Zaikesman, thanks very much! You are correct on all counts.
My enthusiasm for vinyl has recently been revitalized by the retipping Peter Ledermann of Soundsmith did on my vintage Grace F9E Ruby cartridge. It is simply fabulous, although it's hard for me to compare it to its previous incarnation because some major system changes occurred in the interim.
I'm thus in the early stages of rediscovering my vinyl collection, focusing on recordings that I remember as being particularly good sounding. The two I listed and just listened to certainly qualify in that respect, as well as being excellent performances.
Thanks again. Best regards,
-- Al
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Chopin, Piano Sonata No. 3 Op. 58; Scherzo No. 2 Op. 31
-- Edward Auer, Piano (RCA Japan RDCE-7, Direct-to-Disk)
Beethoven, Sonatas Op. 53 ("Waldstein"), 78, 90
-- Paul Badura-Skoda, Piano-forte (Astree AS73)
Regards,
Al
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"Danses Anciennes de Hongrie"
-- Clemencic Consort (Harmonia Mundi France HM1003)
Piano Music of Chopin, Grieg, Debussy, Schumann, Beethoven
-- Kabi Laretei, Piano (Proprius 7793)
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Brahms, "Sextet for Strings No. 1 Op. 18"
(Les Musiciens, Harmonia Mundi HM1073)
Stravinsky, "The Rite of Spring"
(Lorin Maazel, The Cleveland Orchestra, Telarc DG-10054)
-- Al |
Brahms "Clarinet Quintet"
Thea King, Clarinet, with the Gabrieli String Quartet
Hyperion A66107
"Trompettes Royales"
The Aquitaine Brass Ensemble
Lyrinx 7602-002
Regards,
-- Al |
Vivaldi "Flute Concertos"
Janet See, flute, with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra conducted by Nicholas McGegan
Harmonia Mundi USA HMC5193
"Popular Masterworks of the Baroque"
Tafelmusik
Reference Recordings RR-13
Regards,
-- Al |
05-30-11: Rushton
Wonderful records, Al!
The Vivaldi is a Peter McGrath (recording engineer) marvel. Thanks, Rushton. Yes, they are wonderful indeed! I'm gradually working my way through the best sounding recordings in my collection that I haven't listened to since prior to the several major system upgrades I've made in the last couple of years. Best regards, -- Al |
Moussorgsky, "Night on Bald Mountain" & "Pictures at an Exhibition"; Chesky RC30 ("The Power of the Orchestra"); Rene Leibowitz conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Gerhardt/Wilkinson, Producer/Engineer, recorded in 1964 for RCA.
Best regards,
-- Al |
"Images Galantes de la Renaissance"
-- l'ensemble Polyphonia Antiqua (Pierre Verany PV4791)
Schubert, "Piano Sonata in B Flat, Opus Posth., D. 960"
-- Leonard Shure, Piano (Audiofon 2010)
Debussy, "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun"
Stravinsky, "Firebird Suite (1910)"
-- Erich Leinsdorf conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic
(Sheffield Lab 24, Direct-to-Disk)
Best regards,
-- Al |
07-04-11: Rushton
Nice records for today's listening, Al. Love 'em! Thanks, Rush. Yes, all three are wonderful recordings, musically and sonically. Among a great many things that could be praised about them, two small specifics were so striking to me that I must single them out for mention: 1)In the Firebird Suite, the transition from Berceuse to Finale was absolutely magical, due to a combination of Leinsdorf's conducting and the crystal clarity that was maintained by the recording as the volume of the music descended to a near whisper, before building up beautifully. 2)Although the sonics of the Renaissance recording were outstanding in pretty much every respect, I particularly found the sonics of the drum to have been captured with definition that is simply amazing. Best regards, -- Al |
Holst, "The Planets," Andre Previn conducting the London Symphony Orchestra (1973), Bishop/Parker Producer/Engineer (Toshiba/EMI-Angel ALF-99002-3, Japanese pressing on four sides).
Happy holidays to all!
-- Al |
Listened to this afternoon:
Dvorak, "New World Symphony," Leonard Slatkin conducting the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Telarc DG-10053.
Very slow tempi in the first two movements; worked for me but won't be to everyone's taste. Wonderful sonics -- one of Telarc's best IMO.
Beethoven, "Hammerklavier Sonata," Paul Badura-Skoda performing on an 1824 Fortepiano, Astree AS47.
An absolute treasure, musically and sonically.
Best regards,
-- Al |
Ghosthouse 10-7-2018
Reading the notes on the back cover of the album ["Child Is Father To The Man"], John Simon is credited
for a variety of roles. That's the same John Simon as worked on The
Bands 1st & 2nd albums as well as S&G's Bookends and that's
hardly a complete list. I don't hear him talked about with the same
reverence as George Martin. I don't hear him talked about much at all
actually, but I think the man was a creative genius that brought out the
best in a wide range of talent.
John had a very classy and musically-oriented upbringing. His father was a medical doctor, but was also a founder, first violist, and for many years president of the local classical orchestra, the Norwalk (Connecticut) Symphony. How do I know this? My wife and I lived in his parents' guest cottage, adjacent to their home in Norwalk, from when we were married in 1970 until we moved out of town in 1980. John no longer lived with his parents during those years, but I met him a number of times, and of course knew his parents (and also his sister) quite well. A fine family. Best regards, -- Al |
Hi Eric (bdp24), According to the Wikipedia writeup on BS&T:
Colomby and Katz wanted to move Kooper exclusively to keyboard and
composing duties, while hiring a stronger vocalist for the group,
causing Kooper's departure in April 1968. The writeup provides a reference for that statement in a footnote, but the link no longer works. Katz, of course, is Steve Katz, who during prior years in the 1960s was a member of The Blues Project along with Kooper. Their "Projections" album is one of my favorite rock albums. Best regards, -- Al
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