SPOTLIGHT The classical music general discussion thread

[humprof]

In addition to catalogue titles from Warner Classics and DG & Decca, some Naxos Classics are beginning to show up on Apple Music (in Atmos):
https://music.apple.com/us/album/price-symphonies-nos-1-4/1446757322https://music.apple.com/us/album/john-adams-my-father-knew-charles-ives-harmonielehre/1543765428

 

[ubertrout]

Ended up listening to the (only?!?) versions of Schumann's 'cello concerto in modern surround SACD - on Dutton and Naive.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was getting from Dutton, with the talk of this being a "premiere." I kind of assumed it was some weird rough draft edition. But it's not that, instead it's a new critical edition based on the autograph score. It's not a big difference from the well-known version of the piece, just little changes in accents and a few other small changes. The overall effect is a bit more lithe and less polished, but it's not a dramatic change.

The version with Anne Gastinel playing for Naive is very much a "typical" version of the concerto. It's lovely but not a standout performance IMO. Sound on both is fairly typical (but good) concert hall surround.

 

[mkt]

There's an interview etc with Josephine Knight at
https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/articles/3284--interview-josephine-knight-on-schumannI had noticed that my Dutton Epoch SACDs seem to have no center channel, and google tells me that was a a choice. I find Toole's section 15.7 "How many loudspeakers and where?" compelling, obviously not universal.
https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/the-rebirth-of-quad

 

[Soundfield]

https://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/the-rebirth-of-quad

The author says

“In 1972, I purchased a state-of-the-art Sylvania CR2743W stereo amp with built-in Phase Q4 Matrix four-channel circuitry. In stereo quadraphonic systems (SQ), four sound channels were converted down to two channels and then back to four through an SQ decoder. To experience the immersive effects, I placed the quartet of three-way AS105W speakers around the living room of my WWII-era four-plex”

State of the art? I’d never heard of that thing and looked it up. It was just a basic 2 Ch. stereo receiver. Their “Phase Q4” was just a Hafler speaker connection. It had no SQ decoder, so I don’t know what he thought he was listening to!

 

[humprof]

RIP American composer George Crumb.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/06/obituaries/george-crumb-dead.htmlAlso a very nice remembrance on NPR:
https://www.npr.org/sections/decept...d-deeply-american-composer-has-died-at-age-92The first volume of his Makrokosmos had a quad release on Nonesuch:
https://www.discogs.com/master/405821-George-Crumb-Makrokosmos-Volume-IThere's also Night of the Four Moons / Voice of the Whale on Columbia (quad). And Black Angels on the DVD Kronos on Stage (5.1). (As the NPR piece notes: it was Black Angels that inspired the Kronos Quartet's founding. Crumb also mentored Jennifer Higdon and Osvaldo Golijov.)

 

[humprof]

In addition to catalogue titles from Warner Classics and DG & Decca, some Naxos Classics are beginning to show up on Apple Music (in Atmos):
https://music.apple.com/us/album/price-symphonies-nos-1-4/1446757322https://music.apple.com/us/album/john-adams-my-father-knew-charles-ives-harmonielehre/1543765428

These are both very immersive mixes, by the way, with full use of overheads. Listened to them both this morning.

 

[ubertrout]

Ended up listening to the (only?!?) versions of Schumann's 'cello concerto in modern surround SACD - on Dutton and Naive.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what I was getting from Dutton, with the talk of this being a "premiere." I kind of assumed it was some weird rough draft edition. But it's not that, instead it's a new critical edition based on the autograph score. It's not a big difference from the well-known version of the piece, just little changes in accents and a few other small changes. The overall effect is a bit more lithe and less polished, but it's not a dramatic change.

The version with Anne Gastinel playing for Naive is very much a "typical" version of the concerto. It's lovely but not a standout performance IMO. Sound on both is fairly typical (but good) concert hall surround.

Continued tonight by listening to the two concerti by Piatti on the Dutton disc, someone who I was completely unaware of previously. They're really good! There's bits, especially in the third movements of each piece, where the cellist is showing off a bit, but they're not excessive. Highly recommended.

 

[davidjpoole]

That is one of a handful of 5.1 releases streaming on Qobuz.
https://play.qobuz.com/album/0000020121024

How do you search Qobuz for 5.1 material. Using the search field '5.1' turns up some material, but is there a more thorough approach?

Also, I see Deutsche Grammaphone has Atmos material on Blu-Ray Audio (and Apple Music). I'll check it out on Apple, but in meantime curious how the Blu-Rays are sounding to folks. Is this mainly ambient? Use of height channels?

