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Jerry Goldsmith's CABO BLANCO (1980) - New 2021 La-La Land Records edition coming June 8th


Jay

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Neil says

 

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Do we know if the previous edition of Caboblanco was complete?

The previous album was close enough to complete. It moved some things around and did some combos so it was more of an album presentation, which we have not duplicated for this release. What this release will offer is the score in film order as well as the previously unreleased source music that was newly recorded for the film, including one by Goldsmith.

 

https://filmscoremonthly.com/board/posts.cfm?threadID=144146&forumID=1&archive=0

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Neil makes it sound like it's kind of a First Blood situation -- the original album contained most of that score, but certain beginnings and endings of cues were restored when Intrada did a re-arranged complete & chronological revisit this past decade.

 

Jeff Bond said the following on Facebook:

 

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Cabo Blanco! Or is it Caboblanco? CaboBlanco? However you spell it, this is one of Jerry Goldsmith's most underrated scores with one of his greatest main titles IMO. This release adds a bit more of Goldsmith's spiccato music for Jason Robards' villain. I'm pretty sure I worked on three out of four of these releases assuming Dragonslayer is repurposing my notes...

 

I wonder if LLL might be pursuing similar revisits to the other two scores in this unofficial trilogy, all put out by Prometheus in the 90s: High Velocity and Breakout. I *think* Breakout might have been complete & chronological (though I'm not positive), but High Velocity on the other hand was rearranged and edited into an album presentation, combining cues from different parts of the film into tracks sometimes. When my friend Jens recut the album into chronological order a couple years ago, it played a LOT better IMO (though some of the cue joins weren't possible to undo entirely, so it's still quite imperfect). The Prometheus album gives the impression that chunks of score are missing, but it turns out that less than two minutes of score are unreleased (judging by what's in the film, anyway), and it's all low key suspense music. The impression of missing music is greatly lessened when the score is rearranged into chronological order, so I would greatly welcome a revisit to High Velocity in particular (it has never gotten a revisit since its premiere release on Prometheus in 1994), and maybe those couple missing minutes of suspense music could even be restored...

 

Yavar

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CABO BLANCO: LIMITED EDITION LLLCD 1552
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Limited Edition of 2000 Units
RETAIL PRICE: $21.98

STARTS SHIPPING JUNE 8

Order yours starting June 8 at 12 noon (pst) at www.lalalandrecords.com

 

CaboBlanco_Web.jpg

 

La-La Land Records and Silver Lion Films proudly present legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith’s (THE BLUE MAX, THE SWARM, ALIEN, BASIC INSTINCT) original motion picture score to the 1980 big-screen treasure-hunting period drama CABO BLANCO, starring Charles Bronson, Jason Robards and Dominique Sanda, and directed by J. Lee Thompson. Having provided music for Bronson-starrers BREAKOUT and BREAKHEART PASS, Maestro Goldsmith again expertly supports the actor with his superb work for CABO BLANCO and unleashes a rousing, Latin-flavored score that teams with adventure, action and intrigue. Previously out of print, this wonderful Goldsmith score returns on CD, remastered in hi-resolution and expanded with additional Goldsmith-recorded period music and classical standards. Produced by Neil S. Bulk, mixed by Chris Malone and mastered by Doug Schwartz, this limited edition release of 2000 units also features exclusive, in-depth liner notes by writer Jeff Bond and classic art design by Scott Saslow.

