Here are some recordings that I have that I think sound bad:

Mahler's 8th with Chailly and Royal Concertgebouw.  I call it "Recording of
a Thousand Microphones".  Each section (e.g.  children's chorus, soloist,
brass, etc..) sounds like it was recorded its own studio.

Brahms complete Sonatas for Violin, Cello, and Piano (EMI).  I sold this
set to a used CD store.  The violin was recorded so closely that every time
I listened to it I felt like plugging my ears.  I think that this is the
worst recording I've ever heard.

Mahler's 5th with Solti/CSO (the analogue one -- London).  This is vintage
70's Solti sound, when the recording engineers apparently hadn't every
heard of imaging and depth.  Every instrument is recorded up close.

Beethoven's 3rd with Solti/CSO (digital -- London).  Too many microphones,
and lacking in dynamic range.  Why, in this day and age of good, digital
recording equipment, would a recording be compressed?

Brahms' 4th with Chailly and Royal Concertgebouw. Too many microphones. The
violins sound like they're all stuck in a closet, somewhere on the left side
of the stage.

Handel Concerti Grosso op. 6 no's 1-4, on Archive with Pinnock and the
English Concert.  Great performance, but botched engineering.  The fast
numbers sound fine, but the slow ones are recorded so closely that I have
to turn the volume way down -- and it still sounds harsh.  It would be
really nice to listen to this music from start to finish without having
to constantly monitor the volume control.

Beethoven's 3rd with Karajan and BPO (early 60's recording).  I don't
know when in the production process this happened, but I notice a dramatic
increase in volume in the tutti passages.  Someone was trying to make this
recording sound more dynamic.  It simply doesn't work.  When I listen to
this recording, I have to compensate for the engineer's foolishness by
turning the volume down on the tutti passages -- makes for a real enjoyable
listening experience...  NOT!!!

Mahler Des Knaben Wunderhorn with Szell and Dieskau, etc..  on Angel
(probably EMI now).  Some of the percussion (e.g.  triangle and cymbals)
were recorded too closely.  It mars the sound completely.  I no longer
listen to this historically invaluable performance.

Mahler's 9th with Guilini/CSO on DG.  An engineer got carried away and
decided to artificially add vibrato to the strings.  It sounds completely
phony -- almost like someone was standing by the volume control, changing
it back an forth really fast.  This effect is especially noticable in
the last movement.  It's the kind of thing I would expect from a DJ at a
party, not from an engineer of a recording of one of the greatest musical
masterpieces of all time, using some of the best musicians in the world.

Do you have any of these recordings? If so, do you agree?

Mike Leghorn
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