The problem with Seth's Pearl transfers was they are extremely noisy. The sound itself is excellent, but those were the days (my friend) when Pearl felt that the more crackle they included increased the recording's "authenticity". I have a lot of tolerance for the sound of bacon frying, but these transfers really took patience.
This is probably not terribly helpful, but I found that the old Dante Historical Piano Collection was a very fine compromise between EMI's overprocessing and Pearl's crackle. I don't think, however, they are easily obtainable now.
I have also heard Andrew Rose's Pristine transfers, and they are superb - undoubtedly the best yet. To get the actual CDs would be a little pricey, but definitely - DEFINITELY! - worth it.
One man's opinion.-Larry
On Thursday, December 8, 2016 4:47 PM, Gary A. Galo <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
PS - I just read the customer reviews of the Warner/EMI set. They are not favorable. The first one highly recommends Seth's old Pearl transfers.
Gary
____________________________
Gary Galo
Audio Engineer Emeritus
The Crane School of Music
SUNY at Potsdam, NY 13676
"Great art presupposes the alert mind of the educated listener."
Arnold Schoenberg
"A true artist doesn't want to be admired, he wants to be believed."
Igor Markevitch
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Gary A. Galo
Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2016 4:22 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Schnabel re-issue recommendations
Hi Jim,
Seth Winner did them for Pearl many years ago - they do turn up on Amazon. I have the Naxos Historical CDs that Mark Obert Thorn did, and they sound very good. Although "Not for Sale in the US", Amazon 3rd-party vendors have them. There are a total of 11 volumes. Try searching for " schnabel beethoven naxos" as well as " schnabel beethoven naxos historical" to come up with all of the available choices. Some dealers are charging over-the-top prices for them.
There's a new set from Warner/EMI that claims to be new 96/24 transfers:
https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Piano-Sonatas-Artur-Schnabel/dp/B01GIUNCNM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1481231831&sr=1-1&keywords=schnabel+beethoven
You can't beat the price. The old EMI set sounded like crap - avoid it. The newer transfers done by EMI at Abbey Road have been much better than their work from the 1980s and 90s. If I had to do it, I think I'd take a chance on that new Warner/EMI set.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Gary
____________________________
Gary Galo
Audio Engineer Emeritus
The Crane School of Music
SUNY at Potsdam, NY 13676
"Great art presupposes the alert mind of the educated listener."
Arnold Schoenberg
"A true artist doesn't want to be admired, he wants to be believed."
Igor Markevitch
-----Original Message-----
From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Farrington, Jim
Sent: Thursday, December 08, 2016 4:08 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Schnabel re-issue recommendations
All of my library's copies of Schnabel recordings of the Beethoven piano sonatas have walked away. I'm looking for a good replacement set. Are any of them particularly noteworthy for their restoration? Opinions welcome.
Jim Farrington
Book Review Editor
ARSC Journal
Sibley Music Library
27 Gibbs St.
Rochester, NY 14604
585-274-1304 (w) 585-274-1380 (f)
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