The New-Old Classical vinyl

While there is a good number of entries around classical music on vinyl that go back several years across the posts on this blog they are around those bought a fair bit in the past but in looking at the collection, not least finding some missing discs there's been some gap filling and replacements.

Take this Vaughan Williams set that has great accounts of The Lark, Fantasia on Greensleeves and his Sixth Symphony which was originally issued around 1991on cd for Teldec but only came out on record as classical lps just were not made new after about 1990 in 2022.

It's a similar story here where my original Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 was a Russian recording by the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra on classics for pleasure but I did by on cd the Piano Concerto No.2 which came out in 1994 when you could go whistle for a new recording on vinyl.

Strangely enough that recording of the First made in 1991 was never issued at the time - perhaps DG held it back as they a high profile recording session lined up for another soloist they wished to promote instead.

This pairing only came out on vinyl in late 2021.

Then sometimes you get a recording old enough that might of bought back in the day but recently remixed and re-issued sounding much freshier and firmer sounding such as Gulda's recording of Mozart's Piano Concertos 25 and 27 for the first time ever direct from the original master tapes.

Re-released in 2016, their recording which was part of the Mozart series they covered of the Piano Concertos 20 and 21 was one I original had on chrome cassette as a DG Galleria issue from 1986 but recorded in 1975.

The re-release uses the original artwork.

Anne-Sophie Mutter's début recording of Mozart's Violin Concertos 3 and 5 always was a favourite of mine but this record re-issued in 2016 sounds so much fuller than the original from back in 1978

This stunning account of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique by the Boston Sympony Orchestra conducted by Osawa from 1973 sounds amazing cut and remixed from the original four track master tape.

Same orchestra this time conducted by Czech born Kubelik perform here arguably the best ever account of Smetana's Ma valst, his massive homage to his native Slovenia with great passion.

This was one I had on tape for a period but this record simply is amazing sounding for a recording made in 1973.

Similar story with this 2017 issue of Schubert's Trout Quintet to go with my original copy of the 9th "Great" Symphony in a much loved performance by Amadeus Quartet conducted by Zepperitz with Giles playing the piano.

This is a classic account from 1970 of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto, a kind of replacement for the recording I had in my teens,

This little sub series of posts really looks at classical music on record that either didn't get an original vinyl release or where it has been reissued on vinyl often with new mastering.

Much of the action when it comes to classical record releases today is centred around recordings from the 1960's to 1970's recorded on analogue tape with just a handful of new digitally recorded titles.

This bias towards older analogue era performances isn't just a preference to particular recordings but the idea only tape should be cut to vinyl, a viewpoint having grown up in and bought new digitally recorded records between the late 1970's and mid 80's I cannot agree with having loved those I did get.

Thus last year that most English of classical labels Hyperion decided to start a limited vinyl reissue series of its much loved mainly digitally recorded titles starting with a batch of five and this March they issued a further five.

Debussy for me was music I loved as young child and Stephen Osbourne's modern (2016) recording of the original piano versions of Images and especially Children's Corner is very much me so I was glad to add this to the collection.

Mendelssohn always held a fascination and there are few records of his music in the collection (and a great many on cd the Mendelssohn in Birmingham series on Chandos for instance) so a series of recordings by Felix AND Fanny's String Quartets held an interest having the cd versions by the Takacs Quartet from 2021.

They were birthday presents on pre-order from Presto

This was one from the first bunch I bought with excellent performances of the Violin Concertos in a  2016 recording.

Steven Hough's 2011 set of the complete Chopin Waltzes was something else!

Back to the other sort of reissue, remixed direct from the 8 track analogue tape, this account by the Berlin Philharmonic musically was always a firm favourite of Dvorak's Ninth but suffered in it's recording and is certainly an improvement on the 1974 original having grown up literally on that.

Pollini was a genius of the Piano and this set of Chopin's 24 Preludes is essential.

There have been many great accounts of Le Sacre de Printemps but the London Symphony Orchestra account from the mid 1970's conducted by the great Cludio Abbado is a firm favourite and was my first on compact disc.

