[78-L] Reiner

[DAVID BURNHAM]

I've just arrived in Florida for my semi-annual escape.  Last  year I listened to three sets as I came down, the Mercury Living Presence boxes, (which contain consistantly fine performances and reliably good sound), the Toscanini edition, (which reminded me just how powerful and precise his performances were but the reproduction ranged from quite good to poor and distorted) and the Westminster Box, (which just seems to be a handful of records with no relevance to each other and wretched sound with tweeter frying highs, I don't know if anyone on this list is responsible for these transfers as there are no mastering credits).

This year I just got the complete Reiner/Chicago box and, so far, the sound is spectacular.  Each CD is in a facsimile of the original LP cover and, (unlike the "original jackets" collection), each CD has a reproduction of the actual label of side one of the original LP.  Many of these masterings were done by the exceptionally talented Jon Samuels.  A sticker on the box indicates that the latest technology was used to produce these CDs, including SACD and XRCD.  I assume this means that some of the CDs are actually SACDs but I can't check that because I just have my car CD player to play them on and since each jacket is an exact replica of the original, there's no indication there.  The CD containing the 1954 "Also Sprach Zarathustra" actually also contains an extra cut which isn't indicated on the jacket.  Also some of the jackets indicate only mono when, in fact, the CD is stereo, for example the CD containing R. Strauss' "Don Juan" and Liebermann's
 "Concerto for Jazz Band".  This is the first time I've heard the Liebermann in Stereo without a lot of distortion. There is an "Eroica" which the booklet says was recorded in Stereo but this CD is certainly mono.  One disappointment, (but this is probably just my own miss-information), is that I have a box set of LPs of Reiner conducting Bach Orchestral Suites which I was looking forward to having on CD but they aren't here.  I assume when I get back to Toronto I'll find out it's not the Chicago Symphony.

But so far I'm thrilled with this box set and these observations are just after listening to the first 5 CDs.

db