Bernstein Mahler 7 on HDTT
- Thread starter pleroma
- Start date
Finally got around to comparing the 2007 Sony Japan SACD of No. 6 to the HDTT release, and was struck by how fine a job Sony did with the remastering for the SACD. I never quite know how things will land with HDTT, certainly not from the skimpy samples, and No. 6 is bright and hard. Not a pleasant listen. Maybe that's another reason they were deleted from the HDTT catalog.
All these unnecessary remasters that just sometimes fuck up the identity of the performance. Couldn't be me. I never chase anything outside of standard release unlss it is something I covet like some added demos and live performances
I couldn't disagree more with the above statement, and perhaps I left the wrong impression. I have many fantastic HDTT releases, all of which I find more revealing about the respective performances.
One would have to assume what "standard release" means, but the big labels over-release classical titles, and the particular version would be relative to the time of purchase, though in many cases there are improvements from the labels as well.
One would have to assume what "standard release" means, but the big labels over-release classical titles, and the particular version would be relative to the time of purchase, though in many cases there are improvements from the labels as well.
ehn, I find most reissues to be money grabs but that is me. The intent of the artiste was conveyed in the first release unless the release is terribly mixed and mastered without the artiste's input at all and I assume that isn't the case in Classical genre.
So reissuing a phenomenal album that already was transferred to CD, Blu-ray or nonphysical high definition as HDTT releases are just money grabs imo but that is just me though. Not trying to step on your fun, just giving you my perspective
money grabs? not how i view it.
not every dac and server, or system, reveal differences in mastering equally. or the difference between discs and files and streaming. and every listener has a different set of priorities and appreciation for various subtleties and even knowledge and familiarity of the composition or artist.
so more than one result on the questions posed is not only possible but likely.
with my particular digital gear, system and (my limited) degree of classical music knowledge i value the HDTT transfers highly as a group and happily own a few. and i typically prefer the dxd (352/24) versions. i don't personally have the Mahler 7th HDTT file mentioned....yet. i think i own that original Mahler box set (German pressings) of that performance on vinyl. however i cannot find any link to an HDTT download to any Bernstein/NY Phil Mahler 7th, or that picture on the first post. so we don't know exactly what is what.
YMMV.
not every dac and server, or system, reveal differences in mastering equally. or the difference between discs and files and streaming. and every listener has a different set of priorities and appreciation for various subtleties and even knowledge and familiarity of the composition or artist.
so more than one result on the questions posed is not only possible but likely.
with my particular digital gear, system and (my limited) degree of classical music knowledge i value the HDTT transfers highly as a group and happily own a few. and i typically prefer the dxd (352/24) versions. i don't personally have the Mahler 7th HDTT file mentioned....yet. i think i own that original Mahler box set (German pressings) of that performance on vinyl. however i cannot find any link to an HDTT download to any Bernstein/NY Phil Mahler 7th, or that picture on the first post. so we don't know exactly what is what.
YMMV.
Last edited:
I think I replied to pleroma's question about the HDTT release of this album in another thread. But I'll add a response here to cover the ground. I can confirm that this album was withdrawn from the HDTT catalog. It is a 1966 release, and Bob Witrak got a bit more conservative in the time frame he considers "out of copyright." He is now up to about 1963 or '64 as the latest release dates he's offering, unless he has other rights to do so, such as the superb IPI jazz recordings from Jonathan Horwich's master tapes.
And, I'm glad to see Mike replying about the value of reissuing in higher resolution and alternative formats. Great reply. For anyone interested in exploring this further, and in getting some "free to download" sample files illustrating the differences, you might checkout this article in Positive Feedback from earlier this year: Choosing the Best Sounding File Format with Free Sample Downloads The sample files are from HDTT, so if you're curious about the sound quality of some of their reissues, here's an opportunity to try them out in DXD and DSD256 resolution.
And, I'm glad to see Mike replying about the value of reissuing in higher resolution and alternative formats. Great reply. For anyone interested in exploring this further, and in getting some "free to download" sample files illustrating the differences, you might checkout this article in Positive Feedback from earlier this year: Choosing the Best Sounding File Format with Free Sample Downloads The sample files are from HDTT, so if you're curious about the sound quality of some of their reissues, here's an opportunity to try them out in DXD and DSD256 resolution.
Thanks all above for contributing.
Mike, I stumbled across the HDTT of the '65 Bernstein Mahler 7 in a music blog where it was reviewed about 5 years ago (and the blog owner was not forthcoming with further info).
For my 98% classical collection, my 30+ HDTT keepers are real gems. I've also enjoyed Rushton's more recent and very helpful input on the HDTT site. When I initially found the HDTT site years ago, I was very excited, but a friend warned me about the quality of the commercial tape sources. At the time he was right to be cautious, but HDTT's quality has since improved substantially. Truly impressive that old commerical tapes can blow away even recent remastered releases from the labels when done with better equipment and handling. But with respect to Bofi, it really works with that particular era of classical and jazz analog recordings.
Mike, I stumbled across the HDTT of the '65 Bernstein Mahler 7 in a music blog where it was reviewed about 5 years ago (and the blog owner was not forthcoming with further info).
For my 98% classical collection, my 30+ HDTT keepers are real gems. I've also enjoyed Rushton's more recent and very helpful input on the HDTT site. When I initially found the HDTT site years ago, I was very excited, but a friend warned me about the quality of the commercial tape sources. At the time he was right to be cautious, but HDTT's quality has since improved substantially. Truly impressive that old commerical tapes can blow away even recent remastered releases from the labels when done with better equipment and handling. But with respect to Bofi, it really works with that particular era of classical and jazz analog recordings.
For anyone interested in exploring some of the HDTT releases and looking for suggestions, I recently posted a list of "Pure DSD256 from Analog Tape: My Top of the Pile" (for sound quality). A large number of these are from the HDTT catalog with a mix of jazz and classical. Note that these are Pure DSD256 only. A large number of really outstanding PCM-processed albums are thus not included, even though available in DSD256 output from the DXD master.
I recently read Rushton's review of the HDTT Horenstein/LSO Mahler 3, in which he discusses fascinating details of the alternative mic'ing used for the Buck tapes. Thanks to his and John Quinn's reviews, I think I'm going to get it (in 24/192 since I have a preference for PCM with my MSB Cascade DAC).
Quinn relates some interesting session detail, included in the HDTT booklet, about the bonus track of Strauss's Tod und Verklärung. It was recorded in the final session with scarcely a minute to spare, constraints from the musician's union perhaps impelling Horenstein to shave a few minutes off his customary interpretation (something casual hobbyists like myself would never have otherwise known). I suppose I could've posted a comment in the JH M3 thread below, but wanted to continue the notion of benefit for additional releases.
Quinn relates some interesting session detail, included in the HDTT booklet, about the bonus track of Strauss's Tod und Verklärung. It was recorded in the final session with scarcely a minute to spare, constraints from the musician's union perhaps impelling Horenstein to shave a few minutes off his customary interpretation (something casual hobbyists like myself would never have otherwise known). I suppose I could've posted a comment in the JH M3 thread below, but wanted to continue the notion of benefit for additional releases.
Similar threads
 | Steve Williams Site Founder | Site Owner | Administrator |  | Ron Resnick Site Owner | Administrator |  | Julian (The Fixer) Website Build | Marketing Managersing |