The freshly mastered from the original multitrack tapes directly version here sounds really amazing and the cover art was exceptional which is always better on a bigger canvas.

The violin is an instrument I really do like and this late 2024 reissue from the 1985 previously Emi Angel  digital recording of Lalo's Symphonie Espagnole one of the finest by the German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is superb.

The rear cover apart from notes shows the original album cover.

In with the new was this May 2025 recording of Shostakovitch's two Cello Concertos performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra with the celebrated Yo-Yo Ma on cello conducted by Andris Nelsons, part of a new series of recordings by DG by that composer and amazingly being issued on vinyl too as it's are for new recordings to come out on vinyl.

Talking of that series Yuja Wangs playing on this recording of the Piano Concertos was much liked by the at times snooty anti digital vinyl The Tracking Angle magazine and technically superb.

This is a rarity for other reasons, it is an old school box set with the records in inner sleeves in the box with a booklet rather than in a jacket (or individual jackets), the way we bought them in vinyls heyday.

This is a set of all Brahms's symphonys recorded live in 2008 and issued on compact disc in 2009 during Sir Simon Rattle's tenure as principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra gaining awards but was not issued on vinyl until late 2022.

It was recorded and issued by Emi Classics but following the demise of Emi as a separate concern in 2013, Emi Classics was absorbed into Warner Classics who produced this box set.

A much talked about pianist is Yuja Wang, a Chinese-American performer and in 2023 she recorded all four of Rachmaninov's Piano Concertos for D.G. with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and this was issued as three lps in a gatefold sleeve where it can live next to a classic vintage record of the Third.

In June this classic 1976 account by Maurizo Pollini was reissued and remastered from the original four track tapes in the DG The Original Source series as a double 45 rpm set gaining as the original was just over an hour on a single discs that compromised the sound.

In October this pioneering account of Bachs Overtures BWV 1066 and 1068 using traditional instruments by English Concert conducted by Trevor Pinnock was reissued, mastered direct from the original 8 track tapes.

As ever I'll add to it over time.

Classics that were forgotten

This week we are catching up with things that arrived at Tammy's while away.

Hjalmar Borgstrom  the Norwegian composer has been well on the way to being rediscovered since the beginning of the new millennium. 

Some composers do long disappear from public consciousness over time and he is one of his most important works were performed in his native Norway until the Second World War.

No one seems to know just why that was.

 Until his death in 1925, he had also played an important role as a critic too.

With the premiere of his two operas and above all the rediscovery of his extraordinarily picturesque symphonic tone poems, a new page in this story of finding acceptance.

A contemporary of Richard Strauss who studied with Johan Severin Svendsen and Carl Reinecke among others, proves to be a legitimate descendant of Franz Liszt and Richard Wagner; it is difficult to escape the captivating boldness of his programmatic concepts and their unconventionally beautiful realization.

I found these works on regular cd from WDR radio recordings encouraged by a favourable Presto review highly enjoyable.

 

Some classical music composers are well known, being household names even amongst those who aren't greatly interested such as Mozart, Beethoven,Chopin and Holst and yet others are seldom heard and even less played regardless of their musics quality.

Clara Schumann a member of well known family that included Robert whose works are much programmed in concert halls is such an example.

Clara Josephine Schumann (née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, she exerted her influence over the course of a 61-year concert career, changing the format and repertoire of the piano recital by lessening the importance of purely virtuosic works. She also composed solo piano pieces, a piano concerto (her Op. 7), chamber music, choral pieces and songs.

Part of the reason may down to her anxiety and issues with how she saw her own works, often requiring her brother's support to compose and have performed for the public in an era that required a certain amount of self publicity and getting sponsors to act as advocates for your music.

Secure employment even for the best was uncommon and thus over time we heard nothing of her works, indeed it wasn't until the 1996 Proms season a work was performed and on the opening night of this years prom in July we were treated to a performance of her Piano Concerto.

That artist made a recording a few years ago for Decca Records with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic coupled with selection of other piano works  and I recently bought a copy out of curiosity, finding the complexity of her scores fascinating.

Of ghouls and notes

 It's Wednesday again and so in this old meets new blog we look at past and present on the same page.

