There is an old saying
that “the best things in life are free”. Of course, this could
be debated but here, perhaps, is a little supportive evidence.
What seems not to be in doubt is that the freeness of these downloads
is time-limited. Thus I have put together this brief summary having
heard all bar one of these recordings just once. The other one
I haven’t even heard yet – the Bruckner – but MusicWeb has a review
of what I assume is this performance on disc by John Quinn, and
experience suggests that it is unlikely that I would dissent from
his generally positive response. The Beethoven and Brahms have
also been issued on the RCO live label and reviewed
by JQ, these were a Bargain of the Month in June 2005.
I should first make
it clear what is involved: essentially a brief registration procedure
followed by e-mail verification. The website makes it clear that
the recordings are individual, personal use only. They are provided
as mp3 files at high specification – 320kbps and, with a reasonable
broadband connection, they could all be downloaded in a few hours.
They can then easily be burnt to CD using Windows Media Player.
The Bruckner is an exception in this respect because it is a single
file – as they all are, there are no “tracks” – over 80 minutes
long and won’t fit on to one CD. To solve this problem I downloaded
some free software called Audacity
(the 1.3 Beta version) enabling conversion to a wave file and
editing so as to split it into two parts. It would also be easy
enough to remove some loud and tedious verbals in Dutch which
follow the applause at the end of each performance. After editing
it is necessary to “export” the edited file – I did this in the
.wav format which takes up quite a lot of space on the computer
but retains the high-quality. Windows Media Player will happily
burn such a file to CD but if you want to export an edited file
back to the mp3 format then the quality seems to be reduced to
128kbps as the default. By putting the first movement of the Bruckner
after the Mahler and coupling Beethoven/Brahms, Franck/Saint-Saëns,
Schubert/Dvořák and Mendelssohn/Sibelius, I was able to fit
the whole lot onto 6 CDs. Covers for the CDs can also be downloaded
although they don't contain more information about performance
dates than is given above.
The results sound
pretty good and these recordings have plenty of presence. I suspect
that the comparable discs have been edited whereas here there
is rustling before the music starts, coughing between movements
and appreciative applause at the end. Wild cheering might be more
accurate in relation to Bernstein’s Mahler. As one would expect,
this is an interesting interpretation but it is also conspicuously
the least well played of the ten works, the brass having something
of an off-day. Apart from the Beethoven and Brahms seconds, which
are every bit as good as JQ suggests, Jansons’s Franck is also
a highlight although I thought his Sibelius 2 was not particularly
distinctive. Unfortunately a mobile phone goes off in a quiet
passage somewhere near the beginning of the second movement in
the Franck.
Giulini’s Dvořák
is another highlight and I also enjoyed Chung’s Organ Symphony
greatly. Harnoncourt’s Unfinished surprised me a little
(although perhaps nothing NH does should surprise one) – it is
very big-boned and full of gravitas. By contrast Kondrashin’s
Italian symphony is as light as a feather. Brass in the
Mahler apart, the orchestra is a joy to listen to and I shall
return to this collection with great pleasure, I am sure. If you’re
reading this post-31 December hard luck but you could investigate
the Beethoven/Brahms, Bruckner and Sibelius as they are available
on commercial SACD through the orchestra’s website.
I am grateful to
Tim Perry for alerting us to this pleasurable opportunity via
the bulletin board. Happy downloading!
Patrick C Waller
to celebrate the orchestra’s 120th anniversary
