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Revolutionary—and Conservative: The Mighty CD
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13786 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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12 / 1988 |
1,688 Words |
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Todd Culbertson
Todd Culbertson writes editorials for the Richmond News
Leader. |
Roll over, Chuck Berry. Beethoven and Toscanini are here to stay. Records, tapes, and compact discs will see to that. Rockers are not the only people with a taste for golden oldies. Fans of symphonies and sonatas enjoy them, too. The golden oldies played on late-night rock radio remind graybeards of the senior prom, but classical golden oldies are legendary performances by great artists of the past.
The rise of the CD gives collectors an excuse to assemble libraries of golden oldies. Almost daily CD companies release discs of historic performances, usually at budget or mid-line prices. Given the high cost of CDs—which retail for $15 and up—the golden oldies translate into a bargain. And while listeners save money, they often obtain performances with far more character and style than the bland performances proliferating today.
A word about sound. Older recordings suffer sometimes from surface noise and distortions. The notes for one historic CD list "total time (atmosphere and pauses)." The sound on CD reissues of older performances often lacks the clarity and resonance of recordings made in studios with space-age equipment. How could it be otherwise? Many of the discs are reproductions made from tapes of live broadcasts dating from thirty, forty, or even fifty years ago. Microphones weren't as sophisticated then as now. Even in the studios the state of the recording art was basic. If sonic spectaculars draw you to stereos and CDs, stick with music recorded recently. If, however, you are interested in music making of the highest artistic order, these historic CDs are unexcelled.
Kleiber's
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