of our group wanted to hear a CD mastering of the Armstrong/Elington and then listen to the vinyl ("Great Reunion"). Well, that also presented an opportunity to try out Walker Audio's Ultra Vivid cleaner on the CD to see if it really made a difference. So, with 11 of us listening, we listened to the cut "Azalea" as the test cut listening first to the untreated CD. Then our host applied the Ultra Vivid according to the directions and we settled in for a second listen to the same cut. About half of the group (those sitting closest to the sweet spot of the system) said they heard a very immediate and obvious improvement with the Ultra Vivid, with consistent comments about improved resolution, greater clarity and transparency, better rendition of the overtones, etc. We then put on the vinyl: the Classic Records reissue Roulette SR 52103. Well, as many of you would expect, the sound of the vinyl made the CD in any incarnation irrelevant. You expected a different outcome, maybe? Of course not.
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A largely Celtic evening tonight:

Silly Wizard - Live in America
Andy Stewart - At it again
Planxty - The Well Below the Valley
Planxty - Cold Blow and teh Rainy Night
Altan - S/T
Mairéad Ní Mhaonaigh/Frankie Kennedy - Ceol Aduaidh
Tannahill Weavers - Land of Light

Earlier we played a bit of classical:
Prokofiev, Romeo & Juliet (Highlights) - Ansermet (London)
Tchaikovsky, Nutcracker Ballet - Ansermet (Speakers Corner reissue)
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Classical music on the 'table tonight:

Haydn String Quartets, op33, with the Tatrai Quartet (Hungaraton SLPX 11887/9) - sinewy, sustantive, performances - great stuff. Of many different groups, the Tatrai always strike hit the right mark in this music for me.

Gershwin, Porgy & Bess (highlights) (RCA LSC 2679) with the incomparable Leontyne Price and the outstanding performances of William Warfield as Porgy and McHenry Boatwright as Sportin' Life. Wonderful cast in an excellent performance. I'm always disappointed that it's over so quickly.

Coming up, Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky with Reiner and the CSO (RCA LSC 2395)
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Mea culpa: McHenry Boatwright as Crown and John Bubbles as Sportin' Life. Somehow didn't think what I'd written above looked right.

The pop and rock music is coming out of boxes and onto shelves over the past few days, so tonights listening has been sampling from the past:

Elvis Presley - Elvis' Golden Records (mono RCA reissue - poor sonics, but what a performer!)

Willie Nelson - Stardust (Columbia JC 35305) (I really enjoy Willie's voice, but the arrangements on this LP are the definition of "boring")

Queen - A Night at the Opera (just the standard US Elektra pressing, still not bad and a lot of fun to hear)

Keb' Mo' - S/T, Epic 478173 (Absolute Analogue reissue, some great sonics, at last!)

Janis Joplin - I Got Dem Ol' Kozmic Blues Again Mama! (Columbia PC 9913) We lost her too soon.

Janis Joplin - Pearl (Columbia PC 30322)

Weepin' Willie Robinson - At Last On Time (Analogue Productions APO 2009) (rest in peace Mr. Robinson - Glad Chad was able to capture what he did, wish there was more)
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Very cool, David. It has amazed me over the years how well Deutsche Grammophon recorded vocal recital and small chamber music when compared to the hash they often made of orchestral recordings after the mid-'60s. Great to learn of another good example. Thanks!
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Last night was more jazz and pop. I think tonight will have to be a return to classical music. At any rate, the particularly interesting records from last night were all well recorded vocal:

John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, Impulse GR-157 on a Speakers Corner reissue.

Mary Stallings, "Fine and Mellow" on Clarity CNB 1001, mastering by Tim de Paravicini, a really great job of capturing her, particularly on side 1.

Eva Cassidy, "Songbird" on a S&P Records reissue (SNP 501). My wife always enjoys hearing the Cassidy's rendition of "Fields of Gold," the first cut on side 1. Tonight she wanted to listen all the way through the side. Another outstanding Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray mastering job.

Anyone know of any Jane Monheit on vinyl?
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Hi David,

I know the Command label through some of their classical recordings. As I recall, the classical records sound as though the master tape must be pretty well engineered, but they were pressed on poor vinyl and I've never found any that sound very good from my used purchases due to their poor condition surfaces (even after a good cleaning). I now don't try to buy them.

