[eyeresist]

Chris-2:
I confirmed your info about the 1982 Mravinsky S8 at MusicWeb. Looks like the BBC issue is the way to go, though the reviewer hated the coughing.

(Incidentally, I attended my first concerts this year and was horrified at the audience noise - I guess that's a byproduct of half the audience being over 50? Also horrified by applause between movements, uncomfortable seats, and wooden floors that reverbed audience noise and rattled loudly when anything dropped. Ashkenazy's recording a live Rachmaninov cycle here later this year, hope hall noise doesn't ruin it!)

 

[mbhaub]

I got to a point where I thought I wouldn't be buying any more Shostakovich. Then came the new Pentatone recording with Yakov Kreizberg conducting. As I had just come back from a high of hearing him do the Schmidt 4th in Philadelphia I was impressed enough to order the Shostakovich 5 & 9. It is superb, and what I didn't expect was his handling of that coda in 5: very long and drawn out, the repeated motto becomes really irritating -- like living in the USSR, I suppose. As I don't care for this approach, I must admit that in this stupendous recording it really is very moving and sensational. If you're looking for a fine modern 5th in superb sacd sound, get it. The 9th is really good, too.

 

[mbhaub]

(Incidentally, I attended my first concerts this year and was horrified at the audience noise - I guess that's a byproduct of half the audience being over 50? Also horrified by applause between movements, uncomfortable seats, and wooden floors that reverbed audience noise and rattled loudly when anything dropped. QUOTE]

I guess it's like this everywhere. I could add people who think their whispering to each other can't be heard by others, the elderly ladies who think that if they take 10 minutes to unwrap a candy in cellophane it will be silent, the rude, rude, rude morons who don't shut off their cellphones. I've found that the rudeness factor knows no age limit. I am in the over 50 set and I can proudly say that I am dead silent in concerts. No clearing throat, no paper rustling, no talking. The problem is society in general: people today are self-centered and rude. Their parents never taught them manners or how to behave in public. And a live hall (like what you describe) only exacerbates the problem. The noisiest place I've ever been in is the Minneapolis hall for the Minnesota Orchestra. Very live. But I will say this, it was also about the most resprectful audience imaginable.

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeresist /img/forum/go_quote.gif Chris-2: I confirmed your info about the 1982 Mravinsky S8 at MusicWeb. Looks like the BBC issue is the way to go, though the reviewer hated the coughing. (Incidentally, I attended my first concerts this year and was horrified at the audience noise - I guess that's a byproduct of half the audience being over 50? Also horrified by applause between movements, uncomfortable seats, and wooden floors that reverbed audience noise and rattled loudly when anything dropped. Ashkenazy's recording a live Rachmaninov cycle here later this year, hope hall noise doesn't ruin it!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbhaub /img/forum/go_quote.gif I guess it's like this everywhere. I could add people who think their whispering to each other can't be heard by others, the elderly ladies who think that if they take 10 minutes to unwrap a candy in cellophane it will be silent, the rude, rude, rude morons who don't shut off their cellphones. I've found that the rudeness factor knows no age limit. I am in the over 50 set and I can proudly say that I am dead silent in concerts. No clearing throat, no paper rustling, no talking. The problem is society in general: people today are self-centered and rude. Their parents never taught them manners or how to behave in public. And a live hall (like what you describe) only exacerbates the problem. The noisiest place I've ever been in is the Minneapolis hall for the Minnesota Orchestra. Very live. But I will say this, it was also about the most resprectful audience imaginable.

I subscribe to a number of series every year at Carnegie hall and I'm always surprised by how some people just can't sit still regardless of how "mature" they are. I now load up with the Ricola cough drops they provide free so that I can lob them at people who are coughing too much or snoring as the case may be, in the box next to mine. Yes, snoring while Vadim Repin was playing the Schnittke Violin Concerto! One begins to wonder why they come if they aren't interested in the music. I thought of throwing my play book at him, but decided that would be too noisy so I hit him with 2 ricola on the leg until he woke up, and shut up. Grrrr.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbhaub /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got to a point where I thought I wouldn't be buying any more Shostakovich. Then came the new Pentatone recording with Yakov Kreizberg conducting. As I had just come back from a high of hearing him do the Schmidt 4th in Philadelphia I was impressed enough to order the Shostakovich 5 & 9. It is superb, and what I didn't expect was his handling of that coda in 5: very long and drawn out, the repeated motto becomes really irritating -- like living in the USSR, I suppose. As I don't care for this approach, I must admit that in this stupendous recording it really is very moving and sensational. If you're looking for a fine modern 5th in superb sacd sound, get it. The 9th is really good, too.

