# Pristine?



## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

There have been a few mentions of the Pristine site and its remastering of historical performances. I have had some great records from Pristine but it is expensive and it is not easy to sort the wheat from the chaff: some recordings are really unmissable but many others of less essential interest. Those who have used the site - what unmissable recordings have you had from them?


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Enthusiast said:


> There have been a few mentions of the Pristine site and its remastering of historical performances. I have had some great records from Pristine but it is expensive and it is not easy to sort the wheat from the chaff: some recordings are really unmissable but many others of less essential interest. Those who have used the site - what unmissable recordings have you had from them?


"Reiner Rarities" - at least 3 volumes....very excellent.


----------



## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

Pretty much anything conducted by Toscanini, or with Jascha Heifetz on violin.


----------



## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

They did a fine job on Schnabel's Beethoven, I thought. Also impressive are their Wagner remasterings, particularly Clemens Krauss's 1953 Parsifal, Keilberth's 1955 Dutchman and Furtwängler's studio Tristan.


----------



## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Klemperer Beethoven

Complete symphonies, Gross Fugue & Coriolan Overture

Recorded 1956-1959 (symphonies)

IMO, this Pristine remastering is the best sound quality of any classical recording ever!

I paid £73 for the Hi-Res stereo FLAC and it is worth every single penny!

A desert island set, couldn't be without it ........


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

HenryPenfold said:


> Klemperer Beethoven
> 
> Complete symphonies, Gross Fugue & Coriolan Overture
> 
> ...


There's a few who pour scorn on the Pristine Klemperer remastering, Henry. Some don't like it and say its "artificial" and "toppy". Personally I think it's a marked improvement in sound from the horrible original transfers which were always muddy in the bass, poorly defined and lacking top end. Rose's critics claim that he just "hits the loudness button on his amp" for his remixes, and whilst I'll concede some of his efforts aren't great this one is really good IMO. I know Granate wasn't a fan of this remastering. I don't know how he feels now. Shame that Rose couldn't have sped up some of the performances whilst he was there.:lol:


----------



## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Merl said:


> There's a few who pour scorn on the Pristine Klemperer remastering, Henry. Some don't like it and say its "artificial" and "toppy". Personally I think it's a marked improvement in sound from the horrible original transfers which were always muddy in the bass, poorly defined and lacking top end. Rose's critics claim that he just "hits the loudness button on his amp" for his remixes, and whilst I'll concede some of his efforts aren't great this one is really good IMO. I know Granate wasn't a fan of this remastering. I don't know how he feels now. Shame that Rose couldn't have sped up some of the performances whilst he was there.:lol:


HaHa! I'm fine with the tempos.

Artificial? Of course it is - it's a CD! The actual performances were years ago and a different thing entirely!

Rose's critics are saving themselves a lot of money. :lol:


----------



## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Pristine has a good reputation and generally does good work. However, I made a CD of my own of Ormandy's Lemminkainen suite (Sibelius) from his mono LP and compared it to the Pristine version. There wasn't much difference.

Right now their new project is Wilhelm Kempff's Beethoven "32" piano sonatas, the mono version he recorded in the 1950s for DG that DG later remastered. I've read critics that say Pristine's sound better.

You should have very high standards for anything from Pristine since they are at the top of the price chart for historic reissues.


----------

