Our friend was looking for a transfer of Edward MacDowell's Second Suite, in the performance by Howard Hanson and the Eastman-Rochester Symphony. I've transferred my copy for him, but now that I have looked into the matter, I am not sure this is the record (or pressing) he is seeking! It seems that Hanson took a whack at this music three different times, per Michael Gray's Classical Discography. He recorded the Dirge in 1939, the full suite in 1953 (represented by the LP at hand), and supposedly the complete suite again in 1961 (which actually may be a reissue of the 1953 effort). Perhaps 8H wanted the later version or pressing?
 |
| MacDowell portrait by Chase Emerson |
According to the cover notes, the themes in this composition are derived from Theodor Baker's Music of the North American Wilderness; thus the subtitle "Indian." But there is little that is stereotypically "Indian" about the work, which dates from 1892. (Speaking of stereotypical, check out the cover. It is by George Maas, who provided the art for many Mercury LPs.) The cover notes liken MacDowell's music to that of Grieg, albeit "less lyrically intense as well as more broadly noble in its lyrical expression and more rugged in its dramatic moments."
Hanson's recording was made for Mercury, which was then achieving fame for its "Living Presence" sound. This particular LP sounds a bit harsh and dry, however. I've adjusted the frequency response to address the harshness. And I've added a small amount of convolution reverberation to the mix, and am offering that as an alternative to the "dry" transfer. Links to both can be found in the comments.
Links (Apple lossless):
ReplyDeleteIndian Suite (w. reverb)
https://mega.nz/#!iB0imKQT!XIZP1RU7fGfza3fDi7de4TurDjtnXPnzr0cplhkr5FU
Indian Suite (no reverb)
https://mega.nz/#!KNsWgCwB!bBKp6A_8O9NftFP-JzmvS4LkksUmpHiCZP3xxPasGWc
Thank you, many times over. It seems to me that all the ER Sym recordings were very clear but very dry. Thanks for taking the time to alter it a bit.
DeleteGary
Gary - Thanks for your note. Hope you enjoy the record!
DeleteIt'll be interesting to compare these two. Wonder whuch one I'll like better? Thanks for the music and the options Buster.
ReplyDeleterev.b - You are always welcome!
DeleteYou got it right, Buster. One must verb before one can reverb.
ReplyDeleteMy introduction to MacDowell was performing his "Sea Pieces" for wind band nearly forty years ago, and I was hooked by his composing. So I look forward to this work I've not heard before. Thanks!
OMG! I just noticed this, Buster: THANK YOU A GOOGOL of times!!!
ReplyDeleteHanson recorded the complete suite ONCE; the 1961 version, as it were, is probably the reissue on one side of a Mercury "one hour" classical CD, with Griffes' pieces, I believe. That had a teeny tiny bit more 'sweet' sound than the original Olympian (RIAA) pressing, and a LOT more pleasing sound than the very first issue, pre-RIAA. But even either of those would have made me happy.
I got the 'unreverbed' version and see no reason to use more of your bandwidth than that; I am VERY much used to this original Living Presence sound and the balances in Rochester's hall: seems exactly what I have imprinted on!
Actually, amongst the LP pressings mentioned above, I *also* had one produced by the Eastman-Rochester School and issued in the 1970s, when they put out a series of limited editions of Hanson's original American monos. I believe Columbia Special Products mfr'ed those, and they were "purist" jobs from the masters; again, to my recollection (I got rid of the LP collection by 1992) your unreverbed transfer sounds like that: in other words: SPLENDID.
For some reason, I always found this a bit easier on the ear than their Griffes album. That was a tad over the top wrt brass energies.
I can make yet one more check mark in the list of Desert Island LPs that never properly made it to CD, thanks to your wonderful and extremely consciencious work.
Best wishes, an enormously greatful 8H Haggis
I guess I'm both *greatful* and *grateful* to you--at least I'm not yet a member of "The Grateful Dead". - 8HH
ReplyDelete8HH - You are so welcome. It is the least I could do given all the treasures you have brought us.
ReplyDeleteBuster, since you've been so kind as to say I'm this blog's 'benefactor', here's a Mercury LP quid pro quo:
ReplyDeleteThe 1953 Olympian Series release, "American Concert Band Masterpieces" with Frederick Fennell and the Eastman Wind Ensemble, playing the following:
Divertimento For Band (Vincent Persichetti)
Ballad For Band (Morton Gould)
George Washington Bridge (William Schuman)
Suite Of Old American Dances (Robert Russell Bennett)
Tunbridge Fair (Walter Piston)
Commando March (Samuel Barber)
Mercury MG 40006
This has been on at least one blog, but I found the transfer to be unlistenable. A friend of mine on the east coast is a band music authority and had a mint copy of the album; he was kind enough to digitize it for me.
The Zippy upload is in lossless FLAC format, being 115 MB, and the pressing used is a good condition original monaural release, not one of the later reissues. Unfortunately since I am not a registered paying Zippyshare uploader, this file will expire in 30 days, or probably by around 9/13/18.
https://www62.zippyshare.com/v/mmpo9y9c/file.html
Oom-pah-pah!
8H Haggis
I am pleased that my uploads have been appreciated, so here is another one that complements Hanson's thrilling MacDowell issue. It consists of four major works by Samuel Barber in historic Mercury Living Presence recordings made, I believe, as early as 1953 though first coupled together on a 1957 reissue, featuring Mercury's new graphic concept of colorful photographs, mostly of natural scenes, updating their earlier "primitive" designs, which were rather similar in style to the famous Steinweiss illustrations used by Columbia. I have not made these transfers, which were a compilation of uploads from at least two different blogs (as neither one was competently done throughout, with various sonic defects.) I cannot vouch that each of these pieces has the ULTIMATE quality matching the master tapes in the BEST Mercury pressings, so consider this merely a stopgap until Philips decides to favor us with the original session tapes remastered in hi-res.
DeleteBarber: Adagio for Strings; Essay No. 1; School for Scandal-Overture; Sym No. 1.
ERO, Hanson - Mercury MG 50148
https://www34.zippyshare.com/d/Q5cwarj4/26471/Barber%20by%20Hanson%20MG50148.zip
--or--
https://www34.zippyshare.com/v/Q5cwarj4/file.html
(90 MB, zipped mp3 and FLACs; file available ONLY for a period of one month, after the upload date of 9/16/18. Please click ONLY on the radio button that says 'Download Now'; otherwise you will probably get a cheap, unwanted ad for some questionable service, or a useless website.)
8H Haggis
Ooooopppssss...looks like I was not yet thru with the necessary editing on the BAD files I obtained from a certain blog that had uploaded this Mercury album! Turns out that the transfer of Barber's Essay No. 1 consisted of the actual work, followed by *eight minutes of silence*, doubling the length of the file and making it impossible to put it into a proper playback sequence.
