Classical Music for Audiophiles (remastered)

[xaviescacs]

Liszt's Dante symphony recorded live by Sinopoli by DG has some annoying cough in quiet passages, in particular on the Rimini passage of the inferno, if I recall correctly. To me they are part of the score

 

[theREALdotnet]

An interesting Mahler recording from a sound recording point of view is Mahler’s 1st with Frankfurt Radio Symphony/Inbal on Denon (https://www.discogs.com/release/118...Symphony-Orchestra-Eliahu-Inbal-Symphony-No-1).

It is one of Denon’s single-point recordings, made with a single pair of Brüel & Kjaer microphones. The very same performances as in those single-point recordings are also available as multi-miked productions, for an interesting comparison.

 

[mSpot]

An interesting Mahler recording from a sound recording point of view is Mahler’s 1st with Frankfurt Radio Symphony/Inbal on Denon (https://www.discogs.com/release/118...Symphony-Orchestra-Eliahu-Inbal-Symphony-No-1).

It is one of Denon’s single-point recordings, made with a single pair of Brüel & Kjaer microphones. The very same performances as in those single-point recordings are also available as multi-miked productions, for an interesting comparison.

When I searched on Google for information, I find that Eliahu Inbal recorded two series of Mahler symphonies, one with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony on Denon, and a single point microphone series with the Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra on Exton: https://www.google.com/search?q=Inbal+mahler+exton

In addition, and also on Exton, Inbal recorded a Mahler 1st with the Czech Philharmonic that was recorded and released in both one point and multimiked versions. Here's a (scathing) review: https://www.audioasylum.com/message...-czpo-quot-one-point-microphone-quot-mahler-1

Where did you see the information you posted about the Denon recording?

 

[theREALdotnet]

Where did you see the information you posted about the Denon recording?

I’ve got a box of Denon single-point recordings, also containing Berlioz and Shostakovich with Frankfurt Radio Symphony/Inbal, as well as Händel (La Stravaganza Köln) and Haydn (Lausanne/Lopez-Cobos).

 

[bkdc]

Liszt's Dante symphony recorded live by Sinopoli by DG has some annoying cough in quiet passages, in particular on the Rimini passage of the inferno, if I recall correctly. To me they are part of the score

I do like some live performances only for their historical value or because they were fantastic fantastic performances not to be recorded again……. Martha Argerich’s possessed Rach 3 or Evgeny Kissin’s Moscow debut at age 12 (the plague must’ve been passing through Moscow given all the coughing in the audience). It’s part of a live recording. I also like listening to Chopin Institute releases of the recordings of the Chopin Competition finalists. World class pianists and interpretations. I dislike when the engineers combine recordings from 3 or 4 different symphonic performances by cutting and pasting to create a Frankenrecording. I guess this is what is done anyway during a studio recording with multiple takes…. but I think live recordings shouldn’t be cut and pasted. This is what was done with the MTT Mahler cycle.

 

[xaviescacs]

I do like some live performances only for their historical value or because they were fantastic fantastic performances not to be recorded again……. Martha Argerich’s possessed Rach 3 or Evgeny Kissin’s Moscow debut at age 12 (the plague must’ve been passing through Moscow given all the coughing in the audience). It’s part of a live recording. I also like listening to Chopin Institute releases of the recordings of the Chopin Competition finalists. World class pianists and interpretations. I dislike when the engineers combine recordings from 3 or 4 different symphonic performances by cutting and pasting to create a Frankenrecording. I guess this is what is done anyway during a studio recording with multiple takes…. but I think live recordings shouldn’t be cut and pasted. This is what was done with the MTT Mahler cycle.

There not many good Liszt's Dante Symphony recordings, so not much were to choose really. I don't like Bernstein's (Edit: actually there isn't such recording , my comment is about the Faust with Boston orchestra), it's like a lesson, too analytical and sometimes simplistic IMHO.

 

[BenB]

I am a bit confused now.

I have now heard the Telarc version of this, and it being an original Digital recording, it had hardly any noise, other than the typical "Room noise and players moving stuff" that all have.

Is THIS the recording you mentioned that had a lot of noise, or are we talking about different things??

Many of my older Classical titles, from the late 50s-80s (in analogue obviously) have already been "Digitally remastered" and mention having used some various types of noise reduction devices.

Everyone has their own tolerance for electronic noise. My tolerance is pretty low. The amount of noise on the telarc recording is enough to bother me, mostly because it serves as a reminder that I'm listening to a recording, not a performance. It's also enough to mask a very small amount of musical content that I was able to perceive after reducing the noise. The noise is not particularly bad, but for a demonstration-worthy recording, it's too much.

 

[JJB70]

On Eliahu Inbal, I am a great fan of the Bruckner cycle he recorded with the RSOF for Teldec. He used early editions of scores generally ignored by most performances and included the 0 and 00.

