Zero Distortion: Tango Time

Tang was barbecuing meat himself that day, so he might start fixing those tape heads himself too
 
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@andromedaaudio. @christensenleif@msn.com. @bonzo75. Thank you guys. My tone arm guy used to come see me twice a month. He is the best precision arm setup guy here. Quickest too. Most dealers here use him to setup tt, arm, speakers for them. I am helping his family with two small kids at the moment.
 
Tang was barbecuing meat himself that day, so he might start fixing those tape heads himself too
I think I can do it if some one force me to learn to do it like ddk made me learn how to set up cart. But really, my eyesight is now so bad making me so annoy myself when aligning cart. That bbq was great Ked. Heavily seasoned meat though. ;)
 
Here is a great surprise. I bought a Rubinstein Beethoven Emperor replacing the older one I busted. The record was delivered in sandwiched pack with two other records for anti-breaking purpose. It turned out one of the freebie records sounds even better than the Rubinstein that I paid for. The record is Rostropovich Vivaldi. DG 2530974 pressed in England. Normally I don't like DG so much but this one sounds very natural. It has a very realistic depth and layer of violins in the bcak of Rostropovic that the video cannot capture. I actually never listened to Vivaldi Cello before so this is a great treat. Side B is Tartini which is also quite enjoyable. The record can probably be found cheap.

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Sir George Solti is one of my favorite conductor. His brass bring me smile in every piece he conducted. I especially like when he conducted the Vienna Philharmonic. But this isn't VPO. It is London philharmonic playing Holst Planet. Decca SET628. I bought from ebay. $30. It has funny label. The sound is not consistent through out. Excellent on some tracks. Very transparent and holistic. The sense of hall volume, the depth, instrument differentiation, swing and flow from a group of instruments to another is super, yet you hear as a whole. I am not putting into words so well. Actually I want to video his Wagner Flying Dutchman but couldn't find where I put the record. Next chance then.

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Tang, I bought this recording based on your recommendation, though I have a purple Decca label. I like the performance. I may slightly prefer the Mehta on Decca, but this one is also excellent.

The last two videos you have posted have only had sound in the right channel of my headphones. You might want to investigate.
 
The last two videos you have posted have only had sound in the right channel of my headphones. You might want to investigate.

That's weird. I noticed you called on this in another thread too. Don't know why? The volume on left right channels was level. In room listening also not unbalanced.
 
Taday I broke my virginity on Bartok. This is my first Bartok record, Divertimento For String Orchestra. I picked this because I thought it could be the easiest Bartok to listen to, a kindergarten class to Bartok. After listening, I thought "How the F could anyone enjoy Bartok." You have to be a very interesting individual to enjoy Bartok. A simple mind like me just not it. Then I told myself let's do it again maybe the second time is better..like sex. No improvement. I felt disturbed listening Bartok. The record has great sound. Decca SXL6026. Moscow Chamber Orchestra conducted by Rudolf Barshai. Luckily the second side has Vivaldi 4 Violins to come back to my comfort zone. I never listened Vivaldi 4 violins before. It is very entertaining. Or maybe after Bartok anything is good. :oops:
Here is the vivaldi 4 violins.

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Ok, so now confirmed Marc has done it more than twice with Zus
 
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That vivaldi is great. With this, the Bruckner, the cello, your subs are really breathing well with the rest of the horn
 
Tang, too bad for the ladies the first time. Me? Great every time. As it is listening to Bartok.
 
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Ok if you're willing to take the plunge @Tango you could also try this one... it's interesting.
 