 

TRACK LISTING:

1. Prelude (The Very Thought Of You) 1:54 (Ray Noble)
2. Main Title 2:38
3. Bathysphere Attacked 2:46
4. To Beckdorff’s 1:53
5. Heaven Knows 3:32 (Performed by Carol Goldsmith)
6. The Second Attack 2:01
7. Love Scene (The Very Thought Of You) 1:14 (Ray Noble)
8. Boat Attack 1:28
9. Jungle Pursuit 4:57
10. I Have A Job For You / Horst’s Orders 1:12
11. Horst Arrives / Room Search 2:17
12. To The Hospital 1:48
13. The Police 1:59
14. To Giff’s 1:56
15. The Silhouette :38
16. Beckdorff’s Suicide 1:19
17. End Titles (The Very Thought Of You) 2:52 (Ray Noble)
Total Score Time: 36:48

Additional Music
18. Rhumba 3:41
19. Heaven Knows (Instrumental) 3:27
20. I’m Getting Sentimental Over You 3:52 (George Bassman & Ned Washington)
21. Tangerine 4:05 (Victor Schertzinger & Johnny Mercer)
22. Moonlight Serenade 2:05 (Glenn Miller & Mitchell Parish)
23. I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm 2:57 (Irving Berlin)
24. The Very Thought Of You 3:55 (Ray Noble)
25. Symphony No. 4 (Fourth Movement, Excerpt) 2:15 (Johannes Brahms)
26. Symphony No. 7 (First Movement) 12:50 (Ludwig van Beethoven)
Total Additional Music Time: 39:27
Total Album Time: 76:15

 

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7 minutes ago, Yavar Moradi said:

I'm not sure, but it's the only example I'm aware of where he conducted and recorded a complete movement of a classical work.

 

Yavar

 

This is my favorite Beethoven symphony too. What a way to end an album.

 

This suddenly became a very important release for me. I haven't even heard the score. I hope I have the money to spare before it goes out of print.

 

Goldsmith-conducted Beethoven! And it's no. 7! Guys, this is huge.

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19 minutes ago, Jay said:

Yavar how will you and your podcast peeps keep up with all these releases?

 

Well...serious question: how sad would people be if we stopped doing Soundtrack Spotlights? They've kinda taken over the entire podcast in a way I never intended/expected... I miss doing regular episodes as well as regular Interview episodes (and had a half dozen lined up to do about half a year ago, with no idea when I'll finally be able to make them happen).

 

That said, we do have a plan of sorts to handle the present glut of releases:

 

1. Jens and I just (finally) recorded with Doug Fake for over 3(!!!) hours last night, on the LSO Rio Conchos/The Artist Who Did Not Want to Paint. Now we just have to figure out how to edit it and release it before the CD goes off-sale forever on June 21 (only 12 days from now!) Jens is swamped, and David is swamped working on the mammoth project that is Episode 30 on "Mr. George" (Thriller). Might get a guest editor for it.

 

2. We will record on Shamus as soon as we can, but at least it doesn't have as much of a time factor.

 

3. I just can't also make one on Caboblanco fit into my schedule, much as I dig the score. So I think it's another one that David and Clark might team up to tackle.

 

4. Yes I still very much want to do one with Bruce Botnick (and possibly other special guests) on Looney Tunes: Back in Action, Jerry's final score. That feels important enough that it would at least be another lengthier one like Take Her, She's Mine -- especially if we can get those extra special guests on it.

 

5. We are recording Episode 31 on "The Terror in Teakwood" (Thriller) near the end of this month, and should be joined by a very special guest who wrote a great book we have referenced on the podcast multiple times... I won't say any more for now, except that it will be nice to -- after three years of doing this show -- finally have a female voice represented on The Goldsmith Odyssey. (Yes, Leanna Primiani was part of Score Masters but that was a collaboration with a different podcast and she shared space with seven other special guests.)

 

6. Have I mentioned that this past half year I've been in touch with like a half dozen people who know Jerry and are game to do interviews?

 

Yavar

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3 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

And it's the first movement! Might get this.

 

I'd be even happier if it were the second or third but I'm definitely not complaining.

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33 minutes ago, blondheim said:

This is my favorite Beethoven symphony too. What a way to end an album.

Goldsmith-conducted Beethoven! And it's no. 7! Guys, this is huge.

