What are you listening to?

[fergus]

This was a good performance but the sound quality from the recording (1950) is showing its age not in terms of pops and crackles but as a result of the technology of the day and it lacks the sparkle of a modern recording. The live atmosphere of La Scala was adequately captured however and justifiable generous applause was also included.

[Jose Echenique]

This was a good performance but the sound quality from the recording (1950) is showing its age not in terms of pops and crackles but as a result of the technology of the day and it lacks the sparkle of a modern recording. The live atmosphere of La Scala was adequately captured however and justifiable generous applause was also included.

There are only 2 extant Ring cycles conducted by the greatest Wagner conductor of the 20Th Century, curiously enough, both were recorded in Italy. The La Scala Ring, with admittedly poor sonics, was recorded live in performance, the other Ring was recorded in the RAI Rome studios and has much better sound. The problem is that the RAI Orchestra is nowhere as good as La Scala´s, besides there are differences in the casting of both cycles, and the La Scala is marginally better.
This exactly why I usually don´t recommend old live recordings to get to know an opera. It´s better to hear a modern sounding one, and then, after you learned it, you can go to the vintage recording and start to understand exactly why Furtwängler outclasses almost every other conductor who has ever lived.

[fergus]

This was a good performance but the sound quality from the recording (1950) is showing its age not in terms of pops and crackles but as a result of the technology of the day and it lacks the sparkle of a modern recording. The live atmosphere of La Scala was adequately captured however and justifiable generous applause was also included.

There are only 2 extant Ring cycles conducted by the greatest Wagner conductor of the 20Th Century, curiously enough, both were recorded in Italy. The La Scala Ring, with admittedly poor sonics, was recorded live in performance, the other Ring was recorded in the RAI Rome studios and has much better sound. The problem is that the RAI Orchestra is nowhere as good as La Scala´s, besides there are differences in the casting of both cycles, and the La Scala is marginally better.
This exactly why I usually don´t recommend old live recordings to get to know an opera. It´s better to hear a modern sounding one, and then, after you learned it, you can go to the vintage recording and start to understand exactly why Furtwängler outclasses almost every other conductor who has ever lived.

I agree with you Pepe but it is difficult to resist when you see the old recordings for sale.....especially as you say with the great conductors of the past! Anyway I have my Solti Ring on CD which hopefully will teach me all that I need to learn at this early stage in my development.

[fergus]

Something a little bit different....

[Jared]

^^^ Fergus, you never cease to come up with something new and intriguing! What are the Kochel numbers on those works? Are they all from a specific period of his life? Are they set for small chamber/ string orchestra?

whilst on the Mozart theme:

Requiem K.626
Jiri Belohlavek
BBC Symph Orch

A first listen to this one from the vaults of chez Butcher, and it's not my favourite recording... live from the Barbican in 2005, I have to say the recording quality isn't the best (distant mikes?); the soloists generally seem to be a little under-powered (poor acoustics?) but more tellingly, the pace drags a little... it's all rather languid, to be fair.

[Claus]

Very nice music and love playing too. There is a lot of breathing on this just to warn those who dislike that.... ;)

[Jose Echenique]

Very nice music and love playing too. There is a lot of breathing on this just to warn those who dislike that.... ;)

I heard Sinkovsky playing one of the concertos included in this cd last November and he was quite simply spectacular. He may not be as warm nor as cultured as Biondi or Carmignola, but he is one awesome virtuoso.

[markof]

wonderful playing and a great tone - but very closely miked - breathing and fret noise - seems like the house sound at Naive.

Mark

[Ciaran]

Very nice music and love playing too. There is a lot of breathing on this just to warn those who dislike that.... ;)

It's the famous "violinists sniff": they use it to keep in time. They think the audience can't hear it!

[fergus]

What are the Kochel numbers on those works? Are they all from a specific period of his life? Are they set for small chamber/ string orchestra?

They are varied works of different size Jared and judging from the Kochel nos. are spread over a number of years. The Kochel Nos. are K148, K429, K468, K471, K477, K483, K484, K619, K623.

Obviously due to his problems with authority Mozart did not receive too many commissions for Sacred Music from his local archbishop! He was an ardent Freemason and therefore it seemed that the only way to pay homage to the "great architect" was throuh the medium of music written for his Masonic Lodge.