# Trying to find digital or CD versions of old vinyls



## vincentfernandes (Jan 8, 2013)

Hi guys,

I'm currently trying to upgrade the format of the highlights of my vinyl collection. As I was very little when I first started collecting and lost interest as a teenager, I have absolutely no idea how the classical music re-issue industry works. Does anyone here know whether the following records have ever been released digitally or on CD, or how I could research this?

https://www.discogs.com/Academy-Of-...ebendiges-Barock-Living-Baroque/master/825293
https://www.discogs.com/Roberto-Mic...-Tommaso-Ruta-I-Musici-Mosaïe/release/5146486
https://www.discogs.com/Johann-Seba...Concentus-Musicus-Wien-Sinfonia/master/834054
https://www.discogs.com/Various-Festliche-Musik-Des-Barock/master/623187
https://www.discogs.com/Bach-Handel...the-Fields-Han-de-Vries-Marie/release/6712589
https://www.discogs.com/Johann-Seba...4-Auf-Originalinstrumenten-1721/master/879836
https://www.discogs.com/Bach-Händel-Scarlatti-1685-Europa-En-De-Muziek/release/7944849
https://www.discogs.com/Torelli-Cor...i-Weihnachtskonzerte-I-Musici/release/5946717

Thank you.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

If I were trying to do this, I would go to Prestomusic.com and use its search engine trying various combinations of ensemble names, conductor and composer. Maybe the name of the work if it's unique. Probably the easiest one on your list is the Brandenburgs. I'm pretty sure this CD includes your LP.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

vincentfernandes said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> I'm currently trying to upgrade the format of the highlights of my vinyl collection. As I was very little when I first started collecting and lost interest as a teenager, I have absolutely no idea how the classical music re-issue industry works. Does anyone here know whether the following records have ever been released digitally or on CD, or how I could research this?
> 
> ...


I don't think that you'rre likely to find these in exactly the same form on CD - these are "best of" products. I'm sure that there are CD compilations containing the same pieces, and probably many of the same performances, but you'd have to search by composer and composition to find them.

Good luck!


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## vincentfernandes (Jan 8, 2013)

Thanks. I actually already tried Presto Music, but couldn't find any of the performances. Sometimes it's strange: Harnoncourt has CD versions of the Brandenburg concertos, but they don't sound the same. Same with Koopman and the harpsichord concertos.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

vincentfernandes said:


> Thanks. I actually already tried Presto Music, but couldn't find any of the performances. Sometimes it's strange: Harnoncourt has CD versions of the Brandenburg concertos, but they don't sound the same. Same with Koopman and the harpsichord concertos.


Why don't you think the Harnoncourt versions are the same? Bear in mind Telefunken is now part of Warner.


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## vincentfernandes (Jan 8, 2013)

Because I distinctly remember hearing him perform them differently on that vinyl. And I have a good memory for these things.


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## Axiomatic (Sep 13, 2020)

Musicbrainz may help. For instance, Googling "musicbrainz harnoncourt brandenburg," my top hit is Harnoncourt's artist page.
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/98b95966-64db-4631-8b9f-8aa66f32cc98
The first item on that page is a set of Brandenburgs issued on vinyl in 1967 and reissued on CD in 1992 & 2009. If you look at the Musicbrainz page for the 2009 CDs, for instance, you can see that the recordings were made in 1964. If that's accurate, it would seem to be the set you are looking for (and not his 1980s version).

Happy hunting.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Harnoncourt released three recordings of the Brandenburg concertos with Concentus Musicus.

1) 1964 LP , has been rereleased on CD

2) 1980 LP also rereleased on CD.

3) ca 1980 video, rereleased on DVD.

It is difficult to know if the LP you own is from 1964 or 1980.

But the musicians of the 1964 version are:

Brandenburgische Konzerte 1, 3, 4 Auf Originalinstrumenten 1721
Concerto 3 G-Dur, BWV 1048 Für Violino I, II, III - Viola I, II, III - Violoncello I, II, III - Continuo (Violone E Cembalo)
Cello - Ernst Knava, Hermann Höbarth, Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Harpsichord - Georg Fischer
Viola - Josef de Sordi, Kurt Letofsky, Kurt Theiner
Violin - Alice Harnoncourt, Siegfried Führlinger, Stefan Plott
Violone - Eduard Hruza

Concerto 1 F-Dur, BWV 1046 Für Corno Da Caccia I, II - Oboe I, II, III - Fagotto - Violino Piccolo - Violine I, II - Viola - Violoncello - Continuo E Violone Grosso
Cello - Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Harpsichord - Georg Fischer
Horn [Corno Da Caccia] - Hans Fischer, Hermann Rohrer
Oboe - Bernhard Klebel (2), Jürg Schaeftlein, Karl Gruber
Viola - Kurt Theiner
Violin - Josef De Sordi, Siegfried Führlinger, Stefan Plott
Violino Piccolo - Alice Harnoncourt
Violone - Eduard Hruza

Concerto 4 G-Dur, BWV 1049 Für Violino Principale - Flauto Dolce I, II - Violino I, II - Viola - Violoncello - Violone - Continuo
Cello - Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Harpsichord - Georg Fischer
Recorder [Flauto Dolce] - Jürg Schaeftlein, Leopold Stastny
Viola - Kurt Theiner
Violin - Josef De Sordi, Siegfried Führlinger, Stefan Plott
Violin [Violino Principale], Soloist - Alice Harnoncourt
Violone - Eduard Hruza

Many of the soloists on the 1980 version are different.


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## vincentfernandes (Jan 8, 2013)

Thank you. Why on earth would you re-record the same work three times?


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

vincentfernandes said:


> Thank you. Why on earth would you re-record the same work three times?


You will find that more often than not, that is the case with most conductors. Some re-record the same work more than half a dozen times.


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## vincentfernandes (Jan 8, 2013)

Why? Don't they have better things to do? Or is it because they love a piece so much that they keep trying to refine their take on it?


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

vincentfernandes said:


> Thank you. Why on earth would you re-record the same work three times?


As realdealblues writes this is a very common occurrence. Reasons may be that the artists view on the music has changed, but more common it has been done for technical reasons following the evolution from mono to stereo and further on to digital reproduction.


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## wkasimer (Jun 5, 2017)

vincentfernandes said:


> Thank you. Why on earth would you re-record the same work three times?


Vanity, perhaps........


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Axiomatic said:


> Musicbrainz may help. For instance, Googling "musicbrainz harnoncourt brandenburg," my top hit is Harnoncourt's artist page.
> https://musicbrainz.org/artist/98b95966-64db-4631-8b9f-8aa66f32cc98
> The first item on that page is a set of Brandenburgs issued on vinyl in 1967 and reissued on CD in 1992 & 2009. If you look at the Musicbrainz page for the 2009 CDs, for instance, you can see that the recordings were made in 1964. If that's accurate, it would seem to be the set you are looking for (and not his 1980s version).
> 
> Happy hunting.











It appears that this is the sleeve for the 1980s version. Of course cover art can be changed, but the OPs linked image definitely seems like a 1960s cover. Also this album includes Concertos 1, 2 and 4. The OPs album includes 1, 3 and 4.


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