[bracko]

 
The Bertini Mahler box arrived last week here. I've only listened to the #1 and #5 so far, on floor system. Astounding. The clarity and imaging are superb on my system. I must say, I've liked Bernstein (VPO and NYPhil), Haitink, and some of Karajan. Fingers crossed, I must now add Bertini to this bunch, maybe even as lofty as #2 (beside Bern.). What a sleeper set so far.

I am glad you like Bertini's Mahler so far. More impressions awaited. 

 

[Quinto]

arrived today, very good recording!

 

[Light - Man]

 

[CanadianMaestro]

  I am glad you like Bertini's Mahler so far. More impressions awaited. 

Thumbs up all the way. I must admit, I am really getting into "dark horse" recordings of long-time warhorse pieces. Like the set of Arrau doing Mozzie's solo sonatas, not a first-line set but still off the radar for me. Or that Vanska cycle which I'm looking forward to very much.
 
Zinman's Beeth symph cycle also arrived recently, and I must say, I don't grasp why that cycle received so many lukewarm revs. It sounds superb to my ears. The textures and clarity of the instruments are excellent; I heard soloists like horns and woodwinds in the 7th, that were relatively cluttered in other recs like those of the BPO and VPO. So what if the tempi are a bit faster? Surprising; maybe it's a "honeymoon" phase I'm going through with new sets like this. I guess I've tended to put aside hard-core critical listening these days. And just enjoying the music and rhythms of Ludwig, Gustav, et al.  *sigh* sure signs of aging....

 

[kostaszag]

Today I was listening to this 
 

 
and compared it to this
 

 
I listened only to the firs part of symphony Nr.2 (I was commuting at the time, so not enough time to listen to the whole piece) but still. The Leibowitz was far more enjoyable, even sonically. Amazing for a 50+ years old recording. But then, it was produced by Charles Gerhardt and recorded by Kenneth Wilkinson, so it doesnt come as a surprise.

 

[icebear]

+1 on some of the Chesky classic editions !
 
That was the time when the conductors and orchestras played to the acoustical requirements of the concert hall / recording studio. The engineers captured that sound with much less processing and only few mics. Nowadays multi miking every single instrument and post recording adjustment optimizes every single sound to utmost clarity and detail but the crucial coherence of the the body of the orchestra often gets lost along the way. And this is what makes a recording fascinating, IMHO at least.
 
One of my favorites is the Grieg, Peer Gynt suite recording with Alexander Gibson "A concert tour" on Chesky.

 

[CanadianMaestro]

This set looks interesting. HIP, with modern instruments, like Harnoncourt/COE.
 
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Apr12/Beethoven_symphonies_PTC5186312.htm
 
Why does Herreweghe always look like he is deep in thought? Does he know how to relax? Maybe he's thinking, "I should have practised medicine" (he has an MD degree).

 
 

 

 

[RRod]

 
Thumbs up all the way. I must admit, I am really getting into "dark horse" recordings of long-time warhorse pieces. Like the set of Arrau doing Mozzie's solo sonatas, not a first-line set but still off the radar for me. Or that Vanska cycle which I'm looking forward to very much.
 
Zinman's Beeth symph cycle also arrived recently, and I must say, I don't grasp why that cycle received so many lukewarm revs. It sounds superb to my ears. The textures and clarity of the instruments are excellent; I heard soloists like horns and woodwinds in the 7th, that were relatively cluttered in other recs like those of the BPO and VPO. So what if the tempi are a bit faster? Surprising; maybe it's a "honeymoon" phase I'm going through with new sets like this. I guess I've tended to put aside hard-core critical listening these days. And just enjoying the music and rhythms of Ludwig, Gustav, et al.  *sigh* sure signs of aging....

 
This one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KV190TU
Steal at the price; gonna have to order it meself. I love his violin concerto with Tetzlaff, to my ears a better effort than the similar sounding Kopatchinskaja, and his Missa solemnis.

 

[Quinto]

   
This one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KV190TU
Steal at the price; gonna have to order it meself. I love his violin concerto with Tetzlaff, to my ears a better effort than the similar sounding Kopatchinskaja, and his Missa solemnis.

You think Kopatchinskaja sound similar?  Zinman's Beethoven is very nice IMO (although I'm not a big Beethoven symphonies fan

), his Mahler is, for me, kind of mediocre, the SQ is very good though.
 
I like his Richard Strauss.. (except his Alpensinfonie on the other hand, quelle horreur

)  (not Zinman's fault)..

 

[RRod]

 
You think Kopatchinskaja sound similar?  Zinman's Beethoven is very nice IMO (although I'm not a big Beethoven symphonies fan

), his Mahler is, for me, kind of mediocre, the SQ is very good though.
 
I like his Richard Strauss.. (except his Alpensinfonie on the other hand, quelle horreur

)  (not Zinman's fault)..

 
Their approach is quite similar: philosophically, tonally, and with similar accompaniment (they both even transcribe the piano+timpani cadenza from LvB's own transcription). But as in her Kreutzer sonata, Kopatchinskaja has mannerisms that annoy me a bit: a left-hand-pizzicato sound that accompanies strong articulation, a tendency for a sul ponticello sound from the right hand, etc. Tetzlaf avoid this, so gets my nod, but that's not to say I don't *like* Ms. K's effort. I will say that in both the sound of the timpani at the start is kind of a let down: a case where you really have to question if LvB wouldn't have preferred some of the sounds of newer instruments.

 

[Pokemonn]

Im in heaven!

 

 

[CanadianMaestro]

   
This one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KV190TU
Steal at the price; gonna have to order it meself. I love his violin concerto with Tetzlaff, to my ears a better effort than the similar sounding Kopatchinskaja, and his Missa solemnis.

Looks like a good set.
Wolfgang Schneiderhan did a marvellous Violin Cto on DG.
For a very good Missa Solemnis, Karajan/Berlin with Wunderlich, Ludwig, etc.
 

 

 

 

[RRod]

I've been on a Dallas + Litton + Eargle kick lately, and I can whole-heartedly recommend this outing, despite the corny title/album art:

 

[CanadianMaestro]

  I've been on a Dallas + Litton + Eargle kick lately, and I can whole-heartedly recommend this outing, despite the corny title/album art:

And I thought Dallas only had the Cowboys (and 'Girls). 

 

[kostaszag]

When it comes to the Missa Solemnis I steer away from Karajan, my recommendations are Klemperer for those who seek for grandeur

or Herreweghe for the hipsters

But Schneidezähne is excellent and perhaps a bit underrated