DeleteApologies; I've edited out the useless "null data" and you may replace the file in the previous upload with this new, corrected one:
https://www94.zippyshare.com/d/ASG4dqDC/29731/03%20Barber_Essay%20No.%201%20for%20orchestra-FIX.flac
--or--
https://www94.zippyshare.com/v/ASG4dqDC/file.html
(Available only until about 10/16/18.)
I would rather not say who the culprit was, but his blog -- which is now defunct -- consisted of HUNDREDS of such botched uploads, with grotesque low frequency noises interrupting the music; records with skips; records with virtually no audio response above about 3 to 4 kHz; 'stereo' files with totally dead left or right channels; stereo recordings that were 180 degrees out of phase; and claims he had transferred a stereo LP but actually, instead, uploaded a mono one: truly, literally EVERY one of his album offerings was seriously botched in numerous ways, particularly tragic since he was (a) a gentleman who was extremely courteous and kind to readers; (b) a very well-informed musician with eclectic and catholic tastes; and (c) a very good writer, who expressed himself with eloquence and enthusiasm. Somebody apparently 'narced' on him to Mediafire, and his uploads were deleted. I had obtained virtually ALL of them, and have, after 3 or 4 years of fitful work, managed to repair only a small fraction of them. Since he used FLAC, the lossless format, it was often possible to re-EQ without introducing more loss and damage, and to edit the worst of his gaffes.
Again: apologies for missing this problem before making the upload of the entire album.
8H Haggis
Dear Buster,
ReplyDeletethanks for tis Indian Suite.
I discovered this original piece in a 10 LPs box (Philips from memory) all devoted to American music.
I quite remember in the booklet the mention "Electronically Stereo" or something like that...
Hi centuri- Yes, many of the Mercury LPs were reissued on Philips in fake stereo.
DeleteMany thanks to 8H Haggis as well for this very rare and captivating LP !
ReplyDeletethank you!
ReplyDeleteI don't get to this site as often as I should and I certainly don't thank you, your erudite commenters, and your several contributors as often as I should. Please accept this general, all round thank you for everything this blog is and all it offers.
ReplyDeleteHi Kevin - So very kind of you to say so!
ReplyDeletethank YOU!!
ReplyDelete{Part 1 of 2 Parts, with links in Pt.2}
ReplyDeleteI am quite gobsmacked at the general good will and encouragement here; thank you one and all! I am sure that Buster appreciates this even more than I do as HE takes much more time, effort, and searching to get as perfect sources as possible; my offerings are merely from "stuff" I've gathered over the Net in the last 15 years or so, and then -- not being able to stand remediable defects -- have sometimes re-edited.
The Mercury records from the mono period were under-estimated by the powers that be at Philips when the Mercury Living Presence CD releases were remastered and compiled by Wilma Cozart Fine. So I have kept my eye out and have collated some other amateur transfers, which are often QUITE decent indeed--if not up to Wilma's genius.
So, here is an installment of what I shall nickname "Oh those Russky Blogs". This is where some of these 'come to rest' having been harvested by Russian admirers from other worldwide blogs. The one thing that is consistent is THAT THEY IGNORE PROVENANCE and *never* give credit; so apologies if the original transfer technicians are denied their recognition. I have used the Discogs website to locate original cover scans and issue numbers and, in some cases, have readjusted and improved the uploads (declicking and EQing, mostly); I used to have about 95% of these in my old 13,000+ record vinyl collection; played them incessantly; and KNOW how they sounded!
But I'm not claiming the results are 'scientific' or 'ideal'; far from it! PLEASE, Philips: remaster these, even in light of the demise of "THE expert", W. C. Fine. John Eargle already had a go-round with many; perhaps his tapes are available: I know, for he told me in person, face to face, and I congratulated him for his excellent improvements.
{End of Pt. 1 - 8H Haggis}
Just wanted to add my thanks for both the sheer magnitude of generously sharing all these materials and in particular for the Dorati Borodin 2 and Brahms 3 (and overtures) - magnificent performances that supplement the "official" (mostly stereo) Mercury CDs of Dorati.
Delete{Part 2 of 2, plus DL Links}
ReplyDeleteThese old Mercury monos are -- I intuit -- probably from original Olympian or Wing commercial pressings.
1. Borodin Sym 2, MSO-Antal Dorati
2. Brahms Sym 3, overtures - MSO, AD
3. Berlioz RC Ov, Debussy Nocturnes - MSO, AD
4. Ravel Daphnis et Chloe - MSO, AD
5. Stravinsky Firebird Suite - MSO, AD
6. Brahms Sym 1, CSO, Rafael Kubelik
7. Tchaikovsky Sym 4, CSO, RK
8. Tchaikovsky Sym 6, CSO, RK
9. Kodaly String Quartet, Roth Qr.
https://www84.zippyshare.com/d/ZYJvgx6o/22323/Oh%20Those%20Russky%20Blogs%20-%20%5bOld%20LPs%20-%20Mercury%20Living%20Presence%20Monos%5d.zip
--or--
https://www84.zippyshare.com/v/ZYJvgx6o/file.html
(405 MB zipped mp3s, FLACs, cover images, some Discogs info--file may likely be deleted by ZS some 30 days after upload of 10/21/18.)
[Parenthetically: the Russian blogs where I've harvested the above items are DANGEROUS. They are monetized by sending VERY suspicious pictures and links you surely might not want to be tempted by; so to use them, I have to employ an ancient version of Firefox that has some long-deleted addons that are customizable for blocking various things. I would rather NOT give any links to them, here, because only somebody (um, like me) who is used to employing white-hat hacker techniques and anti-spyware maneuvers, can use them without suffering irreparable damage to the Window OS!]
I do have a couple other MLP monos, which I might add later; in addition, here are links to excellent FREE transfers done by David Gideon of ReDiscovery Records:
Paul Paray - Beethoven Syms 1, 2 + Mozart Sym 35; Beethoven Sym 6; Brahms Sym 4 + Wagner exc; Rimsky Antar Sym, Capriccio Espagnole, Russian Easter Ov.; individual page links found here --
http://rediscovery.us/paperbacks.html
Paul Paray - French Collection (Roussel: The Spider's Feast; Franck: Psyche; Faure: Pelleas and Melisande;
Dukas: The Sorcerer's Apprentice; Chabrier: Espana Rhapsody; Conversations with the conductor:
http://rediscovery.us/conductors2.html#057
Search for "Paray" on the pages whose links are given above.
I warn you that I shall continue to offer more folders of these goodies, which include some ancient Urania LPs never on CD; some 78 restorations; and some VERY obscure European LPs that probably had no US releases...coming soon!
8H Haggis
{Part 1 of 2 Parts}
DeleteMy family moved to the silicon valley of California some 57 years ago, just in time for me to start attending high school. That year, I discovered a large store (one of a chain called "White Front") that was the equivalent, in those days, of K-Mart, Target, or even Wal-Mart: but infinitely cheezier and sleazier!
