Decca Sound - The Analogue Years (Decca

Decca has produced in the past the companion to this Analogue Box,and Ashkenazy 50 years Box set on Decca.The company is known for its sound.This box is made of tough cardboard,which has another box stuck inside to protect the CDs.There is no traditonal lid,but strong cardboard flaps which when open,divide into two. You could place a sleeve and a CD waiting to be played on one flap. The box is all white with light grey symbols around the box and the unorthodox lids,are devided into Black one side, with Decca in white and the other side Sound on a white background.One side has a strong paper list of what is to be played,instead of being printed on the box.It has rubbery glue on the back. You can remove the list,then fold it and place it inside the box. I did this with the excellent Ashkenazy Set and it is very useful.The sleeves have the original cover art on the front, with what is being played and the conductor as well as the soloists if any.The back has track numbers and pieces to be played; Conductor and or Soloists.Also, included is a bonus.For example, CD 34,Sibelius Vienna Phil Conducted Maazel,has Sym No 1 and Karelia Suite,plus bonus Sym no 4. There are many of bonus's or fillers, spread throughout the Box set.The backs of the Sleeve can be white or black with the CD number on the right hand side.If the CD Sleeve's back is white, the top half of the CD is black and the lower white and black vice versa.The conductor,then the composer,or soloist and composer is printed on the top half of the CD and stereo and date published and CD number in the middle,right handside.(I have reviewed all the CDs)The CDs are easy to get out of the single sleeves,but those CDs in the few double sleeves can be a little difficult.You cannot get lost in this well thought out box.The 200 page booklet is devided into English,French and German.The first chapter has the Index list,with the CD number next to it.The track numbers,composer,pieces to be played etc and times.Spread throughout the booklet are pictures of the participants in this box set.Then the article 'the story of Decca/London FFSS' by Michael Grey, for the tech heads,which does mention the introduction of Dolby and Quad.Also,describes what new fangled invention of the period they have used in recording certain pieces included in this box set.Another article, 'Analogue Stereo years.A golden era of Artists and recording' by Ray McGill, mentions that"for many record collectors the Analogue stereo recordings made from the mid 1950's to the end of the 1970's represent something of a golden age,ffss(full frequency stereophonic sound) recordings are a pinnacle of technical and musical achievement.The present collection spans a period of 26 years from the first stereo made by Decca in May 1954 in Geneva through to some of the last analogue recordings made in London in 1980.Then goes on where the recordings were made,a few techological details and so forth.In otherwords, the sound is marvellous.No translation for the operas and recital included in this set.I shall go across the page as I usually do where details of the CDs are concerned.CD number,first,then date released. The conductor or soloist is mentioned before the composer;then pieces to be played.Afterwords, mainly reviews from the Penguin Guides 1977 and 1996,plus a few reviews taken from the Gramophone Classsical magazine placed on the backs of the sleeves.Now for the history contained in this Decca analogue box set which may come as a surprise to you. Nikisch held that conducting required spontanety,boldness,imagination, and a profound feeling for the work at hand.He rescued Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony from oblivion and turned it into a success. Brahms said to Hungarian Nikisch after a Leipzig concert rehearsal,"you have changed everything.But you are right.It must be like that".Nikisch died in 1922 and Furtwangler took over his post as musical director of the Berlin Phil.He often said that Nikisch was his only role model.But Nikisch was a model for youngsters where ever he went. He fired the imagination of Monteux in France,in Switzerland of Ansermet,also the mighty sucession of Hungarian maestro's-Szell,Dorati,Kertesz(he drowned in his 40's),and Solti all traced their origin to Nikisch. Abbado cited Furtwangler as his role model.(CD 1)DUTOIT-ROGE-piano(1980)Saint-Saens:Phaeton;Le Rouet d'Omphale,Danse macabre;la Jeunesse d'Hercule.Bonus Piano Concerto No 1. Philharmonia Orch." The symphonic poems are beautifully played. Dutoit shows himself a sensitive exponent in the manner of Beecham."Roge bring's delicacy,virtuosity and sparkle to the piano part.".(CD 2)SOLTI:(1979) Bruckner Sym No 6. Chicago sym orch."Solti offers great overall coherence and is magnificently recorded"(CD 3)HAITINK:(1979)Shostakovich sym no 4.London Phil Orch."Brings out an unexpected refinement in the symphony,a rare transparency of texture. The Earthiness and power are underplayed" (CD 4)(1978)ROGE-piano:Preludes Book 1;Children's corner.Bonus: Reverie;L'Isle joyeuse."Children's corner is played with neat elegance and the characterization has charm.Roge brings genuine poetic feeling to the first book of the Preludes"(CD 5)STEIN:(1978)Sibelius Pelleas et Melisande -Incidental music. The Tempest.Bonus En Saga.Pohjola's Daughter. L' Orchestre de la Suisse Romande."Stein shows a gift for the special atmosophere of Sibelius".(CD 6)WELLER:Prokofiev Sym no 2. The love for three Oranges Symphonic Suite.Bonus Scythian Suite.London Phil Orch."The Symphony No 2 must be numbered as the most sucessful of Wellers cycle."(CD 7)DORATI(1978)Bartok Suite No 1;two Pictures.Bonus Enescu Romanian Rhapsody. Detroit Sym Orch."Suite No 1; Dorati's approach is strong and vigorous to match,as it is in the Pictures."(CD 8)MAAZEL:(1977)Prokofiev No 5. Bonus Rimsky-Korsakov Russian Easter festival-Overture. Capriccio Espagnol. The Cleveland Orch."Maazel makes it all the more strongly symphonic rather than lyrically evocative."(CD 9)CHUNG-Violin;LUPU-piano.