Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

I have the Telarc 1812 overture, and I like it.  I know some people
who don't, though, because the cannons are VERY loud.  At moderate
listening levels the cannons shake my floor, scare the cats, etc.

I also have the Telarc Night on Bald Mountain/Pictures at an Exhibition
by Moussorsky (I may have it spelled wrong).  Since those two pieces are
about all he wrote before he went insane, they are usually found on one
disk.  I am quite pleased with the Telarc disk.

If you are serious about building a good collection, you might want to
find a dealer who will let you listen to CDs before you buy them.  In
this area, Electric Grammophone will open them and play them (go when
they are not too busy!).  There are probably other places which offer
such service.  Don't expect to find these places to be competitive with
mail order prices, service costs.

I also have a Holst's planets, but I don't remember whose (I think it
might have been a Philips?).

			Paul Young

A couple of weeks ago Robert J. Lurtsema played the cycle of Beethoven
Symphonies recorded by Bruno Walter and recently re-issued on CDs. Of
course hearing it in a car is not the same as hearing the CD itself, but
over the air they sounded wonderful. There are umpteen versions of the
Four Seasons out. I agree with reply .1. If you are fussy about which 
version of something you own go to Electric Gramophone or a place like
that and listen first.


				Dick Rosenberg

Yup, go to Electric Grammophone.  He knows the recordings.  He will play
them for you.  He has a Penguin guide rating the best performances.

I like the EMI Boult version of the Planets.  Don't know if its on CD.

I have the Philips version of The Four Seasons and like it.
				Steve

Re: .0

Mussorsky

The best recording I've heard of "The Four Seasons" was performed by the BSO,
and is available on TELARC.  You should also add to your list Beethoven's 5th
Piano Concerto, also performed by BSO.  I don't recall who the pianist was, I'll
find out this evening.    This is also on TELARC. 

- M

There must be others, but the ones I'm awared of and would recommend:

Beethoven -- 5th by Vienna Philharmonic by Carlos Kleiber
Vivaldi Four Season-- Loveday and Marriner on Argo LP but for CD is under
                      Oiseua (or something like that).  Don't know whether
                      they are the same performance because have not had
                      the time to investigate, but if they are same, will
                      buy it for myself.
                      Trevor Pinnock's might be pretty good.  I like his
                      style and Archive's recording are usually very good.

Rossini overtures-- Marriner had an Philips LP of overtures, very good. 
                    Maybe you want to wait till it comes out on CD format.

Charles

I think I have the Planet on Philip too.

I would also recommend 1812 on Telarc
Wagner--  I have the Walkier(sp?) and other on Angle LP by Tennsdt (sp?).
          I would also recommend it.  The Marriner recording on Telarc
          might be good too.

Charles

My wife and I like the Deutsche Grammophone version of "The Planets".  Chills
up and down the spine kind of stuff.

Gary

  
  Vivaldi: The Four Seasons.

	Again, I would recommend the BSO/Telarc recording.
	Good performance, clean (digital) recording.

  Wagner: Music from the Ring.

	I have "Music from the Ring of the Nibelung"  Berlin Philharmonic/
	EMI.  Again, good perfomance, digital recording.  The only thing
	The only thing I have against this one is the spine label is inverted!

Holst: The Planets.

	I had (now sold) the DG Planets, which I did NOT like.  Although
	a digital recording with wide dynamic range, I found the perforance
	disappointing.  There are annoying background noises and on one track
	during a particularly quiet passage the musician is taking very noisy
	breaths.

Moussorgsky:  Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on Bald Mountain.

	Another recommendation for the Cleveland Orchestra/Telarc.

Rossinni:  William Tell overture.

	I have the "Karajan-Festival" disc.  Sort of like a DG sampler.
	Includes the Willam Tell Overture and Mars from The Planets along
	with many more.  This disc runs 66 minutes and was under $10.
	Excellent buy.

  ..Paul
  

The Pianist that performed Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto with the BSO in
the note I mentioned earleir was Rudolf Serkin.

- M

Thanks,
       So far I have the following recommendations.

Beethoven:   5th by Vienna Philharmonic by Carlos Kleiber ...???.
Beethoven:   5th Piano Concerto ...TELARC
Moussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, Night on Bald Mountain ...TELARC.
Rossinni:    William Tell overture ... ("Karajan-Festival") DG.
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture ...TELARC.
Vivaldi:     The Four Seasons ...BSO/TELARC.
Wagner:      Music from the Ring ...Berlin Philharmonic/EMI.
Undecided:
           Holst: Planets ...PHILIPS (mixed decision, 1 PRO - 1 CON)

                                                            Thanks,
                                                                   Ken

P.S. It seems like TELARC has a lot of the better recordings, is that just the
     music I picked or is most of their stuff very good ? I have "STAR TRACKS"
     and "TIME WARP" from TELARC, both are very good.

Both of the Wagner recordings mentioned (EMI and ANGEL) are actually the
same performance.  It has (to my taste) the best assortment of music from
the Ring.  There is also a CBS disk with essentially the same music
(NY Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta).  "Wotan's Farewell" is actually sung on
this recording, rather than arranged without the voice part.
I don't have the CD, but was quite pleased
with the playing & recording on my cassette copy of it.

The Marriner disk is not all Ring, and does not have "The Ride".
You might also consider the LONDON disk of Ring excerpts with Georg Solti
and the Vienna Philharmonic.

A bit of pedantry:
Both of the Mussorgsky pieces on the TELARC disk (and most other places)
are arrangements.  "Pictures" is actually a piano piece.  The common
arrangement for orchestra was done by Maurice Ravel, and provides much
spectacle at the expense of some of the subtlety of the original.
There are many other orchestra arrangements, including one (recorded a
few years back) by Vladmir Ashkenazy.  There is also a Brass arrangement
done by Elgar Howarth, recorded by Philip Jones & Co.  Neither are on
CD as far as I know.

Night on Bald Mountain is commonly performed in an arrangement by
Rimsky-Korsakov.  It is markedly different than Mussorgsky's original
(which was for orchestra).  Again, the arrangement is flashier.
I don't know of any CD's of the original.


Carlos Kleiber's recording of Beethoven's 5th Symphony is one of the best
ever.  It is NOT digital, but it is wondereful Beethoven.  I heard most
of the Bruno Walter Beethoven when Lurtsema played it (I leave for work
a little late, so I heard it at home on a real stereo).  Sounds like a
good job of remastering, but be aware that  Walter takes very few of the
repeats, if you care about such things (Beethoven did).  I personally
bristle at paying $15.00 for 20+ year old recordings.

Telarc was the first to become interested in digital mastering. They were
going for the Hi end phonograph record market initially, and invested in
the development of Soundstream. They also hired the best production folks
and first class musical groups since they knew they were up against the
likes of Sheffield and catering to an exclusive group that knew music, hi-fi
and didnt mind spending $15 (in '80) for a record if it offered superior
sound and musicianship.   I guess it not only worked but gave them a leg
up when CD came around.