 

[theREALdotnet]

On Eliahu Inbal, I am a great fan of the Bruckner cycle he recorded with the RSOF for Teldec. He used early editions of scores generally ignored by most performances and included the 0 and 00.

Thanks! It’s on Qobuz, I’ll check it out tonight.

 

[Daverz]

There not many good Liszt's Dante Symphony recordings, so not much were to choose really. I don't like Bernstein's, it's like a lesson, too analytical and sometimes simplistic IMHO.

I am not aware of any Bernstein recordings of the Dante Symphony. He recorded the Faust Symphony twice, once with the New York Phil and once with the Boston Symphony. I love both recordings, but the Boston one is particularly lovely. Your "analytical" comment makes absolutely no sense for either of those performances.

 

[xaviescacs]

I am not aware of any Bernstein recordings of the Dante Symphony. He recorded the Faust Symphony twice, once with the New York Phil and once with the Boston Symphony. I love both recordings, but the Boston one is particularly lovely. Your "analytical" comment makes absolutely no sense for either of those performances.

O, you are totally right, my mistake. It was late and my memory just failed. There is no Bernstein recording of Dante symphony, thanks for pointing that out. My comment was actually about the Bernstein recording of Faust symphony with the Boston orchestra.

 

[Propheticus]

Good one. I also very much like another SACD from Philadelphia: Ondine ODE 1094-5
Saint-Saëns: Symphony No. 3 in C minor Op. 78 "Organ Symphony", Poulenc: Organ Concerto in G minor, Barber: Toccata Festiva
Olivier Latry (organ), Philadelphia Orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach (conductor)

Spotify is terrible for finding specific classical works. For those looking for Kal's tip, it's called "Poulenc, Saint-Saëns & Barber: Works for Organ & Orchestra" on there. No idea where they got that title from, it's not listed like that anywhere else. Not in Ondine's own catalogue, nor on Discogs.

 

[Bwmr]

All the old legendary recordings deserve a good and accurate (non-destructive) noise reduction.
Can your program clean up Glen Gould's singing during his piano playing?

 

[DVDdoug]

A slightly different topic... I mostly listen to rock but I enjoy almost anything live. I've never actually heard a real-professional full-symphony. I've probably heard a college symphony but it wasn't in a proper concert hall. And I think I've been in a concert hall (in San Francisco) for some kind of musical performance... Maybe something with instruments and a choir...

My dad used to talk about big band music but our stereo wasn't great and the recordings weren't great and I didn't think that much of it. I think he had heard big-band live and that was his "reference". Since then, I have heard it played live and yeah... It's a better experience. But the old recordings still don't excite me, even on a much better sound system.

So a few years ago I looked around and I found some more-modern recordings of the same music and they sound great! I think most of them they are using an electric bass guitar so there's also more bass-energy than the original performances would have had with an acoustic bass. And, I think it's "easier" to listen to a different recording/performance if you're not familiar with the original. I still mostly listen to rock but I can enjoy the newer higher-quality big-band recordings too.... WAY more dynamic than my regular rock stuff.

 

[Robin L]

All the old legendary recordings deserve a good and accurate (non-destructive) noise reduction.
Can your program clean up Glen Gould's singing during his piano playing?

It's been done:

 

[BenB]

All the old legendary recordings deserve a good and accurate (non-destructive) noise reduction.
Can your program clean up Glen Gould's singing during his piano playing?

I can't separate someone singing or humming from piano. I am currently working on a new project, using mono source material. I tried a few things to make it more engaging and found a nice result. I'm not the first, but I did take a slightly different approach, and I think the result is very natural.

It's still a work in progress, but here's what I have at the moment.

01 - Track 01_ASR.flac | Powered by Box

app.box.com

To be clear, the biggest issue for me was the amount of electronic noise / hiss on the original. The stereo mix was more of an afterthought.

 

[theREALdotnet]

Can your program clean up Glen Gould's singing during his piano playing?

But, but… it’s precisely his arrangements for piano and baritone that made him famous!

 

[Robin L]

But, but… it’s precisely his arrangements for piano and baritone that made him famous!

Funny though, on the "Byrd/Gibbons" album, no humming, go figure.

 

[theREALdotnet]

Funny though, on the "Byrd/Gibbons" album, no humming, go figure.

Perhaps he was hoarse that day. At least he arranged it for piano

 

[beagleman]

Most of the Classical stuff I have come across, if anything, seemed TOO QUIET, from being remastered and with noise reduction used.

I guess it depends on what era the stuff was produced, but most of my finds, always seem to show ADRM (Analogue to Digital Remastered) and noise reduction having been used.

There seems to be a All or nothing approach. I sort of like to hear "Some" tape hiss from stuff from the later 50s through the 80s before digital became common.