Mar 2020. First Rameau festival at the time of the Covid:
Zoroastre, La Petite Bande, Kuijken. Deutsche Harmonia Mundi digital, DMM. Playing is nice, musique superb. Recording: compressed, highs missing, flat sound. Sounds as a CD - restricted and constrained. EQ2.
Dardanus: Erato STU71416, Leppard. EQ3. Much more open than HM digital. The highs sound thin as if it was a digital recording. EQ4: more balanced sound, but more compressed. Still way better than DHM. Cover does not say it’s digital recording, but sounds like one - year 1981. On EQ4 violins still sound like digital violins. On longer listening, the vocal sound very distorted. Listened to two box sets, both NM. Both had same distortion. Not keeping, very disturbing. Definitively does not spark joy. HM in comparison just sounds digital with compression and high cuts, but not broken as these.
Castor and Pollux, Erato Radio France 750323 digital recording, 1983. There’s a hint of dryness and digital sound, but it’s not compressed and it does not suffer high cuts. Pretty nice recording, very nice vocals and interpretation.
Les Indes Gallantes. Paillard. MHS3114/15-17. Hefty, solid pieces of vinyl. Glorious three dimensional sound, dusts all the previous digital Rameaus. Much wider soundstage, human vocals. Instruments sound real, and not digital figments. The sopranos top registers titillate the ears, instead of breaking apart r thinning out as with the digitals. Very nice recording and material.
World for harpsichord, George Malcolm. Argo ZRG5491/2 stereo, England. This is a true oddball. At first listening it sounded broken. At EQ4 it’s not that abysmal. Still, it’s the oddest sounding cemballo ever. Very closed sounding, with super fast decays. However, at third listening I got used to the sound, and the performances are hugely enjoyable, refreshing and recharging. George Malcolms style is truly remarkable. Highly recommended, but do not expect the usual.. just relax and you shall be rewarded.
Werke für Cemballo - Kenneth Gilbert Archiv 2710 020 This is a cemballo sound we are all familiar with, with a more widespread and easier to access interpretation. Yet, the playing is deep and refined. Superb sound quality, soothes audiofile tastes and music lovers at the same time. Highly recommended. Material somewhat overlaps with George Malcolms recording. This has 3lps, the other has 2.
Hyppolite et Aricie.
A., CBS 79314 Malgoire: not bad. Good sound, good interpretation.
B., Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 065 99 837, Kuijken: very good sound, superb interpretation.