 

It's far from my favorite Beethoven symphony... but it is a strong contender for my favorite *movement* of any Beethoven symphony. (IMO the last two movements are fine enough but superficial, lacking the depth of the first two movements.) So yeah, I share your excitement to hear it conducted by my favorite composer of all time. :)

 

Could be terrible for all I know, lol... Jerry apparently didn't consider himself a strong conductor until the mid 90s, and I've no idea how he would do with classical repertoire, especially measuring up to all the conducting masters who have tackled Beethoven over the years. But I am dying of curiosity to hear it, that's for sure.

 

Yavar

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1 minute ago, Yavar Moradi said:

It's far from my favorite Beethoven symphony... but it is a strong contender for my favorite *movement* of any Beethoven symphony. 

 

This.

 

But I see the recording is on the lengthier side, so I fear he didn't get the energy right.

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1 minute ago, Yavar Moradi said:

It's far from my favorite Beethoven symphony... but it is a strong contender for my favorite *movement* of any Beethoven symphony. (IMO the last two movements are fine enough but superficial, lacking the depth of the first two movements.) So yeah, I share your excitement to hear it conducted by my favorite composer of all time. :) 

 

Yavar

Just now, Jurassic Shark said:

This.

 

Y'all are nuts. I don't care if this makes me a basic bitch but it's the Allegretto for me, fam.

 

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Yavar I think it makes sense to delay "regular" episodes and do Soundtrack Spotlights while all these releases are new and fresh.  You know eventually there will be months and months with no new Goldsmith release and the regular episodes will have no interuptions then

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7 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

But I see the recording is on the lengthier side, so I fear he didn't get the energy right.

 

On my side of the table, we have Carlos Kleiber and Rafael Kubelik who would disagree with you, among others. I prefer 12-14. The last two movements are so energetic, give me an exposition.

 

The length possibly doubled my excitement.

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1 minute ago, blondheim said:

Y'all are nuts. I don't care if this makes me a basic bitch but it's the Allegretto for me, fam.

 

It's fun! But the first two movements have unexpected depth which the latter two do not, IMO. The general conception of a dance symphony in general is great, though.

 

My favorite Beethoven symphony for many years was No. 5 -- it's just perfectly cohesive and brilliant and flawless, IMO. But I burnt myself out on it (or rather, the world burnt me out on it, with constant radio airings and performances at places I worked like the L.A. Philharmonic and Houston Symphony...it's everywhere). So now my favorite Beethoven Symphony is No. 4... because it's also cohesive, excellent and underrated, and also not over-played. I heard an amazing live performance with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the L.A. Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall which completely opened up my ears to how great it is, and I never looked back. But to *really* prove I'm not basic: I like Beethoven quite a bit, but he is not one of my top 20 favorite composers. ;) 

 

Yavar

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8 minutes ago, blondheim said:

 

Y'all are nuts. I don't care if this makes me a basic bitch but it's the Allegretto for me, fam.

 

 

Since that movement is superficial and lacks depth (according to Yavar), does that make you a shallow person?

 

4 minutes ago, blondheim said:

On my side of the table, we have Carlos Kleiber and Rafael Kubelik who would disagree with you, among others.

 

You're forgetting that Kleiber's best recording is the live one with the Concertgebouw, issued on Philips DVD. :)

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Just now, Yavar Moradi said:

 

It's fun! But the first two movements have unexpected depth which the latter two do not, IMO. The general conception of a dance symphony in general is great, though.

 

My favorite Beethoven symphony for many years was No. 5 -- it's just perfectly cohesive and brilliant and flawless, IMO. But I burnt myself out on it (or rather, the world burnt me out on it, with constant radio airings and performances at places I worked like the L.A. Philharmonic and Houston Symphony...it's everywhere). So now my favorite Beethoven Symphony is No. 4... because it's also cohesive, excellent and underrated, and also not over-played. I heard an amazing live performance with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting the L.A. Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall which completely opened up my ears to how great it is, and I never looked back. But to *really* prove I'm not basic: I like Beethoven quite a bit, but he is not one of my top 20 favorite composers. ;) 

 

Yavar

 

The Allegretto is the second movement.

