Dudamel/LAPO/DG M8th CD to be released (NMI)

[John Kim]

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[barryguerrero]

John, what is "NMI"?    .     .     .   I can't find any reference to this through Google. I'm assuming it's one that he did more recently in Disney Hall, and not the earlier one from Caracas. It can't be the Salzburg Festival one, because that was with his big Venezuelan youth orchestra.

[John Kim]

Barry,

Here is the information:

https://www.udiscovermusic.com/classical-news/gustavo-dudamel-mahler-symphony-8/?fbclid=IwAR02Xc0BnyjHyJJzWzLQHjjD7xlHa-wm9tLliAauOekwylfwuPjoFpBeSFk

It was recorded in June 2019 and will be released next month.

NMI = no message included

[barryguerrero]

This says pretty much the same thing, but this is from DG's website:  https://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/artists/gustavodudamel/news/gustavo-dudamel-and-the-los-angeles-philharmonic-create-immersive-symphonic-experience-262966       


I don't get this. Do we get a frickin' CD or not? I guess I'm just getting too old, along with everyone else I know.

[ChrisH]

I would guess that there will be CD, or at the very least, a download available. The Dolby Atmos stuff would be only through Itunes; again this only a guess on my part. The technical parts of atmos are something that I won't get in to here, but if you stream this with through anything with 5+ channels, you will get a very immersive experience. Or, if you're listening on headphones through something that has Atmos decoding, you will get a more 'out of the head' listening experience, and surely a more palpable sound stage if you use open backed headphones. Most cell phones have Atmos decoding.

A better headphone experience is what they are truly after with this. Speakers are on the way out.

[barryguerrero]

They said that about cassette tapes, and most used CD stores sell cassettes just fine.

[erikwilson7]

I just listened to this and unfortunately for me this one's a real dud. 75 minutes and it feels rushed, and the engineering lacks impact. He gets all the details right, though. It reminds me of a quick version of Boulez's with better tams at the end.

Unfortunate, because Dudamel came out with a groundbreaking M3 on the same day.

[barryguerrero]

Where did you hear it?   

[erikwilson7]

I subscribe to a streaming service called Primephonic which allows you to stream 16-bit and 24-bit lossless, and I think they put it on Primephonic earlier for that exact reason. It may be on Idagio too, which also allows lossless streaming. Maybe it's on Apple music now too? I know that was kind of the whole idea on DG's part with the Atmos recording quality or whatever it is.

Still learning what that all means, ha.

[erikwilson7]

You can do a two-week free trial of Primephonic and Idagio.

[barryguerrero]

Thanks. OK, I heard it now. The problem with the end of Part II, aside from the somewhat quick tempo, is that Dudamel likes to use three pairs of cymbals. If you're going to do that, then you need two large tam-tams, not just one (preferably a 50" and a 40"). Also, have the cymbals strike just slightly after the tam-tams. Somebody did that - I think it was your Feltz guy - and it worked great (Haenchen removed the cymbals altogether, which I don't think is really a solution either). 

On the plus side, I really like that I could hear ALL of the offstage brass parts at the end of Part 1, and the Children's chorus sounded much, MUCH larger than usual. The tenor, Simon O'Neill, was fairly decent too. If DG issues this on a plain-old CD, I'll buy it. Hopefully, it won't sound like it was recorded in a bathtub.

[erikwilson7]

I don’t think it’s bad, I just find it to be fairly average. I genuinely hope that others like it more than I do. Maybe I just need to listen again.

Meanwhile I’m loving Dudamel’s M3!

[barryguerrero]

Agreed. No argument. Besides, we'll eventually have the Rattle/Berlin Phil. M8 with John Botha (tenor) and a generally good supporting cast. That might be hard to beat.

Also, Dudamel did a very good M8 at the Salzburg Festival with his big Venezuelan youth orchestra. It's easy to get a 'pirate' of that (I have one). I wish somebody would issue the wonderful M8 Welser-Most did with the Vienna Phil. in the Konzerthaus a couple of years ago.