Sampler CD
A downloadable CD of sample tracks from the Orchestral Concert CDs catalogue, featuring various artists
Recordings: 1963 to 1973
| The Sampler CD may be downloaded freely from this page; alternatively, physical copies may be ordered for £3 to cover materials and postage |
The following samples have also been turned into videos which may now be viewed on OCCDs’ new YouTube channel.
A free set of high quality classical music sound sample downloads:
the fifteen tracks may be heard on this page, saved to your computer or burnt to CD.
Alternatively, see them in video form on YouTube.
Norman Lebrecht
“I enjoyed the performances very much, especially the Bruckner and Suk. The sound has a vivid, lifelike immediacy all too rare in studio recordings and the orchestral balance is just right.”
—Norman Lebrecht, private correspondence, 7th April 2009
Audiophile Audition
“I agree [that] your recordings are really excellent fidelity and much better than most commercial ones.”
—John Sunier, Editor/Publisher, Audiophile Audition, October 2009
International Record Review
“…the presentation is now excellent, with attractive booklets and decent notes. The recorded sound is notable for the unobtrusively natural results that Terry obtained from a set-up that used just two microphone[s …] the quality of the sound is startlingly high … there is some very enterprising repertoire as well.”
—Nigel Simeone, International Record Review, June 2012
Gramophone
“Terry’s bold enterprise has had me hooked for hours…”
—Rob Cowan, Gramophone, July 2012
MusicWeb International
Article: An Unsung Hero of Minimalist Miking (PDF download)
—Paul Serotsky, MusicWeb International, February 2018
“A catalogue limited to just fifteen discs might seem suspiciously sparse, but for several significant reasons these Orchestral Concert CDs more than make up for their blushingly modest numbers … It’s well enough known that Robert Fine (with all due respect for his astonishing achievements with ‘Living Presence’) originally intended to record stereo using just two microphones. However, his experiments failed, and he had to make do with that ‘fabulous three’. It’s rather less well known that where Robert Fine failed, Geoffrey Terry succeeded – and these recordings are the, I might say ‘triumphant’, proof of his pudding. OK, this may not sound like any Big Deal, but it’s actually a far, far bigger deal than it sounds … [T]he performances on these recordings are not peeking monophonically at you, through layers of clicks, pops, murky mush and sizzling sausages […], but basking in the sumptuous glow of some truly outstanding hi-fi stereo.”
—Paul Serotsky, MusicWeb International, April 2018
“Overall these CDs add to the feeling that we owe thanks to Geoffrey Terry for preserving such unrepeatable evenings in the concert hall. I doubt if such straight recordings, made, remember, with just two microphones, will ever again appear…”
—Dave Billinge, MusicWeb International, June 2018
Customer reviews
“Your CDs [...] are spectacularly good. The sound is the best I have ever heard: so clear, vivid and natural.”
—George Schatzkamer, New York, private correspondence, August 2009
“I’m delighted with the purchase. The nexus of my delight is the recording approach. Call me a traditionalist, but the classic two-mic methodology simply yields a more realistic rendering of what a symphonic performance really sounds like from the seats. […] In summary, these are valued additions to my library. I’m glad that I bought them all.”
—Bob Walters, Bay Area Audiophile Society, October 2012
“I can certainly attest to how much your recordings have enhanced my life. [… We] don’t manage to attend concerts any more because my wife’s virtually housebound with a wide range of medical problems. Yet I can be transported into a world of beauty and deep joy by simply playing the Rowicki Brahms 4, the Ferencsik Brahms 1, the Smetáček Shostakovich 10 (absolutely incomparable), or any of your other treasures. […] I feel so grateful. And I’m sure I’m by no means the only listener who blesses your name. Many, many thanks, dear Geoffrey.”
—Bill Abbie, Edinburgh, private correspondence, 22nd January 2016
“[P]lease accept a standing order for all future releases. Clearly Orchestral Concert CDs is the most impressive record label I have come across for quite a while!”