(1977) Franck sonata for violin and piano. Debussy sonata for violin and piano. Bonus: Ravel Introduction and Allegro. Debussy Sonata for flute,viola and harp.Has been awarded a rosette by Penguin guide for being excellent."Chung plays with marvellous character.But her partnership with Lupu could hardly be more fruitful"(CD 10)ASHKENAZY:(1977)Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony. Bonus -Scherzo.Boris Belkin violin.Philharmonia Orch."I would recommend this issue to those who have been waiting for a completely satisfying version."(CD 11)METHA:(1976).Gershwin An American in Paris;Copland Appalachian Spring;Bernstein Candide-overture;Copland Lincoln portrait Peck narrator; Kraft Contextures.Los Angeles Philharmonic."Metha's performance is second to none".(CD 12)CHIARA;GARDELLI;SANTI:(1976)Wolf-Ferrari Il segreto di Susanna; Weikl."It is a charming piece that has individual magic. Excellent singing and playing" Verdi Arias Aida; I Vespri Siciliani;Othello. Orch of ROH Covent Garden."The natural creamy beauty of Maria Chiara's voice used intelligently makes for an enjoyable disc. Singing often of ravishing quality." (CD 13)(1976).LARROCHA;FRUHBECK DE BURGOS:(1976)Surinach Concerto for piano and orch; Montsalvatage Concerto breve for piano and orch.Cond Royal Philharmonic orch. Bonus: Faure Fantasie for piano and orch;Franck Symphony variations for piano and orch.Cond London Philharmonic orch."Of course they sound excellent as we should expect from Alicia de Larrocha to whom both works were dedicated".(CD 14)(1975)FITZWILLIAM STRING QUARTET:Shostakovich String Quartet No 15;No 8;Bonus Sting Quartet No 9."The reading of the 15th Quartet has unusual sympathy and feeling.They developed a relationship near the end of the composers life". (CD 15)MUNCHINGER:(1974)Schubert Rosamunde.Preciosa overture; Schumann Genoveva overture; Vienna Philharmonic."Here Munchinger is at his best-and it is at once apparent that the recording is really first class."(CD 16)SOLTI:(1974)Stravinsky the Rite of Spring;Bonus: Bolero; Schoenberg Variations.Chicago Sym Orch."Solti's version takes an honourable place in a highly competitive list".(CD 17)LUPU;PREVIN:(1973) Schumann piano concerto;Grieg piano concerto."In the Grieg concerto Lupu 's performance is enjoyable and in the Schumann Previn copes well with the orchestra accompaniment,and the LSO's playing is warm and decisive."(CD 18)DORATI:(1972)Haydn Symphonies No 94;No 100; No 104.Philharmonia Hungarica."His performances are lively,unfussy and well played."(CD 19a &b)BRITTEN:(1972)Double-Scenes from Goethes Faust.Palmer;Pears;Shirley-Quirk;Fischer Dieskau,Aldeburgh festival singers.English Chamber Orch."Britten inspired his fine cast of singers to vivid performances recorded against the warm Maltings acoustic."Bonus: Mozart Symphony No 40."Totally convincing".(CD 20)(1972) CHUNG;PREVIN. Walton and Stravinsky violin concerto's."In the Walton Chung builds up a performance which must remain a classic,with Previn as guide and the composer present".Penguin gave this recording a Rosette.(CD 21)ASHKENAZY:(1972) 12 Etudes, op 10;12 Etudes, op 25."This might be a first choice for collectors"(1975 Gramophone).(CD 22)(1972)BONYNGE:Offenbach Le Paillion LSO Bonus: Massenet Le Cid National Phil Orch."This record can be highly recommended to Offenbach and romantic ballet fans alike".(CD 23)METHA:(1971) Holst the Planets;Saint-Saens Symphony No 3'Organ symphony" Los Angeles Philharmonic."Holst gives an impeccable reading of Holst's score,the orchestra deserves the same praise." (CD 24)(1971) ASHKENAZY;MAAZEL Scriabin piano concerto London Phil orch. Prometheus. Bonus:Le poem de l'extase Cleveland Orch."Azhkenazy plays the piano with great feeling and authority. An introduction to Scriabin's art and a very distinguished record in every respect".(CD 25)KERTESZ:(1970)Dvorak The water Goblin;My home;the noonday Witch;Husitaka. Bonus:the Golden Spinning wheel symphonic poem.London Symphony Orch.(CD 26)STARKER:(1969) Bloch Schelomo;Voice in the Widerness. Bonus: Rinsky-Korsakov Capriccio Espagnol.Israel Philharmonic Orch cond Metha."Starker plays splendidly throughout,while Metha gets the very best out of the orchestra."(CD 27) WEINER OKTETT:(1968)Mendelssohn Sextet;"It has an engaging immediacy and remarkable sureness of technique"Borodin Piano Quintet."It has an engaging freshness and charm that comes across in this performances"Bonus:Berwald Grand Septet.(CD 28)ABBADO:(1968) Mendelssohn 3rd and 4th Symphonies."The performances are very enjoyable and Abbado is a very sympathetic Mendelssohnian." (CD 29)SOLTI:(1967) Verdi Requiem. Sutherland;Horne;Pavarotti and Talvela. Vienna Philharmonic."If you want an extrovert performance with superlative recording you could hardly do better".(CD 30) SOLTI:(1966)Mahler 2nd sym ."Solti's account is one of the most impressive Mahler performances."(CD 31)SCHMIDT-ISSERSTEDT:(1965)Beethoven 9th. Suterland;Horne; King;Talvela."Isserstedt gives an intensely satisfying reading of the 9th".(CD 32)ROSTROPOVICH ;BRITTEN(1964)Britten Cello concerto; Haydn cello concerto.English Chamber Orch. "Rostropovich's playing is romantic in the Haydn Cello concerto."(CD 33)KERTESZ:(1964)Hary Janos suite; Dances of Galanta.Bonus: The Peacock; Variations on a Hungarian Folk song the Peacock."A winner from the start.This will become a demonstration disk."(CD 34) MAAZEL:(1963) Symphony No 1. Karelia Suite. Bonus Symphony no 4. "The No 1 has the freshness of vision to recommend it. The fourth is the most impressive of Maazel's Sibelius's cycle."(CD 35)LONDON WIND SOLOISTS:(1962)Mozart wind Serenades. Serenade in B lat major 'Gran partita'.Bonus: Serenade in C minor'Nacht Musik.Jack Brymer.(CD 36)OISTRAKH;HINDESMITH;HORENSTEIN (1962)Bruch Scottish Fantasia; Hindesmith Violin concerto London symphony Orch."Oistrakh's playing throughout the Bruch piece is ravishing.Here the violinists performance in the Hindesmith concerto can never before have blossomed into rewarding lyricism.(CD 37)CURZON:SZELL Brahms concerto No 1. Bonus Mozart piano Concerto No 27.London Sym Orch"The Brahms is one of the very best recordings of this work."