Ralph Vaughan Williams: Symphony no.9, in E minor
I.
Moderato maestoso ~ II.
Andante sostenuto ~ III.
Scherzo: Allegro pesante ~ IV.
Andante tranquillo
FLAC: http://www.mediafire.com/?faxbwo6aqv4qrze WAV: http://www.mediafire.com/?i3vxr3o88yzjach
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent
UK/World premiere performance at the Royal Festival Hall, 2nd April 1958, broadcast on the BBC Home Service.
BBC Radio 3 FM - circa 2004 (repeat). Direct digital MiniDisc to CD transfer.
Full Frequency & Dynamic-Range.
Andrew Rose comment from below link: "Your offering has an upper audio frequency ceiling of about 13k" ....
Actually, the BBC cut-off FM broadcasts @ 15kHz - and the Audacity Frequency Analysis, below, shows my MiniDisc transfer goes right up to that frequency.. FUNNY ONE, Andrew!!!
Concert announcement /Frequency-Range Analysis....
500 downloads/6 months; vastly more since! Pristine Audio (sic) 2 July 2010 RMCR advert (with 'some real comments') >>>>
"NIGERIAN SCAM" email (update:10 Oct.) from Monsewer 'Pristine' also included, below >>>
To tinear@ymail.com
Sent: 27 September 2010 11:26:19
To: tinear@ymail.com
When I first read the email from Pristine Audio addressed to you, that was on the Music Parlour blog I thought it a joke,it can not possibly be for real.Can it?
Food on table,starving children! it reads like one of those scam emails from Nigeria.
I enjoy visiting your blog on a regular basis,mainly for the information on labels etc,and do the odd download of something I am interested in hearing,
I have no view re charging for Music Parlour,it's your blog and your call.I do not doubt you put a lot of time and effort in a excellent and professional (maybe that's Pristine's problem) undertaking.
I would suggest to Pristine Audio if they are that worried by you,do it better,problem solved.That is how the world works.
Reply:
Yes - that was for real.
The sort of email one should never send - and a 'Sword of Damocles' if ever there was.
I hadn't intended ever using it - (ie, he 'could' have relied upon his 'confidence' in me) but now wish to draw a line - as, over the years, he has been taking people for fools - and I've absolutely lost interest in 'correcting' his errors/misinformation on RMCR...which he considers as 'destroying' his business (yeh, right!!).
He is, no doubt, a decent 'nice' person - but seemingly has acquired many 'enemies' - either due to his 'success' (turning 'lead into gold') - or the fact he will charge heavily for 'synthesised' transfers of LP/78 - or, ie, very easy copying of BBC broadcasts (as in the RVW 9/Sargent - which he had the nerve to describe as 'rare' - hence my upload - which I'd anyway previously intended doing as had uploaded the Sargent/Moiseiwitsch's from the same 2000/1 BBC series 'BBC Legends') - or by the fact he has got his stuff 'advertised' all-over - pretty annoying when one realises how 'cheap'/commonplace most of the originating LP's are...
Re: charging.
This is quite simple.
Take the Fistoulari 'Nutcracker' - which otherwise is only available as a Japanese 'Opus Kura' copy from LP...100 downloads in a week.
That 'new' LP will/can take an evening for just 1 or 2 sides to edit-free of most 'blemishes' ..and I use PU cartridges which are £250+ to retip/new styli (if available) -then there's the Electricity/CD-RW's becoming faulty, etc etc: which all adds up.
If I can arrange a (secure/easy) method to recoup just my typical costs/minimum value of my (hard) 'labour' then I would be happier.
The intention would be to charge a flat-rate nominal £1 for something like "Nutcracker" - but, in that case, it would be for both sets of matrices I have - with the download/s available in FLAC/WAV - also the originating WAV + possibly a 320mp3.
'Free' uploads would still be made - albeit, perhaps mostly those where there are 'copyright conditions' attached - though existing ones would remain - and possibly added-to.
It may well be an unsuccessful 'experiment' - if so, that's the point where the Blog/s should cease - but virtually no-one else is offering 'untainted' (other than the CD!) transfers like I've done - simply preferring to offer 'fakes' (ie, similar to Pristine - who even claims his transfers are better than the commercial-issue CD from tape-masters - see the Krips LSO Brahms/Mozart of a few months back) - with the use of 'click-repair', or similar; meaning they spend relatively little time on a transfer compared to mine - but with so much potential 'damage' to the sound (as you can see in comments in the Dart/Brandenburgs posting from someone who is aware of that aspect).
