New CD: Beethoven 9th

Our February release is now available: Beethoven's 9th Symphony in a recording of some historical interest

Congratulations, David, for a great issue. Pierre Paquin

Thank you so much. Ditto for your recent Munch/Tchaikovsky.

Seconded. This earlier Munch Romeo (he did two) is absolutely white-hot - you can get a clue regarding the 'conflict' episodes by the fact that the TT is 16:46 for this work! I like a direct, straightword Romeo with quick tempi (Toscanini-style), and interestingly the best fit versions I have heard are both SDA restorations - the Munch under discussion, and the early Mercury Dorati with (unusally) the Chicago SO.

(I do wish Pierre would post timings on the back papers, but I just determine what they are and print up my own.)

I have gained much enjoyment from both Pierre's and David's

Munch had Toscanini-like timings in his two recordings of Berlioz' 'Roméo et Juliette,' too:

Toscanini: 1:31:27 Munch '53: 1:31:05 Munch '61: 1:31:18

Then, of course, there's a certain conductor much despisèd in this group (though not by me):

Ozawa: 1:29:09

Yeah, but is the performance any good??

-david gable

He's not despised by me, although I'm not as big a fan as you are. He does seem to have a certain affinity for French repertory, and I rather like his Damnation de Faust. I can't remember if I ever heard his R & J. I think his second movememt of Ives 4th is better than any other recorded performance of the same movement.

-david gable

Did you try the snippets on the website? The first movement sounds promising (as far as one can tell from such a short segment).

No. My post was really in response to the conception of historical importance embodied in the other dg's post. Not that I disapprove of his enterprise.

-david gable

Actually, what I said was that, as the first stereo recording of the work, it was of 'some historical interest'. Historical importance I leave to the important historians.

Fair enough.

-david gable