Mb,
I've read so many positive things about this recording; reading your praise really has put it on the top of my list.

 

[kerelybonto]

Anyone want to take a look for me through the selection of Shostakovich's works available at yourmusic.com (also note the two subsequent pages) and tell me whether there are any recordings that are worth having? As part of the BMG settlement, I think I can get any of them for $3.80 shipped, which I'm willing to spend on just about any performance that's not complete trash.

Of the symphonies available, I believe I already have the seventh, fifth, and ninth by Gergiev, and the fifth by Rostropovich. I think I'll pick up some of the recordings by Jansons (2, 4, & 12 are available). There aren't many comments in this thread on the performances by Rattle (1 & 14; only some talk about the conflicting reviews in Grammaphone and DH), Haitink (2 & 10; darkangel's not a fan, others are mixed), or Temirkanov (5 & 6; JayG wasn't big on these).

I guess all this implies that none of them are awesome performances ... but still worth less than four bucks?

Thanks,

Eric

 

[pbarach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerelybonto /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone want to take a look for me through the selection of Shostakovich's works available at yourmusic.com (also note the two subsequent pages) and tell me whether there are any recordings that are worth having?

The violin concertos played by Daniel Hope are excellent. The Rostropovich #5 SACD is his LSO Live recording; I thought the sound lacked depth, but the performance was excellent.
What's this about a BMG settlement?

 

[Bunnyears]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbarach /img/forum/go_quote.gif The violin concertos played by Daniel Hope are excellent. The Rostropovich #5 SACD is his LSO Live recording; I thought the sound lacked depth, but the performance was excellent. What's this about a BMG settlement?

Settlement for what? The DRM business? I though that didn't affect classical cds, only pop.

 

[kerelybonto]

The settlement is for the class action brought way back when having to do with hidden charges, e.g., for shipping, on CDs bought from the BMG Music Service, or whatever the catalog and online "music club" is called. I didn't know anything about it, but they sent me an email a couple months ago saying I was eligible to claim benefits and giving me a username and password to www.cdlounge.com, which they set up to run the settlement. The search function there doesn't work well for classical (e.g, no results when you search by composer), which is why I posted the search results at yourmusic.com above, but pretty much all the same CDs available at yourmusic.com and bmgmusic.com, except multi-disc sets, are available there. Each is $3.80, and they come in the same packaging as if you had ordered them from the music club. The terms page lists how many each person is entitled to buy (based I think on time of membership in the music club), which I think is only a handful, but I've bought dozens and plan to keep buying until I run out of things that look interesting.

Eric

EDIT: I looked up the email, and the settlement is for Stelk v. BeMusic, Inc., filed in 2004 and settled about a year ago.

 

[pbarach]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerelybonto /img/forum/go_quote.gif The settlement is for the class action brought way back when having to do with hidden charges, e.g., for shipping, on CDs bought from the BMG Music Service

Good deal for those formerly afflicted with the BMG Music Club!

 

[Bunnyears]

My daughters have been members since 1998 or '99 and I've bought cds on their memberships as well, so they have more than satisfied the terms of the settlement. It just annoys the heck out of me that they took money from us and in order to redeem our losses we have to spend more money. Why not just send out the cds for free? That's no real settlement because it doesn't cost BMG anything.

No wonder the world hates lawyers!

Edit: Shosty could have written a nice symphony about these things. Lawyers and class action settlements are really the capitalist version of communist bureacracies and apparatchiks.

 

[Chris-2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerelybonto /img/forum/go_quote.gif Anyone want to take a look for me through the selection of Shostakovich's works available at yourmusic.com (also note the two subsequent pages) and tell me whether there are any recordings that are worth having? As part of the BMG settlement, I think I can get any of them for $3.80 shipped, which I'm willing to spend on just about any performance that's not complete trash. Eric

Eric, if you haven't bought yet, the first one I would buy from that seller at your discounted price is Jansons' recording of Shost's 4th Symph.
It is a good version, though not the very greatest, but for less than $4- if you have not heard the work, then it is worthwhile.
This is a Great Symphony, and should be heard by every-one who is investigating Shostakovich's works.
Do not buy Gergiev's version of the 4th Symph. - his performance is histrionic, and he does not follow the Score, thus avoid, unless you really like his way of conducting.

I have Daniel Hope's recording of the Violin Concertos, and these are quite good versions, especially the 2nd concerto.

Some listeners like Rostropovich's live recording of the 11th Symph. even though he takes liberties with the Score.
I cannot recommend it as the ideal way to first hear this work, but Rostropovich does not offend in the way that Gergiev does, thus if you need another CD to add to spend your Credit there, it is worth considering.