They carried exactly TWO classical music lines: Vox single disk issues, and Mercury Wings: $1.48 per disk.
In those days, minimum wage (what my first radio job paid me, as a matter of fact) was: $1.50 per hour.
So I could work for ONE HOUR and just about pay for ONE disk--and I only managed to get ONE PER WEEK.
The reason I'm including the items in this folder of Russky blog downloads is merely that *I got them back then, and liked them*. They're not competitive with later performances; nor do they sound particularly good (not at all state of the art for the time!); and they are not by well recognized artists. *But, I still like them*! So when I saw these on a Russian blog, I grabbed 'em. In addition, a few years later I picked up some budget issues, now costing (gasp!) *$1.99* per record, a huge jump in price and straining my tiny budget! It seems ridiculous now, almost as if I'm relating something like Old Abe writing in charcoal on the back of a shovel, because he couldn't afford paper--but that's the way it was.
{End of Pt. 1 - 8H Haggis}
{Part 2 of 2, with DL links}
DeleteHere are the items in this folder:
1. Beethoven Overtures - Berlin Phil & Bamberg Sym, Joseph Keilberth (Telefunken)
2. Beethoven Syms. 1, 4, 7 - Bamberg and VSOO, Jonel Perlea
3. Beethoven Triple Concerto; Brahms Double Concerto - Walther Davisson, cond.
4. Mozart Violin Concerti 3, 4, 5, 6 - Rheinhold Barchet
5. Beethoven Egmont Overture - Walter Goehr, cond.
Plus...
6. A record I obtained around 1970: an Everest reissue of a very old early 50s Period album, with the oddity of an arrangement for cello of Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 3; plus the Boccherini Cello Cto in Bb, and a short dance arr. by Leo Weiner: with Janos Starker. I have converted the odious fake stereo back to mono again.
https://www84.zippyshare.com/d/hzb762Rh/16000/Oh%20Those%20Russky%20Blogs%20-%201%20%5bBeethoven%2c%20Brahms%2c%20Mozart%5d.zip
--or--
https://www84.zippyshare.com/v/hzb762Rh/file.html
(457 MB, mono zipped FLAC and mp3 files, plus original cover images. Theoretically, ZS says it will delete this file 30 days after the upload date of 10/21/18.)
Al least FOUR more Russky blog collection folders to come!
8H Haggis
Here is the next installment of my cornucopia of crumminess, harvested from the Russian blogs and CM sharing websites. The first three were in fact SO horrible in quality (scratchy, hummy, rumbly) that I took the trouble to clean them up and re-encoded as FLACs; the third album was marginal: JUST at the point of my line of demarcation between being able to TAKE IT and not shut it off, or to roll up my sleeves and spend 2 hours allegedly "fixing" it. I elected not to do so; ergo it's in the original unmodified mp3s I found online.
Delete1. JS Bach Harpsichord Concerti Nos. 4, 5, 7: Helma Elsner, Rolf Reinhardt. I saved this old clinker MERELY because I had purchased the Vox record (a cheapie reissue) when I was in high school. You may not care for this if you've heard ANYTHING recorded after c.1953!
2. JS Bach Double H'sichord Concerti; Finn Videro and Soren Sorensen, harpsichords; Collegium Musicum Copenhagen; Lavard Friisholm, conductor - Hyadn Society HS9048: sounds MUCH better!
3. Corelli Concerti Grossi Nr. 1-4, Opus 6; Boyd Neel C. O. cond. by Walter Goehr - again, this sounds
very good, after a slight cleanup.
4. Haydn Syms. 94 & 100; so-called "Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra", Walter Goehr. Unmodified download.
https://www84.zippyshare.com/d/zKzTjaJa/23368/Oh%20Those%20Russky%20Blogs%20-%202%20%5bBach%2c%20Corelli%5d.zip
--or--
https://www84.zippyshare.com/v/zKzTjaJa/file.html
(488 MB FLACs and mp3s, with cover images; get it BEFORE it is deleted by ZS, which promises extinction after 11/21/18.)
8H Haggis
Next group of droppings from Russky blogs includes the following items:
Delete1. Bizet Symphony in C - first recording of 1937 from Victor 78s, cond. by Walter Goehr: GOOD TRANSFER!
2. Cherubini Sym in D, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Paul Schmitz, 1941 Polydor 78s. (I think this was stolen from Satyr's blog. I did a slight re-EQ and *tried* to moderate the extremely high shellac hiss.)
3. Enescu Rumanian Rhapsodies No. 1 (PO, Ormandy) and No. 2 (Nat'l Sym of Washington, Hans Kindler), from a Victor 78 set. I cleaned this one up considerably! These are absolutely stunning performances--esp. No. 2.
4. Meytuss: Dnieper Power Station; Paris Sym Orch, Julius Ehrlich
5. Mossolov: Iron Foundry (ditto)
These last two I also used to own myself in a (Folkways?) LP I found used; I was almost thrown out of the house by my mother once, for playing Iron Foundry too loud (i. e., above a whisper) Obviously, in Russia these two old chestnuts are well-beloved!
https://www84.zippyshare.com/d/9TOkQG66/42018/Oh%20Those%20Russky%20Blogs%20-%203%20%5b78s%5d.zip
--or--
https://www84.zippyshare.com/v/9TOkQG66/file.html
(114 MB, FLACs and mp3s, often with cover pics; ZS promises to delete this folder by 10/21/18.)
8H Haggis
I have that Kodaly record and plan to transfer it in the next millennium.
DeleteI love Kindler - eager to hear this.
Thanks for it all!
I have decided to append to this bunch of Mercury monos, the 1953 Dorati/MSO recording of Morton Gould's Spirituals for Orchestra. It was transferred by my request by the proprietor of the excellent Schellackophile blog and, earlier in one of the comments here, I gave the link to it. But for simplicity's sake, if you wish to add it to my own collection of various amateur transfers of Mercury monos, above, here is that transfer (though I have to admit that I could *not* resist tweaking it a little bit, to get the Wing sound quality a bit more vivid and back to the original sound of the Olympian release, AND improving the dynamic range and moving it a bit toward CD-potential. HERESY, the purists will scream. OK, fine; whaddevah...
DeleteFun fact: during the last season of the interesting NBC Radio detective show, "Barry Craig, Confidential Investigator" starring William Gargon, THIS very record was used as intro music.
https://www36.zippyshare.com/d/jNMtFTaw/18080/Gould_Spirituals_for_Orchestra_MSO_Dorati.mp3
--or--
https://www36.zippyshare.com/v/jNMtFTaw/file.html
8H Haggis
More "Missing" Mercury MONOS...
