More of the Music of Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880)
More Reviews and Commentaries for Gaite Parisienne
Our Favorite Performance of Gaite Parisienne – Fistoulari on Readers Digest
Sonic Grade: F
The last time I played the Classic I thought it was nothing but a smeary mess, as awful as their awful Scheherazade. If I were to play it today, I’m guessing it would join the other Classic Records entries in our Audiophile Hall of Shame.
Here are some other records we played and found had smeary strings. They did not last long on our turntable.
I love Arthur Fiedler‘s performance with the Boston Pops and the 1954 two track RCA Living Stereo sound, but finding an original Shaded Dog pressing in clean condition under $500 with the right stampers (something above 10 as a rule) is all but impossible nowadays.
If you want to go that way, more power to you.
This 1954 2-track recording is RCA’s first stereo recording of the work. 1954. Can you believe it? A few mics and two channels and it blows away most of the classical recordings ever done! Some old record collectors and tube lovers say classical recording quality ain’t what it used to be. This record proves it.
Further Reading
Here are some other records that are good for testing string tone and texture.
Can we really be hearing all these things that nobody else seems to be hearing? For example:
- The Opacity of Londons from the Seventies
- Smear on Violin Concerto Records
- Acoustic Guitars with a Bit Too Much Sparkle
- Boosted, Sloppy Bass on Half-Speeds and Modern Heavy Vinyl LPs
- Shrillness on EMI Recordings from the ’70s
Not to mention the fact that we have played a lot of these kinds of records and found them seriously wanting:
If audiophiles and audiophile reviewers are hearing these things on the records they review, in magazines and audiophile forums, why aren’t they discussing them?