Walt

An other classic classical is "Bach, The brandenburg Concerts". For this
and for "The four seasons" I chose the versions by "The English Concert"
on Archiv and I like them. For Rossini, I decided on a colection of
ouvertures by the National Philarmonic Orchestra recorded on DECCA.

Hein.

"Digital Audio" put out an end-of-the-year annual edition containing many of 
the past year's reviews.  I find the reviews contained in "Digital Audio" to 
be helpful.  Also the annual contains a 4000+ title discography of CDs.  It is
a good source for looking up whats available on CD.

Ken

You might take a look at EXIT26""::SYS$NOTES:MUSIC.NOT.  Look for
notes with titles suggesting desert island record lists.  It will
get you into some stuff away from the "Top 40 classical" titles.

I've heard the following two recordings on phono, and I agree with the
enthusiastic reviews they both receive in the Penguin guide.  The compact
disc versions of both recordings are awarded Penguin's "C" citation
indicating outstanding recording technique.

Ravel DAPHNIS ET CHLOE, complete ballet score, Charles Dutoit, Montreal
Symphony, London (label)
A personal favorite.  Some consider this Ravel's masterpiece.  Lush writing,
silky orchestration.  The sunrise scene is quite evocative, and the
closing bachanal is exciting (particularly in this recording).

Richard Strauss FOUR LAST SONGS, Jessye Norman, Kurt Masur, Gewandhaus
Orchestra, Philips
Songs for soprano and orchestra.  One of Strauss' final compositions.
The songs are lyrical and sometimes astonishingly beautiful (my opinion).
Penguin guide says that the performance of the third song contains one of
the most thrilling vocal climaxes on record.  Recording also contains
some (6?) earlier songs for soprano and orchestra, several of which are
equally satisfying.

These pieces probably aren't among the ten most popular compositions,
and not all my friends are as enthusiastic as I am about them, but I 
think they are well worth investigating, particularly if you can take
a "test-listen" to see if they appeal to you.

My experience has been that if you like the music then you will like the 
TELARC recording of it. Thus my decision tree has been:

1) Define a desired acquisition.

2) Is it on TELARC?  

	Yes => buy it.  

	No => find recommendations as to other labels/arrangements

					Good luck,
							Bruce

I have the Four Seasons done by I Solisti Veneti on Erato.  A bit too fast
for me.

Does anyone know if the Seasons by the Toulouse Chamber Orchestra (under
Auriacombe) is on CD?  My LP is pretty worn..

__Rich

Re .20:
   My Compact Disc Centre catalog shows 15 (fifteen!) recordings of
The Four Seasons, but none by the Toulouse Chamber Orchestra.
                                     	Steve

	The Beethoven Symphony cycle on Denon CD is excellent. You can get
	them seperately or as a boxed set. The're performed by the 
	Statskapelle Berlin, Otmar Suitner, conductor.

Ken....

Re: .13

Seems like a fellow named Toscalini, no..., Toscabeany, no, that's not
it, oh yes, Toscanini, did some recordings 20+ years ago that some people
considered pretty fair.

re: 23

One magazine writer expressed disappointment with the CD transfers of the
Toscanini recordings.  He specified neither the particular recordings he'd
heard, nor any reasons for the poor sound.  I wonder if it's because
the original recordings are mono (I presume the original Walter recordings 
are stereo).

Another conductor which I'd place in the all-time-greats is Wilhelm
Furtwangler.  His monophonic recording of Brahms' first symphony is
unquestionably the finest performance of that piece that I've heard.
It doesn't even sound too bad.  DG has issued several (mono) Furtwangler
performances (Schumann Sym.4, Tchaikovsky Sym.6, Schubert Sym.9, Beethoven
Piano Concerto 4, R. Strauss), but I don't know if there are any
compact disc versions of these pieces.  The Brahms recording has the
best sound (admittedly not spectacular); some of the others were recorded
live, and are hence captivating but occasionally distracting (when
audience coughs).

The recording I have of Toscanini conducting Beethoven's 9th symphony dates
from the early 40s (and sounds like it).  Did he make any later recordings?

Does anyone have experience with CD's from either of these conductors?
                                                                      

re .22
I have the Denon recording of Beethoven's 9th and don't like it as well
as my LP version for musical style.  The conductor on the CD seems to be
rushing things a bit for my taste.  Maybe it was done in order to fit it
all on 1 CD.

     I have a friend who sings with the Atlanta Symphony as part of their
chamber chorus. He got me a copy of the Beethoven's 9th that was recorded
by the Atlanta Symphony, it was very, very good. I think it should be on
the shelves soon if anyone is interested.

Piece:   Beethoven's 9th

Artist:  Atlanta Symphony, conducted by Bob Shaw.

Label:   Pro Arte.

                                                 Thanks,
                                                         Ken Cobb     

re .26

I saw this disk (many copies of it) at the Hahvahd Coop on Saturday.

I guess I ought to throw my two cents in too:

    I've listened to at least 10 recent recordings of the four seasons.
    Most of them suffer from overdoing some aspect of the music:
    trying to be too lush, setting your teeth on edge, etc. For me, by
    FAR the best performance is by Christopher Hogwood and the Academy
    of Ancient music.

    I disagree about the uniform quality of the TELARC recordings. The
    sound is always impeccable, but many of the performances tend
    toward "safe" "middle-of-the-road" approaches that wear on me
    pretty quickly. I own a number of TELARC recordings, and some of
    tem are indeed spectacular (Copland pieces w/ Lane, Firebird) but
    others have left me with a ho-hum feeling after three of four
    auditions (Brahms Deutches Requiem, Beethoven 2&4 piano concertos).

    Some of my VERY favorite CD's haven't been mentioned yet. Here's my
    top 10 list (out of my collection of ~80 classical CD's) not in
    any particular order:


    Vivaldi: Mandolin Concerti, Il solisti Veneti, ERATO
    J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations (piano), Glenn Gould, CBS
    Beethoven, Piano Sonata Op 110, and Schumann, Symphonic Etudes,
      Ivo Pogorolich, DGG
    Vivaldi, Four Seasons, Christopher Hogwood, L'Oiseau Lyre
    Brahms, Piano Trios, Borodin Trio, Chandos (2-CDs)
    Mozart, The Magic Flute, Sir Colin Davis, Philips
    Schubert, Impromptus, Murray Perahia, CBS
    Mozart, Requiem, Christopher Hogwood, L'Oiseau Lyre      
    Faur�, Requiem, Ritter, Cambridge Singers, Collegium
    Brahms, Piano Concerto #2, Ashkenazy/Haitink, Vienna Phil., London

I have many others I really like; this is just my "won't part with" list.

Dave Oran

I have recently been buying CD's like crazy, due to that sale at 
Strawberries. Consequently, I had to "fill up" on some the standards
before I dabble in the unknowns.

Currently my two favorite labels are TELARC and DG. I wouldn't touch
the DG discs until they started putting the DDD legend on them. The sound
is about as good as on the TELARCS, but I noticed a slight background
hiss when the high end of the equalizer is turned up all the way.
I've been having trouble getting the TELARC titles that I want.

