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In Reply to: RE: Great recording... posted by Ivan303 on October 23, 2016 at 20:04:25
At this point, all I can say is that jdaniel does not hear the Rite of Spring the same way I do. Of course, that may be for better or worse!
I love Jared's recordings, but on this album, the microphones really seem too distant, and Fischer's gentlemanly presentation of the action (relative to the Litton recording) just isn't my idea of what the score needs. It's not bad by any means (I didn't jettison it from my collection), but it's sure not the performance I reach for first when I want to hear this work. In some ways, it's not dissimilar to the Jansons/Concertgebouw recording (on the RCO Live label), another one I keep for its beautiful orchestral playing (you can really wallow in it!) - even if it's not always appropriate to Stravinsky's musical depiction at hand.
Follow Ups:
Err, Bass.
Distant and lightweight.
I'm hearing deep, resonant bass. The Bass drum is indeed a touch wooly, but so is Boulez' with Cleveland.
For me, it's about the rest of the Orchestra this time around: Fischer's group just sounds far more imaginative than, well, you know. : )
"Litton's Bergen Stravinsky Rite: Bass Drum absurdly overpowering."
-Posted by jdaniel@jps.net (A) on September 20, 2016 at 22:00:34.
And then, moving into the body of the post itself:
"So jarring and sharp that it interrupts the flow of the music and dwarfs the orchestra, whose sound is a bit light-weight to begin with."
I guess what we're saying is that:
1. We don't hear the bass drum as overpowering
2. We don't hear the tonal quality of the orchestra as light
Watch it - or we'll invite you over and flail you alive with bass drum sticks! ;-)
,
in 2 channel, the Budapest has far more weight, immediacy (and better hall ambiance) than the Litton.
Litton didn't seem "all of a piece" to me, I also get the sense that the Bergen players were fatigued--physically and mentally by the end of the first and second parts.
Fischer's players actually heighten the tension as they go. The horn bits are particularly intense in the hushed final measures leading up to the climax of the Sacrificial Dance. IMHO Fischer's players are more comfortable with the mixed-meter accents at that point as well; a must if the dance is to cohere.
But if you like the Litton, that's awesome.
That's good enough for me! =:-0
Some of us are compelled to take on the tedious task of filling in the gaps in his knowledge. ;-)
(BTW, on the link below, you should read the reviews chronologically - IOW, read his review first and then read mine.)
on my various steaming services.
I rate them as very enjoyable but don't know what that computes to in 'stars'.
. . . I just saw that there's now a volume VI:
This is the type of criticism which sounds as if the listener is projecting things onto the performance. So, exactly what were the manifestations of this physical and mental fatigue?
Again, I'm not saying that the Fischer recording is bad. But your reaction to the Litton recording is hard for me to fathom - and I certainly don't hear the kind of rhythmic uncertainties in this performance you seem to be implying. That's just nuts.
Requires very clean and incisive playing esp in strings, trumpets, horns and tymps; Fischer is slow burn and satisfying, Litton's lacks direction or momentum.In the last pages of the Sacrificial dance, the percussion doesn't quite nail those off-beat punctuation: sharp and loud, but a bit tentative.
The Bergen reminds me off Sir Simon's early years with the Birmingham: they play with heart, they get to the playoffs, but never take home the trophy.
Not to say that the playoffs can't be exciting.
Edit: I should also add that in 2 channel, the Bergen tends to appear and then disappear back into no man's land while the Budapest is very gratifyingly anchored in their hall throughout. Maybe Bergen sound last bigger in 5 channel.
No doubt a lot of things contribute to people hearing things differently. I compiled reviews for both Rites and they run the gamut: many left me scratching my head as well.
Edits: 10/24/16
I think you've referred to this yourself: more kudos from more critics go to the Litton recording, and, at a more amateur level on Amazon, the Litton averages out to 5/5, while the Fischer averages out to 4/5. Maybe you should post a review of the Litton recording on Amazon and bring down Litton's average. ;-)
.
Didn't find anything new in the reviews of Litton/Rite on Amazon. :-(
Still my favorite.
And as this CE was remastered at 24/96 one would think that a hi rez download should be available somewhere if someone wanted it to be.
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