add to wish list | library


15 of 16 recommend this,
would you recommend it?

yes | no

Support this site by purchasing from these vendors using the paid links below. As an Amazon Associate SA-CD.net earns from qualifying purchases.
 
amazon.ca
amazon.co.uk
amazon.com
amazon.de
 
amazon.fr
amazon.it
 
jpc

Discussion: Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 10 - Gergiev

Posts: 18
Page: 1 2 next

Post by diw March 3, 2011 (1 of 18)
Supposedly next up after this one is the 2 Shostakovich piano concertos, which would be worthwhile.

Post by tailspn March 3, 2011 (2 of 18)
If you like the MCH sound of LSO Live :)

Post by diw March 3, 2011 (3 of 18)
I think overall the Mariinski's have been better than that, although based on the poor performance and recording of the 11th, I think they are headed in the wrong direction :(

At least the 2 Piano Concertos represent less covered repertoire

Post by tailspn March 3, 2011 (4 of 18)
diw said:

I think overall the Mariinski's have been better than that...

Oh, I agree! It wasn't until Mallinson started using Classic Sound Ltd, first for mastering, then for recording and mastering, that the Mariinski sound turned sterile and flat. Just like LSO live, which people blame on the hall. It's the production company. Pity.

Tom

Post by canonical March 3, 2011 (5 of 18)
tailspn said:

Oh, I agree! It wasn't until Mallinson started using Classic Sound Ltd, first for mastering, then for recording and mastering, that the Mariinski sound turned sterile and flat. Just like LSO live, which people blame on the hall. It's the production company. Pity.

Tom

Didn't know about this ... but I did notice something!!!

The first Mariinski's I bought:

Shostakovich Nose and Symph 1 and 15

... had superb sonics. The later ones I bought were bland and dull ... same hall .... same orchestra ... I didn't understand it. I was going to start a thread about it.

Is this information provided on the boxes? Because the information on my boxes looks the same?? And yes - the LSO Live releases have truly drab sonics.

Post by Jonalogic March 4, 2011 (6 of 18)
canonical said:

Didn't know about this ... but I did notice something!!!

The first Mariinski's I bought:

Shostakovich Nose and Symph 1 and 15

... had superb sonics. The later ones I bought were bland and dull ... same hall .... same orchestra ... I didn't understand it. I was going to start a thread about it.

Is this information provided on the boxes? Because the information on my boxes looks the same?? And yes - the LSO Live releases have truly drab sonics.

Most interesting, all this. I also thought the 1/15 and Nose both sounded excellent, albeit a tad multi-miked for my individual taste; and then it all mysteriously fell to bits...

Classic sound is a strange outfit. They can be good, but their LSO Live recordings are just consistently awful - at least they have the 'excuse' of a sterile hall there, not a valid let-out for the lovely Mariinski.

I just don't understand their approach to miking and recording. Jonathan Stokes always seemed to have a penchant for close and over-miking, but never to the extent we are now seeing. What's going on?

On a broader note, Shostakovich symphonies are so well covered now in SACD; do we really need another cycle, particularly in iffy sound? Even as a complete Shostakovich fanatic, the BIS, Pentatone, ARS and Capriccio cycles see me feeling quite smug and adequately covered.

There is much more great 20th Century Russian music that he could pursue - the Rachmaninov and Prokofiev symphonies, for instance. Or maybe he's doing those on LSO Live...

So, a nice choice - would you prefer to be shot or poisoned?! Bummer.

Post by tailspn March 4, 2011 (7 of 18)
All Mariinsky SACD's, and as far as I know, all LSO Live are produced by James Mallinson. In the recording business, if the orchestra owns the label, then the label/band owns the rights, and hires the producer. The producer in turn, selects and hires the production company. Sometimes, like BIS, the company is the label, and the producer is an employee, as well as the production company. But lots of/most times, he/she is an independent.

Of the nine so far released Mariinsky's, most were recorded by Soundmirror. The later releases, Shostakovich 2, 3, and 10, and Stravinsky Oedipus Rex were recorded, post produced, and mastered by Classic Sound. The Parsifal and Shostakovich 11 were recorded by Soundmirror, but post produced and mastered by Classic Sound, with the 11 released along with the 2nd. All the rest were recorded and mastered by Soundmirror.

Listening in MCH, it's pretty easy to separate which were done by the two companies. Most interesting to me is the impact of post production and mastering. In the Shostakovich 2 and 11 release, the 2nd recorded by Classic, and the 11 recorded by Soundmirror, they both sounded alike in MCH, like a Classic Sound project.

Tom

Post by Fugue March 4, 2011 (8 of 18)
If both the recording and performance are as underwhelming as the 2nd and 11th, I think I'll pass. What is with the low mastering level on these and the LSO recordings?

Post by Windsurfer March 4, 2011 (9 of 18)
Fugue said:

If both the recording and performance are as underwhelming as the 2nd and 11th, I think I'll pass. What is with the low mastering level on these and the LSO recordings?

The low mastering level enables the fantastically wide dynamic range. If these were mastered at what you think is a normal level and you maintained your normal volume level, the crescendos would likely ruin your loudspeakers.

Post by JohnFerrier March 4, 2011 (10 of 18)
Windsurfer said:

The low mastering level enables the fantastically wide dynamic range.

Agree. Looking at rips of the CD layer of both The Enchanted Wanderer and The Nose (both 2 disc sets), I find spots that peak at over -1 dB (0 dB is maximum). It's dynamic music.

Page: 1 2 next

Closed