The Varèse Record

                                                                     

If this recording has made it to CD, I can't find it. I find a lot of LP, like the one I have, of the reissue on Finnadar Records (SR9018) of the original 1950 record, with the added 1954 Interpolations for Désert, but I have not located a CD.

The pieces are available, but this recording under the supervision of Varèse has unique historical value, since the 1950 record was for long the only recorded music of this composer available.

The Interpolations for Désert were substantially revised in 1961, but these versions from 1954 are what Hermann Scherchen premiered in Paris on December 2nd of that year. What a night that must have been!

The music is wonderful, and the record itself contains "a reminiscence and appreciation" of Varèse by Frank Zappa, entitled: Edgard Varèse: Idol of my youth.  Links to the photos of the cover are included, in case you wish to read it.

MP3 Files:    https://www.mediafire.com/?q41vcu3gq51f52w

Flac 96Khz : https://www.mediafire.com/?zay5965jibk4n5a
The original 24 bit .wav files had a bit rate of 4608 kbps, but the Flac files, converted in Audacity, have a bit rate of 1085 kbps.  It will have to do until I can figure out what is going on.  It may well be I'm simply clueless, but I'll try to find out.  It may well be that I simply do not understand the mechanics of lossless compression.  Well, I mean I don't. Meanwhile,  these flac files sound pretty good to me.

Pictures:    http://www.mediafire.com/view/exugody6110v381/Back.jpg
                  http://www.mediafire.com/view/ufipdnjpod8gsoe/Front%20for%20post.jpg

Schneider Quartet Haydn Now Available

The CD set of Schneider Quartet recordings of the Haydn String Quartets has been issued by Music and Arts and is now available for purchase through Music and Arts itself, or through Amazon.  I was made aware of this by Jonathan Angel, who I heartily thank for his email informing me of it.  His review of the set on Amazon.com just about says it all.

Although my restorations of the files were not used at the end of the day, I take some satisfaction in the fact that the project was started when the late Fred Maroth contacted me after seeing the postings of them on Vinyl Fatigue, and asked me to take on the project.  I was in over my head, but I'm very happy the the project was brought to completion by others.The digital restorations by Lani Spahr published in the CD set are an improvement over what I was able to do, and I would urge anyone who loves these recordings to get the CD's.  The original recordings were not state of the art for their time, nor were the recorded results consistent across the series. Those limitations are carried into the present, of course, but the performances themselves shine through any sonic limitations, and Lani Spahr has done a good job with what was available to work with. A job well done, and some of the most important and wonderful recordings ever made once again seeing the light of day.

Those of us who love these performances love them without reservation.  This is Haydn the way I want to hear it, with all the humor, tenderness, aristocratic refinement and  country bawdiness the music contains. There are slow movements here played with a the delicacy and awareness of suffering that can make you weep. And Haydn is one of the few composers who moves me to delighted laughter.

Enjoy this wonderful set!