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I came across a mystery today that I have absolutely no explanation.

Like many others I like the Brahms #4 symphony. I have my favorite: my beloved Barbirolli with Vienna during the Musikvereinssaal 1967 . I also a big admirer of Carlo Maria Giulini, but not with unreasonably celebrated his play with Chicago Symphony but his obscured but brilliant performance of the Brahms #4 when he took Vienna Philharmonic at tour to Japan…

I also a fan of Carlos Kleiber and I feel that any sane person who appreciates classical music shall have everything that Kleiber ever recorded with Vienna. Kleiber recorded Brahms #4 with Vienna in 1981. Well, I have it on record and I always I kind of have difficulty with this performance.  Kleiber sometimes too tacky with Brahms, sometimes too cute and sometimes too dancy… so I never developed any love to it….

The last week, after Kurt Masur’s wonderful play in Tanglewood the all Brahms program I got some craving for fresh Brahmcy and I desired to order CD version of Brahms #4 Kleiber/ Vienna. I ordered the DG’s “The Originals” that use to be very good in 90s and very much admire their premastering. So, the CD came today, it is 289 475706-2. I played it today and cannot figure out ether my ears went nuts, or my equipment is turn crap, or the people who did are Morons.

The sound of Vienna is sliding off tonality like it would do with a record playing that has problems with disc stability. It does not sound like technical sliding (it is impossible on CD as my TL0 buffers tracking) but rather as the Vienna Philharmonic section run off tune – imposable in my view!

I wonder what the hell might be a reason for it? I was searching and was not able to local my LP with the same performance but I am very convinced the Vienna would not play like this, particularly under Carlos Kleiber. The defect is very minor but it there and it is annoying. I think that there are 4 reasons for it.

1)      Something is wrong  with my equipment

2)      My sonic psychosis is progressing and I turned into some kind of deranged coo-coo.

3)      The DG’s “The Originals” CD that I bough (new sealed from Amazon) is not the DG’s CD but some crap made from MP3 (or 8-track) in third country by Morons that is being sold by Amazon as authentic DG discs.

4)      The quality of the DG went so bad that even the defects like this become possible with their products.

Regard the last reason. The quietly of DG’s “The Originals” after 2002-2003 wend down very much and I tend do not buy their new releases – they are all vandalized nowadays. However the CD that I bought is from 1998 – it was very good time for “The Originals”.

Anyhow, did anybody else come across the same problem? Is it possible that the reason #3 is the reason and some kind of criminal operation in China has their hands in the deed?  Did I discover the Big CD Conspiracy?  I do not ask if 911 was internal job I ask if we have out there an ocean of “wrong” CD – if you ask me then I think it would be a very lucrative business for someone…  It might be a bit too crazy but if it is how I implied then would it explain why all labels report drop in sale last few years? I do not buy a lot of CDs last 3-4 years so I do not know how spread the problem is…

Anyhow, you might want to pay attention to it.

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