I agree with you about a pattern with the DGG recording engineers. I need to go back and listen with this in mind, too. I have found a few later DGG orchestral recordings that I thought sounded really good, so I'll have to do some comparative listening and find the key. FWIW, the recording I thought was well engineered was recorded by Hans-Peter Scheigmann, Stravinsky's Violin Concerto with Perlman and Ozawa (2531 110). I've also liked some of the work by Werner Wolf and Klaus Scheibe. All three tend to deliver a more natural listening perspective in their recordings.

Right now I'm listening to a recording made by one of my heroes, Kenneth Wilkinson, on Lyrita: Alan Rawsthorne's Symphony No. 1 on Lyrita SRCS 90. Really nice that he could be making recordings such as this at the same time as he was making some excessively over-miked muck for Decca in LA and Chicago. This recording harks back to his premier earlier days with Decca.
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Siliab, thanks for your additional comments about Grant Green. Others have offered some additonal comments in their posts here as well and I want to thank all of you because I find your comments interesting and educational.

Good listening to you,

Listening yesterday with friends over. After some of the usual LPs to orient folks to the sound of my system, we moved on to...

Malcom Arnold - “English, Scottish, and Cornish Dances - Lyrita SRCS. 109 - Cello and I must be on the same wavelength. We played the second English Dances and I don't think I've heard it sound better than yesterday.

Keith Jarrett - "The Celestial Hawk" - for orchestra, percussion and piano. We all sat through the entire first side without a word - intriguing music making. (ECM 1175)

Ry Cooder - "Jazz" (Reprise) - fun stuff with influences from all over the place.

Wagner - Various Orchestral Only pieces, Leinsdorf on Sheffield Labs LAB 7, direct to disc.
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The greatest enjoyment is always sharing music and conversation with friends.

Hi Larry (Cello),

That sort of list is likely to change next week, but based on what I've been listening to lately here are some LPs I could offer at the moment given their outstanding sonics and performance/music content (all based on my listening priorities of course)...

Shostakovich - "Symphony No. 1" coupled with "The Age of Gold Ballet Suite," Martinon/LSO, RCA LSC 2322-45 (Classic Records 45rpm reissue, not the 33rpm)

Shostakovich - "String Quartet No. 8," Borodin Quartet, Decca SXL 6036 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Stravinsky - "Firebird Ballet" (complete), Dorati/LSO, Mercury SR 90226-45 (Classic Records 45rpm reissue) (I've mentioned this LP many times.)

Stravinsky - "Petrouchka," Danon/RPO, Chesky CR42 (180gram) (Alternatively the Ansermet performance on Decca SXL 2011 (Athena ALSS 10004 reissue) is also excellent. I haven't yet listened to the Speakers Corner reissue of this to compare to the Athena.)

Beethoven - "Septet in E, op20," Members of the Vienna Octet, Decca on King SuperAnalogue 9111 reissue.

Louis Armstrong - "St. James Infirmary" from the Classic Records 45rpm reissue of just two cuts from "Satchmo Plays King Oliver" on Audio Fidelity ST-91058 -45. (Seems like this LP always comes out for new visitors here.)

Duke Ellington - "This One's for Blanton," with Ray Brown, Pablo 2310-721 -45 (from the Analogue Productions Fantasy 45rpm reissue series.) (This is just an example as virtually any from this reissue series would be on my list. They're superb; get them while you can. Same for the new Blue Note series from both Music Matters and Analogue Productions.)

"Musique Arabo-Andalouse," Paniagua/Atrium Musicae de Madrid, Harmonia Mundi HM 389 (Music of Arabic-Spain of the 9th-13th Centuries)

"La Spagna," Paniagua/Atrium Musicae de Madrid, BIS LP 162/163 (Music of 15th, 16th and 17th century Spain.)

Mozart, Horn Concertos, McGegan/PhilBarO, Greer -hn, Harmonia Mundi/USA HMU 7012 (Superb recording by Peter McGrath, with performances by Lowell Greer on natural (valveless) horn that blow me away.)