Here are my favorite discs:

TCHAIKOVSKY SYM 5   WEINER PHILHARMONIKER   KARAJAN	DG
MOZART SYM 39 & 40  WEINER PHILHARMONIKER   BERNSTEIN	DG
BEETHOVEN SYM 5 & 6 BERLIN PHILHARMONIC	    KARAJAN     DG


Marty

Re: .29

Lechemere in Manchester just received two large boxes of Telarc disks. 
The clerk was pricing them while I was browsing.  As a result I got everything
I wanted.  If you hurry you might get lucky also.

Steve

I'm planning to buy Handel's Royal Fireworks on CD.  I'm
considering Hogwood's rendition on Oiseau-Lyre and Pinnock's
on DGG-Archiv.  Is anyone familiar with both of these versions?

      
                                      - Barry

I would think that Pinnock's is better.  Both are played on original instruments
and well played.  However, Hogwood uses a smaller force and tends to sound
a bit sombre (anemic?);  Though that might have been the way it was performed
(but I don't think so since it was for a large festive occasion), Handel
would certainly have perfered a large force, being a show man he was.  I've
always been please with Pinnock's and his players' interpretation, but I
have found difficulty in accepting Hogwood's performance, even though critics
like it or I liked it on the first few hearing.

Charles

Records of the performance of "Water Music" on the Thames indicate that
a VERY large ensemble was employed.  As instruments of the time were not
terribly loud, outdoor music (at least Handel's, when the King was paying)
used large numbers of instruments, such as 20 oboes, etc..  I imagine
it all sounded like glorious mush.   There have been recordings that
copied this approach, but I can't recall any just now.

Personally, I find Hogwood's recording to be a little lacking in 
stylistic elegance, which to me is a very important aspect of this music.
This is, after, music for a High Class Party.

		George

    An earlier note already mentioned that most recordings of Mussorgsky's
    "Pictures at an Exhibition" are versions orchestrated by other composers.
    
    For pure Mussorgsky I can recommend an excellent Denon disc with
    Jacques Rouvier bringing a B�sendorfer right into your room.
    
    In addition to "Pictures" it includes six additional rarely performed
    Moussorgski (French spelling for equal time) piano pieces.

    I'll second a previous recommendation for Bach's GOLDBERG VARIATIONS
    with Glenn Gould.  My only reservation is his tendency to hum an
    accompaniment, but the performance is tops.
    
    Within the past year there seems to be a flood of Shostakovich's
    Fifth Symphony recordings.  I happen to like the drama of the work
    and tried to check out as many interpretations as possible before
    settling on the one by Haitink on London.  Although the CD tends
    to be just a bit bright for my taste, the performance is exciting
    and surpasses many of the others.
    
    If you're interested in another view of Vivaldi's FOUR SEASONS,
    check out a performance by the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble.  If
    you've got half a dozen versions of this warhorse, the brass
    arrangement will present it in an entirely new light.  Refreshing.

    A few years back I received for Christmas a RCA red label recording
    of the planets done by Tomita.  Tomita did a synth version of the
    planets, ala Switched On Bach.  Very spacey indeed.  Has anyone
    seen this on cd?
    
    _stew-

    Gosh, I think I saw Tomita's Planets at Strawberry in the Nashua
    Mall a couple weeks ago.  (I never liked the vinyl version, so I
    did not think much about it).  Also some Wendy Carlos, btw.
    
    Burns

    Yup, I got a copy of Tomita's Planets.  You can probably find it
    at Lechemere in Nashua.  I must admit I'm not too fond of it.
    
    I'll third the recommendation for Glenn Gould's Goldberg Variations.
    Personally, I think his humming adds a note of passion to the work.
    Does anyone have any other Glenn Gould recordings to recommend?
    
    Carl
    

    I just listened to Gould's Goldberg.  I didn't notice any humming!
    Where is it?  Can someone give me a time?
    
    Curiously,
    
    BUrns

	Sit next to the left speaker instead of the right one next
	time and you'll hear it...

    I would need your recommendations on the following titles.  I have
    found some in Lechmere but not I am sure if the quality of recording
    and quality of performance is good.  Most of them do not have ratings
    in the Compact Disc Catalog.
    
    Mozart Symphonies 40, 25, 29
    Mozart Piano Conc. 20, 21, 23
    Beethoven Symphonies 8, 1
    Tchaikovsky Piano Conc. 1

    How are the following discs?
    
    Mozart Symph. 40/31, Academy of Ancient Music, Hogwood
    L'oiseau-Lyre	DDD
    
    Mozart Symph. 25/29, Academy of Ancient Music, Hogwood
    L'oiseau-Lyre	ADD
    
    Beethoven Symph. 8/1 Staatskapelle, Suitner
    Denon		DDD

    There are recordings available for Tchaikovsky Piano Conc. 1 on
    CBS, London and DGG.  I know to stay away from CBS.  The DGG is
    by London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado, Ivo Pogorelich.
    
    Some of the Mozart Piano Concertos are available on Philips and
    L'oiseau-Lyre labels.   
    
    Thanks for your recommendations,
    - Vikas

    There's also a recording of the Tckaikovsky on Telarc
    CD-80124 recorded by Jon Kimurs Parker and the Royal
    Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andre Previn.  It
    also has Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3.
    

    re .41
    
    What's wrong with CBS?
    Please listen to Murray Perahia's recordings of Mozart's piano
    concertos on CBS.For me the best Mozart you can buy....
    
    I like DG recording of Tchaikovsky no.1 by Marthe Argerich very
    much.It's probably ADD (who cares?) but sounds great...
    
    Mari
    
    

Re: .41

I have  the  Hogwood  recording  of  Mozart 25/29 on L'oiseau lyre and it is
wonderful. I happen to like Mozart on original instruments, and this disk is
no exception. Clean sound, not huge orchestra mutilation of the music.

RE: .42
    
    May be I will be lucky and find the Tckaikovsky on Telarc in Lechmere
    but at least the Nashua store did not have it on Sunday.
    
RE: .43    < What's wrong with CBS? >

    I do not have first hand experience with CBS CDs.  It is all hearsay from
    this conference and the other print media. However, glancing through the
    CD catalog, CBS seems to have consistently lower audio quality than say
    Denon or Telerac.  Unfortunately most of the conductors I like are with
    CBS.  I will probably try Murray Perahia's Mozart concertos. Do they
    have #20 and #21?  Only #19 and #23 are listed under CBS Masterworks.
    
 RE: .44 <Recommendation of Mozart 25/29 by Hogwood>
    
    Thanks for the encouraging response.

- Vikas    

    There's a quarterly publication called something like "Steven's
    Compact Disc Review" in which all currently available classical
    CDs are listed and rated.  The ratings are taken from reviews in
    a number of U.S. and U.K. periodicals, and compiled to give a kind 
    of digested sampling of opinion.  Specific comments from those 
    reviews are also included.
    
    I haven't subscribed yet, but I plan to.  I just wish there was
    something like this for non-classical music as well.
    
    I'll try to remember to put the address in here.
    
