2025-03-19 11:45:26 AM

Anders Sørensen Uth wrote:

I’ve had my set for a good week now. Haven’t listened to all the albums yet, but the ones I did listen to are really great. I love the big recording space.

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  2025-03-19 08:20:46 PM

  Mark Ward wrote:

  It's HUGE!!!!

2025-03-19 02:32:08 PM

Bryan M. wrote:

Thanks guys - great work! Unfortunately, the release date for these in the U.S. isn't until May 9th. Going to be hard to wait that long....

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  2025-03-19 08:21:13 PM

  Mark Ward wrote:

  I know, I know... It's worth the wait...

2025-03-19 02:39:43 PM

Come on wrote:

We are so fortunate to have those two here, so great to listen to them or read!

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  2025-03-19 08:21:51 PM

  Mark Ward wrote:

  Thanks so much! And am always happy to read your comments!

2025-03-19 02:50:42 PM

It’s a trap wrote:

My copy showed up last week and it’s fantastic on every level. Great performances, great Orchestra, superb remastering, extremely quiet pressings. Hall space goes on for days…This thing is gonna sell out pretty fast if it’s not already sold out. sometimes I’m a bit hesitant to buy a box set because I really only want one or two recordings. In this particular case all four are exceptionally well done. Luckily I ordered two sets just in case it turned out to be really good and I wear the first one out!

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  2025-03-19 08:22:54 PM

  Mark Ward wrote:

  OOH! Lucky you having your copy already. So glad you're enjoying it - it's really special!

2025-03-19 04:42:35 PM

EAD wrote:

Great content Mark and Michael!!! Thanks!!!

I have made some notes for myself for (the hunt on) some other performances, e.g. the Martha Argerich / Abbado Ravel. I am patiently waiting for my Ozawa Ravel OSS box to arrive. I am looking forward to the review on this box. Best wishes to you both.

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  2025-03-19 08:24:02 PM

  Mark Ward wrote:

  The Argerich Piano concerto is sensational. Your patience will be rewarded...

2025-03-19 06:44:48 PM

Roger Staton wrote:

A great discussion that I really enjoyed. Can we have more of these please with other composers? Classical records seem marginalised with few used to demonstrate the real ability of a HiFi system to really show its potential. Discussions like this can open eyes and ears.

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  2025-03-19 08:27:02 PM

  Mark Ward wrote:

  Thanks so much for the feedback and encouragement. We'll see what we can do. In fact, Tracking Angle is becoming home to a ton of classical content thanks to the support of our editor, Mr. Fremer, and my classical colleagues Michael Johnson, Paul Seydor, John Marks... And the support of you our readers, which is much appreciated.

2025-03-19 07:36:51 PM

Michael Fremer wrote:

When my set arrived i figured I'd start by getting "Bolero" "out of the way"....to get to the tastier stuff but wow! it's both a sonic and musical spectacular. Ozawa makes it explode and as It's a Trap wrote, the hall space goes on for days! When you get the box and think you'll just skip over the old warhorse, don't!

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  2025-03-19 08:11:20 PM

  Mark Ward wrote:

  I felt exactly the same way! It is now far and away my favorite recording of this piece which, quite frankly, I was dreading having to listen to again. As I say in my upcoming video review, Ozawa picks a perfect tempo and then springs the rhythm in such a way that you really can imagine it being danced (it was, after all, originally a ballet commission). I can only imagine how great this sounds on your system!

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  2025-03-19 10:47:19 PM

  Come on wrote:

  I had the same thought…an obsolete record in this set, the Munch Living Stereo is nice enough, the Tacet Release with inner groove start a nice obscurity, so good you mentioned its relevance.

  I just ordered the set and think Ozawa‘s transparency, as I got to know it from the Bizet, is quite a match for Ravel.

2025-03-19 08:16:18 PM

markhold wrote:

Really enjoyable and interesting discussion between Michael and Mark. I am looking forward to the reviews of the DG Ozawa set - which I suspect will induce me to purchase a copy.

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  2025-03-19 08:27:40 PM

  Mark Ward wrote:

  I suspect they will... Thanks!

2025-03-20 02:43:34 PM

Thomas Ream wrote:

Great orchestrators should include Tchaikovsky (thanks for mentioning, Mark) and Berlioz. I am awaiting my set with great anticipation.

2025-03-21 04:24:23 PM

Thomas Ream wrote:

I believe the BSO concertmaster you mention was Joseph Silverstein. Munch had a very interesting history, one that I learned only recently - he was indeed born in Alsace, but at a time when it was part of Germany and actually served in the German army in WWI. He later was a concertmaster for several German orchestras, under Abendroth, Furtwangler and Walter...he was trained in both Germany and France. Besides his expertise in Berlioz, Debussy, Ravel and others, he also recorded German classics extensively. One noted critic lists his recording or Schubert's Great C-Major as one of the best...

2025-03-21 04:29:22 PM

Thomas Ream wrote:

I was intrigued to learn that your joint recommendation for L'Enfant et les Sortileges is the Ansermet recording....I had thought that the Maazel was the consensus choice there. I plan to pick up a copy of the Ansermet....I see a number of reissues, including one on Richmond Stereo Treasury, that I presume would sound close to a Decca original. I heard Maazel conduct Ravel a couple of times, including a performance of Daphnis and Chloe at the Vienna State Opera (coupled with Firebird - a marvelous evening). I also heard Dutoit conduct Ravel a few times with the SF Symphony - he drew fantastic results from that orchestra, and it was a sad day when he was caught up in the Me Too movement.

2025-03-25 03:20:03 PM

Darryl Lindberg wrote:

I have a Martinon box set of Ravel's orchestral music on EMI (SLS 5016) that I haven't played in ages, but I seem to remember it being pretty good. As you guys pointed out, the Testament Cluytens is outstanding. I'm sure the originals are great, but they are way beyond my budget

2025-03-26 01:13:18 AM

Come on wrote:

Got the box now and wow. I'm definitely no blind OSS fan boy, but this set should be bought for the Ma mere record alone. As expected the transparency of Ozawa's Ravel and those recordings is outstanding as well as dynamics and room depth. Daphnis is absolutely not my favorite music and this choir piece is difficult to hear on recordings anyway imo, but this is the only one to miss out for me. Comparing with the sound quality of the old Reference Recordings Master Cuts shows that sometimes the one or the other wins in terms of realism and it gets obvious once more, that DGG usually does neither have midrange magic nor solid richness compared to others, but the incredible dynamics, the very transparent, clean and distortion free sound is really stunning on the Ma Mere, the Valses and the Bolero record and better the Reference Recordings at least in dynamics all the way, quite like a direct to disc. Bolero itself again (as Daphnis) with no midrange magic at all (the music and the sound) but again transparent, dynamic and spacious. Side 2 of it sounds very good generally again. Compared to other audiophile releases the interpretation of this whole set certainly wins.

I'd rate the sound of Ma Mere 10 (11 is reserved for the ultimate vinyl sound of which there are many even better sounding classical records than any DGG imo), Valses and Bolero 9-10 and Daphnis 8-9. I guess ratings here will be one up.

I really can recommend buying this set, it sounds fantastic for the most part. Mostly on level of the Bizet, at least of the Mahler 6.

If you buy, take a close look, my Ma Mere has a visible and audible pressing defect and has to be sent back.