Wednesday, December 29th, 2010
Welcome to 2011 (a bit early, I admit!) Here are 6 new titles I have posted on Klassic Haus Restorations, under the Orchestra Page 2 tab. I will have other genres to post during January 2011; I just ended up with orchestral titles dominating my restorations at the end of December, two of them (the Ristenpart-led discs) being customer requests.
The Karl Ristenpart recording of the Brandenburg Concerti (KHCD-2011-003-2CD, in stereo) is a revelation, especially in light of the more staid, proper early-music performances of late. The Chamber Orchestra of The Saar is joined by a stellar roster of soloists, including Jean-Pierre Rampal, Pierre Pierlot, and Robert Veyron-Lacroix, along with solo members of the orchestra. Ristenpart’s Haydn (KHCD-2011-004) is always enjoyable; his sense of pulse infusing each piece, the joy of music radiating from the speakers! Alexander Schneider’s Handel Concerti Grossi Op. 6 (KHCD-2011-002-3CD, a restoration I promised to complete back in late November), is another must-listen. The hand-picked ensemble is miked closely, so you can hear page turns, conductorial intakes-of-breath indicating entrances, and placing of bows upon strings before up-and down-strokes; very intimate and engaging. In spite of the Dynaflex discs (RCA’s contribution to the degradation of the LP media), the resulting transfer sounds wonderful. The Dorati-led Haydn opera overtures, sinfonias and ballet music (KHCD-2011-005) are the perfect solution for a relaxing bit of music listening. The Vaughan Williams disc (KHCD-2011-006) preserves transcriptions I performed in 1978 of two 78 sets to reel-to-reel tape. Both the “London Symphony” and the Vaughan Williams-conducted Symphony No. 4 have been released previously elsewhere; these remasterings, first performed in 2002 and later in 2010 with updated sound restoration programs, meet or exceed the earlier releases in terms of suppressed surface noise and overall natural sound. Finally, Max Rudolf conducts the Cincinnati Symphony (KHCD-2011-001) in stylish performances of Haydn’s Symphony No. 57, No. 86 and No. 102, recorded by Decca (US) in the early and mid-1960s in Cincinnati’s glorious Music Hall.
I am planning a sereies of choral releases, feature English cathedral choirs recorded by Argo in the early 1960s, later in January, along with some other rare LPs. Please keep checking, and I appreciate your continued support and comments. Cheers! – Curt Timmons