(CD 38) LANCHBERRY;SOLTI:(1962) Herold La fille mal gardee-highlights.Bonus Gounod Faust-ballet music. Orch of the ROH, Covent Garden."The performance here is brilliantly played both affection and sparkle in ample quantity." (CD 38)ANSERMET:(1962)Martin Etudes for string orch; Concerto for 7 wind instruments,percussion and strings. Bonus:Honegger Symphony No 2.l'Orchestre de la suisse Romande.(CD 40 A&B)DEL MONACO;TEBALDI;KARAJAN:(1961)Verdi Othello.Vienna Phil.Tebaldi and del Monaco give one of their finest performances.Karajan is dramatic in his conducting.(CD 41)BOSKOVSKY:(1961)Josef Strauss and Johann Strauss waltzs.Vienna Phil Hilde Gueden.(CD 42) FISTOULARI:(1961)Tchaikovsky Swan Lake.Lecoqo Menzelle Angot-Highlights.Concertgebouw Och. Och of the ROH,Covent garden."This is real ballet conducting" "This is real ballet conducting".(CD 43) GAMBA;RICCI:(1960) Rossini overtures La gazzo Ladra; La Scala di Seta; Il barbiere di Sivigla;William Tell. Bonus: Mendelssohn Violin concerto Ricci London Symphony Orch.(CD 44 a &B)TEBALDI;BERGONZI:SERAFIN:(1959) Puccini La Boheme Tebaldi,bergonzi Bastianini,Siepi,Corena,Orchestra dell Accademia di Santa cecilia,Roma."Vocally the performances achieved a consistently high standard.Serafin is more vital here"(CD 45)(1958)MONTEUX Sibelius Sym No 2. Bonus: Dvorak Sym No 7. London Sym Orch. "7th always been a favourite. It is exciting and idiomatic."(CD 46)KRIPS:(1958)Symphony No 9(Great) and 8th (Unfinished)."The 8th is a gentle,glowing performance. Krips never made a finer record then this."(CD 47)ALWYN;SOLTI:KATCHEN:(1958) Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture-Band of the Grenadier Guards;Cappriccio Italian; Marche slave. Bonus: Rachmaninov Piano concerto No 2-piano Katchen.London Symphony Orch. "Katchen gives a dramatic and exciting account."(CD 48)CURZON;FJRLDSTAD Grieg Peer Gynt. Bonus: Grieg Piano Concerto Curzon Piano. London sym Orch.(CD 49)ANSERMET:(1954) Ravel lEnfant et les Sortileges.L'Orchestre de la Suise Romande. Danco,Cuenod,Wend."This is generally a performance of high quality.Ansermet's direction shows him at his most imaginative".Ma Mere l'Oye-suite.(CD 50)ANSERMET:(1954) Stereo and Mono same CDs Rimsky-Korsakov Sym No 2 Antar.Glazunov Stenka Razin."The performance here is effective" Balakiriev Tamara. Lyadov Kikimora. "Has characteristic detail and atmosophere,"l'Orchestra de la suise Romande.This is one the first stereo recordings that Decca made in May 1954,but only appeared years later.REFERENCES:Gramophone reviews back of Decca Analogue sleeves. Lebrecht,N. The Maestro Myth.1977.Pocket books.Penguin claasical music year book 1977 and 1996.

First of all let me reassure all those people who may have been concerned about the sound (as a result of one very negative review). I have by no means listened to all of these cds! But the ones I have listened to sound fine. Indeed the recording of the Franck violin/piano sonata is superb with violin and piano beautifully balanced and the piano tone having real depth and richness. This is a magnificent performance, too, but the quality of the recording serves it perfectly. By far the best recorded sound in this work that I have ever heard. At the other end of the sound spectrum with instead of just 2 instruments, a full orchestra with 2 pianos and a mighty organ, the recording St Saens 3rd symphony is also very good with that glorious moment in the last movement when the 2 pianos sparkle a descant through the orchestral texture is marvellously clear without ever sounding artificially illuminated and the organ sounds part of the ensemble instead of being in a different acoustic. There is of course variation in sound quality, with different locations, different conductors and orchestras and different dates. But interestingly there are differences even when conductor, orchestra, location and date are the same: eg the disc containing Monteux's performances of Sibelius 2 and Dvorak 7. Both were with the LSO, both were in the Kingsway Hall, both in 1959. The performance of Dvorak's 7th is magnificent one of the finest on record: I loved it on lp in the 60s. But the sound though good is not as open or dynamic as that of the Sibelius (with John Culshaw as producer) which precedes it.The 2nd point I wish to make is that this box is exceptionally generous in terms of music contained in it. I was critical of the 2nd box of living stereo because RCA had simply transferred LPs to cds meaning that some of the cds were as short as 35 minutes. Here that is not the case. Almost all the cds have bonus tracks making many of them more than 80 minutes long. In the case of operas and longer works 2 cds are counted as one: so, for example Verdi's Otello, numbered cd 40 in this box, is actually a 2 cd set with total playing time of 144 minutes. So there are 54 well filled cds in this box. On the other hand the original record notes are not included in the booklet for any of the music nor any texts - or even synopses of the operas. Instead there are some interesting articles on the methods of recording, layouts of microphones and orchestras etc.So what of the performances? In a box as large as this there are always going to be some performances which any one listener will find less convincing than others. For example, although it was well received at the time and still has lots of admirers, I have never been able to get to like Mario de Monaco's rather brash Otello, though it is certainly heroic. I find any of Domingo's performances more convincing, and of the vintage sets I prefer Vickers with Gobbi and Rysanek under Serafin, to this one. Protti's Iago is not very subtle and Karajan's conducting not as naturally flexible as Serafin's. Toscanini's performance with Vinay as Otello is in a class of its own. However, the playing of the Vienna Phil is wonderful and Culshaw's production and the Decca sound are vastly superior to other performance of the opera of that date. Tebaldi makes a touching Desdemona.Similarly I have never been very fond of Solti's Verdi Requiem. But here it is generously squeezed onto one cd of over 84 minutes! A tremendous advantage being able to hear it all in one go. There are wonderful things in this performance: both the sanctus and the libera me choruses dance delightfully: the