Classical ♫ Music only | Some you listen now or recently, some you love...

[Alexanderc]

I mean she’s great and all, but they make it sound like she’s doing this new, unique thing. It’s just a song recital. Thousands of master’s students do this every year at universities all over. It’s just thoughtful programming, not novel.

I’ll still listen to her sing any time. She’s a wonderful singer! I could do without EMI’s mini documentary.

 

[guildenstern]

I mean she’s great and all, but they make it sound like she’s doing this new, unique thing. It’s just a song recital. Thousands of master’s students do this every year at universities all over. It’s just thoughtful programming, not novel.

I’ll still listen to her sing any time. She’s a wonderful singer! I could do without EMI’s mini documentary.

Yes, the EMI video is just marketing--for the real art, stream the album or buy the CD.

 

[guildenstern]

OPiUM String Quartet: Back to Melody
Can't get the opening track outta my head--kinda like minimalism meets Polish rustic folk dance--a slow build to a rousing reel:

 

[Saidera]

Classical music the Australians like the most:
https://www.abc.net.au/classic/classic100/archive/
FYI

 

[jmtocali]

Impressive new recording of Mahler Symphony No.8 by Los Angeles Philharmonic. At the moment only available at Primephonic.

https://play.primephonic.com/album/00028948609901

 

[JanesJr1]

That's my turn-on type of music. [Gotta stay away from Tom's ♫]
Does it cost money to log on with Tidal?

Amazon's newish Music HD service is very good, and has FLAC well beyond 16/44.1 without the need for Tidal's controversial MQA compression for several million beyond-CD-resolution titles. I also have Idagio classical and I am impressed with how many titles are on Amazon, some not also on Idagio. The cost is only $7.99/mo. for Amazon's unlimited-access streaming option (for Prime members, a bit more for non-Prime), which now includes hi-def at no additional cost. The sound is superb on the many, many new or remastered recordings there.

There was some confusion on websites recently on Amazon's wasapi exclusive connection (and I was one of the confused). The exclusive feature enables Amazon to handshake with your DAC and play back music at exactly the highest resolution your DAC can handle without resampling. It also prevents other Windows processes from interfering with music playback or music settings.

However, Amazon just didn't explain it well, and it works fine once you set it up. (1. on windows, go into device mgr/properties for each playback device, then go into the advanced tab, and check the two boxes enabling exclusive streaming; 2. in amazon music HD, go into settings (small head-profile icon on top right) and check off the exclusive option in the preferences list there; 3. select a piece of music and start it -- then click the small speaker icon on the lower right and check the enable exclusive icon for your playback device. The last step needs to be done each time you listen or switch devices; it switches back at the end of your session so that exclusive is off, and your other apps can then use windows audio while you're not listening to music.)

The only thing is that Idagio (and maybe Tidal??) pay classical performers on a different formula that makes more sense for long-format music. I haven't heard that Amazon does (or deosn't) do this. So I do use Idagio when I can. (It also has nice features for discovering good performances.) Anyway, that all only matters if you're a classical listener.

Now Spotify and Apple are joining the hi-def parade... an embarassment of riches! Anyway, Amazon's music streaming is both wonderful and affordable and seems to cover beyond-CD lossless playback without lossy compression gimmicks.

 

[fordiebianco]

Enjoying this more than I thought I would, even though it verges on the atonal at times.

 

[KikoKentaurus]

It was recorded on mechanical piano and later in da 60's replayed with good equipment. This record feels kinda magic to me, cause it was 100 years ago but still sounds better than everything I've ever listened

 

[KikoKentaurus]

Also it's on YouTube

 

[fordiebianco]

Classical music the Australians like the most:
https://www.abc.net.au/classic/classic100/archive/
FYI

Beethoven's Emperor Piano Concerto at Nr1? Really?

Apart from that slight anomaly, that's an unusually varied top 100. Kudos to our Australian brethren (featuring stuff I've never heard of).

I'm going to work myself through that!

 

[Saidera]

Indeed! Something must have caused the Emperor Concerto to gain the most votes.

Meanwhile I've trawled through the archived years and there's definitely some kind of pattern, one which is likely by now associated with Australian classical music listeners.

For me, my grandfather's second hand classical CD collection amassed in Sydney from the 90s to early 2000s introduced me to classical music early on. It was quite broad but not numbering nearly as much as the digital collection I now have. But unfortunately my current collection still doesn't cover the entire breadth of classical music, as it consists mainly of popular works. For the entire breadth, and for discovering little known or forgotten masterpieces, ABC Classic FM has been invaluable.

