Tír Na HiFi

Tonight I've been enjoying Georg Solti's excellent recording of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (on Decca). Whilst my modern reference for this work remains Rene Jacobs on Harmonia Mundi (by a whisker), Solti's reading is so ebullient and warm-hearted with such an intoxicating sense of fun that I find it well nigh irresistible. The soloists are excellent but the ladies, Renee Fleming and Anne-Sophie von Otter, are some of the best on record.

mcq wrote:the Mandelring Quartet's sterling performances of Shostakovich's string quartets which have been collected by Audite into a single box.

Interesting! I have two of the individual discs and I agree that they're extremely good. It looks from the picture as though the collected set consists of conventional CDs while the individual releases were hybrid SACDs: can you confirm that mcq? If so I might snap up the individual SACDs while they're still available!

Ciaran wrote:

mcq wrote:the Mandelring Quartet's sterling performances of Shostakovich's string quartets which have been collected by Audite into a single box.

Interesting! I have two of the individual discs and I agree that they're extremely good. It looks from the picture as though the collected set consists of conventional CDs while the individual releases were hybrid SACDs: can you confirm that mcq? If so I might snap up the individual SACDs while they're still available!

Yes, I believe that the box contains Redbook CD transfers only and that the individual releases are the SACD mixes. This really doesn't bother me unduly because my CD player is Redbook only and the sound quality is excellent. This has already caused some consternation, however: http://www.sa-cd.net/showthread/69798/69805/y

If you do like the Mandelrings, Ciaran, I highly recommend the following (also on Audite):



Quite superb versions of the Schumann Piano Quartet and Piano Quintet (with pianist Claire-Marie Le Guay).

I should keep an eye on SA-CD.net more often! I've had the sort of disappointment the OP in that thread had a few times: ordering discs that were listed as SACDs (partly because they were SACDs) and receiving standard CDs. It's always annoying! It is a bit silly I suppose: well-recorded red book CDs sound magnificent on my system and SACDs only give a little bit extra, but then audiophilia is all about the little bit extra. Anyway, since I'm SACD-capable I prefer to get the SACD version of a release if one is available.

As for the Mandelrings, my weakness for Janácek is much greater than that for Schumann and their Janácek Quartets have caught my eye, not least the fact that, as well as the two quartets in their usual form, they also record the original version of Intimate Letters with viola d'amore. I suspect this of being a caprice on Janácek's part because he liked the d'amore rather than anything musically practical, but I've always wanted to hear it. A Google search shows that it has been recorded before (Quatuor Diotima (Alpha 133)) but this is the first time I've noticed it, so the Mandelring's Janácek is going on order along with the "missing" volumes of the Shostakovich cycle!

mcq wrote:Tonight I've been enjoying Georg Solti's excellent recording of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (on Decca). Whilst my modern reference for this work remains Rene Jacobs on Harmonia Mundi (by a whisker), Solti's reading is so ebullient and warm-hearted with such an intoxicating sense of fun that I find it well nigh irresistible. The soloists are excellent but the ladies, Renee Fleming and Anne-Sophie von Otter, are some of the best on record.

I'm tempted! Excellent cast!! My problem is having rather a lot of Cosìs already!

I used to have



Solti's Die Entführung on LP, again with an excellent cast, and a very lively performance. I'd say you'd like this if you liked his Così!

Palestrina: Missa Papae Marcelli....

Ciaran wrote:

mcq wrote:Tonight I've been enjoying Georg Solti's excellent recording of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe (on Decca). Whilst my modern reference for this work remains Rene Jacobs on Harmonia Mundi (by a whisker), Solti's reading is so ebullient and warm-hearted with such an intoxicating sense of fun that I find it well nigh irresistible. The soloists are excellent but the ladies, Renee Fleming and Anne-Sophie von Otter, are some of the best on record.

I'm tempted! Excellent cast!! My problem is having rather a lot of Cosìs already!

I used to have



Solti's Die Entführung on LP, again with an excellent cast, and a very lively performance. I'd say you'd like this if you liked his Così!

That Die Entführung does look interesting and I have been looking for an alternative to Gardiner's excellent version. I do like Solti's way with Mozart - I also have his excellent Figaro (pictured below), which is similarly recommendable. Some people say that he drives the music too hard but I disagree - his speeds are lively but never forced. Although he produced some very fine orchestral recordings (the Mahler and Bruckner cycles in particular), I believe his lasting achievement is as a conductor of opera. His Wagner and Strauss recordings are truly exceptional.