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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?
128x128goofyfoot
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
@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?


lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
Forgot to mention the Testament label as one that I look for. I usually purchase CD remasters since the original issues are tough to enjoy.
  FYI, I'm not a novice, I worked in analogue studios. I believe hiss is a good thing in a remaster, it means it wasn't over-processed.

goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,368 posts
 
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.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,417 posts
 
@goofyfoot ,
That’s some good info, thanks. I have been directed to the record label websites when using Google. I should go to the label sites more often, good idea.

I have a couple of Salzburg Festival discs; think I will start Googling them. I also have some live broadcasts on CD. They’re all listenable as historical recordings, although some have better SQ than others. The best quality recordings by radio stations were performances that were to be aired at a later date or were tape-delayed. Most of them were air checks by the stations of live broadcasts and then issued to the public on vinyl or tape. These are lesser quality probably due to slower recording speeds and recording the signal after it had been transmitted. As you know, in those days the goal was to broadcast a live concert to the public, not cut a record.
In any event, many are great performances and that’s what I look for.

When I started buying classical, I was only interested in the best SQ. Then I realised I was missing out on some great performances. I have many mono CDs of the great conductors, such as Furtwängler’s
Bruckner performance for the Nazi elite.
  
I now prefer listening to early mono performances by Toscanini, Klemperer, et al, rather than their later work.


goofyfoot's avatar
goofyfoot OP
1,368 posts
 
lowrider, you may enjoy reading this citation by Rachmaninoff,
https://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/rachmaninov-on-the-future-of-broadcasting

The Orfeo d'Or live radio broadcast recordings are vey good. Most are from the Salzburg Festival. I highly recommend the Clara Haskil,
https://www.orfeo-international.de/pages/cd_c706061b_e.html

Also, I don't know if your familiar with the now defunct Andante label but those recordings are some of my favorites. They have been out of print for some time but you can find them throughout the internet, though sometimes with an inflated asking price.

I believe my next purchase will be an Audite download of Von Karajan conducting Mozart with Wilhelm Kempff at piano. Yes, I did say download; https://www.audite.de/en/product/CD/95602-edition_von_karajan_ii_w_a_mozart_piano_concerto_no_20_sym...

Lastly I'd like to add that I wish websites would start distinguishing mono from stereo on their product descriptions.
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