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22 minutes ago, Russell_L said:

A new release from PentaTone (I got the DSD64 download from ProStudioMasters). Easily the most exciting Missa Solemnis I've heard in years!

91Svr+Hr16L._SL1500_.jpg

Hmm.   On first try, it was disappointingly limp.  I will try it again.

Kal Rubinson

Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile

 

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5 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

 

Which versions of 6th you would recommend? Thank you.

The classic versions by Mravinsky and Markevitch.  Most recently, Honeck.

 

4 hours ago, Musicophile said:

One thing you have to give to Currentzis, he never leaves people indifferent. It's typically love or hate.

I will grant you that.

Kal Rubinson

Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile

 

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2 minutes ago, AnotherSpin said:

The sound, the approach, everything is vastly different.

I thought the sound is pretty poor.  Poor balances, limited dynamic range, lack of soundstage depth, some harsh-sounding brass and a few extraneous non-musical sounds.  What is that noise that begins the last movement?

Kal Rubinson

Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile

 

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13 hours ago, Musicophile said:

There even was one editorial in Gramophone some years ago where one of the editors had to defend Haydn as so many music lovers called Haydn boring:

Sure but I wonder how skewed that observation (which I have not yet read) is.  Record magazine readers are only a part of the larger consort of music lovers.  My induction to Haydn was back in college under the tutelage of Otto Luening.  We covered a lot and my love for the symphonies, quartets and masses has never flagged.  Recent historically-aware performances have only enhanced it.

 

37 minutes ago, austinpop said:

My absolute favorite work by Haydn is Die Schöpfung (The Creation). Any nonsense about boring and inept are swept away by the grandeur and beauty of this piece.

D'accord!

Kal Rubinson

Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile

 

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10 minutes ago, austinpop said:

Qobuz has it at 24/44.1, although I gather it was also released as an SACD, so may be available as DSD too.

I have not seen it available as a DSD download (although I have ripped the SACD).  It is certainly one of the better modern performances. 

Kal Rubinson

Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile

 

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12 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

Just finished listening, not sure will return anytime soon.

Me. too.

12 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

Yes, the sound recording is remarkable, it is kind of Currentzis trade mark, well known from previous recordings.

I disagree.  Yes, it is remarkably clear but that is  due to excessive highlighting and gain manipulation as in his previous recordings.  

12 hours ago, AnotherSpin said:

..................here I hear rather nice still unassured adolescent level attempt.

Agreed.  He plays individual sections and phrases for maximum effect but without without making any effective connection among them.

 

It's what he does.

Kal Rubinson

Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile

 

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7 minutes ago, crenca said:

 

What were the numbers?  As someone who thinks there is too much dynamic range in many classical recordings (i.e. more than a typical live performance) I welcome a bit of trending in this direction, but of course would not want it to move all the way to "the worst of pop recordings"...

In a discussion about the T6, NeilS posted: 

"I wonder if some of the "strange balances" you mention on this recording (e.g., overemphasis of subsidiary lines and a foreshortened soundstage) are attributable to the relatively narrow dynamic range of the majority of the movements on this recording (According to JRMC analyses: MVT 1:DR 8; MVT 2: DR 13; MVT 3: DR 7; MVT 4: DR 8).

All of the other recordings I have encountered of this symphony present significantly wider dynamic ranges. For example, JRiver analyses the respective DR of the four movements as follows: conducted by Mravinsky (DR 10; DR 12; DR 10; DR 10), Monteux (DR 12; DR 12; DR 14; DR 14), Gergiev (DR 14; DR 14; DR 13; DR 16) or Toscanini (1942) (DR 15; DR 13; DR 14; DR 14)." (Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content/devastating-tchaikovsky-sixth#S57Xo2vHyCspwUMj.99)

 

In a quick check, Currentzis' M6 recording is 13, 14, 13, 14 for the four movements.  Compare those numbers those of Bernstein/NYPO (19, 19,18, 20), Eschenbach (17, 16, 16, 22), Jansons/RCO (16, 16, 15, 22) and Gergiev/LSO (16, 15, 16, 19).  So, while it is a step up from the T6 recording but Mahler is more demanding and Currentzis is still consistently behind the others in this random sample.  and it sounds that way.

Kal Rubinson

Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile

 

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16 minutes ago, pdvm said:

I just can't believe it's 2018 and classical recordings (still? again?) get maimed in this way....

This is not universal (small U).  There are many excellent classical recordings being made today and even the average one is better than these.  The Audio Note connection says a lot to me. ?

 

Has anyone any experience with his non-Sony releases?

Kal Rubinson

Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile

 

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21 minutes ago, pdvm said:

 

I know. I hear new, great sounding recordings all the time. Most of them are recordings of mediocre performances unfortunately. So when somebody comes along and does things genuinely different or with the utmost attention to detail (like Currentzis), it's sad to have to write him off because of an unlistenable recording. I mean, I much rather listen to Barbirolli's Mahler 6 where you can hear the microphone distortion at the loudest climaxes, then hear this mess, where every time it gets exciting the engineer yanks the volume down while you can hear there's no distortion and you know there's ample dynamic range to capture the full impact of the passage.

Agreed.  Among the dozen or two M^s in my collection, my go-to is still Bernstein/VPO even though the sound is hard and hollow and I have many with vastly better sound.

Kal Rubinson

Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile

 

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16 hours ago, rando said:

Sometimes you spend a few hours outside in fresh snow and come home to do out a couple budget re-releases that remind you why you picked up this hobby. That a bunch of no-name musicians born without a pretty face or treacherous parents that shoved them above the pack or works by an unknown composer are worth investigating.  

This is a pretty well-served repertoire.  What do these do?

Kal Rubinson

Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile

 

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2 minutes ago, sphinxsix said:

This is obviously kitschy but could e.g. Beethoven's 9th Finale be performed by an orchestra and rappers instead of a choir in an interesting, creative way and if so would you guys be ready to applaud such a performance?

Unlikely but possible.

Kal Rubinson

Senior Contributing Editor, Stereophile

 

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