Free Goldberg Variations in 24/96

[prufrock]

Brian

Gould pretty much destroyed it for all the others for me. I just get more and more amazed by his musicality/playing as time goes by. I dont think Bach would have come close either. Just a fantastic combo imo. One guy could conjure fantastic polyphonic songs and dance and the other knew how to sing and dance them so perfectly on a percussion instrument it is beyond belief. Both these guys are equal 1 and 2 on my best ever list and will almost certainly stay that way.

[orgel]

Something particularly great about this endeavor is that it gives people a chance to hear a very good version of the Goldberg Variations with better than adequate sound for nada. It might get people to listen to it and realize what a wonderful piece of music it is, that would never have otherwise.

 

Exactly! As much as anything, snobbishness is helping to kill appreciation for and performance of classical music. Cutbacks in public funding, collapse of symphony orchestras and other classical music organizations in smaller communities, the aging of the audience -- it's all very depressing, and an elitist attitude doesn't help. (And I say this with all due respect.)

 

--David

[brucknerdoc]

And now a free iPad app - containing info about the work and recording, plus the score that follows along with the performance.

 

Open Goldberg Variations for iPad on the iTunes App Store

[berkeley]

Have downloaded this myself - spectacular results!

 

The Open Goldberg Variations, by Kimiko Ishizaka | Open Goldberg Variations

 

Recording is absolutely free and funded by members of the public on the kickstarters website. Could this be the future of music distribution....?

 

Gussy

 

I visited on 06/05/12. There are no 24/96 files. Only 24/44.1 files are available.

[jhwalker]

I visited on 06/05/12. There are no 24/96 files. Only 24/44.1 files are available.

 

That's too bad - I got the 24/96 files a couple of days ago - wonder if they were running into bandwidth issues with so many downloads?

[brucknerdoc]

Must have been a bandwidth issue - the 96/24 files are only available as a torrent now.

[Julf]

Must have been a bandwidth issue - the 96/24 files are only available as a torrent now.

 

So much for bandwidth and compression being irrelevant these days

[Alkan]

That's too bad - I got the 24/96 files a couple of days ago - wonder if they were running into bandwidth issues with so many downloads?

 

Just checked and both samplings are available: 24/44 and 24/96 (again).

[goldsdad]

This note is added about the FLAC files:

NOTE: The FLAC files previously released seem to have a problem with track 28, Var. 27 (in some players, VCL in particular, it skips the last 2 seconds). We're getting these files replaced and will reinstate FLAC downloads within 1-2 days.

 

Thanks!

[Alkan]

BTW, version 24/44 (24/96 did finish DL yet) has a problem in the end of Variation 27

[brucknerdoc]

BTW, version 24/44 (24/96 did finish DL yet) has a problem in the end of Variation 27

 

Indeed, both versions still have the problem...

[Alkan]

Indeed, both versions still have the problem...

 

Just received an answer from Robert Douglass (Open Goldberg Variations project):

"Hmm. Frustrating. I'll go back to the engineers and see if there is a possible solution. The CD version will obviously not have this problem as it will just play straight on between the two."

Let's wait, because worth it. That is a fantastic project!

[brucknerdoc]

There reply I received from Robert Douglass was:

How long do the tracks register in your player? Track 28 (Var 27) is supposed to be 1:51.7. It is supposed to go directly on to Track 29, which most players don't handle perfectly well.

I tried the tracks thru a couple of different players - even iTunes with "gapless" enabled - and don't get a real good finish to Var 27. Several other recordings I have of the Variations don't have this as an issue since the movements don't really merge seamlessly, per the score.

[goldsdad]

Just received an answer from Robert Douglass (Open Goldberg Variations project):

"Hmm. Frustrating. I'll go back to the engineers and see if there is a possible solution. The CD version will obviously not have this problem as it will just play straight on between the two."

Let's wait, because worth it. That is a fantastic project!

 

Here is some information about the 24/96 for Mr. Douglass.

