De Stad [Hybrid SACD] [SACD]

Track Listings

1. De Stad 1

2. De Stad 2

3. De Stad 3

4. De Stad 4

5. De Stad 5

6. De Stad 6

7. Stadsgeschiedenis

Tracks:

Ritorna Vincitor!
Qui Radames Verra!
O Patria Mia
Che Piu T'arresti?
Tacea La Notte Placida
Di Tale Amor Che Dirsi
Timor Di Me?; D'amor Sull'ali Rosee
Un Bel Di Vedremo
Tu? Tu? Piccolo Iddio! (Morte Di Butterfly)
Chi Il Bel Sogno Di Doretta
Vissi D'Arte
Signore, Ascolta!
Tu Che Di Gel Sei Cinta

Customer Reviews:

A Legendary Masterpiece is Available Once Again:LEONTYNE PRICE's Operatic Studio recording debut - The "Blue ALbum".......2006-08-27

For those Opera-lovers who first encountered America's Diva assoluta, soprano LEONTYNE PRICE's magical vocalism from the recording studio, this collection comprises the entire legendary "Blue Album" which many operaphile consider to be one of the finest recordings ever. For Opera neophytes, there can be no more fitting introduction to vocal splendor than the singing on this disc. The selections gathered here vividly demonstrate the reason why Leontyne Price is regarded as the supreme VERDI soprano of her generation (30 years to date) a renowned PUCCINI specialist, and one of the greatest artists of all time. Recorded in the early 60's, Ms. Price's instrument was, in her own words "a juicy lyric". The intrinsic lyricism of her voice was aligned to warm, lustrous tone that pulsated in the middle voice, yielded a dark, uniquely sensuous sound in the lower regions, and gleamed with a distinctive, fast, liquid vibrato in the upper voice. That unique vibrato was elemental to this diva's ability to infuse Verdi and Puccini's most dramatic phrases with surging power (without pushing), and still produce lovely pianos in alt - soaring there with an ease that was singular to her, and that continued to her retirement in the 2002. All of those remarkable elements are on display in this seminal recording.

Leontyne Price recorded arias and scenas from every standard repertory VERDI opera with few exceptions (Nabucco/Luisa Miller/Vespri/Falstaff) in superlative fashion. Her onstage roles included the IL TROVATORE Leonora, the role of her sensational MET debut (that resulted in a record 42 minute ovation), thrice recorded by her (with Basile, Mehta, and Von Karajan respectively), and a signature role throughout her career. The first selections represented the sum of onstage VERDI roles that the soprano has sung at that time: Leonora from IL TROVATORE and the title-role of AIDA. Ms. Price soars effortlessly to the heights repeatedly in "Tacea la notte", aligned to sensuously throbbing tone, singing the inexplicably rushed cabaletta fluently. "D'amor sull ali rosee" (once the sole property of Ms. Price's Verdian predecessor Zinka Milanov) is enhanced by the soprano's expert trills, other musical nuances, and the glorious vibrato that carries her gossamer tones to a floated high C in alt. The leading newspaper of Italy said of Leontyne Price that "..our great Verdi would have her the ideal Aida", and that sentiment has been adopted the world over. The "Aida" selections here are the first ones recorded by the American diva, and remain a revelation. She recorded this opera twice, most famously with Sir Georg Solti and Jon Vickers, then triumphantly with Erich Leinsdorf and Placido Domingo. In "Ritorna vincitor" the soprano's lyric instrument is quite "juicy" indeed, declaiming Aida's fierce opposition to the Egyptian invaders of her Ethiopian homeland with energetic and powerful vocalism. She then masterfully delineates the young princess' dilemma with plaintive and youthful passion, ending with a prayerful "Numi pieta" suffused by warm, sable-colored tone. "O Patria mia" is another of Ms. Price's most revered performances, indeed the aria that garnered her a (5) five minute ovation on live television at her "farewell to Opera" (1985) performance in the same opera. The soprano injects Aida's farewell to her homeland with rich, smoky, plangent tones that rise effortlessly to a shining high C that bedeviled some of her most illustrous rivals, and would be bettered in the future only by the wonderful Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballe - and Ms. Price herself!!

