When Audite released their box set of Furtwängler's complete RIAS recordings, they had access to the original master tapes from the radio archives. This made their edition stand out from all previous releases. They have restored the recordings to quite some extent. They seem to have applied noise reduction in a quite competent way; I hear no artifacts.
However, they explictly state that the "aim of the edition was to reproduce the sound as it would have been originally. It has not been adjusted for today's listening habits". As a result, some tracks in the published edition sound less than ideal. For example, the May 25, 1947 concert (CD 1 of the edition) sounds thin and tinny.
In my remastering, I aimed to achieve the best possible orchestral sound through equalization and a slight expansion of the dynamics. That worked even better than I expected. The result demonstrates how well the recording has preserved the sound (after all, the tapes were running at a speed of 76 cm/s). The orchestral sound is now full and rich, all frequencies are there, from the deep bass to the highest overtones of the flutes. The recording now makes it possible to hear the beautiful orchestral sound that Furtwängler was able to achieve. It is a constant source of pure delight.
Complete RIAS Recordings CD 01:
Wilhelm Furtwängler, Berliner Philharmoniker
Titania-Palast Berlin, 25 May 1947
Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 'Pastorale':
I. Erwachen heiterer Empfindungen bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande. Allegro ma non troppo (11:05)
II. Szene am Bach. Andante molto mosso (12:59)
III. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute. Allegro (05:33)
IV. Gewitter, Sturm. Allegro (04:05)
V. Hirtengesang, frohe und dankbare Gefühle nach dem Sturm. Allegretto (08:42)
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67:
I. Allegro con brio (08:14)
II. Andante con moto (10:36)
III. Allegro (05:48)
IV. Allegro (08:00)
https://mega.nz/file/8dtyVApD#1di_qgyMrlINFQ--2fGSZJG5raR91xezJWajy6RJtiU
ReplyDeleteThank you, I will listen to this work. Not being at all competent, I ask myself these 2 questions:
ReplyDelete- how can you do better than Audite without using the original tapes from the radio archives?
- I don't know if you're a professional, but if you're an amateur, how can you explain that professionals can be outclassed?
Well, they could have done, if they only had tried. Audite's approach seems to be minimal intrusion, which I absolutely appreciate in comparison with the noise reduction excesses of the past that killed many recordings. But here the upper midrange was far too prominent, which led to a tinny sound. I tried to achieved a balanced overall spectrum (plus a few other tweaks like expanding the dynamics, i.e. the sound pressure level ratio between the loudest and the softest parts). Just let your ears judge.
ReplyDeleteThank you. If you had the tapes, could you have gone further, because frankly the sound is...ungrateful?
ReplyDeleteI think the people at Audite did a pretty good job with the tape transfer. We have to keep in mind that this is a 1947 recording, and I bet that they recorded the orchestra with a single microphone. At the time of the transfer, the tapes were around 70 years old. I think the present version goes as far as we can get without software reconstruction of missing frequencies. One remark: It has to be heard at a relatively high volume to sound convincing. And your ears will adapt.
ReplyDelete