 

I am not the biggest fan of the fourth symphony but I appreciate it when someone doesn't say 5 or 3. I will even take 9, hell. 3 especially just really seems like the most basic of all basic answers.

 

Also, Beethoven is not my favorite either. I am relatively certain Leonard Bernstein once called him God's Antenna. Not one for faint praise, Bernstein.

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5 minutes ago, Jay said:

Yavar I think it makes sense to delay "regular" episodes and do Soundtrack Spotlights while all these releases are new and fresh.  You know eventually there will be months and months with no new Goldsmith release and the regular episodes will have no interuptions then

 

That's what I was thinking, and that's what I told my anxious co-hosts who (especially Clark) are eager to continue on with our actual Odyssey. But at the moment it doesn't look like there's an end in sight, for Goldsmith releases. LLL obviously has multiple more Fox volumes lined up, Varese has a lot more they control in perpetuity and will probably expand, and I'm also sure Intrada has more up their sleeves too.

 

4 minutes ago, blondheim said:

 

On my side of the table, we have Carlos Kleiber and Rafael Kubelik who would disagree with you, among others. I prefer 12-14. The last two movements are so energetic, give me an exposition.

 

The length possibly doubled my excitement.

 

Oooh, you just named two of my favorite classical conductors of all time! Kubelik is one that proved to me that slower tempos didn't have to be less exciting. I never thought I would love any Dvorak symphony cycle as much as the one by Witold Rowicki... it's just so swift and fresh! But the Kubelik cycle made its way into my heart, and now I think I love it equally to that one.

 

Yavar

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2 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Since that movement is superficial and lacks depth (according to Yavar), does that make you a shallow person?

 

The Allegretto is the second movement. We then have a Presto and an Allegro.

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Just now, Yavar Moradi said:

Oooh, you just named two of my favorite classical conductors of all time! Kubelik is one that proved to me that slower tempos didn't have to be less exciting. I never thought I would love any Dvorak symphony cycle as much as the one by Witold Rowicki... it's just so swift and fresh! But the Kubelik cycle made its way into my heart, and now I think I love it equally to that one.

 

Kubelik has my heart at the moment. I just did a survey of many Dvorak recordings. My favorite are the last three symphonies and I highly recommend and offer up Charles Munch, Bruno Walter and George Szell as excellent Dvorak interpreters. The Rowicki cycle is extremely excellent. I'm excited to see you enjoy it. I prefer it to the Kertesz, which seems to be more highly loved. Kubelik's cycle is excellent too and it does seem the most Czech. Rowicki ends the 7th with an absolute blast. Love that fourth movement recording particularly.

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6 minutes ago, blondheim said:

The Allegretto is the second movement.

 

Whoops, you're right of course. I was thrown off by you earlier saying you would have been happier if Jerry conducted "the second or third".

 

6 minutes ago, blondheim said:

I am not the biggest fan of the fourth symphony but I appreciate it when someone doesn't say 5 or 3. I will even take 9, hell. 3 especially just really seems like the most basic of all basic answers.

 

I used to overlook the fourth, too. It really was only this electrifying live performance that won me over. The fifth should probably be my favorite on raw merit but like I said it's gotten far too much exposure and I'm burnt out on it. I love the first three movements of 9. The fourth movement goes on forever and beats that (somewhat square, though people love it) theme into the ground. I far prefer the freshness of the Choral Fantasia, which is very similar except maybe less memorable (but also less overdone), and the piano solo element makes that more interesting to me as well, mixed with the orchestra and choir.

 

Yavar

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Just now, Yavar Moradi said:

I love the first three movements of 9. The fourth movement goes on forever and beats that (somewhat square, though people love it) theme into the ground. I far prefer the freshness of the Choral Fantasia, which is very similar except maybe less memorable (but also less overdone), and the piano solo element makes that more interesting to me as well, mixed with the orchestra and choir.

