To cull or not to cull? Mozart / Böhm

[Roland van Gaalen]

YES, I'm going to cull:

- Mozart / Requiem / Vienna Philh (etc) / Karl Böhm / 1971
DG 413 553-2
Reason: boring, bloated (even ghastly, according to some opinions stated
in this forum)

- Mozart / Symphonies 35-41 / Berlin Philh / Karl Böhm / 1962, 1966
Reason: rather dull on the whole, not elegant
DG 447 416-2 (2 CDs)

In my case, culling a CD means: moving it from the CD cabinet in the
living room to the shoeboxes in the attic.
--
Roland van Gaalen
The Netherlands

[mINE109]

Post by Roland van Gaalen
- Mozart / Requiem / Vienna Philh (etc) / Karl Böhm / 1971
DG 413 553-2
Reason: boring, bloated (even ghastly, according to some opinions stated
in this forum)
- Mozart / Symphonies 35-41 / Berlin Philh / Karl Böhm / 1962, 1966
Reason: rather dull on the whole, not elegant
DG 447 416-2 (2 CDs)
In my case, culling a CD means: moving it from the CD cabinet in the
living room to the shoeboxes in the attic.

I bought multiple versions of the symphonies in various formats hoping
to understand the positive reviews I'd seen, hoping better sound would
reveal their secrets. I realized I just didn't like them!

[Pluted Pup]

Post by Roland van Gaalen
- Mozart / Requiem / Vienna Philh (etc) / Karl Böhm / 1971
DG 413 553-2
Reason: boring, bloated (even ghastly, according to some opinions stated
in this forum)
- Mozart / Symphonies 35-41 / Berlin Philh / Karl Böhm / 1962, 1966
Reason: rather dull on the whole, not elegant
DG 447 416-2 (2 CDs)
In my case, culling a CD means: moving it from the CD cabinet in the
living room to the shoeboxes in the attic.

If not having it on a shelf is "culling" something,
I've "culled" a lot of stuff and didn't realize it!

[Roland van Gaalen]

Post by Pluted Pup
If not having it on a shelf is "culling" something,
I've "culled" a lot of stuff and didn't realize it!

What can we do?

Selling CDs on eBay (or the Dutch site Marktplaats) for a few euros each
isn't worth the effort.

I live in a fairly big house, I save CDs I don't like very much in
shoeboxes.

A two-stage disposal process (like 'DELETE', which can be reversed, and
'EXPUNGE', which is permanent) has an obvious advantage, at least for
some time, in case I change my mind.
--
Roland van Gaalen
The Netherlands

[Pluted Pup]

Post by Roland van Gaalen

Post by Pluted Pup
If not having it on a shelf is "culling" something,
I've "culled" a lot of stuff and didn't realize it!

What can we do?
Selling CDs on eBay (or the Dutch site Marktplaats) for a few euros each
isn't worth the effort.
I live in a fairly big house, I save CDs I don't like very much in
shoeboxes.
A two-stage disposal process (like 'DELETE', which can be reversed, and
'EXPUNGE', which is permanent) has an obvious advantage, at least for
some time, in case I change my mind.

I change my mind enuf that I keep everything.
Plastic storage boxes take care of much of it.

[Owen Hartnett]

On Aug 29, 2024 at 7:17:34 AM EDT, "Roland van Gaalen"

Post by Roland van Gaalen
- Mozart / Requiem / Vienna Philh (etc) / Karl Böhm / 1971
DG 413 553-2
Reason: boring, bloated (even ghastly, according to some opinions stated
in this forum)
- Mozart / Symphonies 35-41 / Berlin Philh / Karl Böhm / 1962, 1966
Reason: rather dull on the whole, not elegant
DG 447 416-2 (2 CDs)
In my case, culling a CD means: moving it from the CD cabinet in the
living room to the shoeboxes in the attic.
--
Roland van Gaalen
The Netherlands

Roland lowers the Böhm!

-Owen

P.S. Rather he raises it to the attic!

-O

[PPeso]

Post by Owen Hartnett
On Aug 29, 2024 at 7:17:34 AM EDT, "Roland van Gaalen"

Post by Roland van Gaalen
- Mozart / Symphonies 35-41 / Berlin Philh / Karl Böhm / 1962, 1966
Reason: rather dull on the whole, not elegant
DG 447 416-2 (2 CDs)
In my case, culling a CD means: moving it from the CD cabinet in the
living room to the shoeboxes in the attic.

So, if Böhm goes to the attic what stays in the cabinet? Furtwangler
1940s? Toscanini 1950? Walter 1959 (more elegant than Böhm)? Bernstein
1984 (more big band-ish than Böhm)? Hogwood (abrasive strings and all?)
Harnoncourt (HIP)? Abbado 2008 (HIP-ish)? Peltokoski 2023
(post-Harnoncourt-ish)?

Just curious...

[Roland van Gaalen]

PPeso wrote:

<< So, if Böhm goes to the attic what stays in the cabinet? Furtwangler
1940s? Toscanini 1950? Walter 1959 (more elegant than Böhm)? Bernstein
1984 (more big band-ish than Böhm)? Hogwood (abrasive strings and all?)
Harnoncourt (HIP)? Abbado 2008 (HIP-ish)? Peltokoski 2023
(post-Harnoncourt-ish)? >>

What stays in the CD cabinet, and in the holy of holies inside it, will
be decided in due course, on the basis of separate, fair reviews of all
individual CDs concerned.

In the case of the Böhm recording of the Mozart Requiem (which has been
called 'ghastly' in this forum, and rightly so):
-'Böhm', now in disgrace, goes to a shoebox in the attic
-the venerable 'Scherchen' (Vienna State Opera Orchestra etc., recorded
1958, MCA) triumphantly goes from the same shoebox to the CD cabinet.

That's how the process works.

As far as the Mozart symphonies are concerned, there are some complications.
--
Roland van Gaalen
The Netherlands

[Owen Hartnett]

On Aug 31, 2024 at 6:20:31 AM EDT, "Roland van Gaalen"

<< So, if Böhm goes to the attic what stays in the cabinet? Furtwangler>
1940s? Toscanini 1950? Walter 1959 (more elegant than Böhm)? Bernstein
1984 (more big band-ish than Böhm)? Hogwood (abrasive strings and all?)
Harnoncourt (HIP)? Abbado 2008 (HIP-ish)? Peltokoski 2023
(post-Harnoncourt-ish)? >>
What stays in the CD cabinet, and in the holy of holies inside it, will
be decided in due course, on the basis of separate, fair reviews of all
individual CDs concerned.

A veritable Ark of the Cabinet!

-Owen