SPOTLIGHT The classical music general discussion thread

[Lute]

We're spoiled for these on SACD, but this is one of the best options - would have been nice if they reissued them in a box.

With all the box sets that have been released, it’s surprising they didn’t do that. At any rate, I’m so happy Pentatone saw fit to remaster these beautiful Quad recordings in Hirez surround. Handel is one of my favorites. Yes, they certainly spoiled us with these 4 volumes.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Dallas Symphony Orchestra The Eduardo Mata Years [Dorian/Sono Luminus Remasters/6 RBCDs] Stunning box set

https://www.sonoluminus.com/store/box-set-sale-orchestra-and-quartet

 

[Lute]

Dipping back into the Pentatone Quad series, I found another treasure.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Pentatone is offering 50% off all available Philips RQR QUAD SACD Classics until April 6, 2020. DISCOUNT CODE SPRINGTIME2020

http://www.pentatonemusic.com/series/3
EXAMPLES:

REMASTERED CLASSICS Grieg - Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 and 2 / Four Norwegian Dances

Raymond Leppard , English Chamber Orchestra
Edvard Grieg


REMASTERED CLASSICS Schubert - String Quartets
REMASTERED CLASSICS Bizet - Carmen & L'Arlésienne Suites 1 & 2
REMASTERED CLASSICS Mozart - Piano Concertos K. 414 + K. 453

 

[4-earredwonder]

 

[Lute]

Pentatone is offering 50% off all available Philips RQR QUAD SACD Classics until April 6, 2020. DISCOUNT CODE SPRINGTIME2020

http://www.pentatonemusic.com/series/3
EXAMPLES:

REMASTERED CLASSICS Grieg - Peer Gynt Suites Nos. 1 and 2 / Four Norwegian Dances

Raymond Leppard , English Chamber Orchestra
Edvard Grieg


REMASTERED CLASSICS Schubert - String Quartets
REMASTERED CLASSICS Bizet - Carmen & L'Arlésienne Suites 1 & 2
REMASTERED CLASSICS Mozart - Piano Concertos K. 414 + K. 453

Thanks for the heads up! That’s a great chance to pick up some beautiful Quad recordings.

 

[Lute]

Sticking with Pentatone’s Quad classics this evening...

Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E flat Op. 82, Symphony No. 7 in C Op. 105, Symphonic Poem "En Saga" Op. 9

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Sir Colin Davis (conductor)

 

[Lute]

OK, here’s one from Hobbit land (or should I say The Shire, Ralphie). Anyway, I really enjoy this ensemble’s (Echo du Danube) sublime recordings. Tonight it’s...

 

[ubertrout]

Dipping back into the Pentatone Quad series, I found another treasure.

View attachment 47063

View attachment 47064

This is a great one, and I think it got a little lost in the shuffle with some of the other DG reissues from Pentatone. It's a shame they didn't do another two SACDs with the remainder of his Ravel recordings for DG.

 

[ubertrout]

If people aren't aware of it, the Berkshire Record Outlet (now based out of Albany) has many SACDs from Pentatone and others for about a third of list price: Products – Berkshire Record Outlet

 

[humprof]

If people aren't aware of it, the Berkshire Record Outlet (now based out of Albany) has many SACDs from Pentatone and others for about a third of list price: Products – Berkshire Record Outlet

That's a great site to know about. $6.99! Just to be clear, though--and forgive me @ubertrout; I think you reconfirmed this a week or so ago on this thread or another: while the RQR series includes some fabulous performances, the quad mixes are overwhelmingly ambient-only rears, yes?

As thrilled as I've been by these great sales on Pentatone and Sono Luminus (and Channel Classics--thanks Ralph) titles over the past year or so, I don't like what they portend. I'm sure it's partly driven by expired or expiring license agreements and partly by a need to reduce old warehouse stock; that's all normal. But I also can't help noticing that over the same period, the weekly "new release" listings at Presto Classical have included fewer and fewer SACDs. It used to be that half or more of the new titles were available on hybrid multi-channel SACD; now you're lucky to see one or two each week. I hope the last holdouts aren't giving up on physical product, too!

 

[4-earredwonder]

If people aren't aware of it, the Berkshire Record Outlet (now based out of Albany) has many SACDs from Pentatone and others for about a third of list price: Products – Berkshire Record Outlet

I used to order from them and don't know why I don't anymore. Their prices and service were fine. They do show 88 Pentatone titles for as little as $6.99 each including quite a few from their RQR series. Just wish they'd have accompanying album cover photos of the individual selections but at those prices ......

https://www.broinc.com/media/?wpsol...CD&wpsolr_fq[2]=pa_record-label_str:PENTATONE
VERY best deal I did find was last year's Channel Classics SACD sale ..... @ $5.63 each delivered from Austria.

