Conference cookie::notes$archive:cd_v1

    As far as I know, Capitol is going to release the Beatles on CD
    this spring, though not all titles at once. Presumably, they will
    follow the British mixes, as Capitol will be scrapping the US
    mixes they've been using up till now with the UK mixes.
    
    As for PP&M, one can only hope...
    
    --- jerry

    I have Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto on CD - Rubinstein, I think.
    While the recording is very old, the quality is reasonable - I just
    don't like the performance. To me, Russian music should be performed
    by a Slavic artist...
    
    My favorite 2nd is by Sviatoslav Richter on Deutsche Grammophon
    (also pretty old), but I haven't seen it on CD yet.
    

    Not much of P,P,& M is available even on L.P. If you look in a master
    catalog you will only see 6-8 albums in print. I tried contacting
    the publisher directly and couldn't even get in touch with them.
    P,P,& M expressed their frustration about this at a recent concert.
    (South Shore Music Circus a couple of yrs ago). Apparently even
    tho they have racks and racks of their own music in their private
    libraries, they can't publish them.
    
    
    				sigh

    The latest on the Beatles which showed up in a Colorado Springs
    newspaper last week was that after the present stock of The Beatles
    first 10 lps were gone (up to but not including SGT. PEPPER) Capitol
    Records would then release the original versions (British pressings)
    of the same/like release. Only after that would the CDs be issued.
    The CDs would be from the British masters.  The purpose of the delay
    is basically money.  Capitol believes that once the word gets out
    that this is your last chance to get their early albums (American)
    lots of people will respond. That ='s $!  Then when the British
    versions come out all the die hard Beatle fans that don't already
    own imports will say "...oh wow, I've got to get these too
    ..." This of course ='s $$!  I think you get the idea.  Has anyone
    else heard similar?
                                =Stew=

    re: .2  Richter's DG version is available on CD, coupled with something
    	    from Prokovief.

    Re .2 and .5
    
    I'm delighted to know that the Concerto No. 2 is out. I found a
    budget CD of the Richter recording of the Tchaikovsky concerto,
    and the filler on that was the set of Rachmaninoff preludes that
    were originally the filler on the Rachmaninoff concerto. I was afraid
    that the concerto had vanished into the DG vaults--perhaps forever.
    Is the Rachmaninoff/Prokovief CD also a DG budget (sorry, but I
    can't remember what the name is--"Prestige"?--or is that the Philips
    budget?)
    
    Jack Truslow
    

    Good new, bad news.
    
    Good news.  I found Peter, Paul and Mary on CD.  At Rockin' Mania
    in Framingham.
    
    Bad news.  Japanese import - $27.00 for a single CD.  Also, recording
    quality is sad, guitars come out of one channel, singing from the
    other.  Not too bad when all 3 are singing, (one from each channel,
    one in the middle), but on solos....not good.  The auditory illusion
    of someone singing, while playing a guitar 12 feet away is rather
    distracting!
    
    I will say there is very little tape hiss, as these are obviously
    pretty old recordings. 
    
    So, if you're a REAL fan, you can probably find it.  Casual fans,
    be warned, though.
    
    Jim

    	Re:-1
    	
    	Which Peter, Paul and Mary did you find? Is it a cd version
    of something released in America, a compilation, what's on it?
    $27 is more then I would probably pay but maybe this is an indication
    of things to come.
    
    _stew-

    re .7
    
    That's the way the stereo was mixed in all of their early records.
    Recording engineers in the sixties were real excited about stereo.
    
    For people like me who were trying to learn to play the guitar
    at the time by listening to records, it was an invaluable lesson
    in how arrangements were built and meshed. As an emulation of
    a live performance, it obviously stinks.

    There's another PPM album on CD, for the usual CD price. It's
    one of there recent albums: NO EASY WALK TO FREEDOM.
    
    --- jerry

    re: .6
    
    Jack - the short answer is afraid I don't know.  The
    Richter/Rachmaninoff was available (at least on catalogue)
    long before the budget stuff was announced.  Does anyone 
    if if these pre-digital recordings are been added to the
    budget series retrospectively?
    
    thanks/Dermot

    I'd like to add a couple paragraphs on the discussion of 
    Serge Rachmaninoff.
    Note .2 mentions that Arthur Rubinstein's recording of Rachmaninoff's
    2nd piano Concerto may not be a good performance because "Russian
    music should be performed by a Slavic artist".  For those who read
    this note and form an opinion of Rubinstein based on it, remember
    that Rubinstein was born in Poland, was a contemporary of Rachmaninoff
    and carried a strong Slavic character all his life.  Although he
    is best known for his interpretations of Chopin and Spanish composers
    (eg. Falla, Turina, etc), his versions of Rachmaninoff & Tchaikovsky
    are worth owning.
    
    Out of interest, I bought a copy of Zoltan Kocsis playing
    Rachmaninoff's Piano Concertos Nos. 1&2.  Kocsis seems to be as
    powerful a player as Rachmaninoff, but the speed at which he plays
    these concertos often overpowers the feeling.  I wouldn't recommend
    this disc for first time Rachmaninoff listeners.  I'd buy either
    Richter or Rubinstein.  I'm curious if anyone has good, recent
    recordings of Rachmaninoff (possibly in the DDD era).  I might try
    another version of Concerto No.2.
    
       Marty
    

    I have a digitally recorded LP of Previn and Ashkenazy (sp?) playing
    the two-piano version of Symphonic Dances with which I am very
    impressed (I keep meaning to by it on CD).
    
