The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

De Soto Frank wrote:"Wagner's music is better than it sounds."

- Mark Twain

Or, to quote Anna Russell and her 20 minute version of the Ring cycle,

"I'M NOT MAKING THIS UP YOU KNOW"



Look for it on Youtube if you've never seen it...

Oh, and Snopes says the quote isn't Twain:
http://www.snopes.com/quotes/twain.asp

celticguitar666 wrote:...same as when the needle drops on that vintage shellac and hearing something few others can...

...and then it stops abruptly...that's what I can't get over. My Naxos CDs arrived this morning and I've played the Beethoven twice, once in the van and a second time at home. It's a pretty good transfer, but in my view you can't beat the sound of an acoustic gramophone for this music. My feeling about the recording running out of steam in the last movement hasn't changed after listening to it without breaks. Perhaps it's the piece runs out of steam - what do I know! I guess I'm almost hooked, I will be looking for more classical albums in future, but probably focussing on lieder. Having said that if I get the opportunity to buy more recordings by this trio I will take them.

Wow! Who would've thought the Archduke Trio would have generated this much response. To me, the greatest movement of the Archduke Trio is the third, with a sublime theme and a set of glorious variations andante cantabile. Read B. H. Haggin's The New Listener's Companion and Record Guide, Horizon Press c. 1968 where he discusses this movement with notation at some length. I have some old classical albums. One of the oldest is a 1924 Columbia set of a Haydn String Quartet played by the Lener Quartet of Budapest on the Columbia banner label! That's about as old as classical albums get. I have a huge classical album library which eats up an entire bedroom because a local record collector said to come and take all his classical for free. Since I have many duplicates, I'm looking to weed the collection due to its space.

In keeping with the discussion of changing discs for long recordings, I decided to haul out my....Orthophonic set of La Boheme, M-35, which seemed an appropriate choice for another long, snowy day. Thirteen records, twenty-six sides on my 8-35X. It made for a pleasant afternoon post-shoveling. I loved the conducting, the Mimi (Torri) was charming, but the Rodolfo (Giorgini) seemed to be past his carton date. Back on the shelf for a future snowfall. Spoiler: Mimi dies.