New daily deal at eclassical!

[Boris75]

I fully second your recommendation. This is an excellent recording -- which I bought some time ago from Qobuz for more than three times the price at which it is offered today on eClassical...

[Boris75]

Today, Jacobs' interpretation of La Finta Gardiniera in 24/96 for 25 bucks. Quite attractive...

[Boris75]

What about this one: Beethoven - Symphonies 4 and 5 conducted by Osmo Vanska in 24/88 by BIS?

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]9526[/ATTACH]

 

I got it a couple of months ago and have been pleased, but not thrilled, with it. These are good interpretations, well recorded, but not up there with reference recordings such as Furtwängler or Karajan to give just two examples. This reminds me that I recently got Mariss Janssons' new set but have not found the time to listen to it yet...

[Boris75]

 

What they are obviously trying to ensure is that people recognize e-classical as their go-to site for purchasing BIS (where it was already obvious anyhow) but now also for Harmonia Mundi France, which traditionally (when we can speak about a tradition for a service that is only a handful of years old) were only found on Qobuz.

 

So indeed, mid-term if they are lucky they also increase their profits, if they get sufficient repeat business.

 

While their BIS offers are always very competitive, it is not always the case for Harmonia Mundi: their price for René Jacobs' recent recording of Bach's Mattheus-Passion is much higher than on Qobuz or HDKlassik.

[Boris75]

I suppose the next thing somebody could be launching would be a price comparison website for downloads. Any venture capitalists on this forum?

 

Such a website would be very helpful. Information about the kind of files available would also be quite useful. To continue with Jacobs' Mattheus-Passion, it is available in SACD (stereo and multichannel), in stereo 24/96 from Qobuz, in stereo 24/96 from eClassical at a higher price, and in stereo and multichannel from HDKlassik at a lower price.

 

Another example: Philippe Pierlot's recording of Bach cantatas for the Christmas periode, In Tempore Nativitatis, is available in 24/44 from eClassical and at a higher price from Qobuz, but in 24/88.2.

 

Finally, a number of titles from Gimmell are available from Qobuz in stereo 24/44 and in higher resolutions and multichannel from Gimmell Records themselves...

[Boris75]

Today eClassical discounts the RIAS Kammerchor's Weihnacht album in high res. I am tempted...

[Boris75]

Do it. This is a truly excellent album of a capella performances of not so well known (apart from Stille Nacht) Christmas music.

 

Thank you very much. I got it and have been very pleased with it: a very well chosen set of pieces with programmatical coherence, played with distinction.

 

By the way, for a few hours still, Andreas Staier's very good recital Pour Passer La Mélancolie​ is discounted at 50%.

[Boris75]

Hard to tell from the snippets. My 2 favorite recordings are available in SACD and as downloads but onlythe Hillier is available as a hi-rez download.

 

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Rachmaninov: All-Night Vigil / Latvian Radio Choir

 

Vêpres, op.37 | Serge Rachmaninov par Sigvards Klava*– Télécharger et écouter l'album

 

This is the only version of this piece that I have, so I definitely cannot give any comparison. What I can say is that I am very pleased with this SACD.

[Boris75]

Does someone have a view on the French cantatas by Rameau and Campra that are currently on offer at $6.56 for 24/44 files?

 

Edit: I have now listened to the snippets, and I don't get what the singers are saying. I really have to strain to try and understand what the soprano is singing and even so I can make out only about one in three words at best. So I'll give this one a pass.

[Boris75]

Today eClassical is selling a disc of music for harp and horn at half price:

 

As I was intrigued, I listened to the snippets, but I am not convinced: the horn is just too loud compared with the harp.

 

Still, if you are after something truly original...

[Boris75]

Thanks for pointing this out. The pieces are from the much neglected transition period from natural horn to French horn. So they are quite interesting from the historical standpoint.

 

On the SQ side, the perspective is a little distant and instruments do not sound very detailed. But the overall balance is very nice. The horn doesn't seem to be overpowering the harp. I think most of the time, the composers have written the pieces so that they don't compete with each other. And they do not come from the same location on the soundstage. It is possible to hear into each instrument easily.

 

Now the not so good part: To my ear, the instrument on this album is probably not natural horn--it's totally smooth and doesn't crack like a nature horn. We're dealing with compositions of some of the greatest proponents of natural horn here. It's kind of a pity not to have the pieces played with natural horn.

 

Thank you very much for the detailed review.

[Boris75]

Sharon Bezaly's Solo Flute from A to Z - Vol.1 is 50% off today. The J.S.Bach flute partita in there is probably the best version around. Her mastery of circular breathing allows her to shape these flowing long phrases perfectly. And the recording allows you to hear how it's done. Amazing.

