Best Classical Sound Quality

[Jackson99]

This is a great thread - I'm looking forward to checking out some of these!!

I've gotten some pretty good guidance from this website:
www.classicstoday.com
I use the sound quality rating as a guide, and generally I've agreed that the 10/10 recordings are excellent.

Here are a few that I'm currently enjoying:
Vivaldi: "La Stravaganza" - Arte dei Suonatori (Channel Classics)
Bach: Concerts avec plusieurs instruments I - Cafe Zimmermann (Alpha)
Brahms: Violin Concerto, Hungarian Dances - Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Linn)

 

[edstrelow]

Even though it is quite old, I still hold the Telarc Mahler 2'nd symphony in high regard.

As my equipment has gotten better, I find that the difference between my good and bad recordings seems to be less, i.e. more records sound better and that what I thought were sonic differences are often things like different acoustics that my earlier equipment couldn't present properly.

 

[drarthurwells]

For an instrumental timbre check of different tubes, components or cables, I have lately been using the 2 disc set of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet conducted by Gergiev on Philips. Very well recorded.

Conversely, to see how IM recording distortion is handled by different things in the signal path, I use the opera recordings by Philip Glass on CBS Masterworks: Satyagraha amd Ahknaten. These two great operas were messed up by IM distortion in recording them, but quality components in the signal path bring out the good part of the sound to mollify the IM distortion.

 

[raisin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jackson99 This is a great thread - I'm looking forward to checking out some of these!! I've gotten some pretty good guidance from this website: www.classicstoday.com I use the sound quality rating as a guide, and generally I've agreed that the 10/10 recordings are excellent. Here are a few that I'm currently enjoying: Vivaldi: "La Stravaganza" - Arte dei Suonatori (Channel Classics) Bach: Concerts avec plusieurs instruments I - Cafe Zimmermann (Alpha) Brahms: Violin Concerto, Hungarian Dances - Scottish Chamber Orchestra (Linn)

Thanks for that link, very good, especially the search engine. I'll be lost there for a while.

 

[daycart1]

One common suggestion is the RCA vinyl of the Reiner/Chicago "Also sprach zarathustra" by R. Strauss. I have a re-pressing of this that is still very nice.

 

[Jackson99]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raisin Thanks for that link, very good, especially the search engine. I'll be lost there for a while.

Yeah, I've spent lots of time there. Actually, it's a bit like Head-fi - a great resource, but potentially hazardous to the bank account.

 

[calaf]

I really like the style of Naive recordings: detailed and balanced without sounding over-engineered. The recent Bach's Brandenburgs from Concerto Italiano is perhaps the best thing I have heard from them.

 

[Bunnyears]

Calaf,

You are not the only one to find those Brandenburgs at the top of the heap. I have them on order and am looking forward to comparing them with my current faves, the ones done by Jordi Savall on the Astrée label. Those have excellent sound quality, too.

 

[adhoc]

the delos release of mahler's 2nd is the best recorded cd classical i've heard, hands down. andrew litton with the dallas symphony orchestra. unfortunately the album art seems to have been a victim of the cover-art-designer-from-hell.

there is also a sacd version of the cd out.

one thing i found extremely surprising about this cd was that it was recorded live - just goes to show what wonders handing out cough drops at the entrance doors can do.

 

[HiWire]

Stereophile seems to generally recommend the RCA Living Stereo Hybrid SACDs... they also mention that Mercury's SACD series is showing signs of improvement.

 

[PSmith08]

As Mahler 2nds seem to be popular, the recent SACD rerelease of Slatkin's SLSO release on Telarc is quite excellent. I don't know if it is as good as the Kaplan release, but it is up there.

Despite a shaky interpretation and occasionally lackluster performance, the Abbado Beethoven 9th with Eaglen, Heppner, et al. is quite well done, too.

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiWire Stereophile seems to generally recommend the RCA Living Stereo Hybrid SACDs... they also mention that Mercury's SACD series is showing signs of improvement.

I have such problems with the Mercury SACD and stereo sound. I don't know what it is that grates on my teeth (although many have tried to explain it), but now I just avoid all of those recordings. It really is a pity because they have the Starker Bach Cello suites which was a terrific interpretation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PSmith08 As Mahler 2nds seem to be popular, the recent SACD rerelease of Slatkin's SLSO release on Telarc is quite excellent. I don't know if it is as good as the Kaplan release, but it is up there.

The sound on the Telarc/Slatkin is really wonderful. It's amazing the way they can restore the old masters nowadays! The Kaplan Mahler sound is a bit brighter, but then it is a DG recording and DG just loves all of that close miking. Anyway, both of those recordings are so very good that I would be hard pressed to choose between them.

As for the Litton, well it sounds good but it's a very cold and precise reading of the symphony and perhaps I've gone a little past it.

Edit: As I think of it, we should also mention the Riccardo Chailly SACD/hybrid Mahler offerings, Symphonies 3 and 9 respectively. They are excellent interpretations and sound quality is just perfect. They are real references for how you want symphonic performances to sound.

 

[PSmith08]

The Telarc Levi M2 is very well-recorded, though the performance isn't all that wonderful. The sound is precise, but a bit dry. That might be a problem with the hall, though.

 

[wolfB]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiWire Stereophile seems to generally recommend the RCA Living Stereo Hybrid SACDs... they also mention that Mercury's SACD series is showing signs of improvement.

Well, the source material used for these SACD is very good, considered the recordings have been made in the late 50s/early 60s. Both have their strenghts and weaknesses. Living Stereo: very live-like, vivid and a sweet strings, great soundstage, stunning fine dynamics, but most lack a bit of low end. Apart from the obove mentioned LSC-1806 (Reiner/CSO/Zarathustra, recorded in 1954!!), the 1958 recording of Mussorgsky's Pictures At An Exhibition by Reiner and the Chicago Symphony is the quintessential Living Stereo recording for me. Mercury Living Presence: great dynamic brass and winds, terrific low end and dynamics, but somewhat harsh strings. One of their best recordings IMO is Stravinsky's Firebird Suite by Antal Dorati, conducting the London Symphony Orchestra.
However, if I'd had to pick one record for the remote island, it would probably be the The Royal Ballet Gala Performances by Ernest Ansermet, conducting the Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden. Recorded with Decca-equipment and crew in Kingsway Hall, London by the legendary Kenneth Wilkinson. Among others, the record features selections from The Nutcracker Suite, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. Mix the strenghts of RCA Living Stereo and Mercury Living Presence, and you basically have the Decca/London sound. Ironically, this recording has been issued as RCA Living Stereo, Soria-Series, LDS-6065, and its one of the most sought after Living Stereos.

 

[LFF]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfB Living Stereo: very live-like, vivid and a sweet strings, great soundstage, stunning fine dynamics, but most lack a bit of low end...Mercury Living Presence: great dynamic brass and winds, terrific low end and dynamics, but somewhat harsh strings.

Can not agree more. I have all the SACD Hybrids of the RCA and Mercury series. I tend to like the Mercury Living Presence a lot more because it has more low end. Thus, I would have to disagree with most of you and say that the MLP set sounds great to my ears (given though - I don't have a real high-end system and I have never heard the original LP's).

So far, I am very thankful that they have released these recordings as Hybrids. Considering the age of the recordings, they have done a great job with both series.

I also own a few of the Telarc Soundstream remasters on SACD Hybrids and they are also amazing considering the age of the recordings.

I can't wait to see what the new releases will be.