Thread: New Warner Reissues

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Post by ramesh October 4, 2015 (1 of 11)
I note that Warner in Japan have released SACDs of the classic Klemperer Brahms Symphonies/Overtures, along with his 1955 or so Beethoven 5 & 7. Due in December is Mahler's Knaben Wunderhorn Szell/DF-D/Schwarzkopf, along with Klemperer's Bruckner 6.

I'm very fond of these last two recordings. I bought the recent Jansons Bruckner 6 and 7, mainly as they were a cheap 2 for the price of 1 coupling. Magnificent orchestral playing, but they sound bland for large stretches to my ears- almost like a rehearsal run-through. Haven't heard the Blomstedt or Janowski Bruckner 6s. Klemperer's ruggedness to me seemed almost ideal for B6; the combination of interpretation, recording quality and orchestral playing presented an unvarnished traversal of this great work, showing that Karajan's 1970s version was the one weak point of his BPO Bruckner.

Post by JohnProffitt October 5, 2015 (2 of 11)
ramesh said:

I note that Warner in Japan have released SACDs of the classic Klemperer Brahms Symphonies/Overtures, along with his 1955 or so Beethoven 5 & 7. Due in December is Mahler's Knaben Wunderhorn Szell/DF-D/Schwarzkopf, along with Klemperer's Bruckner 6.

I'm very fond of these last two recordings. I bought the recent Jansons Bruckner 6 and 7, mainly as they were a cheap 2 for the price of 1 coupling. Magnificent orchestral playing, but they sound bland for large stretches to my ears- almost like a rehearsal run-through. Haven't heard the Blomstedt or Janowski Bruckner 6s. Klemperer's ruggedness to me seemed almost ideal for B6; the combination of interpretation, recording quality and orchestral playing presented an unvarnished traversal of this great work, showing that Karajan's 1970s version was the one weak point of his BPO Bruckner.

If you want a superb SACD MCH Bruckner 6, you will not go wrong with the Blomstedt -- it is magnificent, both sound and performance! (...and I agree about Karajan, his Sixth being a weak point of his DG set).

Post by sunnydaler October 5, 2015 (3 of 11)
I'm in the minority but Jochum(EMI) is my favorite B6.

btw, Warner Japan also releases
(WPCS-13269) Holst: The Planets - Adrian Boult/New Philharmonia Orchestra (1966 rec.)
(WPCS-13270) Brahms: Tragic Overture, Double Concerto, Bruch: VC 1 - Galliera, Oistrakh(v), Fournier(vc)

Post by Bach94 October 27, 2015 (4 of 11)
I listened to Brahms 4th from the Warner set and the sound was very satisfying.

Post by volund October 27, 2015 (5 of 11)
Bach94 said:

I listened to Brahms 4th from the Warner set and the sound was very satisfying.

Are you talking about the Brahms 4th from the Klemperer/Philharmonia set just issued on SACD by Warner in Japan?

Post by Bach94 October 29, 2015 (6 of 11)
Yes.

Post by volund October 29, 2015 (7 of 11)
May I assume that the truly lamentable sonic defects you noted in the recent Warner SACD remasters of the Klemperer Bach St. Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor are not present in the new Brahms set?

Post by Bach94 October 29, 2015 (8 of 11)
On my gear, they sounded like night (the two Bach sets) and day (the Brahms symphony). I must add two things:

1. I have yet to hear the rest of the Brahms set. I am confident I'll be happy with the sound, but who knows?

2. I have also heard the mono Eroica by Klemperer recently issued on SACD by Warner Japan. I found it sounded quite clear and alright, but I have not taken the time to compare it to former CD reissues.

Bottom line: I have regained confidence in Warner SACD reissues for Japan. But, as a rule, the EMI single-layer SACDs are still to be surpassed (at least on my gear).

Post by Polarius T October 30, 2015 (9 of 11)
The difference between these and the earlier Warner-released SACDs is that the current batch (all those things by Klemperer, the Knaben Wunderhorn by Szell, Schwarzkopf & Fi-Di, etc., all those recordings originally released on EMI) is done from the original tapes by the former EMI Abbey Road team -- the same guys that did the excellent EMI SACDs that came out before EMI was bought by Warner.

The earlier Warner SACDs were a completely different thing with nothing to do with either EMI or original mastertapes (they were done from digital copies).

Those famous '50s' Klemperer LvB recordings that you refer to are an excellent example of what a skilled and sensitive engineer can do with good equipment and well-preserved source material. They sound like an entirely new recording compared to the old RBCD issues of the same with a different (re)mastering. What has mostly gained in the sonics is transparency, clarity, and sheer impact (and the perceived size of what's usually referred to as "soundstage").

I don't agree with your assessment of the Klemperer Bachs from the same team & label. Unfortunately I just moved and have not set up my music space yet, so I am basing this on just a few rather random samples here and there listened in the old location before packing up my gear. But it was clear enough for me that they were an improvement, and that even over the very good Japanese hi-rez transfers that I had previously used for listening on the part of the two works.

Post by gammarayson October 30, 2015 (10 of 11)
Although I have not heard Klemperer's Bach Matthew Passion in its new incarnation, I do have the B minor Mass. I certainly hear no "truly lamentable sonic defects" in the sacd version. Maybe I have cloth ears, but via Sennheiser HD800 headphones, I find that most of the EMI sacd reissues of classic recordings from the 50s and 60s(including this one) by Simon Gibson and his team sound truly excellent.

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