 

Thanks. Kalevi Aho's recording is fascinating. This seems to be having been recorded with HDCD in mind, even if it came out as a redbook CD: the high-res files from eClassical light both the 16 and 24 bit LEDs of my Benchmark DAC2, a combination which signals bit depth between 16 and 24 bits.

 

Anyway, 20 bits are more than enough for solo flute, and this is a terrific disc, many thanks for the recommendation: to my taste it combines excellent music, amazing playing, and top-drawer sound quality.

[Boris75]

I'd particularly recommend Stile Antico if you like early music (very well recorded choral)

 

+1 on the Stile Antico recording. But beware that this album was natively recorded in DSD: if you have a SACD player, there is a case for getting the SACD disc rather than the PCM download.

[Boris75]

Thanks! I bought it too and am look forward to listening to it.

[Boris75]

Would be nice if BIS would start making DSD downloads available. Le sigh.

 

This album was recorded and mixed in PCM. The liner notes indicate that a Yamaha 02R96 was used for mixing. This unit does not support DSD. What would be the point of a DSD download?

 

 

eClassical also has the BPO/Litton Firebird, but it is not currently discounted.

 

I find the use of the acronym BPO possibly misleading as it is usually intended for the Berlin rather than Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.

[Boris75]

I really can't think of one I've purchased that has disappointed me, and there are very few other sources of music I can say that about.

 

I bought 74 albums from eClassical and have been pleased with 73 of them musically and sonically. The remaining album was a compilation of contemporary Scandinavian tuba concertos. This album is very well recorded, by the way; it's just that tuba concertos did not do it for me, that's all.

[Boris75]

It's this one that left me scratching my head:

I must say that listening to it has killed my curiosity, so I am not really eager to check the other ones out.

[Boris75]

Today, French music for Trombones, by the Triton Trombone Quarter. A trombone quartet??? BIS has some really specialised stuff.

[Boris75]

Actually, I personally think that with a rather educated audience like I assume the typical eclassical customer to be, less bullshit may actually translate into more sales.

 

I agree. Robert von Bahr in general persuades me to buy when he is really enthusiastic about a recording, precisely because he is frank when music is less attractive (though I also buy in such circumstances as well out of curiosity).

[Boris75]

Baltic Organ Music!

 

I am listening to it as I write this message and enjoying it thoroughly.

[Boris75]

Robert von Bahr is not exactly enthusiastic about today's offering:

DAILY DEAL

 

50% Discount on eClassical

 

Arvid Kleven? A new detergent? No, a Norwegian Romantic composer. Inoffensive music, very well played by the Stavanger SO under the Finnish star conductor Susanna Mälkki. Only wish the music could inspire me more... RvB

 

[Boris75]

From reading the email from eClassical, sounds like this is a one-off version put together by Suzuki. Not sure about that, I do prefer the Sussmayer edition.

 

I was thinking "Oh, no, not one more recording of Mozart's Requiem", but if it's a new way of completing the score, it becomes more tempting to me...

[Boris75]

Just noticed a new BIS release of Vivaldi's Four Seasons this morning. It is a newer recording (March 2014, recorded at 24/96), so there likely aren't many reviews out there for this. Reading the booklet for this recording, looks like several Guarneris and a Stradivarius were used for the performance. I've been keeping watch for a good recording of this piece, one of the first pieces of any type of music I can remember from my childhood.

 

I noticed this release as well, but I already have so many versions of the Four Seasons that I am seriously hesitating before getting a new one.

 

I am wondering: BIS released a Mozart Requiem a couple of months ago and now the Four Seasons. What's going on: do they need to improve their P&L? What's next: Carmina Burana, the Kleine Nacthmusik and the Boléro?

[Boris75]

I'm happy to see BIS using warhorses to subsidize their recordings of lesser known composers like Pettersson, Kokkonen and Aho.

 

(Eine Kleine Nachtmusik seems to have fallen out of favor around here — I never hear it on the radio!)

 

Thanks. You're right. They have to do this, and if they didn't, they could not record Aho, Vasks etc.

 

Anyway, I am a sucker for classical blockbusters, and indeed I bought these new Four Seasons. I'll report my impressions here.

[Boris75]

I'm torn between the Four Seasons and the Super-bargain for the 21st Century Tuba Concertos at $7.68.

I've been waiting a long time for a good Tuba Concerto recording under $7.75.

 

Why not buy both? That's what I did anyway. I'll report on how both sound. In principle, they should contrast nicely: the most over-recorded piece of music on the one hand, and probably uniquely recorded pieces on the other hand.