Leontyne Price performed the veristic music of PUCCINI onstage in a number of his operas that included "MANON LESCAUT/TOSCA/MADAMA BUTTERFLY/LA FANICULLA DEL WEST/IL TABARRO/and TURANDOT, albeit with less frequency than with Verdi. She brought a luminous, womanly quality to all of the composer's music. Here, she sings with particular intensity and emotion as the geisha girl Cio-Cio San, her favorite Puccini role onstage, and superbly recorded complete on RCA with tenor Richard Tucker. "Un bel di" is sung fervently with glowing tone, while "Tu, tu piccolo Iddio" moves the listener to tears at the pain-laden urgency and commanding vocalism Ms. Price summons in this poignant scena. In "Vissi d'arte" the jealous and fiery Roman prima donna Floria Tosca is reduced to lamentation, which in Ms. Price's hands translates into limpid, melting tone, complete with a stunning high C followed by her trademark diminuendo on Aflat. While the complete opera is twice-recorded by the soprano (with Von Karajan and Mehta respectively),both highly-acclaimed, this aria became one of Ms. Price's most requested and performed encores. Puccini's music for the doomed Chinese slave-girl Liu is exquisitely sung. "Signore ascolta" is imbued with sweet lyricism and dulcet tones that spin on the top. "Tu che di gel sei cinta" once again displays the great soprano's ability to illuminate a scene and therein touch the heart -with sublime vocalism.The most outstanding qualities of this diva in Puccini's music were a warm femininity and profound humanity, inherent in all of her singing, but most pronounced with this composer. She also fearlessly sang his highest phrases with a vocal splendor and freedom unrivalled by anyone, nowhere more than as the tragic Butterfly. However, until she retired from public singing, one aria remained a 'sine qua non' for this diva and her public: "Chi bel sogno di Doretta" from Puccini's rarely performed operetta LA RONDINE. The performance here was her first recording of it, and is a classic in its own right. Ms. Price's voice shimmers throughout, singing the high C with astonishing purity, and caressing, velvety tone elsewhere.

For years, this "album" was unbelievably out-of-print. RCA has done a wonderful job in re-mastering this masterpiece, complete with the original Blue artwork This "Blue Album" will leave you felling anything but!!

Savor the marvellous youthful artistry of "La Splendissima" LEONTYNE PRICE.

Note:This review was written for the initial re-release of the digitally re-mastered disc. I'm sure those reviewers who've experienced the SACD version are quite accurate in their estimation of any improvements yielded by this relatively new technology. I hope to experience it soon myself.

truely one of the best compilations.......2006-06-20

If you like Opera then buy it! If you have the full versions of the operas on this SACD elsewhere then buy it anyway as she excels in this recording. As SACD this is a beautiful recording. CD layer is very good too.
The full version of the Il Travatore by Karajan-Berlin Philharmony- Price is not as good a recording technically as this one since you can hear the age of the recording. This SACD disc is very very good indeed.
You can feel her singing in such detail that is extraordinary.
Full 5 stars!

A great soprano caught in sublime form.......2005-10-10

Leontyne Price was the reigning American opera singer for almost 30 years, and she has made scores of wonderful recordings. As it happens only once did Living Stereo, the best engineering technique of the day, catch her in a state of sublime freshness and radiance--the result was tis famous "Blue Album." Besides being a superb example of her art as a prima donna, it has been a touchstone for audiophiles showing off how well a recording can capture the operatic singing voice, a fiendishly difficult thing. The CD reissue that I have is a faithful transcription of the famed LP, but anyone who acquires this SACD hybrid may hear even more--it's tempting to buy it twice.

A famous recording revisited.......2005-06-25

As a teen opera fan, I always heard about this famous "Blue Album" featuring Leontyne Price. I finally bought it and now having listened to it many many times over the past few years, I see why this disc is so celebrated. Price's voice is incredibly beautiful and expressive. The Aida selections are perfection. Liu is tragic but dignified. Leonora is sung with panache and Verdian style. Her phrasing is intelligent and always services the meaning of the music. But in the end, it's the beauty that gets me. Her rendition of the aria from "La Rondine" ('Che il bel sogno di Doretta') is one of the most beautiful recordings I've ever heard. I totally understand why music-lovers of the past swooned and went into convulsions. Her sound and her distinctive vibrato resonate within the listener. You just can't escape the beauty of the sound. It's in your ears and deep within your soul.

i take this to work.......2005-03-02

shes so intense leontyne makes even the most jaded queen wanna cry and the younger guys i work with go " whats that"
this is opera!!! what cd is this from
that voice and that emotion and that crying for love and your child and your sense of BEING A WOMEN

Stravinsky: The Firebird (Complete Ballet); Fireworks [Hybrid SACD]

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Why SACD?
Best sound SACD reissue yet
Analog to SACD done right!