chorus is very agile and Solti’s conducting light and energetic. The Rex tremendae majestatis is suitably powerful and the dies irae episodes spit sparks and thunderous blasts appropriately. The chorus sings very securely and the VPO play like angels. On paper the solo quartet would have been difficult to improve upon in 1967 when this was recorded: Sutherland, Marilyn Horne, Pavarotti and Talvela. However, in practice, there are weaknesses. Although Sutherland does everything beautifully, especially her floated top notes, and she does try to articulate clearly in Libera me, for much of the time she is really only vocalizing, not interpreting the text. Indeed there are passages when it sounds as if she is sucking a gobstopper at the same time as singing: the words just aren’t there. Marilyn Horne is superb in the liber scriptus and blends fairly well in the recordare, but is it her singing in the Agnus Dei? It sounds more like Pavarotti to me. He sings the Ingemisco very well and is even better in the hostias, and is musical, well balanced and in tune in all the difficult a cappella bits. No weaknesses there (though I still prefer Bergonzi under Leinsdorf). Talvella is strong, well focused and solid throughout. But other basses (eg Flagello, Christoff and Ghiarov for example) have sung with greater warmth in passages like ora me cum benedictis, and greater chill in mors stupebit. And although the recorded sound is vivid and exciting I can hear more orchestral detail in the Leinsdorf performance with Boston forces in the Living Stereo 2 box, where Nilsson is almost ideal as the soprano and Bergonzi is unequalled as the tenor. So I have some criticisms of this performance: but are they really valid given that we get 84 minutes of marvellous music for about £1!!! ?Rather surprisingly 2 works receive 2 different performances in this box: Grieg’s piano concerto and Rimsky’s Capriccio Espagnol. As far as the concerto is concerned I can well understand why both performances were included. Lupu’s disc with the Schumann as coupling is outstanding, not least for the way he and Previn make music together, each illuminating the other quite brilliantly in both works. The other is also from a classic recording; that by Clifford Curzon in collaboration with Fjeldstad. Lupu’s performance is a little more free than Curzon’s with some passages of almost frolicsome playfulness, especially in the cadenzas, which I enjoyed immensely. Curzon’s is straighter but very eloquent and Fjeldstad’s contribution is very telling. The much more recent recording by Lupu is wonderfully transparent but Curzon’s performance is strongly projected and the sound is full if a bit less subtle.However with the Capriccio I am puzzled as to why Decca have included the Mehta performance with the Israel Phil. Maazel’s with the Cleveland is far better played, more idiomatically conducted, better balanced as a recording and I’m afraid if you play Maazel’s first, Mehta’s performance sounds mediocre. I’m sure that Decca could have found something better to add as a bonus item to the splendid performances of Bloch’s Schelomo and voice in the wilderness on this disc. Was there nothing more from Starker in their vaults? Incidentally Maazel’s performance of Prokoviev’s 5th at the beginning of cd 8 is fabulously played with the last movement totally stunning. And the recording both of the Prokoviev and the Rimsky items ion this disc is of demonstration quality.I still have about 45 discs to listen to but I’ve decided to post this review already, before it gets any longer. I look forward to taking my time to do that. Some of them are familiar friends from my LP collecting days: some of them contain music that is totally unknown to me. So much pleasure lies in store.I am not sure whom this box is targeted at. I fear that the newcomer to classical music will find a large number of the discs packed with unfamiliar and not altogether easy listening music eg Kraft, Martin Schoenberg, Scriabin, Surinach and Shostakovich chamber music while basic repertoire is hardly covered. On the other hand thorough collectors will have bought many of discs already. At £55 being asked by Amazon the box is a steal. It contains so many classic performances that it will bring immense pleasure to anyone who loves great music.And it offers the occasional surprise as well. Strongly recommended

I have been bought this box set as a present. I can remember many of these analogue recordings when they were first issued, and indeed I still own many of the original vinyls. There are such riches here and it would take many hours to write a comprehensive review of all the disks, so rather than that I will make more general comments and only go into detail about a few of my favourites.My first point is that these are beautifully remastered, very faithful to the original recordings. I can say this with some authority because I have made direct comparisons of many of these between the CDs and the old vinyl LPs. The reviewer who criticised these masterings must have something wrong with his audio equipment.The quality of the recordings do vary, but this is hardly surprising since issues from 1954 to 1980 are included here. The Rimsky from 1954 is surprisingly good (cd50) but you can hear the shortcomings of the early microphones and tape recorders. The last recordings, for example the Solti Bruckner 6th, are every bit as fine as the best digital recordings, some would argue even better.There are some old potboiler favourites here, but in the main the choice is very varied and generally very good. Some of these recordings are still the best available, listen to the Wha Chung and Lupu Franck violin sonata for example. The Solti Rite of Spring takes some beating also.I would recommend this set to anyone who has a CD player good enough to reproduce these lovely performances at the required standard. At a bargain price at the moment, snap this up while you can. Mark my words, this will quadruple in value once it is out of print.

No contiene una buena selección de la colección original....la calidad de grabación es muy buena, pero el contenido en sí no es interesante.

