# Disappointing ad” Recordings



## Ad Astra (Aug 10, 2020)

Hello All,

I am unsure if I should even make this thread. For months now I've had a recording shoved in my face by Amazon and "Alexa". Sheku Kanneh-Mason's (a young cellist from what I hear) Elgar. Tackling my favourite piece of music for cello (as a cellist myself) is no easy feat. The rating was 4.5 out of 5 stars I was in for a treat. I fire up Spotify...

I've never been so disappointed in my life with a recording. It wasn't just not to my liking I think it was a bad attempt I'm sure he could have done better. I honestly think even I could have. It was weak and had no presence and Jean said he even picked up the a wrong note or two.

Hopefully he will improve I don't mean to be so negative on a young musician.

*Have you ever had a similar experience? A recording we should avoid like the plague?*

Edit title should say "Bad" apologies


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

The act you describe is being fooled by a publicity blurb -- and your response to publicity and having expectations. The first rule of publicity is to ignore it. If you're curious about something find a way to hear it or part of it without spending money or time, whichever is more precious to you. Consider the maxim fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. First is the publicity, second is the act of expense.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

There are really very few "bad" recordings - the economics of the business won't allow it. But too often recordings become a self-serving vanity publishing exercise. Artists who don't live up to the hype soon vanish from the catalog. No record producer wants to put out bad recordings. It does happen, though. I wish someone had told Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern to quite while they were ahead - in their later years both turned out recordings which clearly demonstrated sloppy bowing and execrable intonation. Some pianists, too: the set of three Bartok piano concertos from Gyorgy Sandor and Adam Fischer did nothing for his reputation - there were younger pianists who could play rings around him.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Get a copy of Ilya Gringolts recording of Sibelius's violin concerto. (Okay, the violin is not a cello, your instrument. But I'm simple minded, so think of it as a small cello, if you will.) Compare it to the same concerto as recorded by Gil Shaham.

















You'll soon realize why Gringolts is seemingly hiding behind his violin in the cover pic. I'd hide, too, if I were a professional instrumentalist who released an album of a powerful, well-known standard concerto and had played it as he does.

Too bad Gringolts wasn't a cellist. The larger instrument would better hide him. Or maybe he should just get a Double Bass, climb behind it, and never make another musical utterance again.

We will still have that angelic Gil Shaham recording regardless of what path Gringolts takes.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Alas I cant participate, that would be like throwing a red piece of meat in the arena.


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## Malx (Jun 18, 2017)

I'm afraid what we have here is a record company seeing an opportunity to make money out of a young talent who has been in the public eye, certainly in the UK, along with his family all of whom are musicians, with scant regard for nurturing his talent and his long term career.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason ticks a lot of boxes from a marketing point of view and imo the recording is aimed at the many people who only buy the odd classical disc based on 'celebrity' before quality of performance.
I haven't heard the recording so can't comment on its quality of performance but I do feel sorry for the performer if, as I suspect, he is being used by a big multi-national recording company.


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