DeleteIn late 1956, and again in 1957, Mercury's recording director C. R. Fine took his famous recording van to
Britain, to record the Halle Orchestra, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli. Eventually the records were licensed
to Pye, Marble Arch, and in the CD era have been issued in stereo by various companies. The original monos
are, of course, long out of print and aren't available. I wouldn't want to discourage anyone who is a devoted
STEREO enthusiast, who really should ignore all of these items and seek out the stereo editions (some of which
are very obscure now, and no doubt will require some web searching, and mail-order.) These performances are
definitely *not* in JB's "late" style, with extremely slow tempi and low-key introversion, but are rather
somewhat fleet, driving, and extroverted.
But, if you're still with me, that means you will listen to MONO (sometimes, with such old records, the mono
pressings sound better than the stereos, with quieter surfaces and less distortion.) Some of the items were
transferred by me, from near-mint copies that were given to me when a Santa Cruz, CA. AM radio station changed hands in the early 1980s, and disposed of nearly all of their 1000+ classical LPs, which in many cases had been played ONCE only; others came from a friend on the east coast who had some mint copies. I no longer have the physical materials as all my vinyls were sold in 1992; but tapes survive--so I had to use the Discogs website to retrieve cover images; in some cases I show the stereo cover but of course the audio is MONO.
The items include MG50159 (Dvorak Sym No. 2, now #7); MG50162 (Dv. Sym 4, now #8, plus Scherzo Cap.); MG50125 (Elgar Enigma; Purcell-JB Suite); MG50164 (Grieg Peer Gynt, Sym. Dances--please note that 2 mov'ts of Peer, and the last 2 tracks, Elegiac Melodies, were missing); MG50041 (Haydn Oboe Cto; Dvorak Serenade in d); MG50160 (Suppe Overtures); and MG50115 (RVW 8th, Bax, Butterworth). These are split up into two folders: first four
into the initial folder, last three in the second folder. Some of the cover pics are from stereo issues: mono scans seem not to be on the Net at present; again, all the transfers are long-deleted MONO issues.
{No. 1 folder: 257 MB, mp3s, Discogs supplied cover images & track info}
https://www38.zippyshare.com/d/qhZnvJIT/42128/JBMerc-1.zip
--or--
https://www38.zippyshare.com/v/qhZnvJIT/file.html
{No. 2 folder: 260 MB, mp3s, Discogs supplied cover images & track info}
https://www30.zippyshare.com/d/XRkHRoab/4348/JBMerc-2.zip
--or--
https://www30.zippyshare.com/v/XRkHRoab/file.html
Folders MAY be deleted by ZS if there are no further DL's after 11/27/18. There just *might* be one or two other unavailable Mercurys lurking around here...stay tuned.
8H Haggis
Today I took these mp3s with me and listened in the car...and to my embarrassment and annoyance found that movt's 3 and 4 of Dvorak's 7th are DEFECTIVE with numerous mutes (no data); it seems that my antique source tape, a Sony DAT, is bad. I am looking for a backup copy here, and tomorrow I shall TRY to see if the movements are clean; then I'll upload the entire 7th by JB all over again...sorry!
Delete8HH
CORRECTION of defective earlier upload of Barbirolli mono Dvorak 7 (old No. 2)
DeleteAs mentioned, data-muting occurred in numerous spots in the third and fourth movements of my first upload of Dvorak 7, the mono Halle/Barbirolli Mercury record. Turns out that a clean backup was easily found (thanks to my computer database) so I have recompiled the entire symphony. Please replace the copy in the uploaded zip folder (JBMerc-1.zip) referred to in the post I made, above, on 27 October, 2018 18:29: "More "Missing" Mercury MONOS".
https://www9.zippyshare.com/d/bsvb1g7P/21411/monoJBDv7Old2.zip
--or--
https://www9.zippyshare.com/v/bsvb1g7P/file.html
{74 MB, mp3s, zip folder--ZS will retain only for a planned 30 days, or to about 11/28/18, unless further DLs occur in a subsequent period of 30 days.}
If ANY of the other files in the folders I previously uploaded (JBMerc-1 and JBMerc-2) are defective, please add a comment HERE in the blog, and I will try to take care of the problem, if possible. Thanks for your patience.
8H Haggis
And now for more highlights of crumbly old LPs of HIGH musical and interpretive quality that I scraped from the bottom barrel of Russian bloggery.
ReplyDelete1. Ballet from Opera; Jonel Perlea and Wuertemburg State Opera Orch. I got this old Vox LP myself in the sixties, mostly because what caught my eye was the unusual selection by Bizet (STILL virtually unknown and ignored.) These are wonderfully musical and energetic performances, by a very hard-pressed orchestra that is, at times, just a bit sour; but I forgive them, since Perlea is so insightful.
2. Dvorak: Nature, Life, and Love Overtures (Opp. 91-3) The cycle is better known by the individual pieces: In Nature's Realm; Carnival; and Othello Ovs. Walter Goehr once again turns in a GRAND performance!
3. Rossini Overtures - the best known ones, BRILLIANTLY played & cond. by Mario Rossi: simply inspired. In most cases, I prefer these to Toscanini's (gasp!) not to mention Beecham--can you believe it? WHY didn't this come out again? (Mono Vanguard)
4. Schubert Sym 4 - LSO, Susskind. TRAGICALLY I was unable to locate the *STEREO* issue, which I had on LP. This is a copy of the monaural release; the second side (Sym 6) is on Mercury CD.
5. Dukas Sym in C-this may be the BEST version of all time, stunningly conducted by a huge favorite of mine, Georges Sebastian, a protege of Bruno Walter
6. Schubert (orch. Joachim) "Gastein" Symphony (transcription of the Grand Duo); VSOO, Felix Prohaska; Vanguard mono (rather antique sounding, somewhat strained recording; provincial playing; but lots of feeling. I did a HUGE, staggering amount of editing on this--and it still sounds sub-par. There is a digital reissue of this on YouTube--but it has way too much hum & added echo.)
https://www84.zippyshare.com/d/z5Ke0pdi/49903/Oh%20Those%20Russky%20Blogs%20-%204%20%5bOld%20LPs%20-%20A%5d.zip
--or--
https://www84.zippyshare.com/v/z5Ke0pdi/file.html
(470 MB FLACS and mp3s; Limited time availability, which may be cut off after 11/21/18.)
8H Haggis
OOOOH--apologies! Brain was NOT engaged before the clutch was released. It was not Walter Goehr doing the Dvorak overture cycle--but Henry Swoboda. For shame, old 8H!
DeleteI believe I have that Prohaska Gastein. It's also on the (very long) list for transfer.
DeleteI also have the Weingartner Schubert snippets arrangement (called "Symphony No. 7 in E") with Littschauer; one o'these days I shall try to clean that up, too...
DeleteBut: you don't really care for old Franz, right? I must, really, look to Schumann for you instead, Buster!
8H
Turns out that YouTube has a better sounding transfer of this than my ancient LP, which has some "blasting" due to groove damage.