Vivaldi, Flute Concertos, McGegan/PhilBarO, See -fl, Harmonia Mundi/USA HMC 5193 (Another superb recording by Peter McGrath.)

"Italian Violin Music 1600-1750," Banchini -vn, Darmstadt -vc, Klimo Open Window OW 002 (for baroque violin, exceptionally well played and recorded)


So, here's just a smattering of LPs that immediately come to mind as ones I'd hate to be without. There are many more that could be listed, and next week my list might be different, but these are what I've been pulling back out for listening recently.

On another front are those really outstanding reissue classical LPs that are still available new from one or another of the mail order retailers. Many have already gone out of print and others are near to doing so. I recently pulled together a list to recommend for a friend. If this is of interest, let me know.

Cheers,

BTW, for many of the LPs I've listed above, the "knock your socks off" part comes from their naturalness of timbre and low level resolution/detail, not the usual sort of in your face blast that we audiophiles are often accused of preferring.
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You're welcome, Larry. I'll look forward to reading about the music you're enjoying, too.
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I can enjoy "played LOUD" but tonight has been a softer evening after last night's close with The Who's "Who's Next" played loud (Classic Records reissue, and it is really good). Tonight's softer listening has seen:

J.S. Bach, "Flute Sonatas" - with Simon Preston, Jordi Savall, and Trevor Pinnock in an excellent Bob Auger engineered recording on CRD 1014/5. (Bob Auger is another of a small cadre of recording engineers who consistently achieve outstanding and supremely natural sonic results from a minimalist and minimally miked recording technique. Of course, it certainly helps when recording world class performers such as Savall, Pinnock and Preston.)

J.S. Bach, "Suites for Solo Cello" - with Janos Starker, cello, on the superb Speakers Corner reissue of Mercury SR3-9016. (An outstanding 3LP set to get while you still can.)
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Allow me to reiterate this thought: if you love classical chamber music, you will never forgive yourself if you fail to get this 3LP set of the Bach "Suites of Solo Cello" while it is still available.

J.S. Bach, "Suites for Solo Cello" - with Janos Starker, cello, on the superb Speakers Corner reissue of Mercury SR3-9016. (An outstanding 3LP set to get while you still can.)

Last night was a Celtic night again with:

Ossian - "St. Kilda Wedding" Iona IR 001
Ossian - "Seal Song" Iona IR 002
- a great traditional music group with Billy Jackson on harp

and some good "new" folk from the '70s with John O'Connor "Songs for our times" on Flying Fish FF 331. The 30 minutes spent with Mary O'Hara just doesn't count.

Tonight is starting with Haydn symphonies played by Neville Marriner and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields on Philips. I really enjoy Marriner's way with Haydn. It's not period instruments, but it has the light touch and sympathetic performance of Marriner and the Academy that I find very enjoyable:

Haydn, Symphonies 52 and 53, Marriner/ASMF, Philips 6500 114
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Sorry, haven't heard the Buck Clayton, but I really like the three selections you've been listening to. I find the Delmoni particularly delightful.
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Congratulations on finding a copy of Il Cornetto!

The Doc Watson records are great sonically. I use Home Again regularly as a demo record for people new to my system. Musically, Doc Watson is one of the great figures of traditional American acoustic folk guitar and banjo music. He is an excellent guitarist (both flatpicking and fingerpicking style) with excellent interpretations of the traditional music he plays on these two albums. His albums are a good first exposure to this kind of music.
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As usual, Slipknot1 and I are in perfect agreement, down to the cuts on Home Again.

Cheers!

Correction: the Ray Brown "Soular Energy" is on Pure Audiophile not Pure Pleasure.

You may be right about our respective musical overlaps, but were we to get some listening time together, I'd certainly enjoy you playing some of these records for me!
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Tonight has been a jazz evening with:

Miles Davis, "Workin' with the Miles Davis Quintet" Prestige 7166-45 (Analogue Productions 45 rpm reissue) - great recording, fantastic sonics.

John Coltrane, "Ballads" Impulse AS-32 (Speakers Corner reissue) - very nicely re-mastered.

