Just listening to Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker Suite, on my pair of VTA ST70's. I don't listen to a lot of classical music but I probably should! Just flat out fantastic!!!
+4
Gregg R.
ArlanB
sKiZo
kaner
8 posters
Tube Christmas
sKiZo- Posts : 1530
Join date : 2013-04-01
Location : Michigan USA
- Post n°2
Re: Tube Christmas
Only old farts listen to classical music ...
Me included. ;-}
Never had much in the collection - more of a prog rock kinda guy - but I picked up on the Decca box collection last year. Wasn't long after I got the second edition of the Mercury Living Presence box set. By then, I'd missed the first printing of their first box set, and the prices had gone sky high from hoarders. Few months back, they re-issued, and I got it then.
The equivalent of several hundred albums all told, and some of the finest recordings made. Becoming quite the fan - at least until the fat lady sings. Still not much on opera, but fortunately there's not a lot of that in the collections.
PS ... does Doctor Demento's Christmas Collection count as a holiday classic?
Me included. ;-}
Never had much in the collection - more of a prog rock kinda guy - but I picked up on the Decca box collection last year. Wasn't long after I got the second edition of the Mercury Living Presence box set. By then, I'd missed the first printing of their first box set, and the prices had gone sky high from hoarders. Few months back, they re-issued, and I got it then.
The equivalent of several hundred albums all told, and some of the finest recordings made. Becoming quite the fan - at least until the fat lady sings. Still not much on opera, but fortunately there's not a lot of that in the collections.
PS ... does Doctor Demento's Christmas Collection count as a holiday classic?
ArlanB- Posts : 73
Join date : 2011-01-23
Age : 76
Location : Santa Cruz, California
- Post n°3
Re: Tube Christmas
How many of you had your parents as music teachers? Both of my parents taught music in elementary school in the early 1950's so I had a strong foundation in classical music. I have my 50's & 60' rock 'n' roll and my 70's & 80's rock collection, however I spend most of my listening to my classical collection that I amassed over the last 55 years. The thing that is so fantastic is how the music sounds on my present system. All I can say is Bob and Roy's kits have taken my music enjoyment to a level I though only obtainable by having very deep pockets.
ArlanB.
ArlanB.
Gregg R.- Posts : 88
Join date : 2014-02-20
Age : 79
Location : Land of 11,842 Lakes
- Post n°4
Tube Christmas
A good, inexpensive collection of early classical music is the Vivarte collection from Sony. It's available from that A to Z place for about a buck a disc.
Vivarte boxset
ImportCDs in the Amazon marketplace has it for about $53 including shipping.
Gregg R.
Vivarte boxset
ImportCDs in the Amazon marketplace has it for about $53 including shipping.
Gregg R.
Last edited by Gregg R. on Mon Dec 15, 2014 8:08 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : More info)
kaner- Posts : 93
Join date : 2011-09-20
- Post n°5
Re: Tube Christmas
THE only time I ever listened to classical music was when my dad ran it on his "hifi". Maybe it rubbed off on me, but the clarity and distinction that i get from my tube amps gives me a new appreciation.
richtp- Posts : 49
Join date : 2011-11-18
Location : Sterling MI
- Post n°6
Re: Tube Christmas
I like to listen to Toccata and Fugue (Bach) on my ST-70, sounds great! I too am mostly a rock lover, but it's nice to break out the classical stuff from time to time.
BTW...lately I have been listening to some Benny Goodman and Harry James big band stuff on old 78's.
BTW...lately I have been listening to some Benny Goodman and Harry James big band stuff on old 78's.
sKiZo- Posts : 1530
Join date : 2013-04-01
Location : Michigan USA
- Post n°7
Re: Tube Christmas
Gregg R. wrote:A good, inexpensive collection of early classical music is the Vivarte collection from Sony. It's available from that A to Z place for about a buck a disc.
Thanx and a tip o'the hat for that. Have to add it to the collection.
The Mercury collections are more like $3 a disk, but people forget that's at least a couple LPs worth on each. I figured it out to around 160 "albums" per box set. That's a LOT of music!
I'm still hoping Readers Digest remasters some of their old collections. This one's pretty choice ...
I got the vinyl box set at the local GW on the cheap and most are in excellent condition (some apparently never played), but some not so good. I downloaded an MP3 version from Amazon, but those are actually worse ... the music is good enough I can ignore the pops and clicks, though it'd still be nice to hear it in all it's original glory. I've emailed RD a couple times reminding them there's money to be made there, but no response. Then again, even the pristine vinyl in the collection has a lot of noise, so maybe it was just bad to begin with.
kaner wrote:THE only time I ever listened to classical music was when my dad ran it on his "hifi". Maybe it rubbed off on me, but the clarity and distinction that i get from my tube amps gives me a new appreciation.
My folks listened to country and Mantovani Strings ... truth be told, I've never had an urge to recreate the experience ... (shudder) ...
Roy Mottram- Admin
- Posts : 1840
Join date : 2008-11-30
- Post n°8
Re: Tube Christmas
Classical Music - that's the good stuff from the 60s and 70s, right? Top 40!!