Delete8HH
I would like to add a small, but very useful, addendum to the Liszt performances by the great Georges Sebastian. Almost a decade ago, a friend of mine on the east coast transferred Sebastian's 1954 Urania Lp (URLP 7139) of Prokofiev's Sym. No. 4 (Op.47, original version) and a 5-movement suite from the ballet L'Enfant Prodigue, Op. 46, with the Concerts Colonne Orchestra, from a very good condition monaural LP. But he was distressed by the "strain" in the high frequencies, and the harsh, dry acoustic. I applied a bit of extra noise reduction to two tracks to repair some localized defects, and added my "patented Haggisizing" spatial processing and EQ 'sweetening' to try to make the sound more amenable to modern listeners.
DeleteI haven't played my CDR of this in several years, and tonight checked it out to see if it was worth adding...and I think it is! The performances, as usual for Georges Sebastian, are first rate indeed.
178 MB folder of zipped lossless FLACs, plus original cover and label scans, and library details. Liner notes by the renowned music critic and audio writer, Edward Tatnall Canby! (I think the scan is sharp enough to read them, with some effort.) Please note: file is a LIMITED AVAILABILITY offering on Zippyshare, which MAY delete it in the period following a thirty-day period after upload on 11/4/18.
https://www99.zippyshare.com/d/QoKFXWWg/32779/Prokofiev%20Sym%20No.%204%3b%20Georges%20Sebastian%2c%20Concerts%20Colonne%20Urania%207139.zip
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https://www99.zippyshare.com/v/QoKFXWWg/file.html
8H Haggis
I got some kind words (privately) regarding the collaborative transfer of Prokofiev by George Sebastian and the Colonne Orchestra--and, to my amazement, from an audiophile friend who USUALLY completely eschews old records. Whatever I did (and I know what I did!) it seems to have unlocked his usual resistance.
DeleteErgo: why not try the same settings on *2 more* old 1954-55 Urania LPs that were produced by the same pair of culprits: my east coast collector friend who did the raw transfer and delicking; and with my "patented Haggisizing" to try to ameliorate the paint-peeling EQ and the dry acoustic.
George Sebastian is one of my friend's all-time favorite conductors; did he EVER release a bad, a poor, or even a dull/routine record? Doubt it.
Here is one that has Schubert's Symphony No. 3 in D, Colonne Orch again. The diskmate was FS's Sixth--but my friend tells me that our helpful nanny state destroyed it. You see, he was using Megashare as a cloud service and =bingo= one fine day the government erased some 2 GB of his personal disk collection transfers (and...he's an EMPLOYEE of the *same* government, to boot; one had giveth, the other taketh away.) But at least we're safe from a morbidly obese Germano-Kiwi arch-field. If my collector buddy ever manages to transfer the 6th I shall surely get it; but don't hold your breath.
The other disk is an odd assortment mostly by Sebastian: Respighi's Brazilian Impressions and two Granados dances; the filler added to make up a reasonable length LP by Urania is Chavez's Toccata for Percussion, credited to the Gotham Percussion Players.
I've put MY stamp on these so Internet Shysters: just you TRY to repackage and sell 'em! I'll KNOW. It is my point of view that these sorts of things should be work done for the love of it, and GIVEN AWAY to other amateur enthusiasts, who appreciate and enjoy them. Ironically, the guys who DO exploit such stuff and sell it are...the Russians. (Hey--what about "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need"? I guess there's no more zealous kapitalist than a reformed soviet communist.)
{241 MB, flacs, plus covers; LIMITED TIME AVAILABILITY, as ZS will not *guarantee* to serve them post-30 days after upload (11/7/18); but you never know.}
https://www68.zippyshare.com/d/0ikIaftP/9167/GeorgeSebastian2Uranias.zip
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https://www68.zippyshare.com/v/0ikIaftP/file.html
8H Haggis
Sebastian Schubert UPDATE!
DeleteEarlier I uploaded a transfer of the c.1954 Urania LP of Schubert's Third Symphony by George Sebastian; the owner of the LP lost his digital transfer of No. 6, so only half of the record was provided. I requested another copy--and he kindly RE-TRANSFERRED the entire record for me today.
He also pointed out that in the Third I previously uploaded, there was a detectable residual hum at the end of the second, and start of the third, movement. I checked this on a better speaker at higher volume, and heard it clearly. So I took his NEW transfer and devised a complex filter to remove the various harmonics just in those affected passages. The Third, is, therefore, a new and improved one, better than my previous upload.
The Sixth posed many challenges. There were thumps, ticks, snaps, and a bad tape speed jerk in the opening measures and also in a wind passage later in the first movement. I did my best to correct all of these problems.
Finally, with the EQ balanced for a much less strident and thin quality than on the original LP, a low frequency hall background rumble was now evident (could this be why that LP had significantly cut bass?) I had to run two passes of subtle, very narrowly tuned, NR to get that down in amplitude to the point that it does not intrude.
If you got the earlier upload I did a day or two ago, ERASE IT and replace it with this new one--and also get the 'missing' Sixth Symphony of Schubert.
If you heard and liked Sebastian's splendid version of the Third, I think you'll be delighted with his new revision and completion of the original Urania LP release.
{212 MB lossless FLACs, with covers. LIMITED TIME AVAILABILITY by ZS, which won't guarantee its presence after a thirty-day period following the original upload on 11/18/18.}
https://www119.zippyshare.com/d/5rr3y2OG/15221/Schubert%20Sym%203%2c%206%20-%20George%20Sebastian%2c%20Urania-improved.zip
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https://www119.zippyshare.com/v/5rr3y2OG/file.html
8H Haggis
This just ISN'T my day (week). No sooner had I uploaded this, above, than my friend Don -- who did the original raw disk transfer -- listened and noticed yet another patch of hum in the second movement that I did NOT correct. It's worse--more exposed.
DeleteThe result of 90 minutes of fussing is a quite noticeable section where the bass goes thin (to reduce the deepest part of the buzzing) but the nasty upper harmonics still cannot be removed--as they are totally embedded in the instrument fundamentals. Then, there is a sudden cut back to "flat" again--the best I could do after MANY tries. This calls for the very complex CEDAR denoising system, so get EMI to do it! (Might cost you a few tens of thousands. Maybe there is another reader of this blog who has some software I haven't tried and will be more successful--certainly possible.)
At any rate, here is yet ANOTHER version of the second movement of the Schubert Third by Sebastian, if you'd like to compare them and make the substitute, if the changes (alleged cure) are not worse than the disease: a 16 MB flac file--
https://www64.zippyshare.com/d/EVdBHpAn/6277/06%20Schubert%20Symphony%20Nr.%203%20in%20D%20-%202.%20Allegretto%20%28fix%29.flac
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https://www64.zippyshare.com/v/EVdBHpAn/file.html
A Chastened 8H Haggis
Talk about O-C! I am not sure this second try is any better--but it's a little different.