 

I can understand that. I hated what I referred to as the 'banality' of that movement for a long time but after getting into more of the late Romantic period and onwards, I see its influence. Maybe that did it but I finally 'get it'.

 

I mean, it's not like it's Ravel's Bolero.

 

Though, if you haven't heard the 9th finale by Fricsay, Szell or Reiner, you haven't heard it yet, imo...

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18 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

You worked at the L. A. Philharmonic? What did you do?

 

I worked in the L.A. Phil Store, as kinda the music expert. I was there for 3.5 years. I actually met my wife that way, because she had long been a Hollywood Bowl employee.

 

17 minutes ago, blondheim said:

Kubelik has my heart at the moment. I just did a survey of many Dvorak recordings. My favorite are the last three symphonies and I highly recommend and offer up Charles Munch, Bruno Walter and George Szell as excellent Dvorak interpreters. The Rowicki cycle is extremely excellent. I'm excited to see you enjoy it. I prefer it to the Kertesz, which seems to be more highly loved. Kubelik's cycle is excellent too and it does seem the most Czech. Rowicki ends the 7th with an absolute blast. Love that fourth movement recording particularly.

 

What I adore about Rowicki is he really makes the case for the early symphonies, especially No. 1 "The Bells of Zlonice" which is usually dismissed/overlooked. Lots of people act like that one handles its material clumsily, but the way he conducts it, it's perfect IMO:

 

 

Thrilling. I don't mind a single repeat. I freakin' love it.

 

Yavar

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14 minutes ago, blondheim said:

I can understand that. I hated what I referred to as the 'banality' of that movement for a long time but after getting into more of the late Romantic period and onwards, I see its influence. Maybe that did it but I finally 'get it'.

 

Thing is, I used to love that final movement in my early years of classical music obsession. I loved that theme so much I just went with it even though the movement lasts forever. (This coming from someone who enjoys Mahler, ha!) Maybe I got burnt out on it over time just like I did with the whole of the fifth symphony, but it just didn't hold up to repeat listens the way the first three movements did, for me.

 

14 minutes ago, blondheim said:

I mean, it's not like it's Ravel's Bolero.

 

Not that bad, no (one of my most hated pieces of classical music ever... I'd rather listen to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, lol!) But it does wear out its welcome for me in a similar way...it's just that I get tired of it after 10 minutes instead of 1 minute like the Ravel, hehe...

 

I'm not a big Ravel fan in general, to be honest. I find him generally superficial and obsessed with "brilliant" showy orchestration. I do love his full Daphnis and Chloe ballet score...and Mother Goose has some great stuff, and there are some scattered other things I really like. But in general I find him overrated. My favorite French composer by far is Camille Saint-Saens (suuuuper underrated) and my second favorite might be his friend and protege Gabriel Faure.

 

14 minutes ago, blondheim said:

Though, if you haven't heard the 9th finale by Fricsay, Szell or Reiner, you haven't heard it yet, imo...

 

Pretty sure I've heard all three but I'm happy to revisit them based on your recommendation. Fricsay is a fantastic conductor and not as well remembered as the other two, though he should be. By the way, the Kertesz Dvorak cycle is one of the most overrated of all time.


Yavar

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Just now, Jurassic Shark said:

 

One of the benefits of dying young.

 

I'm convinced that this phenomenon explains Jonathan Larson's inexplicable high regard.

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13 minutes ago, Yavar Moradi said:

(one of my most hated pieces of classical music ever... I'd rather listen to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, lol!)

 

I'm not a big Ravel fan in general, to be honest. I find him generally superficial and obsessed with "brilliant" showy orchestration. I do love his full Daphnis and Chloe ballet score...and Mother Goose has some great stuff, and there are some scattered other things I really like. But in general I find him overrated.


Yavar

 

 

I prefer Kondo's "Bolero of Fire"

 

And the 2112 Overture ;)

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15 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Anybody got the recent Szell 14CD Warner box? Is it right that most of the remastering is rather old?