I do not recommend those versions of #'s 2 ; 3 ; 12 ; 14.

best wishes, Chris.

 

[Chris-2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by eyeresist /img/forum/go_quote.gif Chris-2: I confirmed your info about the 1982 Mravinsky S8 at MusicWeb. Looks like the BBC issue is the way to go, though the reviewer hated the coughing.

I have sent an email to Regis to enquire whether they have corrected the pitch for their re-issue of the 1982 performance.
I will post what-ever they inform me, as soon as I receive such.

Really, the coughing on the BBC recording is not too loud nor frequent - and it does add to the realism - I felt I was at a Concert, though the sound of the hall's acoustics enhanced that also, plus the spontaneity of the performance - this latter is not often in studio recordings.

It is worth enquiring about the 1961 live in Russia recording for comments about it versus the 1960 BBC live in UK.

regards, Chris.

 

[Chris-2]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarkAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have not listened to any Shosty for a few months, lately been further exploring Bruckner's mystical symphonies. I don't specifically recall details of Janson's S8 from complete set, but my favorite 8ths are Mravinsky/BBC Legends & Jarvi/Chandos. The Litton S8 is impressive with excellent sound quality, but very difficult to match the inate understanding of Russian psyche that Mravinsky brings to the table. Perhaps I will revisit Jansons S8 soon to see if he impresses me in the same fashion My full appreciation of Shostakovich was not sealed till couple years ago when I obtained the Kondrashin/Aulos and Mravinsky/Melodiya collections, these were a revalation to me with thier great dramatic intensity! Hard to go back now and listen previous western versions like Haitink set, you now know what is missing...........

Bruckner's Symphonies - indeed you will be in another world !
__________________________________________________ _______________


Do you have BOTH the Mravinsky/BBC {1960} and Mravinsky live in Russia {1961} recordings ?
OR, is your Russian Mravinsky recording his 1947 original ?

Jansons does not achieve the level of Mravinsky, but what he does achieve in the 3rd ; 4th ; 5th movements of Symph.#8 is quite impressive, thus I'm interested in what other listeners to this version think, and comparisons with other recent versions, such as Litton's, etc ...
__________________________________________________ _______________

When you get back to listening to Shost's Symph's, I'd be very appreciative if you would post a comment about whether the Aulos set's version of Symph. #4 has that audible anomoly at about 15 minutes into the 1st movement, that I described in my first post on page 19 of this thread.

Thankyou, Chris.

 

[DarkAngel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris-2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Bruckner's Symphonies - indeed you will be in another world ! __________________________________________________ _______________ Do you have BOTH the Mravinsky/BBC {1960} and Mravinsky live in Russia {1961} recordings ? OR, is your Russian Mravinsky recording his 1947 original ? Jansons does not achieve the level of Mravinsky, but what he does achieve in the 3rd ; 4th ; 5th movements of Symph.#8 is quite impressive, thus I'm interested in what other listeners to this version think, and comparisons with other recent versions, such as Litton's, etc ... __________________________________________________ _______________ When you get back to listening to Shost's Symph's, I'd be very appreciative if you would post a comment about whether the Aulos set's version of Symph. #4 has that audible anomoly at about 15 minutes into the 1st movement, that I described in my first post on page 19 of this thread. Thankyou, Chris.

I have the 6 CD Melodiya set issued for Shosty 100th anniversary 5,6,7,8,10,11,12,15, it contains live 1961 8th recorded at Leningrad. Also have supplemented this with the oustanding BBC Legends 1960 8th, very hard to top Mravinsky in this symphony especially since he has worked closely with the composer himself.

Before I got all these new sets recently I had previously thought the Jarvi/Chandos 8th was quite good, but I only had 3-4 others as comparison. Now I have many more versions so the bar may have been raised

Yes I have journeyed very deep into Bruckner over many years, slowly appreciating these collossial cathedrals of sound. What really opened my eyes was getting the Celibidache EMI set.......what a vision this conductor brought us!

 

[DarkAngel]

Chris
I got out my Aulos 4th and listened to track 1 as you requested, the orchestra is very loud at the 15:50 point with loud brass leads, at 15:52 there is very slight refocus of sound like one of the horns moved or went from four horns to two horns..........nothing major, I wouldn't even paid attention to it if you hadn't had me listen very closely.

The entire Kondrashin set is different compared to new modern sound, many instruments are very spot lighted making them more prominent that normal etc, so I adjust to these anomilies and enjoy the performance.