Deletehttps://www64.zippyshare.com/d/PSxEufJ3/37015/06%20Schubert%20Symphony%20Nr.%203%20in%20D%20-%202.%20Allegretto%20%28fix--2%29.flac
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https://www64.zippyshare.com/v/PSxEufJ3/file.html
At this point, I'm movin' on to something else!
8H Haggis - last word on this problem; I promise!
8H - Heroic effort! My view of these things is you can only do what you can do.
DeleteAnother gross group of old and mostly long forgotten LPs, known to at least a handful of enthusiastic Russian bloggers who took the trouble to upload them. And I took the trouble to DOWNLOAD them--and often try to fix up some of their clams and clinkers.
ReplyDelete1. Saint-Saens Piano Concertos 1-5, plus the Septet. Jeanne-Marie Darre; ORTF; Fourtestier. In c.1971 I was prileged to be able to purchase, in SF at a "boutique" store, a then-new deluxe French HMV box that issued these monophonic recordings from c.1954: at the time, I considered them all *definitive*. That LP set is long gone, so I perked up when I found the available mp3s; but be warned that SOMETIMES they sound really great, and clean--and at other times, a grungier copy has been inserted. To me, little matter: the music is absolutely stunning in these renderings!
2. Vaughan Williams: Five Tudor Portraits; Pittsburgh Sym & Chorus; The Mendelssohn Choir Of Pittsburgh; William Steinberg - Capitol mono (live rec.) WHO KNEW? I was too young to care when this was first released, so -- to me -- the introduction came in the 70s with a British performance on Angel. Well--this is JUST as good! Mono, but vivid 1953 sound.
3. Verdi Manzoni Requiem; Moscow PO, St. Academic Chorus; Vishnevskaya, Isakova, Ivanovsky, Petrov; Igor Markevitch. A positively SAVAGE, wrenching performance from 1960, which was issued by Artia on the Parliament label (in the US) in fake stereo or mono. This upload had no cover or info; I suspect it was a rip of the Philips mono issue (but on 2-tr. mp3s); I added the beautiful Parliament cover. I never found a copy of it that sounded THIS clean; mine had horrendous bubbles! This one is, comparitively, excellent.
4. Rimsky-Korsakov: Christmas Eve Suite; Berlin RSO, Leopold Ludwig (perhaps c.1950, Urania) The Russian blogger did not upload the reverse side; drat! But he did supply an odd can of the label, complete with piece of Scotch tape (?)
https://www84.zippyshare.com/d/oYJliKpW/36533/Oh%20Those%20Russky%20Blogs%20-%205%20%5bOld%20LPs%20-%20B%5d.zip
--or--
https://www84.zippyshare.com/v/oYJliKpW/file.html
(458 MB FLACs and mp3s; covers included. Be sure to DL before the ZS cutoff date, around 11/21/18.)
8H Haggis
German classicism is joined by Russian romanticism, in this collection of the Russkies' records:
ReplyDelete1. Beethoven 4 Overtures, a rare Vox record by the VSOO under the direction of one...um...JH (can you guess?)
2. Beethoven Syms. 4 and 8; Berling PO and Bamberg SO, Keilberth (it's remarkable to hear his LvB with the BPO, and realize that Karajan did NOT have very far to go...)
3-4. Two Mozart LPs on Capitol monos, by the Pittsburgh SO under William Steinberg (it's just possible that some of this would have been done in stereo)--Syms 35, 40, 41, EKN. The first of the two transfers is very shrill, so one must turn down the treble (I haven't fixed it.)
5. Mozart Sym 40; Schubert Sym. 8 - Fritz Lehmann with VSO, BPO respectively. I spent a long time carefully tweaking this outstanding record!
6. Tchaikovsky The Seasons - USSR Sym Orch, Alexander Gauk. I first obtained this on a really crumbly sounding Russian MK LP back in the late sixties; this transfer sounds much better.
https://www84.zippyshare.com/d/6QjALqMF/163/Oh%20Those%20Russky%20Blogs%20-%206%20%5bOld%20LPs%20-%20C%5d.zip
--or--
https://www84.zippyshare.com/v/6QjALqMF/file.html
(451 MB, FLACs and mp3s; to be cut off by ZS at a promised date of a month after the upload on 10.21.18.)
8H Haggis
Thanks for the Darre! Love her. I have that VW.
ReplyDeleteJascha Horenstein?
I am keeping a wary eye on the kopypolizei...you may hypothesize as you wish. The innards of the file have the actual cover.
Delete8H
Mainstream *only* with regard to the composers, this is another collection of Russky reminiscences (a few of which were SO crappy and crackly that I *had* to revise them.)
ReplyDeleteFrom Beethoven --
1. Symphony No. 2, mono performance by Leipzig Gewandhaus Orch. under Franz Konwitschny (one of my all-time favorite conductors; his nickname, I'm told, was "Kon-Whiskey". Does that suggest something...?
2. Sym 3, Gewandhaus, F. K. again
3. Sym 5 & Leonore Ov. 3 - Leipzig RSO, F. K. yet again (from various Eterna and Urania LPs)
4. Sym 9 - VSO, soli, chorus, JH (I'm being coy; YOU know what I mean!)
From Hindemith --
5. Four Temperaments; Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber - Decca Gold Label LP with BPO cond. by the composer
6. Symphonic Dances - Decca Gold Seal, BPO under composer. (I always loved this cover; it was my introduction to Hindemith, back in 1961.
https://www84.zippyshare.com/d/NaDHWYtZ/19398/Oh%20Those%20Russky%20Blogs%20-%207%20%5bOld%20LPs%20-%20D%5d.zip
--or--
https://www84.zippyshare.com/v/NaDHWYtZ/file.html
(429 MB, FLACs and mp3s; to be cut off by ZS at a promised date of about 30 days after the upload on 10.21.18.)
8H Haggis
I didn't add that these Konwitschny Beethoven performances from Leipzig are NOT the more familiar stereo cycle, recorded very vividly in 1960 and currently available on Berlin Classics CDs. These are older--perhaps from c.1950 to 1952, and are monos.
Delete8HH
This bunch o'Russky blogger material features 3 LPs of Liszt, venerable old Uranias that I have known and loved since the end of the sixties; a delightful LP of woodwind selections ("Pastorales") by the Philadelphia Wind Ensemble, from Columbia; and the thrilling Zdenek Chalabala interpretation of Scheherazade, from an old Parliament LP.
ReplyDelete1. Liszt on Urania - Faust and Dante Symphonies; Colonne Orch, Georges Sebastian. I really don't think later versions are MUSICALLY better than these items, c.1953. I also added the tone poem Mazeppa, with Kurt Graunke cond. Bavarian State orchestra. These all sounded very hollow, and required some midrange fine-tuning to improve the naturalness of the balance.
