@PaisleyUnderground Thanks, I havenāt ckd his Beethoven. I have a B. samples excerpts list comparing different cond/orch but Iām always looking for that combination of performance and recording quality (engineering, presence, hall resonance etc) which sound ārightā to my ear.
Alas, better gear leads to not only more enjoyment, but also increased
fussiness! 
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Cycles are rarely consistently excellent across the board. As a collector of physical media itās frustrating to no end when you just want one performance but itās only found within a cycle.
Streaming still has its uses.
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I think streaming is an amazing treasure trove for classical music if youāre fussy (like me).
After Iāve drawn up my short list, my first step is to use my commute to weed through performances, by playing the same movement from different conductors. Iām just using AirPod pros, but thatās good enough to know if I like the performance (tempo, rhythm, fullness of sound). And Iāve done this enough times that I can pretty accurately extrapolate how the piece will sound in my home system.
Then I play my weeded out shortlist at home to judge the sound. I think some reviewers must have terrible systems because Iāll notice awful acoustics that the reviewer never mentioned.
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Agreed, I mostly listen via APP2 as yourself and find them to be decent enough to get a feel for the music. Actually they are quite enjoyably tuned to my ears and for the money and convenience Im quite happy with them.
Im pretty good at that too by now but I have been caught out by āApple Masteringā a couple times so I check to see if there is any indication of such when I use Apple Classical. I also have Idagio which is much more consistently in line with my system; however, Apple does seem to have a bit of a larger database and its layout, while sometimes annoying to me, can be helpful if you are looking for a specific album as they more prominently display covers.
I also wonder that sometimes.
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Iām a sucker for solo Da Gamba recordings, love being able to browse Apple Music Classical by instrument, adding this as a new reference album. They also have a book feature where you can open and get insight on the recording, excellent iPad companion.
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Thanks for the tip. I found Gielenās Beethoven cycle with the SWR. Besides the interpretation I really like the micing/recording done which brings out the woodwinds so cleanly and with great separation. I feel that his bit slower tempi allow me to better hear the inner intricacies of Beethovenās amazing writing! For example the 2nd movement of the 9th (which has one of my favorite timp. parts to play, lol) is among the slower of those I tested, yet maintains the forward drive I enjoy. I plan to spend more time with this set!
Also this YT videoā¦interesting to see them.
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The 10 Best Classical Albums of 2024 | KPBS Public Media
My composer friend sent me this. Though Iād pass it along. The Ortiz is
very interesting, and well recorded of course.
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Looking at @TempoTimās list, I realized that Iāve never kept up with up to date releases before, because I tend to focus on a composer, read a lot of reviews and listen to the performances that have been recommended, and theyāre often decades old.
But I just stumbled over a set of Mendelssohnās symphonies by Paavo Jarvi that was released this year and I like it a lot. I was a little apprehensive because Jarviās Beethoven symphonies were a little too fast for me, but the Mendelssohn tempo was perfect for me. The sound was fantastic too.
The symphonies were released on a label called Alpha Classics, which was somewhat new to me until recently, as Iāve noticed that more and more performances that I like are on that label. In addition to great performances, Iāve noticed that every Alpha recording Iāve heard has had very good, clear sound, which hasnāt been the case with other labels.
Iāve been listening to a lot of Mendelssohn over the last few weeks, mostly discovery because I didnāt really know his work, and my favorite versions of his string quartets were by Quatuor Van Kuijk, coincidentally another Alpha Classics act.
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@Perogie I also want to say that Iāve really enjoyed the Neumann Dvorak symphonies that you posted above.
That whole box is very very musical, and theyāre my favorite performances of the Dvorak symphonies when Iām looking for something more on the relaxed end of the spectrum. That is not a complaint about tempo, I like to have something on the relaxed side and an alternative thatās more energetic, depending on my mood.
