Horenstein's VOX Brandenburg Concertos ...

[Lance]

In preparing my second installment of my Jascha Horenstein radio broadcast, I am using one of the Brandenburg Concertos, the original 1954 Vox recordings on Archipel [0269]. This was the first-ever complete recording of the Brandenburgs wherein Horenstein mixed historical- with modern instruments. Recorded in mono, the Archipel transfers are not all that bad especially given the quality of some of the earliest Vox LP pressings. I assume Archipel made their transfers from the LPs.I have not heard the Vox Legends transfers, which probably came from the original tapes. Normally I would prefer to go the original tape route.

Has anyone been able to make A/B comparisons in sound quality? These are not the best performances of the Brandenburgs I've heard, but they are conducted by Horenstein, my reason for acquiring them initially. In 1954, he had as his violist, Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Paul Angerer performed on the harpsichord and acted as piccolo and recorder player. Both of these gentlemen went on to have glorious careers of their own as conductors.

Any thoughts on these performances OR the comparison between the two CD recordings?

[premont]

In preparing my second installment of my Jascha Horenstein radio broadcast, I am using one of the Brandenburg Concertos, the original 1954 Vox recordings on Archipel [0269]. This was the first-ever complete recording of the Brandenburgs wherein Horenstein mixed historical- with modern instruments. Recorded in mono, the Archipel transfers are not all that bad especially given the quality of some of the earliest Vox LP pressings. I assume Archipel made their transfers from the LPs.I have not heard the Vox Legends transfers, which probably came from the original tapes. Normally I would prefer to go the original tape route.

Has anyone been able to make A/B comparisons in sound quality? These are not the best performances of the Brandenburgs I've heard, but they are conducted by Horenstein, my reason for acquiring them initially. In 1954, he had as his violist, Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Paul Angerer performed on the harpsichord and acted as piccolo and recorder player. Both of these gentlemen went on to have glorious careers of their own as conductors.

Any thoughts on these performances OR the comparison between the two CD recordings?

Yes, I own the Arcipel CD release as well as the recent Vox CD release.
I have not yet listened to the Vox release. Compared to my old LPs which I transferred to CD myself 5 years ago, the Archipel is of course more clean, but all in all the sound is rather dated but not badly distorted. I shall make the A/B test with the two CD releases, as soon as I get the time (next week). The star of the recording is certainly Paul Angerer in his quadruple role. The playing from all involved is full of energy, and tempi are rather fast as compared to what was custom at the time. Of course this is not HIP, but still I think the interpretation from a stylistical point of view was some years ahead of its time, with some compromises though, the most notable being the execution of the trumpet part in nr. 2, with Adolf Holler playing a modern trumpet an octave too low, doubled in the octave above by Josef Ortner on clarinet. Three later Concentus Musicus members participated, Nicolaus Harnoncourt, Josef de Sordi and Herman Höbarth. But it is not true, that this was the first complete recording with a mixture of period and modern instruments. That honour is reserved for the recording by the Scola Cantorum Basiliensis led by August Wenzinger. This recording was made from 1950 to 1953 and was released by Archiv. It has never been released on CD, and is one of the important recordings we still are waiting for in the series The Originals.

[hautbois]

Sort of out of topic, but i would like to ask if anyone knew of the existence of such a recording of the Brandenburg 2nd with Heinz Holliger on oboe and Maurice Andre on trumpet?

[Lance]

Sort of out of topic, but i would like to ask if anyone knew of the existence of such a recording of the Brandenburg 2nd with Heinz Holliger on oboe and Maurice Andre on trumpet?

I think you are in luck. On the budget-priced Philips "Eloquence" label, CD No. 468109, you will find Brandenburg Concertos 1-3 (plus one of the Bach Suites) with BOTH, Holliger and André, who made the recording with I Musici. The disc generally sells for under $7. I'm sure there is a companion disc with the same forces for the rest of the Brandenburgs with I Musici. The set is also available as a Philips "Duo" (twofer) [438317] for around $15 to $17. The Eloquence represents a better value. I believe these are the very same performances, all with I Musici.


There's also an EMI 2-CD (budget-priced) set [69152] with Maurice André again as trumpter in the Brandenburg No. 2 with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra under Janos Rolla, conductor.

Hope this helps.

[hautbois]

That helped A LOT! Thankyou once again to Lance for his utmost superiority in classical recordings.

Howard

[Lance]

That helped A LOT! Thankyou once again to Lance for his utmost superiority in classical recordings.

Howard

Thank you, Howard, for the nice compliment. I would do anything I could to help spread the greatness of classical music.

[premont]

Sort of out of topic, but i would like to ask if anyone knew of the existence of such a recording of the Brandenburg 2nd with Heinz Holliger on oboe and Maurice Andre on trumpet?

Even the Carl Schuricht recording from 1965 favours both André and Holliger, but is only available in a box with all Schurichts Concert Hall recordings.

[premont]

There's also an EMI 2-CD (budget-priced) set [69152] with Maurice André again as trumpter in the Brandenburg No. 2 with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra under Janos Rolla, conductor.

I would like some more information about this, eventually a link. The official Brandenburg Concertos recording with F Liszt Chamber Orchestra and Janos Rolla (originally released by Qualiton), - and I know of no others, favours Edward Tarr on trumpet, not André.

[premont]

There's also an EMI 2-CD (budget-priced) set [69152] with Maurice André again as trumpter in the Brandenburg No. 2 with the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra under Janos Rolla, conductor.

Maybe this?
http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B ... 36-6285016

This is Andre´s only recording of the Second Brandenburg for EMI, and concertos 1,3-6 were not recorded. The Philharmonia Orchestra of London is conducted by Richardo Muti. The oboist is not Holliger.

[premont]

Now I have compared the VoxCD release with the ArchipelCD release.

The sound of the Vox is bright, probably not filtered at all, but still wihout hiss, and the sound is much like the original LP release, but clearer and more present.

The Archipel is probably filtered, the sound is veiled in comparation, and there is a slight lack of high frequencies. There is a loss of instrumental timbre and individuality. Some of the "buoyancy" of the interpretation has gone lost. The Vox is far superior.

BTW I honestly think, that the interpretation hasn´t got much more to offer than its historical importance. The intentions were certainly fine, but the realization less good, and there is much disturbing insecure intonation and bad ensemble. Most memorable is the contribution of Paul Angerer (harpsichord in no. five and viola in nr. six). Of course we have to remember, that this recording was made in 1954, the HIP movement only just conceived, and doomed to drag on an embryonic stage for the following about fifteen years.