08 November 2012

Peter Pears & Benjamin Britten - HMV 1942-1950

Benjamin Britten:  Seven Sonnets of Michaelangelo, op.22    Recorded: 20 November 1942
Benjamin Britten:  The Holy Sonnets of John Donne, op.35    Recorded: 29 Aug./12 Dec.1947   
Benjamin Britten:  Five Folk Song arrangements    Recorded: 27 Aug.1947 & 29 Sept./15 Nov.1950   
Percy Grainger:  2 Songs    Recorded: 15 November 1950   
Aaron Copland:  5 Old American Songs    Recorded: 29/30 Sept.1950                                         
Franz Schubert:  "Im Fruhling"  /  "Auf der Bruck"    Recorded: 29 Sept./15 Nov.1950    
Henry Purcell (arr.Britten):  "The Queen's Epicedium"    Recorded: 30 August 1947
Henry Purcell:  Fantasia no.13 in F    (Benjamin Britten, viola -&- The Zorian String Quartet)    Recorded: 4 November 1946  
Peter Pears, Tenor -&- Benjamin Britten, piano                        8 files zip FLAC  Mega Download  
HMV  RLS 748  (2LP)   1980 pressings/matrices: 2XEA 6870-73 -1/-1/-1/-1    Transfers by Bryan Crimp (now substantially edited/repaired..)
Exceptional singing (especially the Sonnets / Epicedium). Aside from Schubert: 'Fruhling'  (muffled, as per the 78), these 78 transfers are mostly very vivid indeed.  
The 1952 Argo: Tippett / Mewton-Wood accompanied recordings are on  The Music Parlour       Sleeve-notes, Song-Texts / Full composition details + John Donne text >>>
 

4 comments:

  1. i was glad to see Purcell's Queens Epicedium, but in Britten's arrangement... don't know.
    his version of 'Mad Bess of Bedlam' sung by Ferrier was a shock for me.
    let some other Purcell lover gives me an advice: is this arrangement of 'Incassum Lesbia rogas' worth 2 or 3 times listening?

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  2. Wonderful! Thanks for this album. A question aside the music: how do you manage to make such beautiful scans from your LP albums?

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    1. Hello Satyr: Well - they ARE better than yours/a few others (!!!!)...but the scanner I use (Canon 670 - cost almost nothing from eBay - 10yo model) has been faulty for some 2 years as I've used it so much - with, previously, possibly a 1000+ separate scans for 'Cast Album Collector' LP covers.

      If you saw the 'raw' scan (after being compiled from 4 images) you would not be so complimentary, as an individual scan is now very 'damaged' - bad lines/lighting inconsistency; looks a real mess compared to its previous performance.

      These decent results are mostly only obtainable with images that have single colour blocks - where I can use 'in-fill' (there is some 'bleeding' onto Britten's cheek..) viag the ancient PhotoStudio2000 supplied with the Scanner (in an equally ancient Dell 98SE Desktop...).

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