John Coltrane, "Live at the Vanguard" Impulse AS-10 (Universal Japan reissue) - perhaps it's the quality of the underlying recording, or the live venue, but not as nicely rendered as the Speakers Corner reissue of "Ballads." Still, a great recording musically in 'Trane's more avant garde vein.

Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, "The Big Beat" Blue Note 84029-45 (Music Matters 45rpm reissue) - just one word: GET THESE WHILE YOU CAN. This is going to be a great reissue series judging by what I'm hearing in the first two releases of the series. These will not last.

Playing now: Creedence Clearwater Revival from the 45 rpm box set. What? You didn't get this box? You're missing some sonics about as close to hearing the master tape as I can imagine. This is rock music about as well recorded as rock has ever been recorded, and available on vinyl with sonics I couldn't have imagined when I listened to this music so many years ago. Still available.
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Relaxin' with early Dylan: the Sundazed mono reissues of

"Bob Dylan"
"The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan"
"The Times They are a-Changin'"
"Highway 61 Revisited"
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Hi, Larry (Cello). No, I only use the highest quality stereo catridge I can afford. I can hear a difference for the better using a comparably high quality mono cartridge, but I'd rather spend those resources elsewhere on the system at this point. Also, the Walker TT is, at least for now, a one tonearm table.
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Falla, "Three Cornered Hat" - Ansermet/OSR, Decca SXL 2296 (Speakers Corner reissue)

Greg Brown, "The Poet Game" - Red House RHR 68

Billy Joel, "An Innocent Man" - Columbia QC 38837

Copland, "Appalachian Spring" - Susskind/LSO, Everest LPZ 2034 (DCC reissue, Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray remastering) (truly excellent sonics in this DCC remastering; betters the orginal in many respects)

Good recommendation and reminder, Montepilot:

I recommend opening new records that you intend to keep for personal listening soon after purchase for inspection.

I'm unfortunately in that uncomfortable position of having many new records that I've opened for a visual inspection but have not been able to listen to due to our move. I'm keeping fingers crossed as I start going through them: cleaning and then listening.

I just looked online for the 45 rpm Ravel, "Rapsodie Espagnole" you mentioned above. I have the 33 rpm, but not the 45 rpm, and the only place I can find the 45 rpm is now asking $75 for it. Guess I should have gotten it a few years ago... If this is anything like the other 45 rpm Mercuries that Classic Records reissued (e.g., Prokofiev "Scythian Suite" and Stravinsky "Firebird"), I'm sure it's everything you describe. In each case, these 45s have been far superior to the rather disappointing 33 rpm versions.

Cheers,

Note that I'm referring above to the Classic Records 33 rpm Mercury reissues, only. The Speakers Corner 33 rpm Mercury reissues and been outstanding, and I highly recommend those.
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Montepilot, I have very much enjoyed the Dave Brubeck "Time Out" 45 rpm from Classic Records and would recommend it.
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Borodin's Orchestral Music, Tjeknavorian/NPO, RCA CRL3 2790 (3LP box set) - nice performances!

Berg, "Lulu Suite" / "Wozzeck" (excerpts) - Dorati/LSO, Mercury SR 90278 (Speakers Corner reissue) - great performance, outstanding sonics!
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I agree completely.

"In a few years I think we will not regret the financial sacrifice of obtaining these remarkable reissues."

I'm currently in the process of buying each of the Speakers Corner Mercury reissues as they appear (with a very few exceptions), have been doing the same with the Analog Productions (Acoustic Sounds) Fantasy 45 series, and will be trying to purchase as many of the Music Matters and Analog Productions Blue Note 45s as I can manage. The Cisco classical reissues have also been good, but not quite at the same level of original source material even though their production is every bit as good. This is a renaissance of vinyl I never expected to see.
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Montepilot, thanks for your recommendation of the Ravel "Rapsodie Epagnole" 45 rpm. I will have to add this to my list to get when I can.

Cheers,

Hey, Joe! Good to see you having time to do some listening.
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Louis Armstrong, "Ambassador Satch" - Philips B07138L - wonderful recording of live performances from his mid'50s European tour.