 

I have the complete Columbia Album collection and it has an absolute ridiculous number of CDs but I haven't gotten the others yet. His work with the Cleveland Orchestra is rightfully legendary. Recommending specific recordings out of that box would be a post unto itself. But Szell is like Williams: even his three-star efforts are worth hearing over others so I recommend anything with his name on it.

 

Warner, among other labels, does tend to just re-release the last remasterings rather than do new. Andreas K. Meyer is a name to look for in booklets. Great remastering.

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2 minutes ago, blondheim said:

 

I have the complete Columbia Album collection and it has an absolute ridiculous number of CDs but I haven't gotten the others yet. His work with the Cleveland Orchestra is rightfully legendary. Recommending specific recordings out of that box would be a post unto itself. But Szell is like Williams: even his three-star efforts are worth hearing over others so I recommend anything with his name on it.

 

Yeah, I've got lots of his Sony recordings, but since only about a third of the complete box was newly remastered, and due to its cumbersome design, I didn't get it.

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Just now, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Yeah, I've got lots of his Sony recordings, but since only about a third of the complete box was newly remastered, and due to its cumbersome design, I didn't get it.

 

It was too hard for me to find some of the recordings I really wanted so I went for it. These boxes could be much better designed, practically across the board.

 

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Just now, blondheim said:

 

It was too hard for me to find some of the recordings I really wanted so I went for it. These boxes could be much better designed, practically across the board.

 

 

I'm sure it was a good purchase nonetheless!

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9 hours ago, blondheim said:

 

I have the complete Columbia Album collection and it has an absolute ridiculous number of CDs but I haven't gotten the others yet. His work with the Cleveland Orchestra is rightfully legendary. Recommending specific recordings out of that box would be a post unto itself. But Szell is like Williams: even his three-star efforts are worth hearing over others so I recommend anything with his name on it.

 

Warner, among other labels, does tend to just re-release the last remasterings rather than do new. Andreas K. Meyer is a name to look for in booklets. Great remastering.

 

Yeah, I'm aware of the usual lack of fresh remastering in these budget Warner/EMI boxes, but occasionally they do a new tape transfer. But it seems quite arbitrary when they choose to.

 

Does the Sony box contain detailed info about remastering for each recording? Do for example the stereo Schubert 8th and 9th come in remastered versions that's fresher than early 90s?

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23 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

Yeah, I'm aware of the usual lack of fresh remastering in these budget Warner/EMI boxes, but occasionally they do a new tape transfer. But it seems quite arbitrary when they choose to.

 

Does the Sony box contain detailed info about remastering for each recording? Do for example the stereo Schubert 8th and 9th come in remastered versions that's fresher than early 90s?

 

I will look into it. The information in the box booklets is ridiculously scarce. Normally, if it has been remastered by Sony for another re-release over the years, they use the most recent. So I know Szell got a lot of records remastered for release in Japan in some specialty Szell boxes I remember not being able to afford. My guess is that any that were remastered for those certainly will be. Also if you can find the release in SACD, that is a good indicator that the release has been remastered at some point recently.

 

I can't say for sure that the Schubert's have been remastered but it sounds cleaned up, at least to me. The 9th is a little older (the discs are chronological by release and it is disc 22 of 106. The mono recordings end slightly before the twenties.) Since it is early stereo there is some 'room sound.' By the time he gets to the 8th (disc 49, coupled with Haydn's 92) the sound is very clear with less ambient noise but not yet surgically clean. Sound quality of old recordings don't bother me much so long as the performance is worth it, but these are not awful masterings I feel the need to make argument for. I would say they have been remastered since the bargain reissues in the 90s. Were they remastered for this box? Probably not but that doesn't mean they weren't remastered in, say, like 2008

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11 hours ago, Yavar Moradi said:

I worked in the L.A. Phil Store, as kinda the music expert. I was there for 3.5 years. I actually met my wife that way, because she had long been a Hollywood Bowl employee.

