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Qobuz Figaro

No one's mentioned Figaro in five years so safe to sally forth.

Qobuz has Kleiber's Figaro in three versions. Whoever mastered the one from Past Classics, I like the cut of yr jib. I like my Figaro bright and clear as opposed to dark and muddy which happens in both the versions from Decca. 

What can one say about Kleiber's Figaro? It was so good, Decca let twenty years pass before recording Figaro again. It has a sublime Voi chi sapete sung by Danco. Oh yeah, some guy named Siepi sings the title role. Probably never heard of him. And some outfit called the Vienna Phil. All captured in glorious Decca sound. Well at least on Past Classics. Did I mention the actual Decca editions are dark and muddy? This has been the complaint in the past. Now we know why. String that mastering engineer up by the ears!


chowkwan
edcyn
1,876 posts
 
I'm happily addicted to the Blumlein-miked Vittorio Gui conducted Glyndebourne Marriage of Figaro on EMI.  Genial.  Lovely.  Truly 3 D.  How many times have I listened to Side 5?  Two hundred times?  And only a couple added scratches & pops.
chowkwan OP
167 posts
 
Blumlein is good. Sometimes with a little room ambience mixed in to warm it up.

Pops? Use stylast and you won't get any pops. Sounds better too.
edcyn
1,876 posts
 
I put a drop of Last stylus cleaner onto the brushy surface of my battery-powered Professional Stylus Cleaner, turn on the machine, lay it on my turntable platter, cue my stylus down onto the brushy surface, and let the machine deep clean my cartridge.  I do it about once a week.  Better fidelity...more everything...invariably results.  The thing is, the cleaning machine vibrates to the point where it wanders around the platter.  You gotta keep it secure & stationary with your fingers.
chowkwan OP
167 posts
 
Youse kids and yr fancy devices. I just use the brushes that come with the stylast. Always back to front mimicing the motion on the turntable. First black to clean and then white to lubricate. Before every play. Five years and your stylus will still look like new. Yr vinyl and yr ears will thank you.

They have just reached the comic climax of the opera where Figaro sings Il Sugello! There is a translation of the libretto on murashev.com. Much easier on the eyes than the tiny font used in the record company booklet.
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