Thread: MDG: Shostakovitch/Kofman Box Set?

Posts: 25
Page: prev 1 2 3 next

Post by Polly Nomial November 12, 2011 (11 of 25)
Got the set today - can confirm all discs are hybrid, stereo/MCH (2+2+2); the discs come in paper/film slips (sort commonly used with software) and the original booklets have been supplied - all fit snugly in well constructed box. Can't claim to have done more than dip my toe in here or there but initial impressions are positive and so it is the only complete cycle on SACD (both the ones from BIS & Pentatone are sadly not yet finished) from a company that still supports the format.

Post by pacwin November 12, 2011 (12 of 25)
Polly Nomial said:

Got the set today - can confirm all discs are hybrid, stereo/MCH (2+2+2); the discs come in paper/film slips (sort commonly used with software) and the original booklets have been supplied - all fit snugly in well constructed box. Can't claim to have done more than dip my toe in here or there but initial impressions are positive and so it is the only complete cycle on SACD (both the ones from BIS & Pentatone are sadly not yet finished) from a company that still supports the format.

Is it the only cycle? There seems to be one from Arts, DSD recordng H-McH although more expensive.
Shostakovich: The Complete Symphonies - Caetani

http://www.artsmusic.de/The_Complete_Symphonies_-_10_SACD_Box/topic/sacd/shop_art_id/345/tpl/artsmusic_article_detail

and one from Capriccio

Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 1-15 - Kitajenko

http://www.capriccio.at/the-symphonies

Although I know nothing about these but Arts is still in the SACD game I think.

Post by Kal Rubinson November 12, 2011 (13 of 25)
pacwin said:

Is it the only cycle?

The Capriccio set is excellent and there is, also, the developing Gergiev/Mariinsky series.

The Caetano/ARTS set is highly unlikely to be a DSD original since some of these were first released on DVD-A.

Post by Polly Nomial November 13, 2011 (14 of 25)
My bad on both Mariinsky & Arts front...

Post by Jonalogic November 14, 2011 (15 of 25)
Kal Rubinson said:

The Capriccio set is excellent and there is, also, the developing Gergiev/Mariinsky series.

The Caetano/ARTS set is highly unlikely to be a DSD original since some of these were first released on DVD-A.

My two-pennies worth:

I think we all agree the Capriccio is the gold standard set for Shostakovch symphonies at the moment, with fine performances and excellent sound quality. And it still exists in the here and now. But for how much longer?

The Caetano/ARTS sequence seems to me very mixed in both performance and (mostly 24/96) SQ; at its best (such as the 11th) it can be magnificent, at its worse just sloppy and underwhelming. Plus the playing can be a bit rough sometimes.

Frankly, the Gergiev recordings have fallen off a cliff sonically since Classic Sound took over. But, going from previous Gergiev/Shostakovich recordings, the results will likely turn out to be a mixed bag, anyway.

Wigglesworth has achived some mighty recordings on BIS, but regretfully many of the earlier recordings are 16-bit RBCD only.

The emerging Polyhymnia series is a very mixed bag, with a range of conductors. Performances are mostly good to very good, but the overall SQ is IMO inferior to that achieved by Capriccio, BIS and Arts. But I just don't like the Pentatone 'sound' anyway, to be honest.

Post by SteelyTom November 14, 2011 (16 of 25)
I see that the latest version of the venerable Gramophone guide, which appears now to focus on annointing a single recording of major repertory pieces, chose Kofman's Seventh as their disc of choice... Yet the inimitable Hurwitz gave it a rather sharply negative review. Any thoughts on this performance?

And isn't there anyone out there who thinks the Prokofiev symphonies are worthy of their share of SACD recordings?

Post by Jonalogic November 14, 2011 (17 of 25)
SteelyTom said:

And isn't there anyone out there who thinks the Prokofiev symphonies are worthy of their share of SACD recordings?

Yep, lots - myself included. There are many posts on this, and I have brought it up several times now.

Prokofiev symphonies (2,3,4,6 and 7)came top of the poll earlier this year of orchestral works missing from SACD, whilst other orchestral works such as the Scythian Suite and Love of three Oranges were also highly placed.

But I don't think anyone is listening...

Post by Polly Nomial November 14, 2011 (18 of 25)
SteelyTom said:

Yet the inimitable Hurwitz gave it a rather sharply negative review. Any thoughts on this performance?

If Hurwitz doesn't like it, there's a very high chance it is good!

Post by Claude November 15, 2011 (19 of 25)
Now listed in this site

Shostakovich: Complete Symphonies - Kofman

24 Euro on amazon.fr

Post by bwcgrx1 November 16, 2011 (20 of 25)
Polly Nomial said:

Got the set today - can confirm all discs are hybrid, stereo/MCH (2+2+2); the discs come in paper/film slips (sort commonly used with software) and the original booklets have been supplied - all fit snugly in well constructed box. Can't claim to have done more than dip my toe in here or there but initial impressions are positive and so it is the only complete cycle on SACD (both the ones from BIS & Pentatone are sadly not yet finished) from a company that still supports the format.

I noticed that Volume 1: 10th symphony and Volume 2: Symphonies 5 & 9 of this cycle were never available as SACDs in their original releases. Those 2 volumes were available as DVD-Audio or Redbook CD. Are both these now included as SACDs in the box or are they, as one might suspect, the redbook versions smuggled into an otherwise complete SACD set?

Brian C.

Page: prev 1 2 3 next

Closed