The world is getting spooky with lanterns and giant spiders webs emerging as we progress through October although the spiders wed I'm sleeping with is fairly small as I just don't have the heart to evict him.

Marshmallows  have been declared VAT exempt following a court ruling because they are primary for toasting which of course we all love to do over an open camp fire on sticks.

While war rages over Ukraine and the City of Liverpool is to host next years Eurovision song contest for that country I did pick up a box set of symphonies to play as the nights get darker and my legs get soaked.

Rachmaninov's symphonies always had an appeal having bought a record of the the Third in 1989 which was to be the last record of classical music I had bought until last month and this rounds up over four full discs all the symphonies and some interesting shorter works such as Symphonic Dances in well performed versions in digital sound.

I also got this great set of recordings by the French composer, Ravel  from the same era that all fits in four compact discs.

Someone should tell Mr. Hifi Bore digital recording is the norm for classics

A spot more Beethoven and his violin sonatas

This blog has always had features and reviews on things I like from its earliest days and music is no exception which is we this is our current entry.

Sometimes people may say "But you've got one recording of" as you take ownership of another.

The amazing thing in the world of classical music is that often different combinations of conductors and players have different things to say from the same score of a composition over and above any technical differences in the sound.

For me this group of three Sonata's as performed by the acclaimed violinist Rachel Podger with Christopher Glynn on piano brings a freshness to the score I haven't heard before and there is a magical airiness in the recording that just takes you into the venue.
 

Recorded in a gap between covid restrictions that hit performance live and recorded hard  this is one to keep I feel.

Technically this plays in stereo on a regular cd player and stereo plus surround sound for those with super audio cd players or other equipment that can play them such as some Blu Ray players.

Beethoven and his opera

We last touched this series in May so we're probably overdue an entry here.

Proms season returned late July after last years were very much affected by Covid-19 to the point of not just performers socially distancing but even with no actual audience present which wasn't really the coming together to enjoy the music we so love.

Thursday August 19th saw a performance of many operatic arias and overtures some of which I was familiar with such as Bizet's Carmen and others less so.

One I have more recently getting familiar with is Beethoven's Fidelio which compositionally is flawed - a chunk of spoken dialogue that's dry being one  but has some great 'songs'.

Just in time I bought this recent recording that plays in regular stereo cd and in stereo or multichannel super audio cd for better sound which was a lot better engineered than a performace I tried first that helped appreciate it.

Beethoven and the Violin

This week in the regular series that looks at my collection of super audio compact discs we're looking at just one composer, Beethoven.

I have a complete set on regular cd of all ten Violin Sonatas that date from around 1964-1966 which are well played and I was looking for a new set.

Last year the first issue in a three disc series by pianist Frank Peter Zimmerman and Martin Helmchen on violin was issued to great acclaim which covers the first four.

In April the second volume was issued  that takes us through the highly popular fifth to the seventh which I got on the may day hol.

Eventually in August 2020 they were able to get together to record this second and last set of Beethoven's concertos at the Siemens Villa, Berlin, Germany for stereo and multichannel sound which includes the well known Ninth opus 47 "Kreutzer" Sonata so called as it was dedicated to violin virtuoso Rodolphe Kreutzer and published by Simrock in Bonn which is often coupled with the Fifth for those who don't collected the whole series.

This disc by Bis technically and artistically is a great achievement  and well worth the long wait for.

Although I have a classic account with David Oistrakh playing violin with the French National Radio Symphony Orchestra recorded in 1958 with André Cluyten's, the Belgium conductor on super audio cd, that alone is the only work.

This newer disc goes back to 2017 and offers both of Beethoven's Romances.

The Royal Philharmonic are an institution over here and James Judd gets an excellent performance out of them but in this set we have a second disc that offers the Triple Concerto for good measure.

This disc sound warm and full.

Ravel sacd set

The post that got waylaid would be a good subtitle for todays offering because it was going to come last week but unfortunately events intervened and that was it. 

The French had a way with classical music taking over after the romantic period and the bombast of Wagner, taking things down to a smaller more intimate scale with lush orchestration which can be seen in music of Debussy and Ravel.