I need to get used to reading the scores to deepen my understanding and appreciation of music. When I was smaller I got used to listening to those CDs, so there was likely a disconnection between that and actually performing. The sound of an untunable off tune piano and the sound of violins up close by your ear are no match compared to recordings. In any case, to this day performing an instrument appears exceedingly difficult to me, so I have great respect for musicians. Like many adults who take up an instrument like the piano as a hobby later in life, I am once again interested in mastering an instrument and studying classical music. Definitely the history of classical music is fun to read about, and Bernstein's Unanswered Question lectures has always amazed me. The Lang Lang effect acts strongly on me, until I sit at a piano and in 3 seconds realise how difficult it really is.

 

[fordiebianco]

I need to get used to reading the scores to deepen my understanding and appreciation of music. .

Nah. I play a few instruments and can read orchestral scores, but it doesn't add anything to the enjoyment. It's for your ears, not your eyes. And with a lovely stereo like yours, it will sound formidable.

 

[Apesbrain]

This record feels kinda magic to me, cause it was 100 years ago but still sounds better than everything I've ever listened

"100 of today's leading concert pianists" agree:
https://www.classical-music.com/features/artists/20-greatest-pianists-all-time/

 

[MRC01]

Nah. I play a few instruments and can read orchestral scores, but it doesn't add anything to the enjoyment. It's for your ears, not your eyes. And with a lovely stereo like yours, it will sound formidable.

As an amateur musician, I find that getting the sheet music and playing along with some of my CDs is useful for practice/rehearsal. And it deepens my understanding and appreciation of the music.

 

[JJB70]

I am enjoying Marin Alsop's recording of "Nixon in China" by John Adams. I have the old Edo de Waart recording too which I have long loved but I think Alsop's is overall a better performance and recording.

 

[vilnis]

 

[MRC01]

Amazon's newish Music HD service is very good, and has FLAC well beyond 16/44.1 without the need for Tidal's controversial MQA compression for several million beyond-CD-resolution titles ...

I started a trial of Amazon Music Unlimited, which includes HD. But every track I play in the browser, including ones marked HD, stream at 44.1/16. Checked account settings, no audio quality settings. So it appears that Amazon's browser player resamples everything to 44-16. Just like Apple Music. I know the browser itself will stream up to 192-24, because Primephonic's browser player streamed everything at whatever its native rate was, from 44 to 192.

The search continues for a music service whose browser player doesn't resample everything.

PS: I just realized I should have posted this in the other thread: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...onic-becoming-apple-music-alternatives.26203/

 

[Pepper81]

Hello Guys.
I'm venturing into the world of Classical music and for some time now I wanna create a desktop HEADPHONES system in order to listen to lossless music.

Listening to Brendel and Perahia Complete Piano Concertos,to my surprise I found that the Audio Files (.WAV) have poor dynamic range.

I know I know they’re old recordings, But 10.5 of DR is Too low for Classical music
I've Pop/rock files with 15/20 DR.

The versions I’m talking about are these:

Mozart "The Piano Concertos - Alfred Brendel Academy Of St.Martin in The Fields Neville Mariner" Philips 416272-2 1985

Mozart "The Complete Piano Concertos - Murray Perahia, English Chamber Orchestra - Sony Classical 82876872302

Any idea why The tracks lacking in Dynamic?
Thanks

 

[MRC01]

Just because a recording is not dynamically compressed, doesn't necessarily mean it has wide dynamic range. Most classical music has wider dynamic range and higher DR numbers than most rock/pop. But there are plenty of exceptions to that rule. In some cases the music itself, even when played live, just doesn't have wide dynamic range. Typically this would be with solo or small ensemble music. However, the concertos you mentioned involve a larger ensemble and should have wider dynamic range. One of my recordings of Mozart Piano Concertos is with Emmanuel Ax and Pinchas Zuckerman, measures DR 14-15. Most of my small ensemble recordings have similar wide dynamics, like the Brahms Piano Trios, the Ax/Ma/Kavakos on Sony ranges from DR 13 to 18, as does the Tetzlaff / Vogt recording on Ondine.

However, there are the rare exceptions of classical music that is dynamically compressed, overly processed, loud and artificial sounding. One is the Bach Brandenburg concertos by Zefiro with Alfredo Bernardini. It's a shame because it's a wonderful performance that deserved a better more natural recording. Fortunately, this is the exception rather than the norm with classical music.

 

[SMc]

Just because a recording is not dynamically compressed, doesn't necessarily mean it has wide dynamic range.

These recordings both have chamber orchestras and presumably close-miked pianos. This can emphasize clarity over heft and dynamic range, although it's ultimately the artist's and producer's choice. It won't help your headphone listening, but a concerto pairing by Brendel is available in multichannel download from Pentatone thanks to its original quad recording.