    By the way, this publication is prepared on a Macintosh and the
    camera-ready copy output on a LaserWriter.

Re: .46  (Steven's CD review): would you post a reply here with subscription
info  when  you  get some? Also, let us know how you like it after the first
issue  or  two.  If  it's any good I suspect a number of noters will want to
subscribe.

    Ok, here's the info.  The name of the magazine is "CD Review Guide".
    It's a quarterly, and is available from:
    
    		CD Review Guide
    		c/o Joseph Stevenson
    		3330 Acacia Drive
    		Indianapolis, IN 46214
    
    	Rates:
    
    		6 issues	$24
    		4 issues (1 yr)	$18
    		1 issue		 $6
    
    I've already looked at several issues, and decided to subscribe.
    It's a must for classical collectors, since it's digests the reviews
    from a dozen or so other magazines.  The latest issue is the first
    to use the LaserWriter for output, so it's more legible than previous
    issues.
    
    I believe that Stevenson has acknowledged that at some point, he'll
    have to stop listing every available classical CD and just publish 
    updates to a baseline listing.

	I think L'Oiseau Lyre (sp??) is one of the better labels.
	I have all of the Hogwood Mozart symphonies and they are very good.
	(I too am an original instruments music fan.  The other half of
	my classical CDs are by Trevor Pinnock and the English Concert :-)

	While you in the Mozart section, pick up Hogwood's 
	Eine Klien Nachtmusik.  Very, very nice!!!

	If you like Vivaldi, I also recommend Hogwood's  Opus 3, (2 cd set) and
	"Concertoes" for 2 instruments, which ncludes 'Alla Rustica'.

	Josh

	 Didn't read  all  the  previous 49 replies, so I'm sorry if this is
	 redundant.   Have  you  tried  the  BIS  label?  This small Swedish
	 company  has  to  date  released  some  300  CD's  -  among them an
	 excellent Sibelius collection.

	 They are  all  DDD  - most recordings use only three mikes (Neumann
	 SM69  & 2 x Neumann M269).  I know they are available in the US - I
	 bought a few in Boston last summer.

	 /P-O

    Has anyone bought the latest release of Mozart Symph. 40/41 on the
    Telrac label?  The performer and the orchestra is not familiar to
    me, but I have yet to come across a mediocre disc from Telrac. 

    Thanks
    - Vikas

    I reviewed in my last set of reviews.  It's note 463 (or near
    there).  Use "DIR/KEYWORD=REVIEW" and look for .0 note in that
    area by COOKIE::ROLLOW.
    
    I really liked it.
   

    You'd think I'd remember my own note...  It's in note 473, probably
    reply #13 or #14.

    It would be more helpful if the fist screen of those notes will
    give the titles of the discs being reviewed.
    
- Vikas

RE: Mozart 40/41

Vikas, I have the DG version and like it very much. It is DDD, and if I 
remember correctly, features Karajan and the Weiner Philharmonic.

M

RE: Mozart Symphonies

    I have DG 35/41 featuring Bernstien with Weiner (Vienna??)
    Philharmonic.  Recording quality is good but not up to TELRAC standard.
    
    I also have London 33/40 by Christopher Hogwood.  The quality is
    excellent but it has a fast tempo.  As a matter of fact, when I
    compared the timings with the TELRAC 40, they were very close. 
    
    I am used to listening to very old recordings by Toscanini and Walters
    and I prefer that kind of traditional tempo.  However, I suspect that
    RCA or CBS will never be able to match the recording quality of TELRAC. 

- Vikas

    I'd like to get a copy of Shostakovich's 5th Symphony on CD,
    and I've noticed that there are a few different ones on the
    market. Is there anyone here who can recommend one over the
    others, or should I try the "eenie meenie minie mo" method?
    
    --- jerry

    Of the two that I have, Columbia MK-35854 (Bernstein) and Telarc
    CD-80067 (Ozawa), I much prefer the Telarc.

    re:.58
    
    --- jerry

    Re: Shostakovich's 5th
    
    I love Shostakovich's 5th (I love Johnny Walker's 5th, too, but
    that's a different story) and compared several versions before buying
    a CD of the work.
    
    Although I don't think they're available on CD, I listened to the
    Kertesz, Previn, and Maxim Shostakovich offerings.  They were either
    pedestrian or unmindful of the drama of the work.
    
    I have the Haitink/Concertgebouw on Philips CD and find it to be
    the best balance of the qualities I desired.  The playing is smooth
    if, at times, just a bit too polite and Haitink has a very good
    grip on the long melodic lines and builds his climaxes gradually
    providing a more cohesive performance.
    
    I recently heard a borrowed Rostropovich/National Symphony version
    (DGG) CD and have mixed feelings about it.  I don't believe he made any 
    cuts in the performance, but his 1st and 3rd movements (the longest 
    ones) run 2 minutes shorter than the Haitink, so his pace is much 
    faster.  This would indicate that it's a more exciting performance, 
    but he seems to switch from the slower portions to the faster tempos 
    much more abruptly.  His feeling seems to be that when it's quiet and
    slow it's a whisper and when it's loud and fast it's off at a
    full-speed gallop.  At times I felt I was listening to film soundtracks
    (Here's the chase, so let's throw in every musician we've got and
    crank up the volume!).  The Haitink had much more air around the
    orchestra to give it more of a concert sound.
    
    My real complaints with this recording, though, are not with the
    conductor.  Unfortunately, the National is a second-rate orchestra
    at best and it shows, especially in the strings -- sloppy attacks
    and uneven playing, except in the infrequent solos.
    
    The other very disconcerting negative is the shabby engineering
    from DGG.  In the first movement, *some* of the horns, woodwinds,
    and percussion are much too closely miked (I thought the snare drum
    was between the conductor and the "audience".)  In other movements,
    they retreated to a more natural location and the flute or piano
    would take the place of the downstage snare.  I can't believe this
    was originally miked this way -- if it were, you'd think the engineer
    would see the mikes ten feet above most of the orchestra and only
    two feet above the "spotlighted" instruments and figure this may
    sound a bit strange.   The only thing I can think of is that
    Rostropovich decided to fiddle with the mix to increase the dynamics
    he missed in the performance.
    
    Rostropovich had some interesting ideas; too bad he couldn't have
    made this with a first rate orchestra and engineers who gave it
    the usual DGG recording.
    
    > R.Michael
    

    RE: .58
    
    I have the Mrawinskij recordining with the Leningrad Philarmonic.
    It is a live recording, done by JVC (VDC-1007), and the liner is
    in Japanese (no translations, tough luck!).  The quality isn't
    great, but the performance is excellent.  The CD also has the
    Melodia logo.  I tend to prefer Russian performances of Russian
    works (like Rachmaninoff Vespers), and this one is typically
    less academic than Western orchestras tend to be.

    re: .58
    
    I definately need ECC memory.  The Telarc Shostakovich is conduct
    by Lorin Maazel with the Cleveland Orchestra.  The Ozawa I was
    thinking of is Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 and Egmont Overture
    on Telarc CD-80060.  Ozawa is conducting the Boston Symphony
    Orchestra.  This is also a very good CD.
    