On retrouve les mêmes défauts que dans les autres coffrets " Decca Sound " : notices pas reproduites , aucun renseignement sur les interprêtes et les oeuvres , même les moins connus ou oubliés .Il aurait été bon , aussi , de donner la date de première exécution de l 'oeuvre , pour le répertoire le moins familier .Mais ce sont des vétilles , vu le prix modeste de cette somme .Par contre , il y a une très utile table alphabétique des enregistrements par compositeurs et les notices , traduites en français , sur les générations d'interprêtes de la Maison et les techniques d'enregistrement , sont bien faites et bien illustrées de photos !Les enregistrements , purement analogiques , s'étendent de 1954 à 1979 .Les écoutes ont été faites sur mon installation , sans concessions ( Tannoy Canterbury , des McIntosh à tubes et un lecteur Acustic Arts ) , à un niveau proche de celui du concert .Le niveau de qualité sonore est plus élevé , en moyenne , que sur l'autre coffret Decca Sound , qui comportait beaucoup d'enregistrements de l'ère numérique .ici , la réussite est le plus souvent magistrale , sur le répertoire symphonique : restitution charnue et physique , dynamique et ampleur , espace sonore XXL , aucune crispation sur les pointes de niveau ; c'est confortable , large et opulent et les timbres restent convaincants ...Bien sûr , il y a quelques déchets et des oeuvres sans grand intérêt ou sans aucun intérêt du tout , à mon goût du moins : poèmes symphoniques de Saint-Saëns , Planètes , quelques Tchaikovsky ( Ouverture 1812 , Capriccio italien , Marche slave ) , Rachmaninov ( 2 ° concerto pour piano ) , Copland , Kraft , Hindemith ...Dans le grand répertoire , Rogé / Debussy ( Préludes , etc .) et Ashkenazy / Chopin ( Etudes ) m'ont laissé de marbre , mais il est vrai , aussi , que DECCA n'excellait pas dans la prise de son du piano , qui reste un peu éteint : PHILIPS faisait bien mieux , à la même époque ...Solti m'a paru un peu extérieur aux oeuvres , dans Bruckner et le Sacre ; par contre , son Requiem de Verdi est impressionnant , mais servi par une prise de son superlative , il est vrai .J'ai noté quelques curiosités parfois très intéressantes : un agréable Hérold , de plaisantes oeuvres de Bloch , Wolff-Ferrari ( sorte d'étrange retour à Donizetti ! ) , Surinach , Montsalvatge , le beau concerto pour violon de Walton , Frank Martin .Et puis beaucoup de réussites époustouflantes , totales , qui rassemblent un orchestre rompu au répertoire et un chef impliqué et vibrant , dans un enregistrement de référence :Haitink / ChostakovichHorst Stein et Monteux / Sibelius ( Stein : grande valeur sûre des équipes Decca ... )Weller / ProkofievMünchinger / Schubert-RosamundeKertész / Dvorak et KodalySchmidt -Isserstedt / Beethoven 9° ( sommet absolu de la discographie , mouvement lent à écouter et réécouter ...)Maazel / Sibelius ( chef jeune , clair , net )Oistrakh / Bruch ( pour le violon ! )Karajan-Del Monaco -Tebaldi / OthelloBoskovski / valses viennoises ( incroyablement supérieur à son concert du Nouvel An 1979 ...)Fistoulari / Lac des cygnesGamba / Rossini ( ouvertures )Krips / Schubert - 9° ( Vienne au plus haut ! )Fjeldstad / GriegRimsky - Glazunov , etc ./ Ansermet : les premiers enregistrements stéréo de la firme , en 1954 ! et les mêmes prises , mais en version mono : la mono est à peu près aussi bonne que la stéréo ! Un régal et une merveille de raffinement et d'équilibre ...Remastérisations manifestement hyper-soignées .Un coffret de rêve et à prix doux , au total !

どれもこれもDeccaの良き時代の名録音・名演奏が聴ける。またOriginalジャケットを使っているのも魅力的。Deccaはremasterもうまいので、もうOriginalレコードの時代ではない。はるかに凌駕している。Originalジャケットも見ながら聞くのも楽しいもの。特にDeccaのウィーンフィルは聞きごたえがある。

Decca has long been a label of great respect, from the early days of LPs, amongst collectors and recording engineers. There is, in fact, a Decca Sound, although describing it definitively is difficult and, in the end, rather pointless. When this box was introduced, I had to pick it up, even though I had about 45 of the 54 discs in this set (some still on LP, instead of CD). Why? Because having them all in one location for easy retrieval is quite convenient, and I tend to carry these boxes between work and home, working my way through them, without having to lug dozens of jewel cases.OK enough of that. The repertoire. Well, it's all over the place. There's Bartok through to Beethoven, Copland through to Verdi, and lots in between. Being all over the place is not a criticism, just be aware that this is not a themed box or devoted to any particular genre of music. Many of the pieces are war horses: pieces most music listeners will know and (hopefully) love. There are some rarer works scattered in here, which, for collectors like me at least, make these box sets worthwhile in another way than simply convenience. There's some really great recordings and interpretations here, and there's also quite a few mediocre. And while there's none that are really not good, some people may not like the wide variety in this box. The box is a solid affair with a cute clamshell lid, and there's a decent booklet included with information about each sleeved CD, which features the original artwork on the front.The recordings are very solidly engineered and remastered throughout. I compared a few of these CDs to the original Decca LP, and the remastering folks did a great job. Decca pioneered what it called Full-Frequency response recordings (ffrr) and for years when I was buying LPs, those magic letter just passed on the message of "the best recordings you could get". We'd search out Decca recordings, simply because they had the best recording techniques, coupled with outstanding artists.If you have no classical music (or very little), boxes like this are an ideal way to increase your collection quickly with some great music, artists, orchestras, and repertoire. If you're into classical, these are some great recordings. If you're a collector, well, see what you want to have and get the box anyway. Decca was always a great label, and this is a great box from them.