    Ashkenazy is well known for is performances of slavic works - how does
    he fare on the Concerto's? 
    
    wrh

    Re: .13
    I'm not surprised that Ashkenazy is highly regarded for his
    performances of Slavic works (probably primarily Russian).  I believe
    he was born in Russia and studied at the Moscow Conservatory.
    I'm extremely impressed by his conducting of the Sibelius symphonies:
    I have Symphonies #2 and #4 in the London series.
    
    A friend of mine here in Salem in convinced that Ashkenazy is a
    piano pounder.  Does anyone have any of his CD's that would
    substantiate this theory?  I'm also interested in getting an opinion
    from someone who has the Perlman/Ashkenazy versions of Beethoven's
    sonata's (can't remember the names or opus #'s offhand.
    
        Marty
    

    RE: .12, .13
    
    I have Ashkenazy's recordings of all four(3.25) symphonies, the
    Isle of the Dead, Symphonic Dances, and Cto #2.  Of those works, only 
    the Symphonic Dances, 2nd Symphony and the 2nd Concerto have several 
    versions out on CD.  Ashkenazy's interpretations are, by far, the
    available. -John  

    Ashkenazy and Perlman recorded *all* the Beethoven violin sontatas.
    Don't know if they're available on CD.
    
    				George

    Re: .-1  There's an enthusiastic notice of the Perleman/Ashkenazy
    recordings of the "Kreutzer" and "Spring" sonatas in Note 865.
    
    JT
    

    RCA has now released the definitive versions of the Rachmaninoff
    piano concertos.
    The CD's are titled "Rachmaninoff plays Rachmaninoff"
    I borrowed a copy of the 2nd & 3rd concertos from a friend who is
    a good classical pianist himself and loves these performances.
    
    My opinion of the (digitally remastered) CD:
        performance: 10    sound:   3 (maybe 4)
    
    The reason for the sound quality is that the recordings were remastered
    from original 78 rpm records.  Concerto No.2 was recorded in 1929
    with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Leopold Stokowski.
    Concerto No.3 was recorded in 1940 by the Philadelphia Orchestra
    conducted by Eugene Ormandy.
    
    The performances are one of a kind.  The ease and fluidity with
    which Rachmaninoff plays these pieces is a revelation.  Half way
    through concerto No. 2 I was thinking,"my god, so this is what
    these concertos are supposed to sound like!"  
    The thing that makes these releases so valuable is; we get few chances
    to hear the great piano music as played by the original composer.
    
    The sad part is, due to the compression and surface noise, these
    CD's will also cause some listening fatigue.  I intend to buy this
    set and find a more modern interpretation that I find listenable.
    RCA should be commended for spending their time re-issuing these
    and a lot of other historical recordings rather than finding another
    second rate pianist and bland orchestra.
    
    So, if you buy these, buy them for their performance and the fact
    that they have the actual playing of Sergei Rachmaninoff.
    
        Marty_who_would_also_like_to_hear_what_Prokofiev_sounded_like
    
    

I would recommend the Rachmaninoff #2 as played by Svjatoslav Richter and
the Warsaw Philharmonic.  This is a great recording, the recording is a bit
old, but it is still great.  It is paired with the Prokofiev #5 (I think).

A very high recommendation.

Dirk

    
    I have the Previn interpretations of the Rachmaninoffs on Telarc
    and they are all wonderful.
    
    Jim
    

Re: .18 Rachmaninov playing Rachmaninov

I, too have recordings of Rachmaninov playing his own piano concertos (I bought
them in Leningrad).  

In many respects they are surprising (for example, he plays No 2 much faster
than most modern performances), but it shouldn't be forgotten that this is not
necessarily how he *wanted* to play them. Constraints such as limited available
recording time, trying to fit a movement on one disc, etc., may mean that these
recordings are of limited value as "definitive" interpretations. 

Just a thought, anyway.

Ceri

    An article in the newest DIGITAL AUDIO on folk music CD's says
    that Warner's is preparing to dust off its PP&M catalog for CD
    release.
    
    --- jerry

    Hooray!  Any indication of what they'll release first?

    No, nor any indication of when that I can recall.
    
    I'll go along with your choices, though.
    
    --- jerry

    	Saw PP&M on tv yesterday and Mary said that their first lp had
    just been released on cd and that she had to go out a buy a player
    just so she could hear it ;-)  Said that the others would be following
    soon. 
    	They also have a new Christmas recording out but I have no idea
    what's on it.
    
    _stew-

    Some of PP&M's most important albums - "Moving", "In The Wind",
    "A Song Will Rise", "See What Tomorrow Brings", and "Album"- are
    not currently scheduled for CD release by Warner Bros.  WB doesn't
    perceive demand is sufficient to issue them on CD.
    
    "Digital Audio" is collecting responses to support the release of
    all PP&M recordings on CD.  You can help influence the release of
    these albums on CD by sending a postcard to:  Digital Audio,
    Readers for PP&M, WGE Center, Peterborough, NH  03458.  Digital
    Audio will collect all the responses and forward them to Warner
    Bros. executives.
    
    I was in Framingham yesterday and went looking for the new PP&M
    CD.  Of the 5 stores I visited, only Rock'n Mania had ordered
    some but were already sold out.  AGH!!!
    
    Has anyone seen the PP&M CD anywhere?
    
    Ken P.           

    I've seen it at Tower and at the Coop, but neither store had a Warner
    Brothers sale on at the time.

    	Noteworthy shows 2 PP&M CDs:
    		Peter, Paul and Mary		$11.94
    		No Easy Walk to Freedom		$10.54
    
    	By the way, you can now order as few as 2 disks from Noteworthy
    	per order but there's a penalty charge.
    
    		Charlie
    

    what is the penalty charge?