2. music
  3. 138029-1294

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?
goofyfoot
goofyfoot OP
1,354 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.
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,411 posts
 
Very interesting comments made by Rachmaninoff in 1931...

"To me it seems that the modern gramophone and modern methods of recording are musically superior to wireless transmission in every way"
This sounds like the current debate of the SQ of physical media vs. streaming.

   And I like this quote...
"through the medium of the gramophone we can now offer the public performances closely similar to those we give on the concert platform. Our records should not disappoint the most critical listener who has heard us in the flesh: to the millions who have no opportunity of doing so, they convey a just and accurate impression of our work."


lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,411 posts
 
Orfeo has an excellent website. Is the music for sale or is this only an archive? I didn't see any pricing.
I'm really interested in the Salzburg Festival section of live broadcasts. There are so many available.

I'm going to spend some time looking thru their catalog. Many thanks.

goofyfoot OP
1,354 posts
 
lowrider, I borrowed the d'Orfeo George Szell box set from the library via its state wide borrowing system. I've also purchased a number of box sets i.e. Irmgard Seefried, Mozart Piano Sonatas (various artists), Wilhelm Furtwangler. I believe I either ordered them from arkivmusic or from Amazon. But regarding the entire catalogue, I'm not sure what is still in production and what isn't.

For vinyl remasters, I'm looking at the Anlogphonic catalogue on Elusive Disc and Acoustic Sounds.

Please let me know what stands out and/or your impressions of!
lowrider57's avatar
lowrider57
5,411 posts
 
Szell is one of my absolute favs. Dont think I've heard any young Szell performances. That's a very expensive set, I'll look for some of his early work.

I wanted to expand on my thoughts of buying early performances, even if they're remasters. I'm a bit gun shy since buying the quite pricey Horenstein CDs only to find there was a lot of distortion. I'd like to collect more of his work, but not if it is poor quality.

I will however trust the labels you have mentioned. 
No LPs for me right now since my new preamp is linestage only.

More to discover