What’s on it?
1. The Organ at the Royal Festival Hall. This most magnificent instrument being played in rehearsal. The sound is just stunning.
2. Brno Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jiri Waldhans. Jan Novak Philharmonic Dances, 3rd movement. Exciting, colourful music by the pupil of Bohuslav Martinu. (8.00),
3. Prague Symphony Orchestra conducted by Zdenek Kosler with Peter Katin piano. Prokofiev 3rd Piano Concerto, finale 2nd movement. Peter is just extraordinary. (9.14)
4. Alfredo Campoli & Peter Katin, Beethoven Sonata Op 30 No 2. 3rd Movement. The greatest of all English violinists coupled with the formidable British pianist Peter Katin. (4.05)
5. Czech Trio, Dvorak Dumky Trio, 5th movement. Mravinsky, in Verchernyl Leningrad, stated, “One of the most perfect ensembles I have ever heard”.
6. Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Janos Ferencsik. Kodaly Dances of Galanta. Military precision with a Gypsy element and perfect dynamic control by Janos Ferecsik. (5.00)
7. Kurt Masur conducts the Berliner Staatskapelle Orchestra, Bruckner, Symphony No 7 in E maj, 3rd movement. Kurt Masur gives his finest reading of this profound and dramatic work. (9.32)
8. Suk Asrael Symphony, 5th movement, Brno Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jiri Wladhans. 3 months after the invasion of Czechoslovakia the members of the orchestra pour out their hearts in despair reflecting the composer’s anguish.
9. Leipzig Gewandhaus Bach Orchestra. Pure Bach
10. Dvorak concerto for Violoncello & Orchestra. Sasa Vectomov, Central Bohemia Symphony Orchestra. Sasa died when he was just 59. The tragic loss of a brilliant cellist.
All recordings are taken from live performances. Items 1,2,5,6, & 7 were concerts that took place in the Royal Festival Hall. Item 3 is from a lunchtime concert in the Fairfield Halls Croydon, Item 4 was recorded in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Item 8 in the Camden Centre and item 9 was recorded in Podebrady in the then Czechoslovakia, now the Czech Republic.
Coments on the sound quality:
Norman Lebrech said:
Quote:
Dear Geoffrey
I enjoyed the performances very much, especially the Bruckner and Suk. The sound has a vivid, lifelike immediacy all too rare in studio recordings and the orchestral balance is just right. I wish you every success with the releases. If you want to quote me on any of this, please feel free.
best wishes
Norman Lebrecht
http://www.musicweb-international.co...in_CD32009.htm
|
International Record Review:
Quote:
|
'The recorded sound is splended - natural and full.'
|
Why is it free?
It is offered free to members so as to familiarise them with a new recording process known as CNSTR. which means certified natural sound technique recording. Sound samples already exist on Internet but they are, of course, MP3 quality and as such represent only an indication of the sound quality achieved using CNSTR.
The CD is best heard on a Hi Fi system and recreates the original sound as accurately as is technically possible, in fact an ‘Audio Mirror Image’ of the actual performance.
To request your free copy. Send an email to
terrygeoffrey@gmail.com with your name and address, preferably in a format that can be copied and pasted to the package.
When a copy is available for you, you will asked to send £3.00 (to cover post and packing) by paypal or by cheque. the CD will be shipped within 24 hours, (weekdays).
Details of the process are as follows:
Quote:
Category: Sound Recording
Subcategory: Sound Recording Technique
Industry Standard
CNSTR, the acronym for Certified Natural Sound Technique Recording, is a newly introduced, (September 2008), standard for the commercial recording industry, directed in particular at manufacturers of classical music CDs.
It is a voluntary code of practice for CD publishers, however, the addition of the CNSTR logo, to published CDs, provides assurance, for the purchaser, that the recording was undertaken to conform to a minimum standard.
There has been an ever-growing, general consensus of opinion that recordings of classical music are being over engineered, resulting in a sound quality that is not entirely relevant to the original.
CNSTR has been expressed nere in layman terms since it is a reference intended for the public.
With the rapid advance in acoustic technology the majority of recording studios have, in an endeavor to keep breast of the times, introduced ever more complex equipment and procedures into the sound recording process. A trend which has resulted in an ever increasing difference between natural and recorded sound.
In the majority of recordings, involving a symphony orchestra, a considerable number of microphones is employed, positioned at stratigic points amongst the players.
The sound, picked up by the microphones, is fed to a control panel where a highly qualified engineer constantly adjusts the level, from each of the microphones, in an endeavor to establish what he considers the composer intended in the score.
The engineer is undertaking to correct the directions of the conductor who, from a musical point of view, is better qualified to perform the task.
There is an intermediary process. Known as ‘Stereo pair’, in this case, as the term suggests, just two microphones are used, however, they are generally positioned too far forward from the orchestra, thereby failing to take advantage of the effect of sound rising with heat (1). In addition when a soloist is involved a ‘spot’ microphone would be introduced and then the engineer would take a more active part in the balancing process – a negative result.
With CNSTR only two microphones are utilized. The task of the recording engineer is to establish the best postions for the microphones so that: 1. They faithfully capture the full spectrum of the orchestra and simulate a left and right image that would be heard sitting in an optimum position in the auditorium. 2. Prior to the recording the engineer should establish the maximum level of sound likely to be produced by the ensemble. The level controls being set to that postion and no corrections or alterations made during the performance.
Following completion of the recording process any extraneous noises, tape hiss or coughing should be removed, should that be possible without interfering with the musical content. There the process terminates, the resultant recorded sound being a Natural Sound, by virtue of the fact that it has not been transformed in any way electronically. Multiple reproductions, CDs, of the recording can then be produced without any additional electronic process.
CD producers who voluntarily adhere to the criteria are permitted to add the logo to their CDs.
Geoffrey Terry August 2009
|
OrchestralConcertCDs - Free Classical Music CD