    I have the Telarc Beethoven 5th (Ozawa, BSO); it's one of my favorites!

I am a newcomer to this notes file and was about to post the following
as a new topic. However, when signing on to CD notes this session, much
to my surprise should I find a topic already relating to my questions.
However, some of you may find this compilation useful, so I will post
my original text for your consideration. I wll be printing out all the 
replies entered already, so that if you have already commented on a 
particular piece or CD, there is no need to repeat your advice. Thanks.

           ************ original text of topic ************

I am in the process of getting into CDs and am finally compiling a list of
classical music which I would like to have in a collection, funds permitting
of course. Any additional works from any genre or reviews of outstanding CD's 
of the following works would be greatly appreciated. 

You may notice that my interests are centered on orchestral music, and 
generally do not include vocal music, chamber music or small orchestra 
ensembles. My experience as a former symphony musician did not generally
expose me to those areas of performance and I would welcome suggestions in 
those in order to have a more balanced collection (especially in baroque,
modern, vocal music, and 'pops'). Also, for the musicians out there, I
have not adhered to the practice of keeping letters in upper case for major 
keys (i.e., 'Concerto in B Flat') or for minor keys (i.e., 'Symphony in a'). 
This text is for casual reference, not for music history pedantics.

If any of you care to warn me about specific CD's to avoid (lousy performance, 
sound, etc), I thank you in advance. 

The list is organized in alphabetical order for convenience. Feel free to copy 
the list for your own reference.

Lee Parmenter, DTN 264-1643 (no MAIL available - I'm moving to a new node)

Bach, JS	Ppartitas for solo violin (#2 in d minor)
		Violin concerto in a minor
		Violin concerto in e major
		Brandenburg concertos #1-6
		Well tempered clavier
		Passion according to St Matthew
		selected organ works

Barber, S.	Adagio for strings
		Overture to the School for Scandal

Bartok		Concerto for orchestra
		Music for strings, percussion and celeste
		Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin

Beethoven	Symphony #1
		Symphony #2
		Symphony #3
		Symphony #4
		Symphony #5
		Symphony #6
		Symphony #7
		Symphony #8
		Symphony #9
		Concerto #5 in e-flat for piano and orchestra
		Piano sonatas - Moonlight (c minor)
				Appassionata (f minor)
				Pathetique
		Any or all of the overtures

Berg		Three movements from The Lyric Suite

Berlioz		Symphonie Fantastique
		Harold In Italy
		Excerpts from The Damnation of Faust
		Excerpts from Romeo and Juliet
		The Roman Carnival Overture

Bizet		L'Arlesienne Suites

Borodin		The Steppes of Central Asia
		Overture and the Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor

Brahms		Symphony #1
		Symphony #2
		Symphony #3
		Symphony #4
		Academic Festival Overture
		Tragic Overture
		Variations on a Theme by Haydn
		Concerto #2 in b-flat for Piano and Orchestra
		Violin Concerto in D

Brittan		Young People's Guide To The Orchestra

Bruckner	Symphony #3 in d minor
		Symphony #4 in e-flat major
		Symphony #5 in b-flat major
		Symphony #6 in a major
		Symphony #7 in e major
		Symphony #8 in c minor
		Symphony #9 in d minor	

Chopin		Any of the piano music

Copland		Suite from Appalachian Spring
		Suite from Billy The Kid
		Fanfare for the Common Man

de Falla	NIGHT IN THE GARDENS OF SPAIN
		THREE DANCES FROM THE THREE CORNERED HAT
		RITUAL FIRE DANCE FROM EL AMOR BRUJO

Delibes		Selections from Sylvia

Dukas		Sorcerer's Apprentice
		Symphony in C

Debussy		Images for Orchestra
		Violin Sonata
		Cello Sonata
		Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp
		La Mer
		Nocturnes
		Games
		Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
		Sacred and Profane Dances for Harp and orchestra
		Preludes from Books I and II for piano solo

Dvorak		Symphony #9 in e minor (old #5) - The New World
		Slavonic Dances
		Carnival Overture

Elgar		Enigma Variations

Enesco		Rumanian Rhapsody #1 in A

Faure		Ballade in F minor for Piano and Orchestra
		Incidental Music to Pelleas and Melissande

Frank		Symphony in D minor

Grieg		Music from Peer Gynt
		Piano Concerto in A minor

Handel		Water Music
		Messiah (complete, not selections)
		Music for The Royal Fireworks

Haydn		Symphony #31 (Horn Signal)
		Symphony #88
		Symphony #94 (Surprise)
		Symphony #103 (Drum Roll)
		Symphony #104 (London)

Holtz		The Planets

Ibert		Ports of Call
		Divertissement

Ives		Symphony #3 (The Camp Meeting)
		Holidays/New England Holidays
		Three Places in New England
		Central Park in the Dark
		Fourth of July
		Washington's Birthday

Kabalevsky	Colas Breugnon

Katcheturian	Gayne Ballet Suites
		Sabre Dance

Lalo		Spanish Symphony

Liadov		The Enchanted Lake

Liszt		Faust Symphony
		Les Preludes (tone poem #3)
		Orpheus (tone poem #4)
		Prometheus (tone poem #5)

Mahler		Symphony #1 in d minor
		Ssymphony #2 in c minor
		Symphony #3 in d minor
		Symphony #4 in g minor
		Symphony #5 in c# minor
		Symphony #6 in a minor
		Symphony #7 in e minor
		Symphony #8 in e-flat major
		Symphony #9 in d major

Mendelsohn	Symphony #3 in a minor (Scotch)
		Symphony #4 in a major (Italian)
		Incidental Music to a Midsummer's Night Dream
		Concerto in e minor for Violin and Orchestra

Milhaud		The Creation of the World

Mozart		Symphony #35 (Hafner)
		Symphony #38 (Prague)
		Symphony #40 in G
		Symphony #41 (Jupiter)
		Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
		Overture to the Magic Flute

Moussorgski	Pictures At An Exhibition
		Night on Bald (Bare) Mountain
		Symphony #3

Nielson		Symphony #2
		Symphony #6

Pachelbel	Canon

Piston		Suite from The Incredible Flutist
		Concerto for Orchestra

Poulenc		Concerto in g minor for Organ, Strings and Tympani

Prokoviev	Symphony #1 in d (Classical)
		Symphony #5 in b-flat major
		Lt. Kiji Suite
		SSuite from The Love of Three Oranges
		Peter and the Wolf

Rachmaninoff	Concerto #2 in c for Piano and Orchestra
		Rhapsody On A Theme By Pagnini
		Symphonic Dances
		The Isle Of The Dead
		Symphony #2

Ravel		Piano Concerto in g
		Piano Concerto in d for the Left Hand
		Mother Goose Suite
		Valses Nobles
		Rhapsody Espangnole
		Daphne et Chloe
		Bolero
		La Valse
		Pavane for a Dead Princess