"BEATA VIRTU'' DELL'IGNORANZA"Oggi è domenica, sono solo in casa,avvio l'impianto di ascolto, inserisco l'ultimo CD della lista, la sinfonia 'Antar' di Korsakov che Ernest Ansermet diresse nel 1954 alla guida della Orchestra Svizzera. Due le registrazioni effettuate dai tecnici della Decca : Roy Wallace per la registrazione stereofonica e Gil Went per quella monofonica. Comincio con la registrazione mono: mi colpisce la dinamica, mi alzo e controllo se -caso mai - avessi sbagliato CD. Non è cos'ì e continuo a sorprendermi per questa magnifica 'monofonia'. Una pausa, ed in successione, ascoltando la versione stereofonica, mi accorgo di quanto è bello 'sentire' il palcoscenico dove la musica 'sta accadendo'. Si compie così una esperienza uditiva che diventa subito emotiva.Tecnica e sentimento.L'ultimo movimento della 'Corale' di Beethoven diretta, nella Sofiensaal di Vienna nel 1965, da Schmidt-Issersstendt mi conferma che sono davanti ad una registrazione eccellente di una magnifica esecuzione. C'entra qualcosa la Sofiensaal di Vienna?E' sera, ho ancora voglia di musica ed inserisco un altro CD di Ansermet - 'L'enfant et le Sortileges' di Ravel - un incantesimo in musica a me sconosciuto dove una poltrona diventa un basso, la mamma è un contralto e nel bel mezzo di una scena di timpani e grancasse si ascolta il miagolare di due gatti: un mezzosoprano ed un baritono. Straordinario il suono dell' Orchestra Svizzera. Musica in libertà: siamo nel 1954!Qui mi fermo.La musica è tempo ed ha bisogno di tempo - per cui mi sono detto - è preferibile scriverne volta per volta, ascolto dopo ascolto, lasciando perdere 'il tutto e subito', raccontando disco dopo disco, settimana dopo settimana quanto c'è di bello nelle registrazioni analogiche della casa londinese.IL PRIMO MAGGIOOggi è una gran festa, e mi son divertito ad ascoltare - e riascoltare - parte dei dischi di questo cofanetto straordinario.Ho ascoltato la "Sagra della Primavera" diretta da Solti ( a mio parere un riferimento assoluto), "Gershwin-Copland-Bernstein" diretti da Zubin Metha, e "Rossini Overtures" dirette da Pierino Gamba ( "ma chi è costui" ?). Ebbene, il "disco di Rossini" si fa preferire a tutti gli altri per come è suonato: una "Gazza ladra" come l'avrei sempre voluta ascoltare. E' così che si scoprono i gradi direttori "nascosti". Mentre scrivo ascolto la versione su LP da 180 grammi, un disco, che a ragione, può competere con i riferimenti dell'audiofilia: il suono dei piatti e dei rullanti è trascinante, quello degli archi e dei fiati entusiasmante, mai ridondante."IL ROSSINI DI PIERINO GAMBA"Registrato alla Kingsway Hall di Londra il 15 e 16 novembre 1960 è uno dei capolavori dei migliori ingegneri del suono: Kenneth Wilkinson (1912-2004).Pierino Gamba aveva 24 ANNI quando diresse la London Symphony Orchestra nella incisione di questo splendido disco. Oggi ha 78 anni, vive a New York ed è stato un bambino prodigio.'IL VALORE AGGIUNTO'Nella bella confezione, insieme ai 54 CD, è contenuto un bellissimo libricino (formato CD) di 200 pagine che, ricco di fotografie, racconta la storia della 'Decca', dei suoi ingegneri e degli interpreti che l'hanno resa famosa.Gli anni delle registrazioni: dal 1954 al 1980.Il suono della "DECCA" è cosa diversa dal suono di altre etichette audiofile: la Sofiensaal, la Kingsway Hall, la Victoria Hall sono "sale di registrazione" che hanno lasciato una "impronta sonora" irripetibile ed inconfondibile.....ANCORAUna scoperta è stata la musica di KODALY, musicista ungherese morto nel 1967, che oscilla tra un moderno romanticismo e timbri che appartengono a partiture jazz con il cembalo di John Leach che regala una sonorità gradevole in una registrazione eccellente.Indimenticabile la seconda di Mahler diretta da Solti: una interpretazione ed una incisione che sono riferimenti assoluti....mi perdonerete se vi dico che preferisco la "resurrezione" diretta da Scherchen, registrazione mono del 1958,dove Mimì Cortese (soprano) e Lucretia West (contralto) regalano un poesia a mio modo di vedere di straordinaria bellezza. Diversamente da altre grandissime interpreti Mimì Cortese e Lucia West non sono "sulla scena", ma "nella parte" della musica mahleriana.La musica non può essere raccontata, va ascoltata!.SHOSTAKOVICH E LA FORZA DELLA MENTEQualche sera fa ho rivisto il film 'La forza della mente'- film di M. Nichols e con Emma Thompson del 2001- la cui colonna sonora è costituita da piccoli e grandi capolavori del novecento. Tra questi il quartetto per archi n.15 op. 144 di Shostakovich, quartetto composto nel 1974 a pochi mesi dalla morte del compositore. In tutta la partitura si legge - e si ripete - la parola 'morendo', idea fissa che è alla base di questa composizione, definita uno sconsolato e tragico addio alla vita. La morte per cancro della protagonista del film di M.Nicols è appunto un tragico e sconsolato addio alla vita.'L''interpretazione del quartetto per archi n. 15 da parte del 'Fitzwilliam String Quartet' è insolita per empatia e musicalità e la loro bravura è indiscutibile. Tra le migliori e più realistiche registrazioni di un quartetto d''archi caratterizzata da uno splendido dettaglio e da una definizione timbricamente corretta.' - (The Penguin Guide)SHOSTAKOVICH STALIN E HAITINK (CD 3)Ancora una scoperta di un magnifico disco, la quarta di Shostakovich diretta da Haitink.Quando nel 1979 Bernard Haitink diresse ed incise per la DECCA la quarta di Shostakovich lui aveva 50 anni ( oggi ne ha 86) ed il compositore era morto da soli 4 anni. La 'Quarta' è l'architrave della vicenda politica e musicale di Shostakovich che, per 'convivere con il regime di Stalin ' fu costretto a 'qualche abiura' nei confronti della quarta, che solo nel 1961 fu eseguita a Mosca con la direzione di Kondrashin. Grandi