William Steinberg - The Deutsche Grammophon Recordings (3LPs, Box set)
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
COMPILATION
Choir - New England Conservatory Chorus (B4)
Chorus Master – Lorna Cooke De Varon (B4)
Violin – Joseph Silverstein (C1 to D3)
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conductor - William Steinberg
3 LPs, Gatefold jacket, Box set
Limited to 2,100 numbered copies
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g Virgin Vinyl
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Studio
Record Press : Optimal Media GmbH in Germany
Label : Deutsche Grammophon - The Original Source series
Original Label : Deutsche Grammophon
Recording Supervisor – Rainer Brock (A1 to B4), Hans Weber (C1 to D3), Thomas Mowrey (E1 to F2),
Engineered by Günter Hermanns
Mixed By Rainer Maillard at Emil Berliner Studios
Produced by Karl Faust (A1 to D3), Thomas Mowrey (all tracks)
Remastered by Sidney Meyer at Emil Berliner Studios
Design by Nikolaus Boddin
Editor - Annette Nubbemeyer
Cover by Peter Wandrey (A1 to D3), Matthias Grünewald (E1 to F2)
Records originally released in 1971 (A1 to D3) and 1972 (E1 to F2)
Box set originally released in January 2024
Tracks:
Side A: Gustav Holst – The Planets, Op. 32
- Mars, The Bringer Of War
- Venus, The Bringer Of Peace
- Mercury, The Winged Messenger
Side B: GUSTAV HOLST - THE PLANETS, OP. 32
- Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jollity
- Saturn, The Bringer Of Old Age
3.. Uranus, The Magician
- Neptune, The Mystic
Side C: Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra
- Sehr Breit - Von Den Hinterweltlern
- Weniger Breit - Von Der Grossen Sehnsucht
- Bewegter - Von Den Freuden Und Leidenschaften
- Bewegt - Das Grablied
- Etwas Ruhiger, Ausdrucksvoll - Von Der Wissenschaft
- Sehr Langsam - Der Genesende. Energische
Side D: Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra
- Der Genesende
- Das Tanzlied
- Nachtwandlerlied
Side E: Paul Hindemith - Symphonie "Mathis Der Maler", Op. 50
- I. Engelkonzert. Ruhig Bewegt
- II. Grablegung. Sehr Langsam
- III. Versuchung Des Heiligen Antonius. Sehr Langsam, Frei Im Zeitmaß - Sehr Lebhaft
Side F: Paul Hindemith - Konzertmusik Für Streichorchester Und Blechbläser, Op. 50
- Erster Teil: Mässig Schnell, Mit Kraft - Sehr Breit, Aber Stets Fließend
- Zweiter Teil: Lebhaft - Langsam - Im Ersten Zeitmaß
Reviews :
“Also Sprach Zarathustra and The Planets are two of the evergreen orchestral spectaculars that every audiophile wants to take for a spin on their turntables to see just how good their system can sound. In the case of The Planets, every audiophile will already have his or her favorites: Mehta and the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Decca/London (and various reissue labels), Karajan and the VPO also on Decca/London, André Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra on EMI, to name a few. With Also Sprach Zarathustra again you’ve got established benchmarks like Karajan with the VPO for Decca/London (the recording used for 2001: A Space Odyssey), Mehta and the LAPO also for Decca/London, Karajan again on DG in the 1970s with the BPO (my personal favorite), and Solti with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on Decca/London (though only in its King Super Analogue incarnation; the original Decca was unforgivably squeezed onto one side of the record - what were they thinking!!).
But the Steinberg versions of both works with the BSO were always serious contenders for anyone that knew them, and that was before they get the sonic upgrade they will receive for their OSS reissue. Anyone who has been reading the coverage of the OSS series so far on this site (and/or bought all the OSS records so far), will know that the BSO recordings have been particularly successful. Both myself and my colleague here at TA, Michael Johnson, have really, really enjoyed the BSO releases, and I myself was reduced to a quivering mass of superlatives when reviewing Ozawa’s Symphonie Fantastique. (Yes, it really is that good!)” Tracking Angle
Only three recordings were made by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its then principal conductor William Steinberg for Deutsche Grammophon in 1970/71, but these recordings of 20th century masterpieces are still considered unsurpassed today. In a 3 LP set (3 gatefolds in a slipcase), Holst's The Planets, Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra and Hindemith's Mathis der Maler Suite as well as his Concert Music for Strings and Brass are released together.
For its 125th anniversary, Deutsche Grammophon is releasing legendary recordings in the highest sound quality: the new audiophile vinyl series The Original Source presents outstanding recordings of the 1970s in a completely new sound quality. For this, the renowned Emil Berliner Studios have remastered and edited the original four-track tapes in 100% analogue quality (AAA) using technologies specially developed for the production of the series. The sonic differences to the original releases are considerable: greater clarity, more subtleties and improvements in frequency response, at the same time less background noise, distortion and compression allow for an audiophile listening experience like never before.
Released on 180g vinyl records and in a deluxe edition with original covers and lyrics, the copies of this series are limited and numbered. They are accompanied by additional photos and facsimiles of the recording logs and tape boxes, and an article explains the exact technical background.
Ratings :
Discogs : 4.85 / 5