I'm still trying to figure that out myself. At a guess, they're multiple CD
sets with a 2012 release dat. I'm going to order the Bruno Walter Mahler
set to hear how the 2d came out. It's always sounded squished to me. I was
at two of the sessions and recall a bit of what got retaken and why. At
least one of the corrections was not used.

I hope they do the mono 1st which I far prefer to the tired-sounding LA one.
And I much prefer Mitropoulos's performance of the 5th. We'll see. I'll
check the date on that one as well.

I see the Perahia Mozart concerti are also available in a new box and may go
for that one as well.

The date on the boxes will give us some scope of the span. Sort of a "do
not buy if dated before" indicator.

Steve Smolian

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of L. Hunter Kevil
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2012 5:10 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Who needs vinyl?

Steve and Richard,

Can you give us any clues as to how to identify which Sony reissues have
been outstandingly remastered and which have not?

Hunter Kevil


On Fri, Jun 1, 2012 at 3:09 PM, [Richard A Kaplan]
<[log in to unmask]>wrote:

> Sony's release of Bernstein's Mahler cycle last year in new masterings
> from session tapes was revelatory; it shows (a) what they're capable
> of when they're willing to use the resources, and (b) how inadequate
> the huge bulk of their CD reissues have (has?) been. I'm with Steve:
> More!
>
> Rich Kaplan
>
>
> In a message dated 6/1/2012 3:05:07 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> I recently heard the last 2 movements of the Beethoven 3d Piano
> Concero on the radio and was amazed. I had no idea who was before
> the public at present who played the piece this well. What
> particularly grabbed me was how rich the piano tone was, how clear the
> various piiano voices and orchestral parts were and how well the
> whole thing sounded together.
>
> Imagine my surprise. It was Leon Fleisher, George Szell and the
> Cleveland Orchestra, made in 1959.
>
> After a bit of investigation, I learned it was a new, 2012 24 bit
> ransfer from Sony. I orderd the box of the 5 Beethoven and two Brahms
> Concerti that night. When it arrived, it also proved to contain the
> Brahms Handel Variations, the op. 39 Waltzes and Mozarrt's 25th
> Concerto.
>
> I'm playing the 3d now through my office listening set-up. It's far
> more than the radio disclosed.
>
> Though I've yet to see a review that addresses it, this is clearly
> (!) a huge improvement over all previous releases in any format.
>
> I am assuming they've used Capstan as there is no wow or flutter-
> something to which my my ear is particulary sensitive. The crispness
> of the sound indicates corrections to problems caused by slight
> misphasings, firmly and distinctly positioning the instruments within
> the orchestra. A slight cut made here at about 2700 cycles allows
> the piano to sound completely equalized throughout its range with no
> notes suddenly sticking out. The occassional buzzy noise I used to
> think were defects in the recording are now revealed as piano
> problems. I can't hear any tape hiss at all. The only negative is
> that the time between movements is often too short and unrelated to
> the music's pulse.
>
> Oh, yes. Setting aside a few missed notes in a few of the more
> elaboate passages, the 3d is a terrific performance. They are well
> enough known by now not to require a review.
>
> The digital millenium has arrived. More! More!
>
> Steve Smolian
>