sono le differenze tra il direttore russo e Haitink, ma in entrambi i casi spicca la modernità di questa sinfonia composta negli anni trenta. La registrazione della DECCA si caratterizza per dettaglio, chiarezza e timbrica, tanto che questo disco ancora oggi, a distanza di trentacinque anni, è una registrazione di riferimento utilizzata in moltissime 'mostre per l'hi-fi'. Insomma una registrazione allo stato dell'arte, una delle grandi registrazioni DECCA effettuate alla Kingsway Hall. Gli archi della LPO sono una gioia da ascoltare per qualità, dettaglio e timbrica ed il suono dei legni non è altrettanto bello. La dinamica ed il dettaglio mostrano la bravura dei singoli orchestrali in una registrazione capace di restituire, in maniera veritiera, l'arte interpretativa ed esecutiva della LPO diretta da un Haitink in stato di grazia.L'OTELLO DELLA DECCANon sono un melomane, ma una amante della buona musica, ed oggi a Ferragosto, ascolto il doppio CD (40a/40b) della DECCA.Da ragazzo mio padre preferiva DEL MONACO agli altri, e per anni questo tenore ha accompagnato i miei ricordi.L'Otello della DECCA con Del Monaco, Tebaldi, Protti, Karajan ed la Filarmonica di Vienna, è secondo la Tebaldi - lo dichiarò in una intervista in TV - la più grande registrazione di sempre. Il merito di questa bellezza sonora è del produttore - John Culshaw - e degli ingegneri del suono Gordon Parry e James Brown e - credo - della Sofiensaal - dove nel 1961 fu registrato questo Otello, che ancora oggi è un riferimento. Il suono è ricco e profondo, pieno di atmosfera sebbene vi siano dei 'momenti meno equilibrati, dove magari le voci appaiono troppo lontane o troppo vicine e momenti in cui i pieni orchestrali sembrano "debordanti",ma in ogni caso è una gran bella registrazione in cui si affermano le ragioni della musica e non solo quelle dei cantanti e dei direttori.Grande l'interpretazione di Angelo Protti nel ruolo di Jago.Secondo 'Grammophone' questa è una magnifica performance, una registrazione di gran classe.BLOCH STARKER E METHAil CD 27 è stato per me una sorpresa , una straordinaria incisione del 1968 presso l'Accademia di santa Cecilia che mi ha mostrato tre 'cose grandi': Ernest Bloch (1880-1959), Janos Starker ( che conoscevo dalle incisioni della Mercury Living Presence) e Zubin Metha, grande direttore che ha saputo , in questa esecuzione, tirare fuori il meglio dall'Orchestra Israeliana. Janos Sarker (1924-2013), è stato un grande violoncellista ungherese , colui il quale, insieme alla Du Prè ,con le sue 'potenti arcate' ha dato nuovo spessore a questo straordinario strumento brillantemente registrato in questa incisione del 1968 . Infine, Ernest Bloch, il musicista-fotografo, noto per aver ripreso molti temi del folclore ebraico e che in 'Schelomo'- rapsodia ebraica per violoncello ed orchestra- ci dimostra che accanto a grandi opere ci sono opere meno grandi ma che meritano di essere conosciute ed ascoltate.GRIEG AL QUADRATOIl concerto in la minore op.16 di Edward Grieg è una delle partiture più belle e difficili del romanticismo ottocentesco dove si “risentono” le voci di Brahms, Tchaikovsky,Chopin. Ebbene, il concerto può ascoltarsi eseguito da Clifford Curzon (1907-1982) in una registrazione del 1959 (CD 48) e da Radu Lupu in una registrazione del 1973 (CD 17). Entrambe le registrazioni sono state effettuate presso la Kyngsway Hall di Londra con la LSO e sono un riferimento assoluto: per qualità della registrazione e per bellezza della interpretazione .Quella di Curzon - il quale aveva la strana abitudine di “pubblicare” solo esecuzioni di altissimo livello e che avevano il suo consenso dopo averli più volte ascoltati, si fa a tratti preferire a quella di Radu Lupu,sebbene quest'ultima oramai faccia parte della collana "Decca Legendes”. In somma, altri due grandissimi dischi dove il “suono Decca” fa la sua parte.IL CD 32 E' IL DISCO DI BRITTEN E ROSTROPOVICH (13 MAGGIO 2016)Se l'inglese Britten ( 1913 - 1976) ha inciso esclusivamente per la DECCA, il russo Rostropovich ha inciso con diverse etichette discografiche ( EMI, PHILIPS;,DECCA, DG, MELODIA ETC'.), ma nel CD della DECCA, la sensualità e la spiritualità della musica raggiungono vette raramente esplorate. E' un disco che si fa amare lentamente, non un amore folgorante. Il violoncello di Rostropovich e la English Chambers Orchestra diretta dallo stesso Britten , nella 'Sinfonia per violoncello ed orchestra op. 68 di B. Britten, sono capaci di riprodurre con precisione ritmica e gamma dinamica ogni dettaglio della difficile ma affascinante partitura. 'Amore a prima vista è invece l'ascolto del 'Concerto in C per Violoncello' di J. Haydn: qui il corpo sostanzioso del violoncello trova la sua anima English Chambers Orchestra. Inconfondibile la bellezza del suono del violoncello constate si tratti di una registrazione del 1964.IMPIANTO DI ASCOLTO DA PAVIMENTOAmplificatore ibrido e CD player della Unison Research, diffusori da pavimento Opera V, pre phono MM/MC Audio Analogue “Aria”, giradischi Clearaudio Emotion, Aurum Beta MM, Sumiko Blue Point, MC ad alta uscita, cavi di segnale Van den Hul MC D 300 MK III Hybrid , Supra EFF-I, cavi di potenza YBA, cavi di alimentazione di “Audiocostruzioni”, filtro/condizionatore di rete Belkin Pure AV PF 30………. e casa mia.GLI ANNI ANALOGICI DELLA DECCA:LA SCATOLA DELLE MERAVIGLIE(Compositori, interpreti, anni e luogo di registrazione) 1.Saint-Saëns: Tone Poems (1980); Piano Concerto No.1 (1979) - C.Dutoit - PO - Pascal Rogè (piano) 2.Bruckner: Symphony No.6 (1979) - G. Solti - CSO 3.Shostakovich: Symphony No.4 (1979 -Kingsway Hall) - B.Haitink -LPO 4.Debussy: Piano Works (1977 -Kingsway Hall) - P Rogè (piano) 5 .Sibelius: Pelléas et Mélisande; The Tempest (1971) - H.Stein 6.Prokofiev: Symphony No.2; The Love For Three Oranges; Scythian Suite - LPO - Walter Weller (Kingsway Hall - 1977) 7.Bartók: Suite No.1; Two Pictures; Enescu: Roumanian Rhapsody - DSO - A.Dorati - 1978 -Detroit 8.Prokofiev: Symphony No.5; Rimsky-Korsakov: Russian Easter Festival Overture; Capriccio Espagnol -Lorin Maazel - 1977 9.Debussy & Franck Violin Sonatas (1977) - Ravel :Introduction and Allegro - (1961) - K.W.Chung - R.Lupu -Melos Ensemble 10.Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony; Valse-Scherzo - Boris Belkin (violin) - PO - V.Ashkenazy -1977 11.Gershwin: An American In Paris; Copland: Appalachian Spring,Lincoln Portrait (1968); Bernstein:Candide-Overture (1976) - Kraft:Riots -Decade'60 - LSO - Z.Metha 12.Wolf-Ferrari: Il Segreto di Susanna (1976) - Verdi - Arias (1972) - Lamberto Gardelli e Nello Santi - ROH,Covent Garden 13.Surinach & Montsalvatge Piano Concertos (1972-1977) - Faurè (fantasie) - C.Franck (Variazioni sinfoniche) - Alicia de Larrocha (piano) - LPO - R.F.De Burgos 14.Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos.15, 8 & 9 - Fitzwilliam String Quartet - (1975 - 1979) 15.Schubert: Rosamunde -R.Yachmi (contralto) - Wiener Philharmoniker - K.Munchinger (Sofiensaal -1974) - C.M. Von Weber:Preciosa -Overture op.79 - R. Schumann : Genoveva -Overture op.81 16.Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (1974) - Ravel: Bolero (1976) - A.Schoenberg Variazioni op.31 (1975) - CSO G. Solti 17.Schumann & Grieg Piano Concertos - R.Lupu - LSO A.Previn (1973) 18 Haydn: Symphonies Nos.94, 100 & 104 - PH,A.Dorati - (1972) 19 Schumann: Szenen aus Goethes Faust (D.F.Dieskau, P.Pears, E.Harwood) -1° e 2° parte -ECH, B.Britten - 1972 Kyngsway Hall 20.Schumann: Szenen aus Goethes Faust - 3° parte - W.A.Mozart - Sinfonia 40, K550 - LSO, B.Britten - 1963 21.Walton & Stravinsky Violin Concertos -K.W.Chung - LSO A.Previn - 1972 22.Chopin: Etudes op.10 e op.25 - V.Ashkenazy (1971) 23.Offenbach: Le Papillon (1972); Massenet: Le Cid (1975) -LSO, R.Bonynge 24.Holst: The Planets (1971); Saint-Saëns: Symphony No.3 (1970) - LAP, Z.Metha 25.Scriabin: Piano Concerto; Prometheus; Le Poeme de L'Extase - V.Ashkenazy - I.Kertész - LPO (1971 - 1979) 26.Dvorak: Tone Poems & Overtures -LSO, I.Kertész (1965-1970) 27.Bloch: Schelomo (S.Cecilia, 1968); A Voice In the Wilderness; Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol (Tel Aviv, 1980) - J.Starker (cello) - IPO,Z.Metha28.Mendelssohn:Sextet op.110; Borodin: Piano Quintet in C minor - Berwald:Grand Septet in B flat major - Wiener Oktett - (Sofiensaal, 1968)29.Mendelssohn: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 - LSO, C.Abbado - Kingsway Hall,196830.Verdi: Requiem -Shutherland,Horne,Pavarotti,Talvela - WP, G.Solti - Sofiensaal, Vienna 196731.Mahler: Symphony No.2 - "Resurrection" - H.Harper, H.Watts - LSO, G.Solti - Kingsway Hall , 196632.Beethoven: Symphony No.9 - "Choral" -J.Shuterland, M.Horne, M.Talvela, J.King - WP, H.S.T-Isserstedt - Sofiensal, Vienna 196533.Britten: Cello Symphony op.68; Haydn: Cello Concerto - ECO, B.Britten - Kingsway Hall, 196434.Zoltan Kodaly(1882-1967): Hary Janos; Dances of Galanta; The Peacock Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song -LSO, Istvan Kertész - Kingsway Hall,196935.Sibelius: Symphonies Nos.1 & 4; Karelia Suite - WP, L.Maazel - Sofiensaal, Vienna 1963-196836.Mozart: Serenades K 361 'Gran partita'; Serenades K 388 'Nacht Musik' - London Wind Soloists, Jack Brymer - 196237.Bruch: Scottish Fantasia; Hindemith Violin Concerto - David Oistrakh (violino) - LSO, J.Horenstein - Paul Hindemith - 196238.Brahms: Piano Concerto No.1; Mozart: Piano Concerto No.27, K.595 - Clifford Curzon, LSO - WP, George Szell (1962)39.Hérold: La Fille mal Gardée; Gounod: Ballet Music From 'Faust'-J.Lanchbery - G.Solti - Kingsway Hall, 1960-196240.Martin: Etudes; Concerto for Timpani&Winds;Honegger:Symphony No 2 - OSR, E.Ansermet - Victoria Hall, Ginevra 196141 e 42.Verdi: Otello (verdi) - Del Monaco - Tebaldi - WP diretta da Karajan - Sofiensaal, Vienna, 196143. Josef e Johan Strauss: Thousand And One Nights - Voices of spring -Jokey Polka - Hilde Gueden (soprano - Wiener Phillharmoniker (WP) - W. Boskovsky - J- Krips - Sofiensaal, Vienna 1956, 1961-196244.Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake - Scenes -Amsterdam, 1961 - Lecocq: Mam'zelle Angot - Watford, 1957- Anatole Fistoulari45.Rossini: Overtures; Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto - Ruggiero Ricci ( Violino) - LSO diretta da Pierino Gamba - Kingsway Hall, 195746 e 47.Puccini: La Bohème - Tebaldi - Bergonzi - Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa cecilia diretta da Tullio Serafin - Agosto 195948.Sibelius: Symphony No.2; Dvorak: Symphony No.7 - London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) diretta da Pierre Monteux - Kingsway Hall, 195849.Schubert: Symphonies Nos.8 & 9 - LSO - J.Krips - Kingsway Hall, Londra 195850.Tchaikovsky: 1812; Capriccio Italien; Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.2 - J.Katchen (piano) - LSO diretta da G. Solti e da K.Alwyn - Kingsway Hall, Londra 195851.Grieg: Peer Gynt; Piano Concerto in A minor Op.16- Clifford Curzon (piano) - LSO - O.Fjeldstad - Kingsway Hall,Londra 1958/195952.Ravel: L'Enfant et les sortilèges - Ma Mère l'Oye (suite) -Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) diretta da E. Ansermet - Victoria Hall, Ginevra 1954 (Enfant)-1957 (Ma Mère l'Oye).53.Rimsky-Korsakov: Antar; Glazunov: Stenka Razin; Balakirev:Tamara; Lyadov:Kikimora op.63 - OSR, E.Ansermet - Victoria Hall, Ginevra - 1954 - Registrazione stereofonica :Roy Wallace.54.Rimsky-Korsakov: Antar; Glazunov: Stenka Razin; Balakirev:Tamara; Lyadov:Kikimora op.63 - OSR, E.Ansermet - Victoria Hall, Ginevra - 1954 - Registrazione monofonica :Gil Went.