Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 1 - Szigeti/Beecham on Naxos (transfer by Mark Obert-Thorne)
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.110973
https://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.110973
Classical Recordings from the Golden Age
Hello All,After having accidentally damaged Quad 2905 panels in both speakers, I’ve been sending speaker after speaker out for panel replacements. So currently, I am right back in mono mode while having a speaker sent out for said repair. The logical choice in a situation like this would be, to strictly play mono recordings. My CD collection is for the most part made up of stereo recordings however, I should add that many of my favorite CD’s are mono remasters from the golden age on labels like Andate, Orfeo d’Or, Music and Arts of America, Testament and Pearl, Great Pianists of the 20th Century, etc.... And, those that especially stand out as favorites are live recordings, i.e.the Salzburg Festival.One major priority when CD shopping is to look for well done remasters from the original sources. The Andante label was far and above a stand out when it came to digital remastering and I so wish they were still in business. However, Orfeo d’Or is a black belt label and now my primary go to for historical recordings. I should note that the Clara Haskil Salzburg Festival recording is remarkable as is the Irmgard Seefried Recordings 1944-67 box set. The Gerard Souzay disc on Testament is a treasure.I could go on listing my favorites but I’m wondering if others also collect mono remasters and if so, what are your recommendations?
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Thanks daverz, if I’m not mistaken this Prokofiev concerto was recorded at Abbey Road with the LSO on August 23rd 1935. I have a digitally remastered recording of this as well as the Bartok and Bloch pieces but on the Andante Label. If you’re a fanatical Szigeti fan,the Andante Szigeti is a four disc set but it’s out of print.http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/Feb02/Szigeti.htm |
@goofyfoot , My interest in mono classical recordings doesn't lye so much in the mono recorded listening experience, as it does in the artists performances from a time period while recorded music was still in its earliest stages. Same here. I have a collection of classical mono based on my love of the great conductors and the noteworthy performances we seldom hear. I have a vast CD collection of modern classical; I prefer minimal mic techniques, but that stopped in the 1970s. I have a limited knowledge of good quality classical recordings from the early years. I've been mostly disappointed in the SQ of my purchases. So far, Music & Arts and Orfeo d’Or are the standouts. I recently went on a tear of buying Horenstein CDs and had to stop due to the uneven SQ. Some recordings from the 40's are distorted and I have no way of knowing if that's from the original, or if distortion was introduced during many generations of dubbing over the years. Is there a guide to the best recordings or do I need to keep searching classical forums? |
Thanks lowrider! Seems you've resurrected this thread so thank you. As far as Testament, I do have a few. My last purchase was a Richter recording of Schubert on the APR label. What I've been looking for recently are live radio broadcasts. The Salzburg Festival is plentiful in this regard. Less common but near to my heart are WDR Köln related recordings however SWR are easier to come across. As far as a guide, I typically will look at label websites directly and cross reference them with arkivmusic.com. The Audite and the Hänssler Classic labels seem to offer several historical recordings but I've yet to purchase any. |
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