Respighi	Fountains of Rome
		Pines of Rome
		Roman Festival Overture

Rimsky-Korsakov	Scheherazade
		Capricio Espanol
		Rrussian Easter Overture

Ruggles		Suntreader
		Men and Mountains

Saint Saens	Danse Macabre
		Carnival of the Animals

Satie		Gymnopedie

Schoenberg	Tranfigured Night

Schubert	Symphony #4 in c (Tragic)
		Symphony #8 in b minor (Unfinished)
		Symphony #9 in c

Schumann, R.	Aymphony #3 in e-flat (Rhenish)
		Concerto in a minor for Piano and Orchestra

Scriabin	Sonata #3 in f# minor for Piano and Orchestra

Shostakovitch	Symphony #1 in f major
		Symphony #5 in d minor
		Symphony #6 in b minor 
		Symphony #7 in c major
		Symphony #8 in c minor
		Symphony #9 in e-flat major
		Symphony #10 in e minor
		Symphony #11 in g minor
		Symphony #15 in a major
		Golden Age Ballet Suite

Sibelius	Finlandia
		Symphony #2 in d major
		Symphony #7 in c major

Smetana		The Mouldau
		Overture to The Battered Bride

Strauss, R.	Don Juan
		Death and Transfiguration
		Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks
		Thus Spake Zarathustra
		Don Quixote
		Ein Heldenlaben
		Dance of The Seven Veils from Salome
		Alpine Symphony

Stravinsky	The Song of the Nightingale
		Firebird Suite(s)
		Petrushka
		The Rite of Spring
		Symphony of Psalms

Tchaikovsky	Symphony #1 in g minor
		Symphony #2 in c minor
		Symphony #3 in d major
		Symphony #4 in f minor
		Symphony #5 in e minor
		Symphony #6 in b minor
		Manfred Symphony
		Romeo and Juliet
		Capricio Italien
		Serenade for Strings in c
		March Slave
		1812 Overture
		Swan Lake Ballet Suite
		Sleeping Beauty Ballet Suite
		The Nutcracker Ballet Suite
		Concerto #1 in b-flat minor for Piano and Orchestra

Varese		Ionization

Vivaldi		Four Seasons

Wagner		Overture to The Flying Dutchman
		Tannhsauser: Overture and Venusberg Music
		Lohengrin - Prelude to Act I and Act II
		Ttristan und Isolde - prelude Pnd Isolde's Liebestod
		The Mastersingers of Nurnberg - Overture and Prelude to Act III
		Ride of the Valkyries
		Segfried's Rhine Journey

Williams, R. V.	Fantasia on Greensleeves
		Fantasy on A Theme by Thomas Tallis

        re .64 and
        > Brahms		Symphony #1
	>        	        Violin Concerto in D
                                
        I'd like to know if either of these is available at all
        on CD.
                                                             
Jim Stratton (violinist in a former life)
        

    Concerto in D for Violin - DG 410.029-2
    Symphony No. 1 - DG 410.023-2
    
    These are the two that I have.  I haven't listened either recently,
    so my impressions of both are pretty vague.
    
    Violin Concerto - OK performance, but I could probably find better.
    Symphony #1 - A C+ to B on the Unifed Reviewers Scale.
    
    I'd have to check the Schwann for others that are available.

    A really nice performance of the Brahms Violin Concerto
    may be had from Angel/EMI.  Don't know the number, but
    the violinist is Itzak Perlman, conducter is Clauddio Abbado,
    orchestra is Chicago Symphony.  It's an analog recording,
    but available on CD.
    
    				George

    Some CDs I like:
    
    Bach - Violin Concertos & Concerto for 2 Violins - Sigiswald Kuijken
    and La Petite Bande - Pro Arte CAD 124 -  Beautiful performance
    on original instruments (if you like Bach on original instruments)
    
    Haydn - Sym No 45 ("Farewell") - Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra -
    not on your list but worth having.
    
    Mozart - A CD of about 8 Mozart Overtures by Neville Marriner and
    the Academy of Saint Martin in the Field
    
    Prokoviev - Prokoviev's Greatest Hits (believe it or not) - Has
    Classical Symphony, Lt. Kije, Love for Three Oranges and Peter and
    the Wolf (un-narrated) - Bernstein (I think)
               
    Tschaikowsky - Nutcracker Suite and Romeo and Juliet on same CD
    - don't remember who it's by but I've listened mainly to the Nutcracker
    and that's good
                   
    
    Hope that helps.
    
    Dick Rosenberg

These are all excellent discs and good for listening to the trade offs
in speaker technology.

	Bartok:  The Miraculous Mandarin
		Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati, conductor
		London 411 894-2

	Mozart:  Arias
		Kathleen Battle, soprano
		Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Andre Previn, conductor
		EMI CDC 7 47335 2

			Try track 1, 3'30" to 4'45".  This shows the
			limitations of Klipshorns (which I do like otherwise)
			and the advantages of planar speakers.

	Rachmaninoff:  Symphony No. 2
		Royal PHilharmonic Orchestra, Andre Previn, conductor
		Telarc CD-80113

			Try track 2 to show the advantages of Klipshorns and
			Snell A III's and limitations of planar speakers.

	Good references for recordings are a pamphlet put out by
	Stereo Review called something like "The Basic Repertoire on
	CD" (all orchestral music), and the Schwann CD catalog, which
	has a list of "essential" CD's for a collection (all kinds of
	music). Of course it's all a matter of taste, but I think you
	can expect any of the recommendations from either source to be
	competently performed, well-recorded performances.
	
	Mike

    A CD that I reccomend for listening as well as putting any system
    thru an acid test is the Solti/Chicago Symphony's recording of Mahler's
    Fifth Symphony (London 414 321-2). The sonic detail on this disk
    is supurb and at times can be overwhelming. 
    

    re:.60
    
    Interesting comments on the Rostropovich performance in light of
    the fact that Schwann lists that version in their "Basic CD Library"
    list.
    
    At any rate, I finally decided on the Haitink, rather than the
    Maazel. I confess that part of my decision was based on the fact
    that the Haitink, being on the London label, and thus from Polygram,
    was on sale at Newbery Comics for $11.99. But, I'm happy with the
    choice. The fourth movement (my favorite from the symphony) started
    off a little too briskly for my tastes, but overall, I like the
    disc very much.
    
    --- jerry

    I really like this topic, and it has helped me formulate a list
    of items I will be starting my collection with. I have run across
    several publications in this file and in the Audio file which I
    would like to acquire but, in southern NH, don't know where to but
    them.
    
    Schwann's CD catalog - The only place I could locate which had a
    copy of this was in Cambridge, at the Harvard Coop. Does anyone
    know if I can get an updated copy nearer to home?
    
    Stereo Magazine review (mentioned in .70 or .71?) - is this available
    locally or is it a mail-order item?
    
    The Penguin guide - Apparently, this work is a compendium of reviews
    culled from several magazine sources and includes recommendations
    for outstanding CDs. Where is this available?
    
    Thanks for the help.
    