Iāve liked what Iāve heard from Rowicki & the LSO, and am still searching for a more modern recording,
Revisiting this superb live recording tonight. From Berlioz, the guy who literally wrote the book on orchestration (in 1844.) The dynamic range is stunning, from the barely audible beginning of the 3rd movement to the ear opening last movement complete with real bells and a killer bass drum and more. Great separation of instruments and detail throughout, and the ever present energy that Dudamel seems to always provide. Really imo a stunning performance and recording.
Wish I had been there! Must be quite the venue!
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Just found this new one on YT. I had never heard this before. What touch!!
I wonder who may have played it with Schubert.
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Another YT find tonight. Anyone know of a label (lossless) recording of this?
PS also the Murray Perahia/Haitink/Concertgebouw, which I canāt seem
to find eitherā¦the YT copy is an absolutely excellent performance!
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Couldnāt find anything for the YT linked concert but maybe look up the album: Murray Perahia - Pianiste and Poete. It might have the Haitink but I cant confirm.
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I checked both discogs and Presto and couldnāt find a Schumann piano concerto from either Seong-Jin Cho or Perahia/Haitink.
Perahia/Haitink did a set of Beethoven piano concertos. And Perahia recorded the Schumann with Colin Davis and Abbado but Iāve never heard of him doing one with Haitink.
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@PaisleyUnderground Thanks for checking. Yes, I found the Beethovens
and the Schumann w. Colin Davis is pretty good. Just that the one with
Haitink on Youtube has some real chemistry and togetherness that is
special. Hopefully Cho will do a good one soon.
Also, I saw Yunchan Lim do the Rach 2 with Minnesota a few months
ago. Excellent, imo!! Good that we have a younger generation to carry on. SO much good talent out there!
Iāve been completely spoiled by this Beethoven set for the past 2 weeks.
This is the classic reference of the Symphonies conceived as a complete cycle. A prime example of how you might hear this is the 6th, where you find the instruments rearrange spatially from movement to movement. In other words, the instruments/soundstage is changed to best suit each piece. He takes certain liberties, if you will.
The best symphonies in this Karajan box are 5,6,7 and 9. I havenāt wrapped my mind around the 8th, and the only Eroica I can think about when listening to Eroica is Furtwangler ā44.
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Is that Karajanās 1960ās cycle? Iāve heard thatās the best of the 4 cycles he recorded, but I havenāt heard it, or at least not in several decades.
I already have 12 Beethoven symphony cycles that I really like, so Iām afraid to try any more.
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Yup. The one released in ā63.
I think people believe he became too āslickā as the years went on; more strings less horns and timpani. Whatever. Karajan is a legend no matter what.
He definitely had a style thoughā¦ always chasing beauty. You either like it or you donāt.
As for the recording quality, it is very good. Not sure what format you prefer, but itās chunky and cohesive on SACD. Gets the point across. Not too much noise, either. YMMV depending on your system.
Edit: It was recorded Mid Side (two mics) and not a forest of mics which is probably why I think it is cohesive.
I canāt believe you have 12 cycles but not this one. You can always stream it to see if you like it.
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I had a few later Karajan albums when I started buying classical CDs in the 80s, including his 1977 Beethoven 9th (which I really liked), but youāre right, I fell prey to the bias against him, especially when historically informed performances became the flavor of the month, with their raspy strings.
Growing up in England, John Eliot Gardiner was the local hero in the early 90s, and his HIP Beethoven was my favorite at the time (and is still one of those 12 that I like). And then when I got married, one of our presents was the box of Harnoncourt/COE Beethoven box, and that became another favorite, so I was a HIP fan for a long time. Iāve expanded my taste since then.
I had a similar bias against Bernstein, based on my dislike of his later performances on DG, which I found a bit boring (no offence to fans of later Bernstein, itās just my taste). It was only a few years ago, when I listened to some of his earlier NYPO performances of Mahler, that I realized what an idiot Iād been for ignoring him as a conductor. The younger Bernstein was much more exciting, which is generally what I like, and Iāve been listening to a lot of his performances over the last few years.
Iāll give Karajan another chance and will let you know what I think.
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