 

[4-earredwonder]

BTW, those remastered Sono Luminus/Dorian RBCDs from Eduardo Mata sound as good if not better than a lot of SACDs in my collection. So glad Sono Luminus rescued them from the 'ashes!' And for the pittance they charged .......a GREAT DEAL [20 RBCDs for $30!] Excellent performances, as well.

 

[4-earredwonder]

BRUBECK and AMERICAN POETS [Sono Luminus/BD~A 5.1/RBCD] Stunning performances from the Pacific Mozart Ensemble

 

[ubertrout]

That's a great site to know about. $6.99! Just to be clear, though--and forgive me @ubertrout; I think you reconfirmed this a week or so ago on this thread or another: while the RQR series includes some fabulous performances, the quad mixes are overwhelmingly ambient-only rears, yes?

As thrilled as I've been by these great sales on Pentatone and Sono Luminus (and Channel Classics--thanks Ralph) titles over the past year or so, I don't like what they portend. I'm sure it's partly driven by expired or expiring license agreements and partly by a need to reduce old warehouse stock; that's all normal. But I also can't help noticing that over the same period, the weekly "new release" listings at Presto Classical have included fewer and fewer SACDs. It used to be that half or more of the new titles were available on hybrid multi-channel SACD; now you're lucky to see one or two each week. I hope the last holdouts aren't giving up on physical product, too!

The Philips reissues are overwhelmingly ambient save one or two, many of the reissues of DG recordings were more active.

 

[4-earredwonder]

The Philips reissues are overwhelmingly ambient save one or two, many of the reissues of DG recordings were more active.

The Thomas Mowrey DGG QUADS, Treemonisha and Carmen were discrete. For the most part, the DGG QUADS were ambient. I can only wonder how those Angel QUADS sounded SQ decoded but suspect, they were ambient only. AFAIK, only the Columbia and RCA QUADS were mostly discrete. The VOX and Vanguard classical QUADS were likewise mostly ambient as well.

 

[humprof]

The Philips reissues are overwhelmingly ambient save one or two, many of the reissues of DG recordings were more active.

Pretty sure I've accumulated all the discrete DG reissues (Carmen, Tremonisha, the Ozawa/BSOs). Any pointers or recommendations in re:the "one or two" Philips RQRs? I have the Schubert Quartetto Italiano disc, which is what I would call "chamber-ambient"--not discrete, but still fairly full and immersive, more than just ambience in the rears. Any others?

 

[4-earredwonder]

That's a great site to know about. $6.99! Just to be clear, though--and forgive me @ubertrout; I think you reconfirmed this a week or so ago on this thread or another: while the RQR series includes some fabulous performances, the quad mixes are overwhelmingly ambient-only rears, yes?

As thrilled as I've been by these great sales on Pentatone and Sono Luminus (and Channel Classics--thanks Ralph) titles over the past year or so, I don't like what they portend. I'm sure it's partly driven by expired or expiring license agreements and partly by a need to reduce old warehouse stock; that's all normal. But I also can't help noticing that over the same period, the weekly "new release" listings at Presto Classical have included fewer and fewer SACDs. It used to be that half or more of the new titles were available on hybrid multi-channel SACD; now you're lucky to see one or two each week. I hope the last holdouts aren't giving up on physical product, too!

I'm sure what you are saying, humprof, has a LOT of truth. I'm sure all these labels which have been releasing SACDs for years would prefer offering them as downloads as the cost of disc replication and distributing these discs worldwide has become uber expensive with a small profit margin considering most of them are still recorded with large orchestras from scratch.

Enjoy them while you can because the future portends downloading them to your computers sans those plastic/digipak cases and glossy liner notes.

 

[Lute]

This is a great one, and I think it got a little lost in the shuffle with some of the other DG reissues from Pentatone. It's a shame they didn't do another two SACDs with the remainder of his Ravel recordings for DG.

I agree. Maybe they will release them all together on a bluray someday (Wishful thinking, I know ). And looking at how physical media is drying up, we might have been lucky to even get that single Ozawa/Ravel SACD. It makes me appreciate even more the efforts by Pentatone and also D-V to get these Quad treasures out in Hirez surround.

 

[ubertrout]

Pretty sure I've accumulated all the discrete DG reissues (Carmen, Tremonisha, the Ozawa/BSOs). Any pointers or recommendations in re:the "one or two" Philips RQRs? I have the Schubert Quartetto Italiano disc, which is what I would call "chamber-ambient"--not discrete, but still fairly full and immersive, more than just ambience in the rears. Any others?

I need to give the BSO chamber players record another listen, but possibly that one as well.