Music Lane

The way I heard the story. . .

67.188.247.69

Chris from Lafayette

A

In Reply to: RE: Most "audiophile" recording of Rachmaninoff? posted by vahe on August 15, 2010 at 10:45:31

. . . was that Reiner kept pushing for faster tempos than Rubinstein could manage, and kept sarcastically remarking that HIS (Reiner's) orchestra (the CSO) wasn't having any trouble with the faster tempos! I also thought that Rubinstein vowed never to work with Reiner again after this recording.

I'm surprised you say it's not an audiophile recording, because in one sense, I would think it might be. I haven't heard it in decades, but it does come from the era when RCA recordings were much more minimally microphoned than they later became.

Follow Ups:

RE: The way I heard the story. . . - Botanico92007 09:46:27 08/16/10 (0)
The way I heard the story was that Reiner lost patience because Rubenstein wanted too many retakes. Reiner was well known for running very efficient recording sessions. Whatever the reason, they never recorded together again.

I can vouch for the "audiophile" quality of the sound. These two 2-track stereo tapes from 1956 have remarkable sound. They have all the characteristics that make the Reiner recordings so famous. On the tapes the Rhapsody has slightly better sound. I don't know if the pieces came from the same session, although the consecutive tape catalog numbers suggest they did. I wouldn't worry about sound quality when contemplating buying the recordings.
RE: The way I heard the story. . . - Russell 23:24:52 08/15/10 (0)
I remember reading somewhere that Reiner was so frustrated with Rubinstein's insistence on taking a particular passage over and over again that he told him "look, you could never play that passage and you'll never be able to. Now let's move on." (Or words to that effect.)

Russell
RE: The way I heard the story. . . - vahe 13:45:22 08/15/10 (2)
Has this recording been re-mastered by RCA as SACD? I checked and could not find, it would be an audiophile recording for its day and fairly acceptable if you like the re-mastering of the RCA Red Seal series. It is a very slow performance but a real aristocratic playing if there ever was one.

Another performance, this one the Tchaikovsky 1st by Emil Gilels and Reiner/CSO is one of my all time favorites, this one is a fiery interpretation and both Gilels and Reiner are at their absolute best, this recording as far as I know is not available.

Vahe
- RE: The way I heard the story. . . - Russell 23:28:57 08/15/10 (0)
  RCA never released it as an SACD, but the recording was remastered for the complete Rubinstein edition on CD some years back. It still sounds excellent, as does the companion Paganini Rhapsody. I believe it's still in print. BTW, the recording was re-released as an audiophile LP back in the era, in RCA's "Point 5" series.
  
  Edits: 08/15/10
- RE: The way I heard the story. . . - Mali 15:18:56 08/15/10 (0)
  I have another RCA recording of this vintage from this source, the Boston Symphony/Monteux Tchaikovsky 5th Symphony and it's not a very good transfer, so I can't vouch for the sonics of this one.
  - Gilels and Reiner Tchaikovsky 1st (Open in New Window)
  Edits: 08/15/10

Post a Followup:

FAQ

Post a Message!

Forgot Password?

Moniker (Username):
Password (Optional):
	Remember my Moniker & Password (What's this?) Eat Me
E-Mail (Optional):
Subject:

Message:	(Posts are subject to Content Rules)

Optional Link URL:
Optional Link Title:
Optional Image URL:
Upload Image:
E-mail Replies:	Automagically notify you when someone responds.

To view your new posting or follow-up, click on the RELOAD or REFRESH button on your browser.

This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:

Atma-Sphere Music Systems, Inc.