So I'm just beginning to dig into this batch, starting with this recording. Listened to some of the Beethoven first - really radical quad mixing, and I thought it sounded pretty good too. I'll admit the quality of the pieces is very variable, but I enjoyed the King Stephen Overture a lot - one of the few pieces I'd heard before. Worth checking out.
The Rhapsody in Blue is technically excellent, but musically it just didn't work for me. It's really fast, but the problem is that MTT and the orchestra are locked into this piano roll so they're essentially playing catch-up to it. It's one reason why modern recordings with older rolls like this aren't tried more.
Here's Gershwin in a recording from 1925 - it's heavily cut, and they probably chose tempi to fit onto two 78s. Notice how it just feels in sync? I don't think it's possible with a preprogrammed roll.
Compare this to Bernstein's controversial recording - which is a full 3 minutes longer, and Bernstein isn't a first-rank pianist (he was of course a first rank conductor), and which is available as a stereo SACD and many RBCD versions. There's a vision and execution in that performance. I just don't get that here.
Still need to listen to the Carmina Burana and American in Paris - so much good stuff here, even with quibbles.
The Rhapsody in Blue is technically excellent, but musically it just didn't work for me. It's really fast, but the problem is that MTT and the orchestra are locked into this piano roll so they're essentially playing catch-up to it. It's one reason why modern recordings with older rolls like this aren't tried more.
Here's Gershwin in a recording from 1925 - it's heavily cut, and they probably chose tempi to fit onto two 78s. Notice how it just feels in sync? I don't think it's possible with a preprogrammed roll.
Compare this to Bernstein's controversial recording - which is a full 3 minutes longer, and Bernstein isn't a first-rank pianist (he was of course a first rank conductor), and which is available as a stereo SACD and many RBCD versions. There's a vision and execution in that performance. I just don't get that here.
Still need to listen to the Carmina Burana and American in Paris - so much good stuff here, even with quibbles.