Search - Franz [Vienna] Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven, Bruno Walter :: Schubert: Unfinished Symphony; Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 [SACD]

Classic recordings beautifully presented

01/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just like the other three Bruno Walter releases in Sony Classical's current crop of SACD reissues, this classic Beethoven/Schubert coupling benefits from the DSD transfer, which reproduces as faithfully as possible the musical content of the original reel-to-reel master tapes. As I and other reviewers have noted elsewhere, the cost is a small amount of tape hiss, eminently preferable to the so-called "no noise" digital editing which tampers with the musical signal as it tries to remove noise. Here is a transfer which presents the original intentions of the artists in the best possible light, capturing the acoustic signature of the recording venue (American Legion Hall in Hollywood) perfectly -- warm, reverberent, yet transparent, ideally matching Bruno Walter's interpretive idiom.Some listeners might find the performances old-fashioned (e.g., the relatively slow tempi, the cultivated shaping of phrases, large orchestral forces, absence of repeats, etc.), but these are undeniably powerful and beautiful renditions which reflect a performance style that has largely disappeared and which to my mind is as valid as any of the so-called "authentic" performances of more recent times.The DSD transfer also allows us to hear a lot of detail that we simply could not hear in the previous LP and PCM transfers. Listen, for example, to the coda of the Beethoven Fifth, where you can hear the whole range of orchestral texture, from the piccolo floating high above to the basses and tympani grounding underneath with all of the inner voices clearly articulated. In sum, very highly recommended."

Excellent interpretation, wonderful sound

Jeremy Porter | NY, USA | 10/30/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Bruno Walter and Columbia Symphony Orchestra (mostly members of LA. Symphony Orchestra) early stereo recording of Beethoven and schubert Symphonies dated back in 1958-1959.
The interpretation of walter is top notch and the Columbia Records'sound engineers did pretty good job in capturing
the sound of these beautiful performances. Presented in rich,
ominious sound. The stereo imaging is pin point and very realistic although slightly laid back. The palpable of the orchestra is right there in your room. Excellent job!"

To hiss or not to hiss

Robert Auld | New York, NY United States | 07/01/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you examine the other reviews of this SACD reissue, it is hard to know what to make of it-- two reviewers praising the wonderful sound and performance versus two reviewers who hear unacceptable levels of tape hiss and an old recording.



Older analog recordings do have higher levels of background noise than recent digital recordings, no one denies that. Whether or not this noise will be annoying to the listener depends upon a number of factors including: 1) the playback level--louder playback will reveal more noise, 2) the dynamic range of the recording--wide dynamic range means that softer passages may not cover up background noise, 3) the frequency response of the playback system--for example, a system with very bright treble response can emphasize tape hiss, 4) the engineering decisions made in transferring the original recording to a new medium.



I do not know the playback circumstances of the reviewers who complained about the hiss in this particular SACD. Perhaps they expected, since it is an SACD, that the recording would have a pristine, nearly silent background. The original tapes were recorded in 1958, and as is typical for tapes of their era, they do exhibit a little tape hiss. However, when listening on very accurate monitor speakers, or good headphones, I found the background noise level to be quite low. It would have been possible to reduce the background noise, but as I know from working with computerized noise reduction systems, there would probably have been some loss of room tone and musical quality as well.



In this case I think the producers made the right decision. The whole reason for listening to these particular recordings is to hear the work of Bruno Walter and the musicians he directed. One reviewer remarked, "It's not as if there aren't any symphony orchestras these days that are as competent as the 1958 New York Philharmonic." The issue here is not one of competence, of ability to play all the notes in a professional manner. You either think that Walter and the Philharmonic had something special to say about this music, or that does not matter to you. If the latter is the case, by all means seek out another, more technically perfect recording."