    Lee Parmenter, DTN 264-1643, MK1 pole 1E38
    

	re .73: You can order the "Basic Repertoire" brochure from
	Stereo Review, I think it costs $1. Pick up any recent issue
	for the address.
	
	Mike

re: .64

Here are my recommendations for your list from among the ones I've heard.
For the record, my biases are in the following order: 

	1) Great performance, great recording
	2) Great performance, average recording
	3) Great performance, dated recording
	   Good performance, great recording
	4) Good performance, average recording

	Not listed:

	5) The only thing available
	forget it) Poor and pedestrian performances, offensive recordings
		   (noisy, distorted, etc.), and dated recordings that aren't
		   great performances.

Especially good combinations of performance and recording marked with "*".
Some additional suggestions you may like are in [brackets]. Sorry some of the
numbers are missing - they're on loan. 

-Tom
______________________________________________________________________________

Bach	Brandenburgs		*Pinnock/English Concert DGG 410500-2
							     410501-2
				Koopman/???		???
Barber	Adagio for Strings	See Copland Appalachian
Beethoven	Symph #1 & #3	Toscanini/NBC Symphony	RCA RCD1-7197
		Symph #2 & #7		"		RCA RCD1-7198
		Symph #3	Hogwood/Acad of Ancient Music
							L'Oiseau Lyre 417 235-2
	[Violin Concerto in D	Heifitz/Munch/Boston	RCA RCD1-5402]
Brahms	Violin Concerto	in D	Heifitz/Reiner/Chicago		"
Copland	Appalachian Spring	*Bernstein/L.A. Philharmonic	DGG 413 324-2
	Billy the Kid (Comp.)	*Slatkin/St. Louis	Angel CDC 7 47382 2
Handel	Water Music		*Pinnock/English Concert DGG 410 525-2
	Messiah			*Hogwood		L'Oiseau Lyre ??
[Haydn	Trumpet Concerto	*Marsalis/Leppard/National CBS MK 37846]
[Hummel	  "	   "		*	"			"      ]
Holst	Planets			*Gibson/Scottish National Chandos CHAN 8302
	[Orchestral Suites	*Fennell/Cleveland Symph Winds	Telarc ???]
Prokofiev Symphony #5		*Slatkin/St. Louis	RCA RCD1-5035
[Saint-Saens Symphony #3	Munch/Boston (out yet?)	RCA ?]
Sibelius Symphony #2		*Jarvi/Gothenburg	BIS CD-252
	[Symphony #4		*Karajan/Berlin		DGG 415 108-2]
Stravinsky Firebird		*Dutoit/Montreal		???
	Rite of Spring		*Dutoit/Montreal	London 414 202-2
				Maazel/Cleveland	Telarc CD80054
Vaughan Williams
	Fantasia on Tallis	*Boughton/English String Nimbus NIM 5019
				(Includes Fantasia on Greensleeves)
	[Symphonies, esp #3	Boult/New Philharmonia	EMI 7 47214 2]

As far as not choosing Telarc because something else is on sale--- if you 
live in the Worcester area remember that O'Coins sells Telarc (and everything
else) for $11.99. They have an excellent selection, too.

Marty

    At that price, it might be worth a trip to Worcester...Can you post
    the address or phone number of O'Coins? 
    
    Also, at my local Strawberries (Manchester, NH), the Karajan/Berlin
    CDs of Beethoven's Nine Symphonies are on sale as package for $59.00.
    Is anyone familiar with these DGG recordings. Strawberries regular
    selling price is in the mid-$90's.
    
    Lee Parmenter, DTN 264-1643, MK1
    

    I'm not familiar with the v. Karajan Beethoven set on CD, but I've
    got it on tape.  Good solid performances (unless you hate
    v. Karajan).  Recordings are good, but not super-audiophile.
    I like it quite a bit.
    
    			George

re .-2

I have/had the 5th, 6th, and 9th on CD by Karajan.  Sounded very good to me, 
but I'm no where's near being an audiophile.  Since my 9th CD bit the dust, I 
bought the TELARC version.  Not being able to do an a-b, I can't hear any 
difference.

						     
							- JP

239 MILL STREET
WORCESTER
617-791-3411

Karajan and DGG really love to over-mike and fool with the mix.  The 
reviews I have seen say the resulting stereo image is not at all realistic.
If this bothers you (it bothers me), then stay away from the Karajan
versions.

    ref .78/79/81
    
    Try to find and listen to a Philips set of Beethovens symphonies
    by the "Gewandhaus Orchester,Leipzig" conducted by Kurt Masur (sp?)
    This set made the Karajan disks I owned before kind of obsolete.
    
    Mari

Talking Beethoven sets, I have not yet heard a set that I like all the
    way through.  For what it's worth, this is what I have:
    
    1&2	Hogwood & Academy of Ancient Music - L'oiseau-Lyre
    3	Dohnanyi & Cleveland - Telarc
    4	open to suggestions!
    5	Ozawa & Boston - Telarc
    6	Schwarz & Y Chember Symphony - Delos
    7	open to suggestions!
    8	Dohnanyi & Cleveland - Telarc
    9	Dohnanyi & Cleveland - Telarc
    
    I'm delighted with all of these, and would really appreciate any
    help on finding good versions of the 4th and 7th.
    
    Bruce
    

    
    re: .82
    
    I just purchased the set mentioned in this note, and I really like
    it.  It has all 9 symphonies on 6 discs.  None of the symphonies
    have breaks in them (i.e., one part on one disc and the rest on
    another).  Each of the six discs is over 60 minutes long.  There
    are also some overtures from some plays Beethoven scored to fill
    up the discs.
    
    It's ADD, and it sounds terrific.  My only beef with the set is
    that the damn booklet doesn't fit in the jewel boxes.
    
    DFW

	I've have been through some of the Beethoven's symphonies sets and
	individual discs. The only ones I can recommend are the 6th by
	Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna P. O. and the 9th by Christoph von
	Dohnanyi and the Cleveland. I currently have the 1st and 2nd by 
	Hogwood and the AAM and the 3rd, 4th and 7th by Karajan and the B.P.O,
	also I have the 8th (coupled with Schubert's Unfinished) by Dohnanyi
	and Cleveland. The two 8ths are the best among the rest. I've heard
	(on disc) Karajan, Kleiber and Suitner and all were unexceptional.
	Could the author of -.1 or somebody else please list the contents of
	the individual discs in Kurt Masur's sets? Are they available 
	individualy?

	I recently bought a disc with Emil Gilels playing the "Emperor"
	piano concerto and some variations. Highly recommended. The orchestra
	is the Cleveland under George Szell.

	Can any one recommend a disk containing excerpts from the "Ring".
	I tried the one by Solti (on LONDON) sometime back and thought it
	was atrocious. The CBS paperback record (best buy or somesuch name)
	with Szell and Cleveland is the best performance I've ever heard.

	Thanx,
	Sudhir

    
    I believe the set I purchased was a remixed compilation of several
    earlier recordings of the works.  I don't have the set in front
    of me, but as I recall:
    
    Disc 1
    
    The First Symphony and the Second Symphony
    
    Disc 2
    
    The Third Symphony (Eroica) and the overture to "Leonone"
    
    Disc 3
    
    The Fourth Symphony and the Fifth Symphony
    
    Disc 4
    
    The Sixth Symphony (Pastoral) and the overtures to "Coriolan" and
    a couple of other plays.
    
