Album of the Evening

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Mahler - Symphony no. 3 - Mariss Jansons & Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

 

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Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Cello concertos

Truls Mørk

 

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The last recording of late maestro Abbado. Interpretation, execution (by the brilliant Luzern Festival Orchestra), and recording quality together make this some pretty glorious shit...

 

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I bought the DSD version from the Pentatone website. Boy, does it sound good.

 

I love the Brahms violin concerto more than any other violin concerto. My favorite version always was Herman Krebbers with Haitink and the Concertgebouw Orchestra, which is very near unobtainable by now (if you find it, buy it!). This version from Julia Fischer may very well be my new favorite.

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Superb sound (Polihymnia) and performance from live recording in 24/88.2 resolution.

 

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Great performances!

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This is the one for tonight

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Is it any good? (and I don't mean the recording quality, which I assume is usual RR standard).

 

I'm pretty picky on Bruckner, especially on the 4th, my favorite, does it stack up against e.g. Wand (NDR or Berliner) or Jochum (EMI)?

 

To be honest I do not own a lot of Bruckner 4ths. I have the Jansons 3&4, discussed above, which I think lacks a bit of bite when needed (though the recording is pretty good and the playing itself by the Concertgebouw is phenomenal). I have the Solti/CSO on vinyl, which, as often with Solti, is a bit too much here and there, and not lyrical enough. Furthermore I have Chailly's Bruckner set with the Concertgebouw.

 

The Honeck recording is more exciting than either one of the other three. The orchestral playing is really very good. There is only on place in the first movement where I can hear one of the trumpets make a (very minor) mistake, otherwise it is flawless. It is a lyrical interpretation, but they play with real vigor (maybe even more noticeable because the orchestra is not one of the 'big ones' - for example, one of the only things I can really object to the Concertgebouw orchestra is they sometimes make music sound too smooth/easy, because even when they play all-out, it's still totally controlled).

 

I'm listening to Wand (on Spotify) now. It is really good, better than Jansons/Chailly/Solti as far as I can tell, so thanks for the advice! SQ-wise I have to say the Honeck recording is freakin' amazing and blows al the others out of the water, interpretatively I don't know yet, maybe Wand will be better. To be continued.

 

PS: who do you prefer for Bruckner 6?

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Thanks for so many great suggestions after one tiny question! (Tiny? Nah, it's Bruckner...)

 

I so far only have the Chailly Bruckner 6, which really touched me (never having heard the 6th before). There are mixed reviews about it (people burning it to the ground and others finding it one of the all-time greats, not much in between really... welcome to the web)

 

I'll definitely listen to the Karajan and the Jaap van Zweden though!

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Staying a bit longer with RCO Live recordings and what a fantastic one! I've been drawn with the huge emotional message this symphony is containing. Sadness of the word and kind of Mahler separation from socializing, strike of love to Alma which brought to him sun light and the whole story of his beloved daughter death. Amazing music and superb sound quality with stunning Concertgebouw hall acoustics in 24/88 resolution. Amen. Even the reviews are mixed on the web.

 

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This is also my favorite recording of Mahler 5. Jansons brings some special sadness to the second movement that I never heard in another recording (and I've heard many).

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Jay-Z: Magna Carta Holy Grail, with thanks to our host Christ, The Computer Audiophile, for putting this hitherto-unknown-to-me album on his CA100 playlist.

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Brahms, Symphony No. 4 and Haydn Variations, from the recent box, which I bought in 24/96 from Qobuz. Whereas the other symphonies left me relatively cold and preferring Thielemann (among recent issues), I very much liked Chailly's interpretation and preferred him to Thielemann in this one (the fourth). The Haydn variations, Liebesliederwalzer and Hungarian Dances are also very good in my opinion in this box. The sound quality is good but not great. It is probably multi-miked to death, and the benefit of 24/96 is not obvious, although I did not listen to the CDs, so this is just speculation on my part. Let me just say that there was no "wow" factor regarding sonic quality.

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Bottom line: I very much like Chailly in Bramhs' 4th, but my favourite version remains Haitink's (very well recorded by Philips, before the consulting and M&A crowd convinced Philips to sell out nearly all their businesses, including music recording):

 

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Interesting, never heard the Haitink one from Boston. I can very highly recommend Rattle's Brahms cycle with the Berliner. To my ears, these interpretations have the perfect mix between heroism and lyricism.

 

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Schubert: Wanderers Nachtlied - Matthias Goerne (24/96)

 

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A wonderful highres download of Schubert songs with the great Matthias Goerne. Amazing sound (enjoying on my new Sennheiser HDVA600/HD800 combo).

 

I was never a big fan of German Lieder in the past, it is only just now that it starts growing on me.

 

+1

 

One of my first hi-res downloads. The sound of his voice in the hall is exceptionally well captured.

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Very enjoyable. Especially if you're not into Wagner yet and don't know where to start: this will give you an impression of his writing, the power of his music.

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Perahia: Brahms (24/96)

 

This was one of my first highres downloads ever, from Qobuz for less than €8 at the time (feels like this must have been a decade ago, but was only in 2012.....). The same download is now available for €15.39. Looks like I made a good deal. Exceptional recording in any sense.

 

Thanks for this wonderful suggestion. Listened it twice since yesterday, fantastic album!

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Highly romantic choral masterpiece, in very good spacious and dynamic sound quality.

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Heard them play the Rachmaninoff cello sonata live yesterday. Fabulous duo. Their recording of Brahms' cello sonatas is very good too.

 

 

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I'm not familiar with the Prokofiev second. The Tchaikovsky may very well be the best I've ever heard.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile mobile app

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This is by far the fastest, most fiery white-hot version of the Tchaikovsky I've ever heard.

 

Listen to it at least once. This Kopatchinskaya girl is crazy. (In a good way).

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile mobile app

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Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Bruno Walter)

Brahms Symphony No.4 in E Minor, Op.98 [DSD]

1959

(SACD rip)

 

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Very, very good. This is, in fact, the recording that got me interested in Brahms' symphonies. Bought it as a very worn-out record for 1 euro at a second hand record store. Funny thing is that the 'worn-out sound' made the soaring cello+horn melody in the first movement sound even more soaring.

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Yes, Bruno Walters Brahms is amazing! And 1€ is an unbeatable price.

I do not find the sound outdated or worn-out, but on the contrary this SACD is one of my better recordings. (Maybe you are not totally wrong at all and my impression of good sound goes in hand with this specific sound fingerprint.)

 

I said worn-out because the record is very old and damaged. I'm not a vinyl expert, but apart from the cracks and pops, it sounds like it has been played hundreds and hundreds of times. Maybe I should invest in some cleaning tools... I have the remastered version as well, and I agree it sounds amazing!

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New Beethoven cycle! Blomstedt & Gewandhausorchester