Electrostat
pfm Member
This is one of the finer big box sets I've heard, I picked this one up recently and here is my 2p worth on it:
Last night I did a level matched comparison with the Backhaus Complete Decca Recordings vs the Japan first pressing CD box set of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas mono cycle (POCL-3471/8). The new Complete box is exceptionally well mastered, all of the hiss and crackle of that noisy 1950s tape formulation is left intact as well as the space between the notes in the higher registers of the piano. It essentially sounds pretty much the same as the Japan box set; the booklet says these are newly remastered in 24/96, the newer remastering did very little (or did nothing) to the transfers just like the Japan box.
I also compared the original (either late 80s or early 90s) Live in Ossiach Decca CD and the new CD sounds pretty much the same.
I wish the Decca engineers were able to record more Backhaus live, some of the bootlegs sound pretty lousy. Backhaus even at his last live recordings often sounds like himself 10 or 15 years ago in his less measured approach.
Last night I did a level matched comparison with the Backhaus Complete Decca Recordings vs the Japan first pressing CD box set of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas mono cycle (POCL-3471/8). The new Complete box is exceptionally well mastered, all of the hiss and crackle of that noisy 1950s tape formulation is left intact as well as the space between the notes in the higher registers of the piano. It essentially sounds pretty much the same as the Japan box set; the booklet says these are newly remastered in 24/96, the newer remastering did very little (or did nothing) to the transfers just like the Japan box.
I also compared the original (either late 80s or early 90s) Live in Ossiach Decca CD and the new CD sounds pretty much the same.
I wish the Decca engineers were able to record more Backhaus live, some of the bootlegs sound pretty lousy. Backhaus even at his last live recordings often sounds like himself 10 or 15 years ago in his less measured approach.