Stravinsky: The Firebird (Complete Ballet); Fireworks [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000DC15L
Release Date: 2004-10-12

Customer Reviews:

Why SACD?.......2005-12-15

One does not need a SACD Player to listen to this magnificient disk of sweeping, glorious and pervasive sound - the CD is good enough, and can be a preview of what could be heard on a SACD Player. I have rarely enjoyed better sound than this even on the latest DDD disks of brand labels.

Best sound SACD reissue yet.......2004-12-21

Best sound SACD reissue yet:
clear, detailed, resolution, sound-stage, dynamics. Either 2 or 3 channel DSD SACD. Good old Dorati's performance has drive, good tempi.
Recommended !

Analog to SACD done right!.......2004-10-17

This new release of this near-legendary 1959 Dorati/LSO performance goes to the head of the class. Using the earlier CD release as a sonic guide (the series was originally overseen by Wilma Cozart Fine), Universal's audio engineers have, again, given us a nearly perfect transfer of the original master tape to this newest, most advanced digital medium. I can't imagine something more musically satisfying.

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Bolivian Baroque Vol. 2 [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Channel Classics Nl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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La Noche Buena: Christmas Music of Colonial Latin America
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ASIN: B000JBWWLA
Release Date: 2006-11-14

Tracks:

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Allegro
Cayosole Al Alba (ANB, Musica 831)
Gloria Et Honore (AMCh 199, Mo 17)
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Sanctus
Agnus Dei
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Christophorus Columbus: Paraísos Perdidos [Hybrid SACD]

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Christophorus Columbus: Paraísos Perdidos [Hybrid SACD]

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ProductGroup: Music
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Orient - Occident
Marin Marais: Suitte d'un Goût Etranger [Hybrid SACD]
Isabel I: Reina de Castilla
Lux Feminae

ASIN: B000GCG8Z8
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Tracks:

Introduction: Pierre Hamon (double flute),Pedro Estavan (percussion)
Invocation: Chorus: "Tethysque novos detegat orbes " (music- Binchois)
Evocation 1 Medea: "Nunc iam cessit pontus et omnes patitur leges"
Invocation: Chorus: "Tethysque novos detegat orbes"
Evocation 2: Medea: "Terminus omnis motus et urbes"
Invocation: Chorus: "Tethysque novos detegat orbes"
Evocation 3: Medea: Venient annis saecula seris
Reading: "Venient annis saecuala seris"
Invocation: Chorus: "Tethysque novos detegat orbes"
Reading: "Vendran los tardos anos del mundo . . . "
Music: Hymn Sufi (instrumental improvisation) (Santur &Percussion)
Reading: "Description of the beautiful sights of Granada" - Ibn
Music: Mowachah Billadi askara min aadbi Llama (Al-Andalus)
Ancient Romance: El Moro de Antequera (Sephardic song)
Reading: "Having reached Antquera" Chronicle of Kings of Castille, Ch.
Music: Zappay (instrumental) CMM 20
Music: Colinetto (instrumental) CMM 22Reading: "Here I shall relate the
Villota: Dindirindin - Anonymous CMM 127
Reading: "Seeing as how his forefathers were of the royal blood of
Strambotto: O tempo bono - Anonymous CMM 132
Music: voca la galiera (instrumental) Anonymous CMM 18 Reading: " A
Basse Dance: Mappa mundi(Kyrie of the Mass) - Johannes Cornago
Music: Chiave, chiave (instrumental)- Anonymous CMM 131 Reading:
Ancient song (s. XI) Reading: "Finding himself near Lisbon..."
Villancico: Meis olhos van por lo mare- Anonymous CMP 453
Reading: "Finally, having recourse to the Spanish expression..."
Frottola: In te Domine speravi- Josquin des Pres CMP 84
Improvisation Arabo-Andalusain Song (santur & flute)
Reading: Arabic text by Ibn Zamrak
Kharcha: Ya am laja halki (Andalusia, 13th century)
Music: La Spagna (instrumental)
Reading: Concerning the Treaty of the Alhambra and the surrender of
Romance: Qu'es de ti desconsolado - Juan del Enzina CMP