2. "Pastorales" by the Philadelphia Wind Quintet et al. - a 1964 Columbia Masterworks LP, recorded in stereo (though all I could get was a rip of the MONO pressing--darn! The music includes works by Grainger, de Wailly, Persichetti, Stravinsky, Pierne, Jolivet, and Milhaud. NOW, folks: anybody have a clean STEREO copy?
3. Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade. Cz PO, Zdenek Chalabala. This is a rip of the electrifying old Supraphon performance, as issued on the US label Parliament, is from PLP-103.
https://www84.zippyshare.com/d/iI9pdQkd/34400/Oh%20Those%20Russky%20Blogs%20-%208%20%5bOld%20LPs%20-%20E%5d.zip
--or--
https://www84.zippyshare.com/v/iI9pdQkd/file.html
(448 MB, FLACs and mp3s; to be cut off by ZS at a promised date of a month after the upload on 10.21.18.)
8H Haggis
I definitely do not have that Philly LP.
DeleteWhen you hear the mono copy, you WILL want one!
Delete8HH
My LAST collection in this upload: a real Russky grab-bag, for most every taste! Thanks, tovarich!
ReplyDelete1. Bartok Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste - Los Angeles Chamber Sym. conducted by Harold Byrns, a very hi-fi 1949 Capitol LP of an outstanding performance.
2. Franck: Sym in d - an outstanding performance from the early fifties, by the now-obscure conductor Hans Wolf, with the "Austrian Symphony", on Remington.
3. Howard Hanson, Eastman-Rochester Symphony early-fifties' records for Columbia: MacDowell PC 2 (Sanroma); Hanson PC (Firkusny); and Grieg Holberg Suite.
4. A Telefunken record by the now-obscure pianist, Poldi Milner, with Arthur Rother cond. the RIAS Sinfonietta (early 50s) in Liszt PC 1, and Weber Konzertstueck.
5. A crackling good performance of Prokofiev's Classical Symphony, with Abram Stasevich and the USSR Symphony.
6. Beautiful and grave performances of Schubert 2nd and 8th Symphonies - Pittsburgh, Steinberg (Capitol mono).
7. Haydn Sym 45 "Farewell" with the VSOO under Hans Swarowsky.
8. Mendelssohn Sym 3, "Scottish", with Steinberg/Pittsburgh, another Capitol mono LP.
9. Prokofiev Sym No. 7, the first recording, with Samuel Samosud & the Moscow RTV Orch (orig. ending), with a cover image I've cleaned up and relabeled.
https://www84.zippyshare.com/d/i3vjXtjn/48666/Oh%20Those%20Russky%20Blogs%20-%209%20%5bOld%20LPs%20-%20F%5d.zip
--or--
https://www84.zippyshare.com/v/i3vjXtjn/file.html
(487 MB, FLACs and mp3s; to be removed by ZS about 30 days after the upload on 10.21.18.)
8H Haggis
That Hanson piano concerto/Grieg record has appeared on this blog, although I don't think I ever got the sound right. I've never heard Poldi Milner; looking forward to that one.
ReplyDeleteThat's funny! I know I did not get it from you--but maybe the RUSSIAN BLOGGER did, though. All I did, other than locating original Columbia covers, was to excise the needle cue-up scratch heard RIGHT at the begining of the works, which suggested to me that it had been a radio-station copy, played on those old heavy arms with a GE variable reluctance cartridge, and cued up repeatedly.
Delete8H Haggis
Thanx for the Howard Hanson music. In the late 70's, when I was a kid, he was my neighbor 3 doors down, he and his wife lived a modest townhouse, and he would let us vacation at his second home on Lake Chatauqua... he was a kindly creative spirit, and I appreciate your blog reminding me of this great man.
ReplyDeletelil m - Thanks for writing! There are a number of other Hanson records here:
ReplyDeletehttp://big10inchrecord.blogspot.com/search/label/Howard%20Hanson
{Part 1 of 2}
DeleteHoward Hanson: "Missing" Mercury Mono--
Here is an exceptionally valuable Mercury, MG50106, released in mono-only in 1957: Howard Hanson conducting the Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra in three works which, at the time, seemed very "modernistic" and forbidding; now they are "conservative" in this post-Second Viennese School and minimalism era. The most traditional work is Alan Hovhaness' "Prelude and Quadruple Fugue" of almost 8 minutes' duration; this was definitely NOT recorded in stereo by Mercury, as it was re-released in FAKE stereo in the mid-sixties in a collection-album.
The least known composer is Ronald Lo Presti, of whom an online bio states, "Ronald Lo Presti studied at the renowned Eastman School of Music in Rochester and got his Bachelor of Music as his Master of Music (1956) with the composition Two symphonic sketches. He then became a music teacher and clarinet instructor at various public schools. Later he became professor at the Texas Tech University in Lubbock and continued on to the Indiana State College (Pennsylvania) in Indiana. In 1964 he was a lecturer for music theory at the Arizona State University in Tempe..." His work, here, is "The Masks", was composed while he studied with Hanson; there is a stereo recording by the Oregon Symphony under James DePreist, of which an Amazon reviewer states, ". The most obvious stylistic influence is perhaps Hindemith, but the music has a certain Barberesque quality to it as well."
The original uploader of this album, whose transfer was grievously flawed, was nevertheless a canny music-lover; he wrote,"I like the last piece very much; LoPresti was a rather prolific composer and arranger and he has a firm grasp on orchestral textures along with a solid gift in melody. Hanson, of course, proves a strong advocate of the music in this program since he was well acquainted with each composer in both a professional and personal setting. All composers write in a highly listenable vein which is bent on a conservative streak. Nuthin' wrong with that!"
{End of Part 1 of 2, by 8HH}
{Part 2 of 2, plus links}
DeleteThe final work, of 17' duration, is the better-known suite, "The Black Maskers", by Roger Sessions, dating from 1928 (about two decades before he began to adopt serial techniques), by one of America's most distinguished composers. An alternate issue from the 3-track stereo masters of 5 May *1956* has been issued officially by Mercury on CD (and later on SACD); this monophonic version is drawn from the center track, taken down by one Telefunken 201 mike, and to some listeners, may have a slightly less 'claustrophobic' balance (some of us Mercury Living Presence enthusiasts find that C. R. Fine's miking technique, for stereo, seems TOO CLOSE; ironically, the center track mike, being further from the far left and right of the ensemble, gets a true "point source" pickup.)
