Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion HiFi & HT Chat Re: Recommended Music

The best recording I have ever heard: Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Rage Hard Collection SACD.

This one sounds incredible! Too bad it does not have the long (12") versions of Relax and Two Tribes, but it does have a 14 minutes version of Welcome to the Pleasure Dome. Highly recommended.

Forgive the presumption, but would you not be better off downloading the music. That way you could get better recordings of the music and perhaps choose to hear it on period instruments? I feel the actual music counts more than the versions available to Kubrick.

Of course, with the Irish music, you may feel that the performers (The Chieftains) are key. I presume their back catalogue is available for download?

Either way, I hope we can both agree that Barry Lyndon is his most underrated film.

I have always thought it strange that he took such pains with his visual effects to try and evoke the period (so much looks like Reynolds or Gainsborough) but not with his choice of music. The music works very effectively but does not keep to period. Perhaps Kubrick commented on this?

Hi any Leonard Cohen fans, I have just bought the 2008 0/2 Arena concert on DVD and it is a masterpiece. The DD5.1 soundtrack is excelant as well.
Enjoy......... Chris

Hi Chris

I happened to receive that Leonard Cohen DVD yesterday and watched about the first third of it last night. I am very keen to get home after work today and watch/listen to more.

I agree with your praise. It was wonderful, beautiful, moving, and yes the sound was brilliant. Cohen is a master songwriter and suprisingly can sing so well his songs. Also what a tremendous group backing him - absolute talent! The solo guitar, saxaphone, keyboard, and even the mouth organ were glorious.

Hopefully many others will enjoy our experience.

I've just played Jeff Beck's BD "Live at Ronnie Scott's" and his guitar playing is incredible. I've been a fan of his since I was in high school 45 years ago, and first heard the Yardbirds. It is a must own for all guitar fans as we see many shots of how he goes about his business. The interviews are revealing as well.

I do not agree with the website that places him only 4th behind Hendrix, Page and Clapton on the 100 greatest rock guitarists. He must be the greatest living rock guitarist. Clapton is way behind.

It's about $85 at Amazon (used) http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-list...mp;s=music&qid=1241600014&sr=8-2. Still a lot to pay for a 2nd hand CD.

41 quid cheap enough?

http://www.musicstack.com/item/115959368/soundtrack/barry+lyndon

I've been shocked by how much deleted CDs can cost. I ended up stumping up �45 for Cliff Martinez' soundtrack to "Solaris", and it seems I did rather well at that!

Cheers

George

This was in another thread but, following a suggestion, most of it is posted here.

I'm heavily into OPERA with a few already on the shelf (not all previewed yet) and another heap on order from Amazon.

One pearl is Gounod - "Romeo et Juliette" Nino Machaidzes/Rolando Villazon/Russell Braun/Mikhail/Petrenko/Falk Struckmann Mozarteum-Orchester/Salzburg Yannick/Nezet-Seguin. Superb singing, exemplary audio & video and a MUST HAVE if you like opera.

A few of us recently viewed Mozart's "Die Zauberflote" and thoroughly enjoyed it. Ex. audio and video + impressive artistry, especially Diana Damrau's interpretation of the Queen of the Night. She sailed through one of opera's most difficult areas with thrilling ease. Recommended.

Disappointing is Mozart: "Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail" which someone here recently praised. The video is fine & the audio quality is ok BUT the production was recorded poorly in that the individual singers are remote sounding with echo because of the empty theatre (no audience). Absolutely not recommended.

I've only viewed/listened to a part of Rossini's: "La Cenerentola" so have not come to a definitive conclusion yet. The recording and production are fine (to an audience - important IMHO) but I have reservations about the voice of Ruxandra Donose in the role of Cenerentola as, although an obviously competent singer, she is overpowered by the others, something which leads to an imbalance. Nothing to do with the technical side, just the artistic.

If anyone is interested I'll post more on this and the other operas here and on the way as I get around to them. A list is appended. I've doubled up on quite a few titles I already have both on laserdisc and DVD so no doubt not all BD releases will end up the favourite version, despite the excellent technology.

John (having as much fun as a kid in a candy store!)

Bellini: I Puritani (Blu-Ray)
Bizet: Carmen [Blu-ray]
Corbelli, Alessandro Gianni Schicchi [Blu-ray]
Gounod - Romeo et Juliette Nino Machaidzes/Rolando Villazon/Russell Braun/Mikhail/Petrenko/Falk Struckmann Mozarteum-Orchester/Salzburg Yannick/Nezet-Seguin
Handel: Admeto [Blu-ray]
Handel: Semele [Blu-ray]
Massenet "Manon [Blu-ray]" Blu-ray
Mozart - 'Don Giovanni (Weisser/Fink/Freiburger Baronkorchester/Rene Jacobs)
Mozart: Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (Blu-Ray) [DVD]
Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro [Blu-ray]
Prokofiev: The Love for Three Oranges [Blu-ray]
Puccini: La Boheme [Blu-ray]
Rossini: Il Barbiere Di Siviglia [Blu-ray]
Rossini: La Cenerentola [Blu-ray]
Verdi: Aida [Blu-ray]
Verdi: Il Trovatore [Blu-ray] [Blu-ray] (2008) Cura; Hvorostovsky; Naef...
Verdi: Rigoletto [Blu-ray]

Hi Tassie

Thanks for re-posting.

As said elsewhere, I agree that the Gounod has wonderful performances and great sound with clever miking. The casting is also great, despite Netrebko pulling out.

Is the Bellini a typical Met production, with performers lost on a huge stage, sounding remote and looking overwhelmed by bombastic scenery (the usual trick, which audiences seem to love, is to introduce horses onto the stage!)?

Is the Massenet production-driven (Hollywood director) or is everything sympathtic to the music?

The Gounod is DTS HD Master and is stated as such in the DG catalogue. DG and Decca catalogues give most of their other issues as DTS HD i.e. only 16 bit and therefore standard DVD sound quality. But perhaps this was sloppy listing. Please could you confirm either way the sound codecs of some of your discs? Being a cheapskate I don't want to pay Blu prices for DVD sound!

Have not got the Massanet yet (still awaiting shipment from the USA) but the Bellini has the latest HD audio codecs. I'll have a look at it shortly and relate more.

John

Just sampled the Bellini "I Puritani" for audio, staging etc (not a review).

Audio on PCM5.1 is excellent. Orchestra and voices well balanced. Traditional staging - Anna Netrebco looking as beautiful as ever and in as fine voice as ever. And the stage is well lit so no criticism of colour or HD quality. And no, they are not lost on a huge stage or overwhelmed by scenery.

Looks fine at this level. Not sure whern I'll get time to view it all but maybe that answers your questions Asa??

John