Great renditions, Vox engineers should be sacked!
Timothy Mikolay | Pittsburgh, PA | 12/27/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Horenstein's work on these discs is incomparable. The musical lines, the expression, the balance, all are classic Horenstein trademarks of a career that surpasses many of his more 'famous' colleagues. Why only three stars? Vox' work at remastering their catalog has been stupendous at times but here we are made to suffer (if we bought this disc) one of the most incredible blunders of all time. In the final movement of the Prokofiev 5th, we actually get to hear the record player stylus fail to properly navigate a flawed record surface and the result is terrifying. For all of us who have enjoyed this scrappy yet vivacious recording of the 5th, Wayne Hileman should be reprimanded (if not sacked) for even trying to remaster a cruddy vinyl reissue of this work. I have the cassette of Horenstein's 5th from Allegretto (a VOX label) and they DID NOT use the vinyl for this. Where is the master tape for this CD reissue!?! Are the execs at VOX reading this???
I would avoid purchasing this reissue altogether because VOX failed. Re-mastering recordings from vinyl is something I (ME) would do, not a major recording label. If you guys at VOX can't find the master tape, then don't bother. 24-bit re-mastering cannot, nor will not, mask the fiasco you allowed to be reissued as a 'VOX Legend'. Sorry folks. The first disc is a treasure. Unfortunately, the second is a joke and you can't buy either without the other!"