    Disc 5
    
    The Seventh Symphony and the Eighth Symphony
    
    Disc 6
    
    The Ninth Symphony.  This features a soprano soloist and an extremely
    large chorus, also from Leipzig.
    
    I do not think the recordings would be available individually on CD.
    According to the package, they appeared to be recorded during several
    sessions between 1972 and 1977.  This leads me to think that at one
    time each symphony was issued as a seperate album.  Don't let the dates
    phase you -- the recording quality is excellent, to these ears, anyhow.
    I waited until I could afford to by all the symphonies at once.
    $80.00 for six discs is a pretty good deal.
    
    The CBS record you mention of Szell and the Cleveland Symphony is
    from their "Great Performances" series (the covers look like newspaper
    front pages).  I have a CD of this recording, and while the performance
    is magnificent, there is perceptible tape hiss in quiet moments.
    To me, it was worth it.  There doesn't seem to be another performance
    of Ring excerpts quite like that one.  I have the same attitude
    about Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic's recording of the
    Nutcracker and Swan Lake suites.
    
    Hope this is what you were looking for,
    DFW
    

    The complete set of Beethoven symphonies + ALL overtures by Masur
    were (are?) available on 9 philips records, as a set, and only
    available in Europe.  A friend of mine ordered it from England
    back in 1979.  It was even marked as 6 record set, kind of like
    promotional purpose I guess.  Anyway, it turned out to be extra-
    ordinary performances, and the price was of course, a bargain.
    I ordered on immediately (well, actually until later when we had
    selected enough 'unavailable' performances to make the shipping
    worth it).  I still have the record sets, plus now that I have the
    CDs too.  A few years later (maybe in 1981 or so), Gramaphone had
    reviewed many sets of Beethoven complete symphonies, and considered
    the set by Gewandhaus Leipzig as the best performance, both sonically
    and artistic interpretation.
    
    Too bad American classical listener were deprived of such excellent
    performance for so long.  When I found out that it was coming out
    on CDs, I was excited.  Needless to say, I bought it as soon as
    it became available.
    
    For those of you who have the set, can you check your #9 last movement
    when the who chorus comes in full force.  I noticed the voice cracking
    up, but my records don't show that so I don't know whether it is
    a case of bad transfer, my CD defective, or that my audio components
    is causing it.  I've mention this long time ago, but since no one
    had the set then, I couldn't verify it.  Someone did suggest that
    it might be my audio components, reason being that the internal
    electronic components weren't of the highest quality and cause
    distortion.
    
    Please check your set and let me know.  Thanks
    Charles
    

    Re .84:
    
    Is the booklet the same size as the jewel box, but just too thick?
    If so, try punching out the little tabs that are intended to hold
    the booklet in place, and try again. 
    
    This worked like a charm for my disc of Sondheim's "Merrily We
    Roll Along", which has a very thick booklet. 
    
    Michael

    
    RE: .87
    
    I can concur about the Philips set of Beethoven symphonies on LP. They
    are excellent. I really hope they release them on CD, as I only
    have some rather grotty cassette recordings of them.
    
    Trev

    re.-1
    
    They ARE on CDs!  That's what we've been talking about, aren't we?
    I don't think it contains as many overtures on the CD set as the
    LP set though.
    
    Charles
    

    
    Please, nobody rely on my memory on what overtures are on the CDs.
    The booklet has a bunch or Philips catalog numbers in the music
    listing.  I assume these are the record numbers.
    
    As for the chorus breaking up in the last movement of the Ninth,
    I didn't notice it.  There's an awful lot of high end in there,
    but my headphones seemed to cope all right.
    
    I suppose what I'll do is bring the set in with me tomorrow and
    take stuff straight from the booklet, hence avoiding confusion.
    
    DFW

    To set the record -- er, CD straight:
    
    Beethoven                                      Philips 416 274-2
    The 9 Symphonies                               ADD
    Kurt Masur
    Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
    Radio Chorus Leipzig
    Radio Chorus Berlin
    Children's Chorus of the Dresden Philharmonic Chorus
    
    There are symbols on the box to indicate that the LPs are catalog
    number 416 274-1, and the cassettes are 416 274-4.
    
    Recording dates:
    	Feb, 1972	"Leonore" and Symphony No. 5
    	Oct, 1972	Symphony No. 7
    	Nov, 1972	Symphony No. 4 and "Egmont"
    	Jan, 1973 	"Fidelio"
    	Nov, 1973	"Coriolan", Symphony No. 3, Symphony No. 6
    	Jan, 1974	The remaining Symphonies
    
    Disc 1 is Symphony No. 1 and Symphony No. 2, running time 64:39.
    Disc 2 is Symphony No. 3 and the overture to "Leonore", running
    	time 63:55
    Disc 3 is Symphony No. 4 and Symphony No. 5, running time 68:32
    Disc 4 is Symphony No. 6 and the overtures to "Egmont", "Coriolan"
    	and "Fidelio", running time 68:05
    Disc 5 is Symphony No. 7 and Symphony No. 8, running time 63:31
    Disc 6 is Symphony No. 9, running time 69:29
                                                        
    Lots of voices in the Ninth!
    
    Oddly enough, each individual disc also has a catalog number
    (416 275-2 through 416 280-2), and the two double jewel boxes
    also have catalong numbers, 416 281-2 and 416 282-2, so maybe
    these CDs come in other configurations as well.
    
    Anyway, despite all this and the ill-fitting booklet, it's the most
    worthwhile eighty dollars I've dropped in a while.  I do not posess
    the musical literacy to really judge the authenticity of these
    performances or any of that other stuff, but it sounds really terrific
    to me.  If you're looking to pick up the Symphonies in one fell
    swoop, I'd recommend this set.
    
    DFW

    
    RE:.90
    
    That's what I get for only reading (incompletely) the last couple of
    notes of a discussion... Sorry.
    
    Trev 

    
    One final word:
    
    For all you budding chorus singers who could never figure out what
    they were singing about in the last movement of the Ninth (actually,
    Schiller's Ode "To Joy" set to music), here is your chance.  The
    booklet has the words in three different languages.  The choral
    parts are rendered in German on the discs.
    
    DFW

    Re: .83
    The two most wonderful recordings I've ever heard of Beethoven
    symphonies came out in the late '50s: Otto Klemperer's Third and
    Fourth. His entire set is available now on CD, and the sound is
    pretty good, considering the age of the analog recordings. (One
    strange thing--all the symphonies are AAD with the exception of
    numbers 5 and 3[?]; they're ADD.) But if you're still looking for
    Symphony No. 4, TRY THE KLEMPERER! And if you like his approach,
    then by all means get his performance of No. 3. The funeral march
    is to die (% ^)). And the French horns in the third movement are
    unbelievably gorgeous.
    
    Jack Truslow