Mussorgsky, "Pictures at an Exhibition" - Reiner/CSO, RCA LSC 2201-45 Classic Records 45 rpm reissue.
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Bill Evans, "Explorations" - Riverside, 9351-45 (Analogue Productions 45 rpm reissue)

Bill Evans, "Portrait in Jazz" - Riverside, 1162-45 (Analogue Productions 45 rpm reissue)

Mississippi John Hurt, "Today!" - Vanguard VSD 79220 (Pure Pleasure reissue - great!)
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Yes, they're pretty good. Classic Records managed a pretty balanced frequency response even in the 33 rpm issues.

"Can anyone offer input on the RCA Heifitz recordings on Classic records?"

The best of the bunch sonically, for me, is the Hendl Violin Concerto on LSC 2734 - really superb!

These are also quite good sonically, if not quite up to the standard of the Hendl recording:

LSC 2435 - Sibelius Violin Concerto
LSC 2652 - Bruch Violin Concerto
LSC 1903 - Brahms Violin Concerto
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Agree with Rcprince's recommendation of the Rosza!! I should not have forgotten that one, it is really outstanding.
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Rosza, "Concerto for Violin and Orchestra" - Heifitz, Hendl/DallasSO, RCA LSC 2767-45 (Classic Records 45 rpm reissue) -- Since Russ mentioned it last night I couldn't help but pull it out tonight to enjoy again. Thanks for the reminder, Russ.

The Benjamin "Romantic Fantasy" for violin, viola and orchestra on the flip side is no slouch of a piece of music, either. But it's the Rosza that's really special.
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Women artists on the turntable tonight:

Emmylou Harris, "Blue Kentucky Girl" (with miserable groove damage)

Kate & Anna McGarrigle, "Kate & Anna McGarrigle"

Nanci Griffith, "The Last of the True Believers"

Rickie Lee Jones, "Rickie Lee Jones"

Billie Holiday, "Lady Sings the Blues"

Janet Baker, "Favourite Encores - Strauss, Schubert, Mendelssohn "
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Horace Parlan Quintet, "Speakin' My Piece" - Blue Note 84043-45 (Music Matters 45 rpm reissue) (Yes, this is a marvelous reissue.)

Cannonball Adderley, "Know What I Mean?" Riverside 9433-45 (Analogue Productions 45 rpm reissue)

Vince Guaraldi, "A Charlie Brown Cristmas" - Fantasy 8431-45 (Analogue Productions 45 rpm reissue)

Sonny Rollins, "Saxophone Colossus" - Prestige OJC-261 (P-7079) (Analogue Productions reissue, 33 rpm)

Honeyboy Edwards, "Shake 'Em On Down" - Analogue Productions APO 2010

Sonny Rollins. "The Sound of Sonny" Riverside RLP 12-241-45 (Analogue Productions 45 rpm reissue)
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Joe, what do you think of Haitink's Bruckner Nr. 9? I have this on my wish list, but haven't run across a copy. I do have his performance of the Nr. 7 and like that performance (though I tend to gravitate back to one or another of the Jochum performances).
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Woops, sorry Joe. I mis-read and now see you were listening to Haitink's Mahler 9th. Must have Bruckner on the brain after listening through the Jochum cycle recently.
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This afternoon was a meeting of the local audio group, and our host is a subscriber to The Tape Project series of reel to reel tapes. He had the first three releases: one-to-one direct copies from the master tape, 15 ips, mastered on top quality tape decks and electronics. WOW!!

First up was the Malcolm Arnold "Arnold Overture" from Reference Recordings. Simply vast soundstaging, incredible dynamic range and immaculate resolution. This is what I hear from the best 45 rpm vinyl reissues, only more so.

Then the Jacqui Naylor and finally the Dave Alvin recording. But it was the Arnold that stole my heart and stole the day.

Our host's playback deck was a 40 year old Ampex with tube electronics, dead stock with no updates or modifications. And it sounded beautiful. I can only begin to think how much better it will sound as he gets around to updating the electronics section or replacing the heads.
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Joe (Slipknot1), based on what I heard today, I think you will be well pleased with the commitment you're making!
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I love this recording and performance, too. Britten was one of the rare few composers whose efforts as a conductor of his own music created definitive performances of his works.

benjamin britten - "young person's guide to the orchestra & serenade for tenor, horn and strings," on the decca/london label