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Taday I broke my virginity on Bartok. This is my first Bartok record, Divertimento For String Orchestra. I picked this because I thought it could be the easiest Bartok to listen to, a kindergarten class to Bartok. After listening, I thought "How the F could anyone enjoy Bartok." You have to be a very interesting individual to enjoy Bartok. A simple mind like me just not it. Then I told myself let's do it again maybe the second time is better..like sex. No improvement. I felt disturbed listening Bartok. The record has great sound. Decca SXL6026. Moscow Chamber Orchestra conducted by Rudolf Barshai. Luckily the second side has Vivaldi 4 Violins to come back to my comfort zone. I never listened Vivaldi 4 violins before. It is very entertaining. Or maybe after Bartok anything is good. :oops:

maybe you need to start with 'big boy' Bartok.......and not mess around. try this one. i really like it. dark, brooding, with an inner fire.

https://www.discogs.com/Béla-Bartók-Quatuor-Végh-Les-Six-Quatuors/release/4510174

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I always thought of Bartok as an 'in between the wars' composer, a bit depressive. He was like, here we go again into the madness. Maybe he's not so bad for 2020.
 
The trick is to find Bartok by going thru 70s King Crimson and Magma first. The lineage is unmistakable.
 
Taday I broke my virginity on Bartok. This is my first Bartok record, Divertimento For String Orchestra. I picked this because I thought it could be the easiest Bartok to listen to, a kindergarten class to Bartok. After listening, I thought "How the F could anyone enjoy Bartok." You have to be a very interesting individual to enjoy Bartok. A simple mind like me just not it. Then I told myself let's do it again maybe the second time is better..like sex. No improvement. I felt disturbed listening Bartok. The record has great sound. Decca SXL6026. Moscow Chamber Orchestra conducted by Rudolf Barshai. Luckily the second side has Vivaldi 4 Violins to come back to my comfort zone. I never listened Vivaldi 4 violins before. It is very entertaining. Or maybe after Bartok anything is good. :oops:


That made me laugh. No doubt about it, Bartok isn’t easily approachable and like they say about Scotch, it’s an acquired taste. (No ten year old kid loves Scotch, but many feel differently about it when they’re 40!) However there’s a reason many say he was the last of the great composers although honestly, I’m not quite there myself. Sometimes, it’s frankly hard to grasp what a composer is trying to do or say. One event that really helped me with Bartok was the last time I saw Ivan Fischer conduct an all Bartok program with his wonderful Budapest Festival Orchestra at Carnegie last year (yes, people actually went to concerts before COVID). What made it wonderful was that in the first half of the program Fischer did something extraordinary. Much of Bartok’s compositions are based on Hungarian folk music. So Fischer first played a particular traditional Hungarian folk song, and then immediately followed it with the Bartok composition that was based on the folk song. One of the reasons Bartok is not “easy listening” is because many of those folk songs were based on the pentatonic scale (not unlike Asian music), which Bartok then expands and fashions in his own voice, thus adding additional complexity to what is already a difficult and unfamiliar musical language. It was sort of an “ah-hah” moment for me and gave me an appreciation for Bartok that I never had previously. That said, I’m still not crazy about some of Bartok’s works. For example, after intermission, Fischer played Bartok’s famous “Bluebeard Castle”. Let’s put it this way, I have no desire to ever hear it again. That said, there are some Bartok compositions that are far more approachable. Concerto for Orchestra is actually quite enjoyable even though it's still “different” and Reiner’s recording on RCA Living Stereo has been re-issued for the umpteenth time because it remains a sonic masterpiece. I think the quartets that Mike recommended are also far more approachable than many of his bigger pieces (I bought the set after hearing it at Mike’s), but be forewarned, Vivaldi, they ain’t. To me, this is one of the great merits of streaming. One can explore new music for next to nothing, and if you aren’t moved, you haven’t wasted money on an LP you will never play again.
 
...That said, I’m still not crazy about some of Bartok’s works. For example, after intermission, Fischer played Bartok’s famous “Bluebeard Castle”. Let’s put it this way, I have no desire to ever hear it again...

I first heard Bluebeard with the CSO, Solti conducting. Terrific!
I had tickets to hear the CSO do it last spring.
A highly anticipated concert, but Covid-19 came along...
 

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