There are a couple of connections which is that in the main Debussy work at and for the piano and it was Ravel who worked on the orchestrated versions.

The other is in this recording which was part of series Jean Martinon conducted with the Orchestre de Paris which covered both composers and to which I have their Debussy on two sets of two standard cds.

This set of four super audio cds contains the finest complete series of this music from the over popular Bolero,the Ma Mére I'Oye ballet, Daphnis et Chloe, Une barque sur L'océan, his concertos and Pavane pour une infante défunte originally recorded for SQ quadraphonic surround sound in 1974.

This was re-issued at the beginning of 2021 from the original analogue tapes by Warner Japan who own British Emi and Emi Angels recordings in conjunction with Tower Records in a set limited to just 800 of which mine is no 173

The transfer to super audio cd is excellent sounding very fresh and open and like all the disc s in this series has a layer that plays on regular cd playing equipment.

While it wasn't cheap, I really enjoyed listening to it.

A little Prokofiev

This week were are looking at music and just one composer.

Sergei Prokofiev was a Russian Soviet composer, pianist and conductor who was born in April 1891 and died in March of 1953. As the creator of acknowledged masterpieces across numerous music genres, he is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century.

I only had a couple of discs that contained any music by him bought in the early 1990's so for my birthday I had my eye on a fairy recent complete set of his symphonies.

I had the first in a landmark 1955 stereo recording which I loved and the Bergen Symphony Orchestra based Norway has over the years grown a reputation for excellent performances.

Strangely enough there are two versions of his Fourth symphony and this uses the composers own preference rather than the then Soviet leader Stalin's.

I had the Seventh as part of that pioneering stereo recording originally made for EMI Records in the UK.

The Fifth symphony is widely regarded as his finest and here is coupled with the orchestral gem the Scythian Suite.

The second but last symphony equally is joined by two desirable orchestral suites The Love of Two Oranges which I had one recording of and the Lieutenant Kijé suite.

Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64, is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev that is based upon William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. 

To round off the four discs containing his symphonies I picked up this recent recording by the London Symphony Orchestra by the popular conductor Valery Gergiev recorded at London's Barbican Centre.

All the discs are Hybrid super audio cds with surround sound options that play in regular players too 

New Tchaikovsky and Delibes

When I started this series of entries, the initial idea was to get a sample of good recordings in this better than regular cd physical format to supplement my regular classical music recordings and so I might have just the odd disc by composer unless it was a piece of music that I had not already purchased. 

The first time I touched upon Tchaikovsky was in November of 2017 looking at his symphonies and string works.

In 2012 Chandos Records started a new series of recordings of the full unedited ballet scores of Tchaikovsky starting with The Sleeping Beauty, then a year later to Swan Lake and finally that christmas favourite, The Nutcracker.  

From the outset this was programmed to offer the best performance possible by recording for both conventional stereo and multichannel surround sound preserving the full dynamics of the score at a very high resolution. 

The result is a lively 'you are there at a performance' feel with excitement, orchestral brilliance and natural acoustics captured by the Bergen Philharmonic orchestra conducted by Neeme Jarvi.

Originally they were issued as three separate issues as they came out with two double super audio discs and a 84 minute single disc for The Nutcracker but in 2017 were issued in this box set.

One thing I love about the presentation is the full original booklets are kept in the box while the discs are in card sleeves so with such a set it is easy to listen to any one ballet, referring the appropriate booklet.

There is nothing lost to buying the box and it works out about a third cheaper than buying each work separately even at discount.

This interesting selection of Tchaikovsky's delightful Serenade For Strings coupled with Bartók's Divertimento by the London Symphony Orchestra's string ensemble was recorded like most of the Lso Live discs at the Barbican, London which isn't blessed with great acoustics but on this they have managed to get a lively clear sound.

Back to Ballets and this selection of the orchestral suites from each of Delibes ballets came out last year doing full justice to the scores in a set of performances by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra with Neeme Jarvi  conducting.

I didn't have set of the suites, just the full Coppélia recording on two regular cds this was an addition to whole collection.