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Musical Discussions
Topic: The Verklarte Nacht with LARGE orchestra.

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Posted by Romy the Cat on 03-02-2009
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I wonder if any contemporary good recordings of the celebrated Schoenberg work are available? I am not looking for sextet or the 24 players chamber orchestra but I would like to have a full-blown large orchestra in large hall and with conductor that is not in harry. The Karajan and Berlin is certainly a reference for this work but the DG recording of mid 70s leave some room to wish more in term of “quietly” of sound. Barenboim did it twice: with UK and Chicago orchestra, good but not at the Karajan’s level of “size”, intelligence and continuity. Anything else?

The Cat

Posted by op.9 on 03-02-2009
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I am allergic to 90% of what Boulez does,
but this isn't too bad at all...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/images/B000002819/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=229816&s=music

One day I would love to hear an orchestral version based on the original sextet version - without the 'helpful' metronome marks and 'balancing' additions that Schoenberg later added. They seem to cause conductors major problems with the overall flow and structure.

Posted by Romy the Cat on 03-02-2009
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Hm, that is interesting. I also not a huge fun of Boulez but I remember a few years back I turned my tuner and it was somebody play Debussy’s “La Mer” and then without introduction the Jeux. It is very difficult to knock me off with La Mer but then it literally arrested me. I turned the recorder and there it was…  The play was by Boulez and Cleveland – I would never believe…

What is very fascinating in it that “La Mer” and “Verklarte Nacht” are music from the similar “barrels”. The Debussy is more romantic and the Nacht is more hallucinogenic. I do not know, I never used any psychedelics drugs, in fact any drugs at all, but if I do and then if I was “forced” to conduct an orchestra then I would play something like Verklarte Nacht only with a few thousands string instruments, big ass 40’ organ and a few slowly exploding nuclear bombs…

The CaT

Posted by clarkjohnsen on 03-03-2009
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Once again Dmitri the Greek comes through: a VN with the NYPSO that is both gorgeous and transparent. This early Columbia stereo recording sounds great on my Jap LP, and not bad a'tall on that CBS reissue label whose name I don't recall. I think the original was pretty good too. CDs? You tell me.

clark

Posted by Romy the Cat on 04-05-2009
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It is unthinkable how mach of great music the Columbia sound engineers had vandalized. The Boulez’s “Verklarte Nacht” with NY Philharmonic turned out to be a good pay but what the sick sound! I bought 3 records and one of them a new, sealed. All of them unfortunately playable only in mono and I do not like mono. In stereo they have two narrow beams of sound from right and left channel with the channels do not even talk to each other.  I really can’t not listen that type of presentation. It is not a symphonic experience and not the sound of orchestra but some kind of pervert insult of my senses. Why the Columbia cretins did it I have no idea.

The Cat

Posted by op.9 on 04-05-2009
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why not play through your DAW and use a stereo field plugin - I use reaper and JS LOSER 'stereofield'. Its free and can salvage many a recording catastrophe!cheers,

Posted by jp on 04-05-2009
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There are enough great works out there that were poorly produced that it makes one think that revisiting the idea of an improving gismo might actually be a worthwhile endeavor.  It is somewhat similar to improving one's playback and it would certainly be a statement of one's idea of how things should be done.  Personally, Ill probably look into it since Im in the process of setting up a DAW but perhaps it may not be worth all the trouble.

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