 

[davidjpoole]

How are folks hearing Qobuz 5.1?
I have BluOS via NAD T777 amp but that is only providing stereo for the recordings labelled 5.1
Is Roon the only compatible way to hear this?

 

[humprof]

How do you search Qobuz for 5.1 material. Using the search field '5.1' turns up some material, but is there a more thorough approach?

Also, I see Deutsche Grammaphone has Atmos material on Blu-Ray Audio (and Apple Music). I'll check it out on Apple, but in meantime curious how the Blu-Rays are sounding to folks. Is this mainly ambient? Use of height channels?

I didn't realize Qobuz was streaming in 5.1; I only knew that they had a handful of 5.1 titles available for purchase as downloads.

As for the DG Atmos material: it varies. My experience with the earlier titles is that they were largely ambient rears & overheads. Much of the more recent stuff I've been hearing on Apple Music is making fuller use of all channels. Nothing especially discrete, but definitely more immersive.

 

[mkt]

How do you search Qobuz for 5.1 material. Using the search field '5.1' turns up some material, but is there a more thorough approach?

There are only a handful. (I learned from a Kal post somewhere). 5.1 Edition gets some of them.

How are folks hearing Qobuz 5.1?
I have BluOS via NAD T777 amp but that is only providing stereo for the recordings labelled 5.1
Is Roon the only compatible way to hear this?

I cannot remember trying this with Roon. Seems likely though. It works with Audirvana (above). The streaming is at the native resolution. This one Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (Édition 5.1) is 24-192.

Qobuz has some features/bugs that make it worth it for me but the amount of 5.1 material is super limited.

 

[davidjpoole]

I didn't realize Qobuz was streaming in 5.1; I only knew that they had a handful of 5.1 titles available for purchase as downloads.

As for the DG Atmos material: it varies. My experience with the earlier titles is that they were largely ambient rears & overheads. Much of the more recent stuff I've been hearing on Apple Music is making fuller use of all channels. Nothing especially discrete, but definitely more immersive.

I'm listening to Apple Music classical Atmos material (Warner, Naxos, DG), per suggestions here. Thanks folks!!
Agreed, it is a mixed bag from ambience to more discrete.

Enjoying Beatrice Rana's Chopin currently.

Yes, Qobuz appears to stream in 5.1 for some players (if I've understood this correctly). On the streaming app they list "5.1 edition" for the relevant titles available in surround (as @mkt notes above). I may need a different way to access. The prospect of hi-res surround streaming, even if just a few classical titles, is appealing.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Yes, Qobuz appears to stream in 5.1 for some players (if I've understood this correctly).

I do not purport to know much about this in general. What I have found to work for me is this:
1. Using the Quboz app, search for and find 5.1, surround and/or multichannel albums. In my experience, the app will not play them except in stereo.
2. Mark them as "Favorites" and/or a playlist.
3. Open Roon, access Quboz and find your "Favorites" or MCH playlist. Play it!

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Has anyone ripped this BD? Mine must be defective as it will not play or rip on any hardware that I have.

 

[davidjpoole]

I do not purport to know much about this in general. What I have found to work for me is this:
1. Using the Quboz app, search for and find 5.1, surround and/or multichannel albums. In my experience, the app will not play them except in stereo.
2. Mark them as "Favorites" and/or a playlist.
3. Open Roon, access Quboz and find your "Favorites" or MCH playlist. Play it!

thanks for the instructions.
I don’t have Roon.
I’m playing Qobuz via BluOS which doesn’t appear to support multichannel.

 

[ubertrout]

FYI, BIS is selling their Brahms cycle with chamber orchestra for $21.75, including both stereo and multichannel high-res versions: eClassical.com High Resolution FLAC & MP3 Classical Music Download Store

Also selling the excellent recording of Schubert's 9th and 14th quartets for $7.50 - same deal: eClassical - Schubert - Death and the Maiden

 

[ubertrout]

David Hurwitz reviewing the Praga 30th Anniversary Box - lots of discussion of the questionable provenance of their historical issues, and raves for some of their own recordings, many on SACD.

 

[mkt]

David Hurwitz reviewing the Praga 30th Anniversary Box - lots of discussion of the questionable provenance of their historical issues, and raves for some of their own recordings, many on SACD.

Is the boxset all RBCD?

 

[Kal Rubinson]

FYI, BIS is selling their Brahms cycle with chamber orchestra for $21.75, including both stereo and multichannel high-res versions: eClassical.com High Resolution FLAC & MP3 Classical Music Download Store

Good deal but, please, sample it first.

 

[ubertrout]

Is the boxset all RBCD?

Yep. I imagine not per se of interest to the board, but the exchange about the providence of their "historical" recordings is. Many of their chamber recordings are on SACD too, though: HRAudio.net - Music.