Why does Deutsche Grammophone have to spoil the performance

[ack]

I am trying to enjoy this new up and coming piano star, Yuja Wang, and the Rachmaninov DG with "Magician" Gustavo Dudamel has all the potential, but for crying out loud, the recording of the orchestra... Can anyone recommend a *Fantastic* DG recording? any???

 

[microstrip]

I am trying to enjoy this new up and coming piano star, Yuja Wang, and the Rachmaninov DG with "Magician" Gustavo Dudamel has all the potential, but for crying out loud, the recording of the orchestra... Can anyone recommend a *Fantastic* DG recording? any???

I am not astonished with your comment - I also felt the same long ago. However, at some time I found I was mainly listening to playback system limitations or incompatibilities and that many DG recordings I considered poor were capable of great quality sound reproduction. I have no experience with the recording your refer, but my Schubert Lieder by Fischer Dieskau, too many string quartets, some Verdi operas and even the old Bartok Piano concertos played by Geza Anda are really enjoyable. I am referring to both CDs and german pressing LPs.

 

[ack]

I am not astonished with your comment - I also felt the same long ago. However, at some time I found I was mainly listening to playback system limitations or incompatibilities and that many DG recordings I considered poor were capable of great quality sound reproduction. I have no experience with the recording your refer, but my Schubert Lieder by Fischer Dieskau, too many string quartets, some Verdi operas and even the old Bartok Piano concertos played by Geza Anda are really enjoyable. I am referring to both CDs and german pressing LPs.

It's not bad, and the piano is recorded well, but the orchestra (in this live performance in Venezuela) is yet another one of those just-average recordings; very frustrating. really great performance, but..

 

[ack]

Watch this video to get a feel of her talent

 

[ruxtonvet]

Carmen Bernstein lp. 2709 043

 

[flez007]

I have heard nearly half a dozen of the Bruckner 7th, the worst recorded was the DG one, so I am not that surprised with your findings.

 

[Uk Paul]

Sometimes, funny things happen. Just thought i'd check in here before I head off to work, while the CD is coming to an end, and this is exactly what is playing as I read this for the first time, pure coincidence!

Peter, your'e right, a great performance, a gifted young lady for sure. Im ok with the recording on this, but am underwhelmed with some of DG's other recordings, i.e. Lang Lang's romance of Rachmaninov. It lacks life for me, whereas this disc is full of life and vigour. I'll see if I can pick out a DG head turner later..

Hope you're well btw,

Paul.

 

[ack]

Thanks! Get this CD too

They are currently touring the world together.

Finally, make the time to watch this performance of #3 and see if you can hold back and not jump at the end in awe; mind-blowing technique

 

[jdza]

I am not astonished with your comment - I also felt the same long ago. However, at some time I found I was mainly listening to playback system limitations or incompatibilities and that many DG recordings I considered poor were capable of great quality sound reproduction. I have no experience with the recording your refer, but my Schubert Lieder by Fischer Dieskau, too many string quartets, some Verdi operas and even the old Bartok Piano concertos played by Geza Anda are really enjoyable. I am referring to both CDs and german pressing LPs.

Fully agree.I find DG vinyl to be very sensitive to absolute phase.They can sound harsh and flat,flip the switch and suddenly they bloom.My limited exposure to their SACDs has been blah,bland.Irrespective of phase.

 

[MylesBAstor]

I'm sorry but the DGs are bright and not particularly well recorded. Multi-miking to the extreme. The earlier the pressing, the better eg. Tulips, etc.

Great performances though like Jochum doing Carmina Burana.

 

[FrantzM]

I'm sorry but the DGs are bright and not particularly well recorded. Multi-miking to the extreme. The earlier the pressing, the better eg. Tulips, etc.

Great performances though like Jochum doing Carmina Burana.

Agreed . There output being so diverse there are some gems, some microstrip mentioned earlier. Some judicious EQ at the playback level, however much the purist that I am cringes at the idea, could help these bright recordings. The music being often sublime with DG.

 

[MylesBAstor]

Agreed . There output being so diverse there are some gems, some microstrip mentioned earlier. Some judicious EQ at the playback level, however much the purist that I am cringes at the idea, could help these bright recordings. The music being often sublime with DG.

Yes a Cello Palette would be useful.

 

[Bachtoven]

This one sounds very good, but it will only play on SACD players.

 

[Fiddle Faddle]

I have a number of DG recordings (all from the analogue era, however a few are vinyl sourced from 24/96 re-masters). I tend to agree with what others are saying. In terms of "sonic rank" so to speak, overall I'd put DG down there with EMI with those two labels being quite some way behind the quality achieved by Decca, RCA, Mercury, Everest, etc.

That said, I guess like in anything else it is necessary to pick and choose and forego particular recordings if (like me) you are the type of listener who gets distracted from the music itself on account of the (dubious) technical quality of the recording. So there are probably more DG recordings I haven't bought than on any other label, save EMI.

Nevertheless, here is a DG recording that I rank as one of the top handful of recordings made - ever. If only they all sounded this good.

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/au/cat/4497572

I have many from the 1960s era and many are quite listenable and even have an attractive sound - almost as good as contemporary Deccas. But there are many that are sufficiently marginal that I grimace slightly and am put off the music by the quality. For example, I was listening to the Karajan 1962 Beethoven Symphonies 1 and 2 the other night and there were too many sections in the recordings where the quality proved just a little too much of a distraction. But overall these are recordings I wouldn't actually rate as poor. They are those marginal ones where you'd buy them for the performance and not on technical merit. That last sentence pretty much sums up DG for the most part so far as I am concerned.

 

[ack]

Here are two DG LPs from the analog era that do sound really good, especially the Bach