—Hermann Meller, private correspondence, 4th January 2017
“The CDs have beautiful covers…”
—Indranil Poddar, private correspondence, 2nd August 2018
| Track listing | CD/Time | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan Novák: Philharmonic Dances (Choreæ Philharmonicæ) | CD1/2008 | |
| 1 | III Vivace [excerpt] | 5' 05" |
| [Download] | ||
| Brno Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jiří Waldhans Recorded in the Royal Festival Hall, London on 22nd October 1966 | ||
| Sergei Prokofiev: Piano Concerto no 3 in C major, op 26 | CD2/2008 | |
| 2 | II Tema con variazioni [excerpt] | 5' 11" |
| [Download] | ||
| Prague Symphony Orchestra conducted by Zdeněk Košler Peter Katin, piano • Recorded in the Royal Festival Hall, London on 8th February 1967 | ||
| Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata in C minor, op 30 no 2 | CD3/2009 | |
| 3 | III Scherzo: Allegro [excerpt] | 2' 29" |
| [Download] | ||
| Alfredo Campoli, violin; Peter Katin, piano • Recorded in the Fairfield Halls, Croydon on 24th September 1963 | ||
| Antonín Dvořák: Piano Trio no 4 in E minor, op 90 (Dumky) | CD4/2009 | |
| 4 | V Allegro [excerpt] | 3' 23" |
| [Download] | ||
| The Czech Trio • Recorded in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London on 15th October 1972 | ||
| Zoltán Kodály: Dances of Galánta | CD5/2009 | |
| 5 | Dances of Galánta [excerpt] | 7' 45" |
| [Download] | ||
| Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra conducted by János Ferencsik Recorded in the Royal Festival Hall, London on 26th February 1966 | ||
| Anton Bruckner: Symphony no 7 in E major | CD6/2009 | |
| 6 | III Scherzo: Sehr schnell – Trio: Etwas langsamer [excerpt] | 8' 14" |
| [Download] | ||
| Berliner Staatskapelle Orchestra conducted by Kurt Masur Recorded in the Royal Festival Hall, London on 17th November 1967 | ||
| Josef Suk: Symphony in C minor, op 27 (Asrael) | CD7/2009 | |
| 7 | V Adagio – Mæstoso [excerpt] | 8' 15" |
| [Download] | ||
| Brno Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jiří Waldhans Recorded in the Royal Festival Hall, London on 13th November 1968 | ||
| Johann Sebastian Bach: Orchestral Suite no 1 in C major, BWV 1066 | CD8/2009 | |
| 8 | I Ouverture [excerpt] | 2' 46" |
| [Download] | ||
| Leipzig Gewandhaus Bach Orchestra conducted by Gerhard Bosse Recorded in Camden Theatre, London in October 1966 | ||
| Antonín Dvořák: Cello Concerto no 2 in B minor, op 104 | CD9/2009 | |
| 9 | III Finale: Allegro moderato [excerpt] | 6' 43" |
| [Download] | ||
| Saša Večtomov, ’cello; Central Bohemia Symphony Orchestra conducted by Miloš Zelenka Recorded in Poděbrady Theatre, Czechoslovakia on 27th May 1973 | ||
| Antonín Dvořák: Symphony no 8 in G major, op 88 | CD10/2010 | |
| 10 | IV Allegro ma non troppo [excerpt] | 5' 12" |
| [Download] | ||
| Prague Symphony Orchestra conducted by Zdeněk Košler Recorded in the Albert Hall, Nottingham on 13th February 1967 | ||
| Fryderyk Chopin: Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E flat major, op 22 | CD11/2010 | |
| 11 | Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E flat major, op 22 [excerpt] | 5' 22" |
| [Download] | ||
| Peter Katin, piano • Recorded in the Fairfield Halls, Croydon in c. 1965 | ||
| Benjamin Britten: Violin Concerto, op 15 | CD12/2011 | |
| 12 | I Moderato con moto – Agitato – Tempo primo [excerpt] | 3' 09" |
| [Download] | ||
| Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Witold Rowicki Wanda Wiłkomirska, violin • Recorded in the Royal Festival Hall, London on 7th April 1967 | ||
| Gustav Mahler: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) | CD13/2011 | |
| 13 | I Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht [excerpt] | 2' 14" |
| [Download] | ||
| Berliner Staatskapelle Orchestra conducted by Kurt Masur Annelies Burmeister, contralto • Recorded in the Royal Festival Hall, London on 17th November 1967 | ||
| Dmitri Shostakovich: Symphony no 10 in E minor, op 93 | CD14/2011 | |
| 14 | III Allegretto [excerpt] | 5' 11" |
| [Download] | ||
| Prague Symphony Orchestra conducted by Václav Smetáček Recorded in the Royal Festival Hall, London on 6th March 1968 | ||
| BONUS TRACK: | ||
| Karol Szymanowski: Symphony no 4 (Symphony Concertante), op 60 | CD15/2016 | |
| 15 | III Allegro non troppo [excerpt] | 3' 53" |
| [Download] | ||
| Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Witold Rowicki Jan Ekier, piano • Recorded in Huddersfield Town Hall on 3rd April 1967 | ||
| Total time: | 74' 53" | |
Bonus track
The fifteenth CD in the OCCDs range was issued some time after the Sampler CD had been created, so of course was not originally represented on the Sampler. Nevertheless, a sample track from CD15 has now been created and is available here as a bonus download. If burning your own CD-R version of the Sampler CD, there should be sufficient capacity to include the bonus track on it.
Excerpts
Copyright restrictions mean that the samples provided here have to be excerpts rather than full tracks; however, in most cases, the majority of each movement is provided in order to give a fair impression of the performance. Please note that the sound samples created for the Sampler CD have been created at a much higher quality than the other audio samples on this site. Hence, the files are quite substantial downloads but should give a good indication of the quality of the actual CDs.
Downloading individual tracks
To download the tracks to your computer, proceed as follows:
- Hover your mouse pointer over the [Download] link to the right of the individual track you want to download.
- EITHER:
- Right-click your mouse and, from the pop-up menu that appears, choose an appropriate option to save the linked file to your computer; OR:
- Left-click your mouse and wait for the track to finish downloading in the separate window or tab that opens, then use the Save As… option to save the file to your computer.
- Repeat for as many tracks as you wish to keep.
- If you intend to store any of these tracks in music software such as iTunes, you may like to download the Cover artwork and attach it to each track.
Downloading the whole CD
If you would like to obtain all fifteen tracks easily in one step, perhaps in order to burn your own CD, then you can do so by downloading a single, large archive. Proceed as follows:
- Download a SamplerCD.zip archive containing all fifteen tracks, plus CD booklet, tray inlay and CD label as PDF files.
Once downloaded, you may need to double-click on the SamplerCD.zip archive in order to access its contents.
Be warned that this is a very large archive (101MB), and may take considerable time to download, depending on your Internet connection.