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clarkjohnsen wrote:

Yes, the 1953 Scherchen. For over twenty-five years I have hailed it as the best ever committed to disc. So let them laugh at me, I don't care. But the sonics were not good, and it was never remastered, because along came stereo, dammit. Now we have Romy to tell us what the recording really sounds like, when he purchases it, as surely he must.

Nobody needs to have Romy to tell what the recording really sounds like, as it is available on LP for “over twenty-five years”.

I disagree that the 1953 Scherchen’s Mozart Requiem had “not good sonics”. It was a typical for Westminster, slightly bright sound (I do not think that it was even the RIAA curve) but properly EQed it is very good. I do not EQ it but play it with SPU mono and this arm/cartridge of mine is tuned, slightly to roll of HF. Still I feel that even “as is” the 1953 Scherchen’s Requiem is perfectly fine. BTW, I have a few of this records including one sealed, never played or even opened – quite a commodity nowadays….

The performance-vise it is Scherchen’s ’53 is a disaster… the disaster for anyone who ever performed Mozart Requiem after Scherchen. Whoever tried to play the Requiem made it ether too tragic and funeral or too musical and entertaining. Among all know to me performances no one was able to hold the same phenomenal balance between the event and the reasons as the Scherchen’s did in the 1953, Interestingly that the Scherchen’s stereo recording is few years loosing in many dimensions. It has some false not justifiable pathos and do not has that magnificent starched in time expressiveness…

If someone wishes to get the recording on CD and not wiling to go for the Japan then there is an US sources. The Massachusetts based Pierre Paquin form the Haydn House has the recording available:
 
http://www.haydnhouse.com/home.htm

The quality of the transfer if quite good for ordinary music collector. I am not please with the way how the cartridge read the groove (there was some auditable issuers)  and with the quality of Pierre’s AD converts (it has some digital flattens and sharpness) Still, the Haydn House’s CD is very good and well worth much much more that the $10 that they ask.

Also, the Deutsche Grammophon will release soon the Scherchen’s ’53 in this famous “Westminster ”. Usually their “original recording remastered” are very good and it should be very very interesting….

Rgs,
Romy

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