Beliczay: Symphony No. 1 & Serenade from Sterling

[jasthill]

How about this:
Beliczay: Symphony No. 1 & Serenade
Budapest Concert Orchestra, Tamas Gal
Release date:3rd Nov 2017

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Sterling/CDS1115

[Alan Howe]

Great, of course - although it's actually a reissue of the recording originally on the Pannon Classics label discussed here: http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,2981.0.html

[Mark Thomas]

I've just been listening again to the Symphony and Serenade on the Sterling re-issue. What fine pieces they both are, but especially the Symphony, which is a really impressive big-boned work in the Germanic tradition. If you don't have the earlier Pannon Classics disc, then this re-issue of the recordings really is a must-buy.

[hyperdanny]

listened to the sound samples..and ordered right away from mdt....

[Alan Howe]

The Symphony's a very fine work indeed and the Serenade is wonderfully tuneful.

[Alan Howe]

...although this is evidently a CD-R produced by Wyastone. Just so you know...

[hyperdanny]

what...the Sterling release? how can it be?

[Alan Howe]

Because Wyastone now produce all new Sterling releases.

[hyperdanny]

oh..thanks, this is news to me..and dismaying news to say the least..I hate cd-r's , first of all generally they have from very slightly to very noticeable inferior sound-quality ...and then they give all sorts of problems to cd-drives, (the process in a cd-r mastering is slightly different as far as the depth of the data "pits" is concerned)
Mine reads them ok, but still, the sound is usually not up to the quality of a proper "pressing" ....I guess for me it's the end of Sterling purchases.

[hyperdanny]

I received it today...yes, it is clearly a cd-r, and not of the highest quality either, as the flimsy , thin appearance and the couple finger imprints on it (!) attest, even the jewel box is quite thin and flimsy..this is really annoying, especially because the seller or even the label state it. (actually , it is nowhere to be found on the Sterling website, strange coincidence)
I do not feel like I made a responsible, informed choice buying it,  really an unpleasant affair.

[Alan Howe]

Does it play OK on your equipment?

[Mark Thomas]

I have this CD and I must say that I detect flimsiness in neither the CD nor the jewel case, they both appear perfectly normal to me. The CD plays well enough on my equipment, although it is definitely a CD-R, and we must remember that this is a reissue of an earlier Hungarian recording..

[hyperdanny]

right now is a little late to pump up the music  , but that's not really the point: what irks me is that I did not know what I was buying.
I am not a snob: once I bought the Lachner suites from Amazon: they stated it was a cd-r reprint on request, licenced by naxos.
It was the only way to have them, I knew what I was doing, I bought it and I treasure it dearly..it's also a much more professional looking job.

[Alan Howe]

dhibbard writes:

This looks like an interesting CD.  I have heard some of his other works and was very impressive.
Here is some info from Recordsinternational.com:

JULIUS BELICZAY (1835-1893): Symphony No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 45, Serenade for Strings in D Minor, Op. 36.

Description: This Hungarian was both composer and engineer and was involved in the early days of the creation of his country's national railway system, which is why his music was selected for recording by the railway's symphony orchestra (founded in 1945 - MÁV stands for "Hungarian State Railways") in 1995 (the 150th anniversary of the railway). It was a limited, non-commercial, promotional item and this is its first commercial release. Beliczay's major influences were fellow Hungarians Robert Volkmann, Ödön Mihailovich and Liszt. His first symphony (there are two) of 1887 is of impressive size - four movements lasting 45 minutes - and flows through the Mendelssohn/Schumann pipeline, notable for its unhurried and generally lyrical quality (and a surprising quote from Beethoven's Ninth in the first movement!). No heaven-storming here; after all, Beliczay was 52 when he wrote it and was recently retired from his "day job" and looking forward to a retirement spent exclusively in music, so he might well be expansive and comfortable. The 19-minute, four-movement Serenade dates from sometime before 1875 and is a perfect fit for this genre alongside such pieces by Dvorák, Suk and Elgar. Budapest Concert Orchestra MÁV; Tamás Gál.

[Alan Howe]

A quick reminder, if I may, dhibbard: there was no need to start a new thread as one was already in existence. Please double-check before posting. Thanks.

I have heard some of his other works

Which ones have you heard and where?