[Lee Scoggins]

Here is an updated announcement from Universal.

http://www.highfidelityreview.com/ne...umber=10934318

I'm also looking forward to the Allman Brothers a week from Tuesday.

By the way, The Absolute Sound is working on a story on how these discs are being mastered. The will have all three channels (L-C-R) as originally recorded by Wilma Cozart Fine. Her technqiue has been used by many (including a variation by Chesky's recording team) to capture orchestral and acoustic works in a very natural fashion. I would expect the rear channels to include room tone or something mild based on what I am hearing.

If you have any interest in classical music, I would highly recommend these for both sonics and performance.

[Dennis Nicholls]

Quote:

Text written 01/07/04

Lee, this story has been posted several times. I'll believe the MLP Sack-Dees when I see them. They have been put off for about a year thus far.

[Phil A]

I believe the text date is wrong and should be July 1 (07/01 vs. 01/07) as Brian Moura posted this on Audio Asylum on July 1: http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/hi...es/182861.html

Yes there have been numerous delays for both hi-rez formats so we'll see if that date really holds.

[Doug Otte]

Right, Phil. HFR uses the European date shorthand = DD/MM/YY. So, the item was posted on July 1.

Anybody familiar w/ the Prokofiev/Rachmaninov Piano Concerti recording? I've become a big fan of Russian composers, but I haven't heard this one.

I'm also leaning toward the Schubert Lieders disc. I remember singing (and I'm using that term lightly) some Schubert songs in voice class in college and thought they were quite lovely.

Regards,
Doug

[Lee Scoggins]

Quote:

Anybody familiar w/ the Prokofiev/Rachmaninov Piano Concerti recording?

I've heard it and it is pretty good.

I would not worry about the release coming out. I have a friend who is a very famous audio writer and he is actually been following the MLP story very close (in fact knows Wilma Cozart Fine very well) and they are definitely going to be out in the fall.

[Seth--L]

Anybody familiar w/ the Prokofiev/Rachmaninov Piano Concerti recording?

Janis's Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3 is among the very best recordings of the concerto. The trick to playing such hard keyboard music successfully is to make it sound easy to play -- Janis's hands effortlessly glide across the keys.

Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.3 is another one of the very best works of the keyboard concerto genre. Pletnev's recording is quite good, but you can do better. I think that only Gary Graffman's recording with Szell/Cleveland best captures Prokofiev's (and Stravinsky's) concept of neo-classicism.

As I've said in other threads, October looks to be the German/Europe release date for the MLP discs, so if you're waiting for them to be released in the US, you might be waiting until the winter.

[Lee Scoggins]

Quote:

Janis's Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No.3 is among the very best recordings of the concerto.

Yes and you can still find inexpensive copies of the Red Book CD with very good sonics.

[Doug Otte]

Thanks for the recommendations, Lee and Seth. I'll look forward to that disk. And:

Quote:

Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.3 is another one of the very best works of the keyboard concerto genre. Pletnev's recording is quite good, but you can do better.

Although I played a Prokofiev sonata in college, I doubt if I can do better!

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I know you meant: I can do better w/ the Graffman disk.

Cheers,
Doug

[Seth--L]

Yes and you can still find inexpensive copies of the Red Book CD with very good sonics.

My one contention with the redbook, which may have to do with how it was downmixed from 3-channel, is that the piano is too forward (though superbly recorded) and dwarfs the orchestra. The piano sounds wonderfully vivid, but the orchestra sound is somewhat muted and flat. I'm hoping that being able to playback the recording as it was meant to be heard in 3-channel sound will correct this. Janis is so much the star of the recording that this problem really doesn't detract.

[Seth--L]

Sorry, I couldn't resist. I know you meant: I can do better w/ the Graffman disk.

I thought that was pretty clear.

[Lee Scoggins]

Quote:

My one contention with the redbook, which may have to do with how it was downmixed from 3-channel, is that the piano is too forward (though superbly recorded) and dwarfs the orchestra.

I have to agree. The orchestra levels should come up. We should hear an improvement with the newer releases.