 

I bet you were fired because you couldn't shut up about Goldsmith. :P

 

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@Yavar Moradi and @blondheim - here's my favorite recording of the first movement of the 7th, with a duration of about 11.20. The allegretto is also good, but perhaps a tad too fast for some. The video also contains Yavar's favorite Beethoven symphony, the 4th...

 

 

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7 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

 

I bet you were fired because you couldn't shut up about Goldsmith. :P

 

 

There were a variety of reasons I left near the end of 2009, but in short: I wasn't full time with benefits, and my wife had been unemployed for over a year due to the Great Recession of 2008. We moved to Houston to be nearer family and my wife found a job within a couple months! The move also led to me getting a job as manager of the last independent classical music shop left in North America (at least according to one of our main wholesale accounts, Naxos)... so it turned out pretty well all things considered!

 

3 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

@Yavar Moradi and @blondheim - here's my favorite recording of the first movement of the 7th, with a duration of about 11.20. The allegretto is also good, but perhaps a tad too fast for some. The video also contains Yavar's favorite Beethoven symphony, the 4th...

 

Thanks. I like his famous album pairing of the 5th and 7th symphonies, so I'll check out this video performance when I can. You two have great taste! Have either of you heard Benjamin Zander doing the 5th and 7th symphonies at the exact tempos Beethoven originally indicated in his score? They are something of a revelation IMO, especially for the 5th...made it fresh again for me. As far as a full modern Beethoven cycle goes, I might actually lean towards Osmo Vanska with the Minnesota Orchestra on BIS!

 

Yavar

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2 minutes ago, Yavar Moradi said:

Thanks. I like his famous album pairing of the 5th and 7th symphonies, so I'll check out this video performance when I can. You two have great taste! Have either of you heard Benjamin Zander doing the 5th and 7th symphonies at the exact tempos Beethoven originally indicated in his score? They are something of a revelation IMO, especially for the 5th...made it fresh again for me. As far as a full modern Beethoven cycle goes, I might actually lean towards Osmo Vanska with the Minnesota Orchestra on BIS!

 

I haven't heard Zander do it, but there are many recordings with that approach. It is a huge part of the Historically Informed Performance perspective or (HIP, which is hysterical) Gardiner has a nice set, von Immerseel does too. His instruments are also tuned to the day.

 

So far as Vanska and the Minnesota go, the jury is still out for me. His Bruckner 4 is an absolute revelation though. I can't recommend it enough.

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24 minutes ago, Yavar Moradi said:

Have either of you heard Benjamin Zander doing the 5th and 7th symphonies at the exact tempos Beethoven originally indicated in his score? They are something of a revelation IMO, especially for the 5th...made it fresh again for me.

 

I know that Beethoven's tempo indications are an infinite source of debate, but I do like swift accounts as an option. Can't remember listening to the Zander recordings, but do find Paavo Järvi's cycle to be quite good. I remember checking out Vanska's accounts several times, and I think I found them good without completely being grabbed. Btw, Vanska's Karelia suite is a favourite:

 

 

I find it difficult to choose a favourite Beethoven cycle, but if I had to, Cluytens' Berlin Phil cycle, recorded in the late 50s / early 60s (before Karajan's), is definitely a contender. And it's very inexpensive on Erato/Warner.

 

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Sibelius is one of my five favorite composers of all time and Vanska is great at conducting his music. I'll check that out!

 

11 minutes ago, Jurassic Shark said:

I know that Beethoven's tempo indications are an infinite source of debate, but I do like swift accounts as an option. Can't remember listening to the Zander recordings

 

I don't know if other conductors have copied him since, but at the time this recording was very unique:

https://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-Symphonies-No-Benjamin-Zander/dp/B00001QGKJ

 

I really recommend it because there's also a second disc where he talks about his conducting choices for both symphonies in depth and it's fascinating.

 

Here's a piece Zander wrote a couple years ago about his approach to the 5th:

https://blog.bostonphil.org/maestro-zander-on-beethovens-fifth-symphony

 

Yavar

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