Interpretation
In classical music there can be a plethora of performances of the same popular work, each one differing in interpretation and sound quality. The question is which performance are you going to buy or stream? What are the criteria that will influence you? How important is sound quality? Or Is interpretation your primary concern? Of course the ideal is get a combination of both,
I am in the midst of comparing complete sets of Mozart piano concertos and the old favorites such as Brendel and Perahia are great but lacking in modern sound .So I find myself gravitating more towards later good interpretations in better sound
So, which do you lean towards?
I would place interpretation over sound quality, but I like to get both. My one-stop-shop for advice and purchase is Presto Music | Buy classical & opera CDs, DVDs & Blu-rays. They often list hundreds of versions, sorted by 'best' first, with review summaries from respected sources including Gramophone, plus track samples. You can order physical media. You can stream from them too. Look for Recommended in the listing. |
Audiophile status is a transitory active state for me betwen my first complete "ignoramus state" and my actual passive audiophile state of being : Listening music without being bothered too much by sound and anyway with no money and no knowledge and no time to adress it was my first state.. Then with a budget, time, and studying and experimenting being an active audiophile whose goal is aimed to reach what i called : M.A.S. T. (Minimal acoustical satisfaction threshold) ... This threshold ask for four optimization processes : mechanical,electrical,acoustical & DSP ... Once this M.A.S.T. level is reached i became a passive audiophile and a more active musical lover happy on all counts ... This is my actual state... I always enjoy interpretation over S.Q. but i can appreciate the two when they meet... They often meet ... But nothing certainly not recording quality will make me put aside for example the greatest interpretation in my book of Liszt pieces, so badly recorded they were, and they are ...I listened to them time to time over most well recorded one anytime... Emotions is not sound,but through it, shine through bad recordings as the sun shine through a fabric veil ... |
Sound Quality is the primary for me. There are plenty of good performances and the difference between the historical best and modern is not significant to me. |
Sound quality is first for all including me to be clear... Once this is said.... I refuse to put aside some badly recording masterpieces why ? Because we feel the emotions and no sound quality even most of the best maestros in the world can replace Furtwangler on a 5 cent battery radio ...( or any others miraculous artists) Then the question from this thread makes sense only for people able to put aside all masterpieces and forgot about them if they are badly recorded ... ( the Op being a musician understand me here ) This means some listen only to sound superficial esthetical presentation not to the core of music emotional pulse and they pick albums for their system shining coat valor not for the nude beating heart of the playing musician... Sorry but some musician someday are irreplaceable... The essence of music is linked to this miracle...
«I never meet my mother and she played piano. I have only a bad recording of his playings. I am an audiophile then i never listened to "this" for sure »-- Anonymus audiophile |
Here is my take after reading many responses. Imagine that we could go back in time to 1930 and listen to a live performance by Adolf Busch playing Bach’s Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004. Then we go through the time machine again and listen to Hilary Hahn in 2026 performing the same work in the same concert hall. Would there be a large difference in terms of sound quality? I suspect the answer would be no. However, because of the poor recording equipment and techniques available 100 years ago, we are forced to endure inferior sound quality in historical recordings. Disappointment sets in when one expects the real performance itself to be vastly better and, without a second thought, assumes that our home audio systems are capable of reproducing—or even surpassing—the actual live listening experience. Poor recording quality can also distort our perception of the interpretation itself—not just the sound. Timbre, dynamics, emotional expression, phrasing, and even ornamentation can all be compromised, making it difficult to judge the performer’s true artistic intent and execution. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzyheU9DH5E (193x; 13:48) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai8NiHI1-eo (2005; 17:48)
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