 

The new track 28 (Variation 27) is slightly longer than the old edition, but the last note is still abruptly and unnaturally silenced to -infinity dBFS (digital absolute silence) instead of dropping to the ambient level for a moment before the first note of track 29.

 

Also, because track 28 (old and new editions) ends at -infinity dBFS and track 29 starts at roughly -36 dBFS, there is a click coinciding with the striking of the first note of track 29.

 

An additional problem has been created by the new track 28. The start of the old track 28 was perfectly continuous with the end of track 27, the transition being at about -52 dBFS in both channels. The new track 28 starts at -infinity dBFS, resulting in a click.

[Kenneth Horne]

It's not clear how users are playing these 24/96 files.

 

Using foobar on my laptop, there isn't a problem.

 

Streaming over the network wirelessly over an unfair big distance to my Musical Fidelity CLiC, the unit hangs between Vars 27 and 28 (the music ought to be continuous) as the signal isn't strong enough. The simple solution is to join the tracks together.

 

Playing via a USB stick plugged into the front of the CLiC the change-over between 27 & 28 is perfect.

 

PS @goldsdad - thanks for the info, saves my downloading again out of curiosity!

 

And OT - There's a new transfer from LP of an early stereo recording of Schubert Symphony No. 9 (the old No. 7 or the new No. 8 - in other words, The Great - has a symphony had quite so many changes of number?) with the option of downloading as 24 bit flac, free of charge, at:

 

Neal's Historical Recordings | Transfers of rare 78rpm & Lp Classical Recordings

[Kenneth Horne]

Bump

[Alkan]

There's a new message at TOGV site:

NOTE: All audio files downloaded before June 18, 2012 suffered from a minor imperfection in the transition between track 28 and 29. The final solution to this problem has been to combine the two tracks into one. The downloads in the table above all have 31 tracks instead of the expected 32. This is because track 28 contains both Variation 27 and 28. If you downloaded the files previously, delete tracks 28 and 29. Then, download the matching format from the list below. Add it to the playlist. You should then have 31 tracks with track 28 lasting 4:17.

I am downloading and will check if it is OK now.

[Alkan]

I give up...

The transition problem is there: 1'51"

[goldsdad]

I give up...

The transition problem is there: 1'51"

 

I haven't bothered to download because it's clear from that new notice that the problem(s) still have not been understood and therefore cannot be expected to have been corrected.

[jhwalker]

I give up...

The transition problem is there: 1'51"

 

Given they combined the two tracks, as the artist intended, how can the "transition problem" be there? The two tracks play together, back-to-back, as intended, on my system.

[goldsdad]

I haven't bothered to download because it's clear from that new notice that the problem(s) still have not been understood and therefore cannot be expected to have been corrected.

 

I'm eating crow!

 

I have now done what I should have, before opening my big mouth. Downloaded and listened to the new file. It does fix the problems in the original file and the first replacement file. Well done the TOGV team!

[Alkan]

Given they combined the two tracks, as the artist intended, how can the "transition problem" be there? The two tracks play together, back-to-back, as intended, on my system.

 

The combined tracks played with no problem in my system, but IMO, it was a "hard" mix between variations 27 and 28. For sure if it was the artist choice, who am I to argue about that.

[jhwalker]

The combined tracks played with no problem in my system, but IMO, it was a "hard" mix between variations 27 and 28. For sure if it was the artist choice, who am I to argue about that.

 

Yes, they stated so - that was why they had the problem. She performed these two variations back to back, without a pause, and the way they split the tracks was not playing back gaplessly (consistently) on various players. The solution was simply to combine the two tracks to recognize her artistic intent and get past the gapless play issue.

[tiff_needle]

I'm unable to download via torrent the 24/96 format.

 

No seeds.

 

Does anybody know why?

[jhwalker]

I'm unable to download via torrent the 24/96 format.

 

No seeds.

 

Does anybody know why?

 

I just checked - looks like there are only four folks online right now downloading and / or seeding. Torrents are like that - depending on the time of day, currency of the download, etc., sometimes it's really fast and sometimes not Just depends on the size and capabilities of the current download "cloud".