OK
the only REAL classical music I listened to that I liked was Holst- The Planets,
I had this version . . . .
http://www.amazon.com/Planets-Isao-Tomita/dp/B000VI6KWS/ref=sr_1_68_twi_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1419375598&sr=1-68&keywords=holst+the+planets
OK
the only REAL classical music I listened to that I liked was Holst- The Planets,
I had this version . . . .
http://www.amazon.com/Planets-Isao-Tomita/dp/B000VI6KWS/ref=sr_1_68_twi_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1419375598&sr=1-68&keywords=holst+the+planets
gener8r- Posts : 61
Join date : 2012-04-28
- Post n°9
Re: Tube Christmas
Tchaikovsky is the one composer of "Classical" music I admire and appreciate. I always listen to The Nutcracker at least once around this time of year. It's also the one Ballet I can attend and watch (live) which is quite a divergence as I'm more of a blues/rock and roll, action movie type.
You can pick up 1/2 speed copies of The Nutcracker on fleabay for cheap. I paid about $10.00 for mine. Just don't try to buy it near the Holidays.
You can also pick up the 1/2 speed MFSL issue of "The 1812 Overture" relatively inexpensively there also. I think I paid around $30.00 for mine, which is what new MFSL issues sell for. I consider this his best piece of work and this is one exceptional recording and pressing. Want to know what your system can handle? If the cannon shots don't make your needle mistrack or blow out your speakers you got something!
Happy Holidays to all.
You can pick up 1/2 speed copies of The Nutcracker on fleabay for cheap. I paid about $10.00 for mine. Just don't try to buy it near the Holidays.
You can also pick up the 1/2 speed MFSL issue of "The 1812 Overture" relatively inexpensively there also. I think I paid around $30.00 for mine, which is what new MFSL issues sell for. I consider this his best piece of work and this is one exceptional recording and pressing. Want to know what your system can handle? If the cannon shots don't make your needle mistrack or blow out your speakers you got something!
Happy Holidays to all.
sKiZo- Posts : 1530
Join date : 2013-04-01
Location : Michigan USA
- Post n°10
Re: Tube Christmas
gener8r wrote:
You can also pick up the 1/2 speed MFSL issue of "The 1812 Overture" relatively inexpensively there also. I think I paid around $30.00 for mine, which is what new MFSL issues sell for. I consider this his best piece of work and this is one exceptional recording and pressing. Want to know what your system can handle? If the cannon shots don't make your needle mistrack or blow out your speakers you got something!
“very loud and noisy and completely without artistic merit, obviously written without warmth or love ...”
The very best rendition of all time IMHO has to be Antal Dorati and the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. It's in the Mercury Living Presence box set and recorded with their proprietary three mike one pass system to 35mm tape with no post editing. Uses the actual French cannons Tchaikovsky specified in the score as well as the same cathedral bells he would have been listening to when writing the piece. Hard to beat that for realism. I've got the original vinyl also, and yes ... those cannons WILL test your system, as well as your home's foundation.
Oh. And in case anyone's wondering, the above quote was from the master himself. He thought of it as trite pandering to the masses ... little did he know it would one day be enshrined in memory as evidenced by the following clip ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bn1IYlKiZk
Maintarget- Posts : 227
Join date : 2013-02-10
- Post n°11
Re: Tube Christmas
Check out LINN Records for free download of 25 songs some good stuff!!
http://www.linn.co.uk/christmas
http://www.linn.co.uk/christmas
sKiZo- Posts : 1530
Join date : 2013-04-01
Location : Michigan USA
- Post n°12
Re: Tube Christmas
Free? Free is good!
Thanx for the link ... put some leftover "end of the month" download bits to good use.
PS ... I downsized the album cover for digital collectors ...
http://www.brainfartz.com/images/Stereo%20Stuff/misc/24-bits-of-Christmas-2014--.jpg
... and don't forget to download the track list!
Thanx for the link ... put some leftover "end of the month" download bits to good use.
PS ... I downsized the album cover for digital collectors ...
http://www.brainfartz.com/images/Stereo%20Stuff/misc/24-bits-of-Christmas-2014--.jpg
... and don't forget to download the track list!
Gregg R.- Posts : 88
Join date : 2014-02-20
Age : 79
Location : Land of 11,842 Lakes
- Post n°13
Tube Christmas
Thanks to MainTarget for the link to Linn Records free download. (see above)
Two hours of varied high resolution music! Takes a while to download from Scotland at 24/192. The offer is valid until Jan. 6, the Orthodox Christmas.
I didn't know you could play the J.S. Bach A Minor Toccata/Fugue on a fiddle, but the violinist gives it a go! Doesn't match the version on a freshly restored "Mighty Wurlitzer" I heard some years ago; the entire theater shook and swayed at the conclusion of the Fugue!! Almost got me to church the next Sunday.
Two hours of varied high resolution music! Takes a while to download from Scotland at 24/192. The offer is valid until Jan. 6, the Orthodox Christmas.
I didn't know you could play the J.S. Bach A Minor Toccata/Fugue on a fiddle, but the violinist gives it a go! Doesn't match the version on a freshly restored "Mighty Wurlitzer" I heard some years ago; the entire theater shook and swayed at the conclusion of the Fugue!! Almost got me to church the next Sunday.
» Another problem with my ST-70 build.......Rectifier tube flashed and now dead Right Rear Tube......any ideas?
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» Bent / Splayed Power Tube Pins KT88 - Octal Tube Pin Straightener
» Glass piece inside output tube and tube placement
» I got a Chi-Amp for Christmas!
» Merry Christmas to all and thank you all for supporting this forum