Best Full-Scale Orchestral Recording - Sound Quality-wise

corwin99 · « **on:** 5 Oct 2005, 06:36 pm »

I need some more Classical reference discs that have some impressive full-scale recordings... preferably a nice range of quiet and loud passages, on more accessible recordings, nothing too obscure. I am wondering what everyone here uses to impress friends/customers when they have them over? Also it would be best if these were just regular CDs rather than XRCD's or Mofi or other audiophile labels.

woodsyi · « **Reply #1 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 07:00 pm »

This site really covers music even if they pay homage to Steve Hoffman for his masters, which by the way are good. http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=2

Also this recording mentioned by Nathan is really good. http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=20071 The uncompressed version will test your system for dynamics.

Fife12 · « **Reply #2 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 08:28 pm »

Wong Fai Hung Soundtrack

Perfect for testing is your speakers can handle drums and the details of string instruments!

corwin99 · « **Reply #3 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 10:23 pm »

By Wong Fei Hung soundtrack do you mean the Once Upon a Time in China soundtrack? I can't seem to find the CD that Nathan recommends either

beatdownvictim · « **Reply #4 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 10:57 pm »

So nelson, we meet again!

Why don't you try a Vivaldi cd? go for the ever ubiquitus 4 seasons (especially winter) seems to be a good test track.

PS. still want the maggies?

kyyuan · « **Reply #5 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 11:37 pm »

try Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov

Tweaker · « **Reply #6 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 11:49 pm »

Gustav Mahler Symphonie No. 5 ,Berliner Philhamoniker, Claudio Abbado conducting on the Deutsche Gramaphone label and Tchaikovsky's symphonie No. 5 also the Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert Von Karajan conducting, EMI. Great recording quality, incredible music and all the dynamics you could want.

JoshK · « **Reply #7 on:** 5 Oct 2005, 11:58 pm »

Quote from: kyyuan

try Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov

Very good selection!

the exact pressing I am looking for has eluded me, at least at the price I am willing to pay, for some time now. (I will keep that to myself until I find it).

PhilNYC · « **Reply #8 on:** 6 Oct 2005, 12:43 am »

I know you said "no audiophile labels", but here's one from Chesky that I like to use in demos:

Sir Adrian Boult
Concert Favorites New Symphony Orchestra of London Sir Adrian Boult

Track listing:

1.Elgar - Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D, Op. 39
2.Mendelssohn - The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave Overture)
3.Mussorgsky - Night on Bald Mountain
4.Sullivan - Overture di Ballo
5.Liszt - Les Preludes
6.Tchaikovsky - Nutcracker Suite

http://www.chesky.com/core/details.cfm?productcode=CD053&productcategoryid=1

jkelly · « **Reply #9 on:** 6 Oct 2005, 01:12 am »

These two classics have always delivered:

Artist: Erich Kunzel/Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Recording: Orchestral Spectaculars

Artist: Erich Kunzel/Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Recording: Symphonic Spectacular

Jeff

nathanm · « **Reply #10 on:** 6 Oct 2005, 01:27 am »

Quote from: corwin99

...I can't seem to find the CD that Nathan recommends either

Go to that thread and contact Russell, I'm sure he'll set you up.

This recording is also in the same league in my humble opinion. I am not sure if one can still get their hands on a CD, but the MP3 is still very good, despite the lameness of the cutouts between songs if you burn it to CD. It's got dynamics of quiet singing all the way to folks beating on sheet metal. I didn't know they were making "industrial" music in 1953! Not to mention it (almost) ends with the saddest tune ever written. DOOM.

http://music.allofmp3.com/mcatalog.shtml?group=12786&album=2&albref=14

It even says "Great Recordings of the Century" right on it! See, I ain't making this shit up.

Quote

I am wondering what everyone here uses to impress friends/customers when they have them over?

This may be a futile effort. I think when you boil it all down nobody actually cares about what something sounds like, they only care about if they like the music or not. Sure, we BUY the great sounding disc, but how often does it really meet the spindle? Once? The Impressive sound demo feeling lasts for about 10 seconds. If anything I would ask the impressee to bring their own favorite disc, that way they will have a frame of reference which won't exisit if you just whip out the hifi nerd disc. They know how Favorite Band X sounds on the 'ol ipod earbuds, but not on YOUR swanky overkill rig!

JoshK · « **Reply #11 on:** 6 Oct 2005, 01:29 am »

Schwarzkopf = Blackhead.

....at least I thought so...

ted_b · « **Reply #12 on:** 6 Oct 2005, 01:31 am »

Will you accept SACD's or just redbook? If SACD, then the RCA Living Stereo SACD's are incredible, especially when you realize they were originally recorded in the mid-late 50's and early 60's. Scheherazade, Pictures (both Fritz Reiner), Van Cliburn and Rubinstein piano recordings, the Heifitz violin concertos.....Wow stuff. The Reiners are the two greatest (sonically) large orchestra recordings I've ever heard (not that I've heard them all, but it includes many Telarcs, DG's, etc.)