The upload is a composite of two transfers, one done by a very skilled audiophile and musician friend of mine in Chicago, who provided the Sessions mono disk. The other two tracks were "recovered" by me, from a now-defunct blog; the uploader had NO idea how to transfer such records properly, resulting in a diminishment of the highs by a maximum of more than 15 dB at the top of the spectrum; his turntable also had rumble. I corrected these problems as much as possible, without seriously degrading the sound, and *tried* to match the results to the "true" transfer of the Sessions. The overall sound quality is rather antiquated by modern digital standards, being too "in your face": as the Telefunken mike had a VERY pronounced resonant peak from 8 to 10 kHz, and perhaps a slight elevation at the top end (the mike capsule in this gadget was very close to Telefunken's original design of the 1930s; I worked with a similar model at a SF FM station in the sixties, and -- boy! -- was it *bright*! You really cannot "fix" the sound with equalization, due to the shape of its boosted curve.) In addition, the 'Mercury disk-cut' (even in a pressing with RIAA equalization) is extremely hot: ergo, "Living Presence" as it was presented in the 1950s, for the taste and gear of the audiophiles of the period. I can *stand* it--but I'm imprinted, as a long time collector of such LPs for more than half a century!
{75 MB, FLACs, with Discogs supplying cover scan & track info; LIMITED TIME folder which MAY be deleted by ZS if not regularly DL'ed after 11/27/18.}
https://www79.zippyshare.com/d/pVCDppfX/42716/Hanson-ERO-50106.zip
-or-
https://www79.zippyshare.com/v/pVCDppfX/file.html
8H Haggis
I have this Sessions/Lo Presti/Hovhaness LP and can transfer it when I get a chance. It's in a pile of dozens of LPs of American music that I may never get to.
Delete{Part 1 of 2 Parts}
ReplyDelete"Missing" Mono Schumann, by Paul Paray...
Years ago, I had an interesting email exchange with a certain very talented and experienced northeastern USA audio engineer, who not only restores old vinyl records to updated digital media, but also specializes in the live recording of symphonic ensembles: ergo, he KNOWS how the original sound, in the hall, compares with what his state of the art gear picks up!
The problem with many less experienced audiophiles is this: THEY DO NOT MAKE ORIGINAL RECORDINGS. So, no matter how much "received wisdom" they may acquire, and even if their record library is huge: the DO NOT KNOW how the real, professional sound engineer works in the venue. This particular gentleman indeed DOES; in fact, he sent me a private copy of a live Sacre...that beats ANY AND EVERY commercial recording I've EVER heard, bar none: and nearly recreates the experience I once had while sitting in the sixth row at a George Cleve, San Jose Symphony live concert (when I was program annotator for that orchestra.)
The engineer in question -- I do not know if he'd appreciate my identifying him; so I won't! -- and I shared the opinion that the Mercury Living Stereo records were NOT as well balanced as the mono ones. C. R. Fine pioneered a special technique of having three WIDELY spaced condenser mikes (usually a Telefunken 201 in the center, and two TF U47s of M56s at the sides), onto a 3-track Ampex 300 tape deck. The mono issues were made with the CENTER channel, providing true "point source" pickup; the stereo LPs (and, by extension, the modern Mercury CD issues) were a mix-down, with a blending of the center mike into each of the two channels. With the outer mikes so far apart, a 2-point pickup would seem odd; the addition of the center firmed up the overall proscenium.
But, *sometimes* it did NOT work out well at all! Certain Mercury recordings in the more spacious halls, with mikes at a reasonable distance, could have verisimilitude (and a similarity to Decca's vaunted "Tree" with several nearly identical model mikes -- center, and outriggers -- more closely arrayed than Fine's typical layout.) RCA Victor Living Stereo often emulated Fine, with even MORE than three mikes; some of them (like Reiner's Pathetique) have bizarre, exaggerated separation. Well, in the very dry halls (like Detroit's Ford Auditorium), Fine placed the mikes TOO CLOSE in certain early stereo recordings of Paray. Such a one I offer here--in the mono edition, for those of you who have the stereo to be able to compare.
{End of Pt 1 - 8HH}
{Part 2 of 2, and link}
DeleteMercury taped this performance of Schumann's Rhenish on 9 November 1956 in 3-track stereo; but to me (heartily agreed with by my NE friend) the result sounds 'claustrophobic', making the performance seem manic, overly aggressive and fussy, and with Schumann's clumsy orchestration (original version) and "chugging" inner voices seem crude and over-emphasized. Yet, the center-mike MONO version nearly competely erases those defects! (But, the bass response in the mono version *does* seem, to me, to be a mite too heavy; I have left this VERY pristine, accurate transfer alone and haven't changed the balance.)
My friend once tried to illustrate this by uploading a link to RMCR of his transfer of the MONO record, MG50133, and I believe that he did prove his point rather incontrovertibly! The stereo version is currently available on a commercial Mercury CD (in a set of all 4 Schumann syms, the 4th being a mono-only earlier record, the rest in stereo.) I first bought the same monophonic release around 1960 and enjoyed it; but when I later replaced it with a stereo version, I was also perturbed. Stereo is great--if it's REALISTIC.
I suspect that my acquaintance won't object to my bringing his example to light again, at least for a brief while.
{25 MB, mp3, with original mono cover image embedded; file MAY be deleted by ZS after about 11/27/18, if there are no further DLs.}
https://www117.zippyshare.com/d/uelRxSWm/4105/RS_Sym3_DSO_PP_MONO_MG50133.mp3
-or-
https://www117.zippyshare.com/v/uelRxSWm/file.html
8H Haggis, the Luddite and Throwback
My computer flags these downloads as very dangerous - what do I do?
ReplyDeleteDepends on the browser. ZS has NEVER damaged any of mine, but I use (a) Ad-Block; and (b) some Firefox add-ons that allow one to selectively block certain Javascript. When I use ZS at home, it NEVER opens extra pages nor presents questionable ads and dangerous scripts. Other folks report that it's an annoying service--but it's the only one I could find that allows a NON-REGISTERED user (thus not having to supply an email address and be bombarded for life by junk) to upload, free, 500 MB of data per chunk. The files are not guaranteed to be available after a MONTH past upload; but often they stay around for quite a while, if they keep getting DL requests.
DeleteI have a suggestion: keep an OLD PC running; use an OLD browser (I employ Firefox 3.6) and use the techniques mentioned. Don't subject your brand new Win 10 machine with updated Chrome, or Edge, or other browser that AUTOMATICALLY and INSTANTLY activates any damned thing that these types of websites throws at them.
"You get what you pay for" is the operative factor here. If you are not willing to be AT LEAST AS SNEAKY, on your part, as a user, as the websites are, you MAY be at risk--not just from ZS, but from any number of commercial sites that really mean you HARM, monetizing their free services by "offering" (heh!) things you don't want, don't need, and should RUN AWAY FROM with all haste!
Sorry.
8H Haggis
Arrieu - Zippyshare will usually load some nuisance windows or tabs when you click on the download button. Close those windows or tabs and try again. Your computer is probably flagging the page because of these.
Delete8H - I too use an old version of Firefox for this, and used it for everything until recently, when the browser functions started breaking.
When I download from Zippyshare, I click on "Open Link in Mew Tab". That way I don't get popups.
DeleteThank you for all these great uploads. It's like rummaging through my oldest records. Memories of "Record Hunter" store.