Von Matacic's Russian album revisited
Ten years ago, I wrote a post sharing my thoughts on Lovro von Matacic's excellent album of Russian orchestral music (Columbia SAX 2327). To this day, this continues to be one of my all-time favorite records of this repertoire. A blue/silver pressing in very good or better condition will still cost you somewhere between $90 and $150 plus shipping. A few readers (AndyW, Meles, and Kostaszags) had positive things to say about the UK HMV Concert Classics reissue (SXLP 30070). One reader, jolly oink, mentioned a budget reissue from the US label Quintessence.
Quintessence Records? I'll have to admit - I was pretty ignorant about this record label. According to Wikipedia -- yes, Wikipedia has an entry for this record label -- Quintessence was formed by Pickwick International in 1976 as a budget label devoted to licensed reissues of historical classical recordings. Several of their records were originally content from Reader's Digest boxed sets (produced by Decca Records for RCA), such as the Earl Wild/Jascha Horenstein recordings of the four Rachmaninov piano concertos. In addition, Quintessence licensed and reissued recordings from CBS, EMI, Harmonia Mundi, Melodiya, Deutsche Grammophon, RCA, and Supraphon.
Intriguing. How good could these reissues be? When I recently came across a cheap copy of the Quintessence reissue of SAX 2327 for $3, I decided to find out.
I must admit, I had low expectations for this. Could a 1970s US budget label reissue possibly do justice to this EMI recording? Then I looked at some of the details on the back cover.
It would appear that this reissue was one of several "Stereo Sound Spectaculars" that Quintessence released in 1978. If one believes the writing on the back cover, Quintessence obtained the original EMI master tapes and remastered the recording.
Jolly oink was right. This is a really good sounding reissue. I was pleasantly surprised. Don't let the kitschy cover fool you. The surfaces are very quiet, certainly quieter than the original SAX, and the dynamics are impressive. Clarity is excellent. There's a part during the last segment of the Polovtsian Dances during which the cellos play a repeating sequence of descending pizzicato quarter notes, and I was struck by how clean and resonant these sounded. To my ears, while the original SAX was certainly an enjoyable listen, I found the overall sound of this Quintessence reissue to be more open and modern, and the music had greater visceral impact for me. Kudos to Jack Adelman, who is credited as the remastering engineer.
I have never heard the SXLP for comparison, but I do have the US Angel release of this recording (Angel S 35768). It comes with a nicer cover (though, in my opinion, not as cool as the SAX cover), but in terms of sound, it just really doesn't come close to matching the power of the Quintessence. The Angel lacks the openness, clarity, and dynamics.
I used to have one or two of them, some Horenstein recordings of Dvorak and Johann Strauss. I put them out for sale on discogs when I acquired the original Readers Digest boxes-but unless I am very mistaken I never sold them. Perhaps I will have to compare them to the originals once more...
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kostaszag! If you do a comparison, please let us know your thoughts!
DeleteHello aqlam, well, it seems I don't have the Dvorak 9th, I have the Tchaikovsky 5th by Horenstein and a disc with waltzes by the Strauss family. Unfortunately I don't have any of these recordings in a different version so I can't testify to the quality of the mastering.I can only say that the records sound pretty good as they are. However you yourself can do a comparison far more easily and quite cheap, since you live in the US. This record with works by Respighi and Richard Strauss can be bought for peanuts in the US https://www.discogs.com/sell/list?master_id=1828103&ev=mb.
ReplyDeleteThe original is in this box from Readers Digest https://www.discogs.com/release/15218069-Various-Treasury-Of-Great-Music. The readers Digest version was sold by Tom Port as a "Hot Stamper" not that long ago, (just the Kempe disc for something like 300 dollars) so it must be good. I also remember an article in a German publication back in the 90s, where the Quintessence edition was warmly recommended.
Let me see if I can get a hold of that Kempe Quintessence record you suggested above. There's also a Silvestri I'd like to check out that is a reissue of half of two separate, more collectible, Silvestri ASDs. Not sure I'll be able to get the original ASDs for comparison, though.