Russell Dawkins · « **Reply #13 on:** 6 Oct 2005, 02:30 am »

Hello out there, at the risk of seeming too self promoting, here is the information needed to order my CD:
The CD is still available, in two versions. The one I would recommend is the compressed version; the uncompressed version just serves to illustrate why compression, sensitively done, is actually desirable for extremely wide dynamic range classical recordings. I sell one for $10 USD and both compressed and uncompressed for $15 the pair. Payment is best made by cheque to my address (below). Send a cheque with your mailing address and email / phone number, telling me how many of which you want to:
Russell Dawkins, 345 Linden Ave., Victoria, B.C., Canada V8V 4G1 email: rdawkins@shaw.ca
.... and I will send them off to you, usually the same day.
I have to send them in paper envelopes in a bubble pack with a page of background information on the recording plus a colour copy of the tray card and the booklet from the original release, so you can assemble it all in a standard jewel case. They come with laser printed labels applied to the CDs.
Here is one of many flattering comments I have received on this recording, this one from a discerning listener in Switzerland who has a very high end Apogee based system and who reviews equipment and recordings for an on line magazine. It was received yesterday, Oct 4th 2005:
"Hi Russell, I wanted to let you know that I find the Prokovfiev recording to be the most naturally realistic of all the recordings I own. I recently got to hear this and the Tchaikovsky piece live recently here in Zürich. The Tönhalle orchestra was playing both pieces on the same night. We had nice 10th row middle seats and the sound was of course excellent. Later upon listening to your cd again I found that the presentation, while arranged a bit differently, was very similar to what I heard live. Amazing! I cannot say the same for most other classical orchestra recordings I own. Thanks again."

lonewolfny42 · « **Reply #14 on:** 6 Oct 2005, 06:34 am »

Quote from: corwin99

I need some more Classical reference discs that have some impressive full-scale recordings... preferably a nice range of quiet and loud passages, on more accessible recordings, nothing too obscure.

There's two that I use...

The Telarc Collection Vol. 1...track #1 - "Fanfare For The Common Man"[/list:u]

Holst - The Planets - Sir Adrian Boult, London Phil. Orch.....track #1 - "Mars, the bringer of war".[/list:u]

csero · « **Reply #15 on:** 6 Oct 2005, 02:14 pm »

You can also try this:

http://www.gvo.org/shop/cd.html

A good orchestra in a concert hall with beautiful acoustics. The recordings are made by Robin Miller with his own mic setup farfield ( no spots or other tricks) for transaural reproduction, but works much better than the usual Blumlein records on stereo playback too. The transfer to cd is straight without any processing - just level matching.
Similar recrordings are also available on 6 channel if you are serious about realistic sound

woodsyi · « **Reply #16 on:** 6 Oct 2005, 02:35 pm »

Quote from: Russell Dawkins

Hello out there, at the risk of seeming too self promoting, here is the information needed to order my CD:
The CD is still available, in two versions. The one I would recommend is the compressed version; the uncompressed version just serves to illustrate why compression, sensitively done, is actually desirable for extremely wide dynamic range classical recordings.

I can vouch for that. When I listened to the uncompressed version I had the volume set for the opening movement at a fairly loud setting to hear all the details of even the most delicate pianissimo passages. I was really enjoying the music and fell asleep

for a few minutes only to wake up to rattles of bottles on my console table next to my speakers. The final movement had kicked into a crescendo leading to a wall shaking climax. Cool stuff.

Randy · « **Reply #17 on:** 6 Oct 2005, 02:52 pm »

For a great sounding classical CD - and a great performance of great music - try RR-87CD, esp. track 2, Suite from Candide. The Minnesota Orchestra plays Lenoard Bernstein.

PorkpieHat · « **Reply #18 on:** 7 Oct 2005, 10:02 am »

Quote from: nathanm

It even says "Great Recordings of the Century" right on it! See, I ain't making this shit up.

Actually the series title might be a bit misleading. There are also Great Recordings issues of Dennis Brain and Dinu Lipatti which are in mono. Not sure you would put those on to impress friends or customers, but historic recordings by legendary performers nonetheless.

Agree with Ted_b that the RCA Living Stereo dual layer releases are very good. You can get some terrific stuff dirt cheap - for example Heifetz and the Chicago Symphony (Reiner) doing Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D, or Cliburn playing his Piano Concerto No 1 with the RCA Symphony under Kondrashin. I have the Heifetz on both XRCD and Living Stereo and I am not seeing much difference aside from the price.

A more recent release of Tchaikovsky's 5th is on Harmonia Mundi - Gatti and the Royal Phil. This is a great piece to demo dynamic range. The opening gets lost on noisy systems or when the amp hasn't got enough power to push low efficiency speakers.

jeffreybehr · « **Reply #19 on:** 7 Oct 2005, 04:54 pm »

I'm with Lonewolf--I just love the Boult/LPO Planets. I fell in love with it on LP--ASD 3649. (I may NEVER forget that number; I sold dozens as Two Jeffreys Audio in the '80s.) Vinyl fans of classical, FIND and BUY it! I found a 2nd copy on eBay a few months ago for my vinyl-loving friend.

My CD is an earlier version--CDM 7 64748 2. It has The Planets first and Enigma following.

This was recorded in the large EMI Abbey Road studio by Christopher Parker and Christopher Bishop, IMO the most-talented pair EMI ever had. It's spacious, dynamic, relatively free of knobtwiddling, and goes down quite low with an organ and a big bassdrum.