Cyfrowy analog!

MENDELSSOHN - Symphony No. 4 -Italian / Symphony No. 9 -Great

Aż trudno uwierzyć, że tak brzmi... zwykła płyta! Zapasy sprzed ponad 27 lat! Jaka dynamika, jaka scena i przestrzeń! Tak, oto przed Państwem relikty z ostatnich lat świetności tłoczeń wykonywanych bezpośrednio z taśm-matek, sprzed wszechobecnego już dziś świata kopii cyfrowych, plików i 'wiernych' odbitek zapisów studyjnych. Z jednej strony - te magnetyczne oryginały na taśmach należy strzec i pieczołowicie chronić, dla potomności. Ale co z nami, melomanami tu i teraz? Mamy zaiste, sycić się ersatzem? Oryginalne zapasy sprzed lat! Płyty CD z epoki, kiedy wielu spośród Państwa dopiero przygotowywało się na spotkanie z tym światem! * * * AllMusic Review by Blair Sanderson [-] EMI has reissued several of Klaus Tennstedt's vital recordings from the 1980s, and these excellent interpretations may confound notions of what can be found on budget CDs. These performances of Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A major, "Italian," and Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 9 in C major, "The Great," provide fine examples of Tennstedt's durable musicianship, and the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic under his leadership is absolutely rock solid, with the technical precision, polished sonorities, and expressive depth that are hallmarks of this world-class orchestra. The only aspect of this disc that may be disappointing is the somewhat flat reproduction in the Mendelssohn: while the sound was exceptional for 1980, it pales a little by contemporary digital standards, and the Berlin Philharmonic seems slightly veiled in tone and timbre, unless the volume is turned up quite high. But play it loudly anyway, because the performance of the "Italian" is exuberant and pulsing with emotion, and "The Great," which was recorded in 1983 and has much better sound quality, may be stirring enough to rouse some listeners from their easy chairs to "air conduct." Tennstedt's inspired direction and the Berliners' magnificent performances count far more than the limitations of EMI's recording, so prospective buyers should note this when weighing their options....]]>

SCHUMANN - Symphonies 2 & 3

Aż trudno uwierzyć, że tak brzmi... zwykła płyta! Zapasy sprzed ponad 27 lat! Jaka dynamika, jaka scena i przestrzeń! Tak, oto przed Państwem relikty z ostatnich lat świetności tłoczeń wykonywanych bezpośrednio z taśm-matek, sprzed wszechobecnego już dziś świata kopii cyfrowych, plików i 'wiernych' odbitek zapisów studyjnych. Z jednej strony - te magnetyczne oryginały na taśmach należy strzec i pieczołowicie chronić, dla potomności. Ale co z nami, melomanami tu i teraz? Mamy zaiste, sycić się ersatzem? Oryginalne zapasy sprzed lat! Płyty CD z epoki, kiedy wielu spośród Państwa dopiero przygotowywało się na spotkanie z tym światem! * * * There are three (or four) indisputably great Schumann symphony cycles–Bernstein’s (Sony or DG), Szell’s, and this one. All three have one thing in common, however different their approaches in other respects: they take the outer movements of each symphony with tremendous excitement and verve, making sure that wind parts and contrapuntal lines sound clearly. The virtues of Wolfgang Sawallisch’s performances are well known and include his eruptive way with the “Spring” Symphony, the virtuosic scherzo of the Second and its brilliantly triumphant finale, the blazing energy he brings to the opening of the “Rhenish”, and the thrilling first-movement development of the Fourth (has its motto theme’s triumphant first appearance ever been better prepared and executed?). Of course, different listeners will have their own favorite passages, but uniting it all is the superb playing of the Staatskapelle Dresden. Toss in the best-ever version of the Overture, Scherzo and Finale (an unjustly neglected masterpiece if ever there was one), and you have a set that belongs in every serious record collection. A/B comparison with previous issues reveals very little sonic improvement in this new remastering, save for the higher-level transfer. On some systems these performances tend to sound overly bright, though I have always found them excellently balanced and, if not exactly mellow, never strident or shrill. A magnificent reissue....]]>

BRAHMS - Symphonie Nr. 1 / Tragische Ouvertüre / Akademische Festouvertüre

Aż trudno uwierzyć, że tak brzmi... zwykła płyta! Zapasy sprzed ponad 27 lat! Jaka dynamika, jaka scena i przestrzeń! Tak, oto przed Państwem relikty z ostatnich lat świetności tłoczeń wykonywanych bezpośrednio z taśm-matek, sprzed wszechobecnego już dziś świata kopii cyfrowych, plików i 'wiernych' odbitek zapisów studyjnych. Z jednej strony - te magnetyczne oryginały na taśmach należy strzec i pieczołowicie chronić, dla potomności. Ale co z nami, melomanami tu i teraz? Mamy zaiste, sycić się ersatzem? Oryginalne zapasy sprzed lat! Płyty CD z epoki, kiedy wielu spośród Państwa dopiero przygotowywało się na spotkanie z tym światem! * * * The very best of what we now think of as the classic "Germanic" approach: solid tempos, clear orchestral balances, and a performance that emphasizes the music's grandeur at the expense of some of its more intimate moments. There's nothing "pretty" about Klemperer's Brahms; it has all the emotional honesty of Shakespearean soliloquy... It's amazing to return to Klemperer's Brahms some 40 years on and recall that, in his day, his performances were sometimes considered slow. After the unbelievably distended versions of conductors like Giulini and Bernstein (to say nothing of Celibidache), Klemperer sounds positively zippy. Actually, his Brahms never was in any way eccentric--just the opposite. This performance of the First Symphony, in fact, offers the very best of what we now think of as the classic "Germanic" approach: solid tempos, clear orchestral balances, and a performance that emphasizes the music's grandeur at the expense of some of its more intimate moments. There's nothing "pretty" about Klemperer's Brahms; it has all the emotional honesty of Shakespearean soliloquy, and if by the time this music is over you don't think that it's the greatest symphony ever written, you're probably tone deaf. Klemperer is that good. He's just as persuasive in the "Tragic" Overture, and his performance of the "Alto Rhapsody" with Christa Ludwig is widely regarded as the best ever recorded. If somehow in the past 40 years or so you haven't heard these incomparable performances, now's your chance. --David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com ...]]>