DeleteThis is the one: https://www.discogs.com/master/1141469-Silvestri-Vienna-Philharmonic-Orchestra-Roumanian-Rhapsody
DeleteI just found another Pickwick reissue that could be interesting: https://www.discogs.com/release/9478471-René-Leibowitz-Orchestre-De-La-Societe-Des-Concerts-Symphoniques-De-Paris-Pictures-at-an-Exhibition?ev=item-vc
DeleteThe original is very expensive and sought after, it had numerous reissues on audiophile labels (chesky, AP, in 45RPM, you name it). I have placed an order with a dutch seller on discogs and am trying to convince them to add this record to my order. If I succeed I will compare it to my original VICS-Shaded Dog and post my findings here.
Ah, yes. The Power of the Orchestra (RCA VCS-2659). I remember finding the shaded dog of that at a thrift store many years ago for $1. Really dynamic record, and it would be great to know if the Pickwick reissue does it justice.
DeleteYou showoff! LOL! Found Power of the Orchestra for 1$! I guess I had it coming :-) The dutch seller will not add this record to the shipment, so I guess I will have to buy it somewhere else, some other time (or not, there are so many other interesting records to hunt).
DeleteHaha, my apologies! I really didn't intend to brag. It was total serendipity that I came across that record that day. I'm sure we all have stories like that. :-) How about you, Kostaszag? You must've found some good bargains in the past?
DeleteOn another note, I saw that you are selling a two-LP French EMI set of Cluytens conducting Ravel on Discogs. I have the Angel box set of Cluytens' Ravel recordings but have a sneaky suspicion that these do not sound as good as the European EMI pressings. What are your thoughts on the French EMI reissue, since you it listed for sale?
DeleteTo answer your first question: I live in Germany near the French border and that is where I collect. For better or worse the most desired records come from the Anglo-Saxon world, US and UK, so they are hard to come by in my backwater. The best bargains I can think of is the occasional German DECCA with British stampers, or the Beethoven Archduke Trio with Gilels/Kogan/Rostropovich as a Telefunken reissue, bought for 1-2 Euros at a flea-market. Once in a while I find a DG-Big Tulips, but not as often as you might expect-and it is mostly a Karajan recording.
DeleteNow, to the Cluytens. I don't have the French Columbia editions, but one German SAXW I have -apparently made with British stampers-is superior to the EMI reissue. I had the CFP reissues, but sold them way back, so I can't account for their sound. A few weeks back I bought the Japanese Angel Box, hoping the records would be made with British stampers, but this was not the case, it is Japanese-mastered. It does sound very good though, slightly better than the reissue or close enough. The RI is overall a bit on the drier, more transistor-y side. I have stopped looking for the French Cluytens-Ravel for now, but in the future I intend to replace my Japanese box with the French Columbias -nothing beats the original imho.
Thanks so much for your reply, Kostaszag. I once owned the Testament reissue of the Cluytens Ravel as well as some of the CFPs but did not end up keeping them. Somehow, the magic was missing from those records, in my opinion, or my expectations of them were too high. If I find the CFPs again for cheap, I'll probably pick them up again. I am curious about the French Columbias as you suggested. I wonder how those compare with the UK SAX. They are not inexpensive, but they are still a fraction of the cost of the SAX. I have a few French HMV and Columbia purchases on the way from France for experimentation, mostly affordable ASDFs and SAXFs that I could batch from the same seller to save on shipping costs. It can be discouraging when the shipping cost tops the price of the albums you intend to order!
DeleteThis is a fantastic site. Thanks. I and likely numerous other penitent lurkers greatly appreciate all the work you've done over time and that you kept it alive ... and now glad to see it back in action. A substantive creation and beautifully laid out as well. From Canada.
DeleteThank you very much for your kind words! It's because of readers like you that we've been inspired to keep writing. We sincerely appreciate your comments and feedback!
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