Here's a recording that, to use the terminology of African-American vernacular music, is old school in every way. It begins with a decidedly odd sound, which has a hollow, boxy quality, with distortion at the frequency extremes, that could almost have been heard on a 1950s LP. The booklet indicates that the disc was recorded by Swiss Radio, but it's not clear whether the performance was actually taken from a radio broadcast; even if it was, it's subpar. The list of vintage qualities continues with veteran conductor Michel ...
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Here's a recording that, to use the terminology of African-American vernacular music, is old school in every way. It begins with a decidedly odd sound, which has a hollow, boxy quality, with distortion at the frequency extremes, that could almost have been heard on a 1950s LP. The booklet indicates that the disc was recorded by Swiss Radio, but it's not clear whether the performance was actually taken from a radio broadcast; even if it was, it's subpar. The list of vintage qualities continues with veteran conductor Michel Corboz and the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne accompanied by the Chamber Orchestra of Lausanne. Despite the suggestion of modest dimensions in these names, the combined forces are large, maybe not Mormon Tabernacle Choir plus Philadelphia Orchestra large, but bigger than the current fashion for music of the early nineteenth century. And of course the old school hangs on for a good reason: Corboz and his Swiss choristers have a warmth, clarity of articulation, and vigorous response to the...
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