Anyway, what Pristine basically doesn't want is 'competition' - but when you realise how little I have ever given to his business (despite my having such a large percentage of what he has, or is likely to issue), then that email is extremely revealing - and in such contrast to what you will see being peddled elsewhere!
Wonderful - a historic occasion. This is so important. Many thanks, and please continue your efforts!
ReplyDeleteHello Buster. I thought this was a BBC Legends CD. Anyhow, can't now recall the Radio 3 TX date/s (normally logged). Luckily this was from a BBC taping - rather than their ghastly/crackly 'transcription discs'. Took just minutes to edit the MD (which made a change..). If I recall correctly (from the first -2001?- TX) Sargent paid-out for (at least) the orchestral rehearsals.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks. I am a RVW fan and treasure the Complete Symphonies performed by Previn on RCA LPs (my into to Vaughan Williams), the Boult (mono & stereo) LPs, and the Handley CD set on CfP.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to burning the WAV to CD and listening tonight. I'll keep the FLAC on my hard drive.
Tin Ear,
ReplyDeleteForgot to ask. Is there a difference in sound quality between the FLACs and WAVs you post? I cannot hear any, so I have been discarding the WAVs after burning and archiving the FLACs.
Hello Joe. I'm uploading FLAC/WAV as, using MegaUpload, there appears a problem (at least early-on) with them being 'unavailable'..so, hopefully, at least one is immediately accessible. I've never been too convinced that FLAC is 'identical' to the WAV - but, mathematically, apparently, they are. Any difference may well lay in the decoder/s used?? I always felt (on the computer) that it made the FLAC seem less 'subtle'/a bit 'sterile'.
ReplyDeleteNB: I've been looking to upload the mono 1959 PYE LP of Barbirolli's 'London' for some time - particularly as they rarely are found in 'mint' condition/generally sold poorly.
Tin Ear - Interesting. I had no idea this performance was on CD, but then I pay little attention to that format. Also interesting your comment on FLAC vs. WAV.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it *wasn't on CD -but, thinking back, believe it was initially broadcast in the BBC Legends series in 2001 - but, as with some of the Moiseiwitsch I've uploaded, not all were issued in that BBC CD series. Anyway..this is likely better than a 'competitor's' dubbing from a tape copy of the TX..!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful blog. Thanks for this great historical document. I'm sure it will be a great musical experience too, with Malcolm Sargent conducting
ReplyDeletejust to say thanks
ReplyDeleteEsential listening.It seems that Sargent knew it was conducting the premiere of one of the greatest symphonies of the 20 th century.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much-and keep going!!
The 'close' recorded quality certainly lends a degree of 'concentration' to the performance: retained as it was so worthwhile. Hadn't originally intended uploading it on its own but, due to its popularity (Sargent is deemed 'unpopular') can now consider some other of his mono British music LP's. There's a Tallis Fantasia/Elgar Wand of Youth #2 (BBC SO - HMV BLP 1019) - long unavailable + a variety of other 'not on CD' titles. But those won't take just a couple of minutes to edit...
ReplyDeleteSargent has at best a mixed reputation, but I always enjoy his recordings. This 9th seems to me to be exceptionally good.
ReplyDeleteWow, wonderful to have this performance available! It's by no means flawless, of course (a few slips in the flugel part), but the interpretation is rather good! Almost as good as the 1958\9 Boult recording on Everest.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really don't understand those comments from Pristine Audio. Putting him out of business by preparing your own transfer of the broadcast? I mean yes, someone posting *his* transfer online for free - that would be dreadful - but when someone puts effort into doing something themselves, comments like that are wholly unwarranted. Not to mention petty. I was going to buy their Boult RVW 6 recording, but now, after reading those comments, I'm not so sure...
He disliked the idea of 'competition' (at the time, on RMCR, he described it as: 'a spiteful spoiler') - but it was Me who'd uploaded Sargent from the BBC Archives - in February - which 'just happened' to coincide with an approach from one of his 'helpers' with this particular recording (a poor cassette copy..) . Until I got broadband, in March, I was very restricted in file-size/upload time (2hours for 20MB..) - so, when I saw this being offered, decided to upload from my MiniDisc - which took virtually no time/effort. The Pristine 'variant' is from a R2R tape found/kept 'in a shed'. The probability is that it was less-accurate a copy; so you might as well save your money - as almost 400 others have done!!
ReplyDeleteBTW - I do have the Boult RVW 6 - the LSO version (HMV Treasury LP) - which I should upload sometime quite soon.
As to the RVW 6, I found transfers of the individual sides of the 78s on a website called CHARM a few months ago, but that doesn't seem to be working now. Can't wait to hear how the LP version sounds (I've got a copy on its way to me actually!).
ReplyDelete