Mario_b
During the analog recording era, DGG orchestra recordings were, as you point out, a very miss and miss affair, particularly after about 1971. The orchestral recordings from the 1960s and earlier are often quite good. The difference was the move by DGG engineers into vastly over-miked territory after the 1960s.
On the other hand, DGG recordings of chamber and small ensemble music from the analog era are often extremely well recorded and rarely seemed suffered from the multi-miked malaise. I do not pass these up. Examples of well engineered DGG recordings from the analog recording era include:
Orchestral...
Shostakovich, Sym 10, Karajan/BerlinPO, 139020
...(NOT the later mess on 2532030)
Beethoven, Pf Conc 1, Leitner/BerlinPO, Kempff, 138774
Tchaikovsky, Sym 5, Mravinsky/LeningradPO, 138658
Chamber...
Stravinsky, Octet for Wind Instruments, Boston Symphony Players, 2530 551
Stravinsky, Dumbarton Oaks, Boulez/Ensemble Intercontemporain, 2531378
Stravinsky, L'Histoire du Soldat, Boston Symphony Players, 2530609
Beethoven, Pf Trio in B, op97 (Archduke), Kempff -pf, Szeryng -vn, Fournier -vc, 2530147
Zemlinsky, Str Qt 2, LaSalle Qt, 2530982
All of my listening is to the LP versions, so I can't speak to the quality of any CD transfers for any of these. But the recording quality on the master tape is certainly evident.
.
During the analog recording era, DGG orchestra recordings were, as you point out, a very miss and miss affair, particularly after about 1971. The orchestral recordings from the 1960s and earlier are often quite good. The difference was the move by DGG engineers into vastly over-miked territory after the 1960s.
On the other hand, DGG recordings of chamber and small ensemble music from the analog era are often extremely well recorded and rarely seemed suffered from the multi-miked malaise. I do not pass these up. Examples of well engineered DGG recordings from the analog recording era include:
Orchestral...
Shostakovich, Sym 10, Karajan/BerlinPO, 139020
...(NOT the later mess on 2532030)
Beethoven, Pf Conc 1, Leitner/BerlinPO, Kempff, 138774
Tchaikovsky, Sym 5, Mravinsky/LeningradPO, 138658
Chamber...
Stravinsky, Octet for Wind Instruments, Boston Symphony Players, 2530 551
Stravinsky, Dumbarton Oaks, Boulez/Ensemble Intercontemporain, 2531378
Stravinsky, L'Histoire du Soldat, Boston Symphony Players, 2530609
Beethoven, Pf Trio in B, op97 (Archduke), Kempff -pf, Szeryng -vn, Fournier -vc, 2530147
Zemlinsky, Str Qt 2, LaSalle Qt, 2530982
All of my listening is to the LP versions, so I can't speak to the quality of any CD transfers for any of these. But the recording quality on the master tape is certainly evident.
.