Music Lesson

If you're into CD music, from way back, and eschew things like streaming and such, you're in for a surprise. I sure as shit have been. New Beethoven symphonies are generally dismissed as a waste of time. But, then, I read this piece which mentions the set from Osmo Vanska and the Minnesota Orchestra. He/it sounded familiar, so off I went to let my fingers do the walking through the Yellow Googles.

Much praise from most everywhere. The 4/5 and 2/7 discs arrived today, and they're mind blowing. Not that they are Beethoven as has never been heard before; I'm not giving away my Kleiber 5/7 any time soon.

But these discs do represent something that has been possible since the dawn of the CD: dynamic range as would be heard in a concert hall. The Red Book dynamic range is in the realm of 100db, but most CDs are compressed to all get out. These, the ones I have in hand but it's safe to say the entire set, are anything but. If you normally set your volume control to, say 10 o'clock, expect to set to midnight. If you don't the piano moments will be nearly inaudible. OTOH, be prepared to hold on to your hat during the crescendos. You will test not only your ears, but the quality of your phones and/or speakers.

Vanska also follows the recent Del Mar edition, so you will hear a slightly different symphony.