Tracks:

Music: las Estrellas de los cielos (Sefardic anonymous)
Hymn: Patres nostri peccaverunt- Johannes Cornago
Reading: Edict of the Expulsion of the Jews, Joan Coloma (Secretary to
Reading: "Within a few months..." Andres Bernaldez, confessor to Queen
Hebrew Lament: Ma aidej? Ma adamelaj - Anonymous
Music: Improvisation on a Fantasia de Lluis del Mila (Viheula)
Music: Voca la galiera(instrumental)- Anonymous CMM 18
Reading: "He sailed to the west-south-west." Christopher Columbus.
Music: Lament instrumental (improvisation)
Reading: "The King and Queen, seeing from the many signs given by the
Music: Nuba Hiyay Msmarqi. Mizan Bsit. Ya muslimin qalbi -
& 16. Reading: Nauhatl poem on the fleeting nature of all things
Music:Homagio Kogui (Quena and Amerindian drums)
Music: Departez vous (instrumental)- Guillaume Dufay
Reading: On the treatment of the native Indians, Friar Bartolome de las
Villancico: Todos los bienes del mundo- Juan del Enzina CMP 61
Music: Fortuna desperata - Heinrich Isaac
Reading: "In May, 1505..."
Music: "Miserere nostri/Vexilla Regis CMM 106
Music: Fantasia I - Llus del Mila
Reading: "I am not the first Admiral in my family..."
Processional Hymn: Hanacpachap cussicuinin (Quechua)- Juan Perez

Amazon.com

This remarkable release, comprising two CDs and a book of 270 pages with information in Spanish, English, German, Italian, Catalan, Arabic, and Hebrew, is a veritable history lesson in music, poetry, and literature about Spain, as well as Christopher Columbus and his voyages and times. The title of the set, Lost Paradises, refers to the cessation of the period during which all three traditions - Jewish, Muslim and Christian - worked together to create greatness. The music, pre-baroque and sounding very exotic indeed, is exquisitely performed, sometimes by itself and sometimes in conjunction with the reading of a text. The Moorish and Sephardic music is particularly colorful, but the more familiar, "early" music is just as ravishing. With repertoire both sacred and profane, featuring dances and dirges, Savall, in his notes, is attempting to make us pay heed to the past so that we may form our futures: This isn't as pedantic as it sounds, but it is certainly more than an afternoon of great music listening. What a stunning gift this would make - either to yourself or others. --Robert Levine

Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 "Organ" / Encores a la Francaise / Ormandy, Murray, Philadelphia Orchestra (Stereo Hybrid SACD)

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Ormandy & Philadelphia do Saint-Saens: A Classic of the recorded literature

Saint-Saens Symphony No. 3 "Organ" / Encores a la Francaise / Ormandy, Murray, Philadelphia Orchestra (Stereo Hybrid SACD)
Saint-Saens , Michael Murray , Eugene Ormandy , and Philadelphia Orchestra
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 2004-07-27

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Customer Reviews:

Ormandy & Philadelphia do Saint-Saens: A Classic of the recorded literature.......2007-05-21

If memory serves, Eugene Ormandy did the Saint-Saens Third Symphony several times in various recordings. Given the brilliant orchestration, plus the use of the great French pipe organ, this piece just has to be a show piece. It demonstrated vinyl LP stereo, then it demonstrated the early failed vinyl quad, then it demonstrated CD stereo, and now it arrives on SACD. This master tape was made in the transition years before superaudio surround sound actually arrived, yet it represented a sterling technical step forward, thanks to the 50 Hz soundstream system that allowed an increase in resolution and something closer to what fanatics have long called, tube-like warmth.

Now this soundstream master is successfully transferred into DSD superaudio, albeit limited to two stereo channels. Which just serves to demonstrate how very much can be accomplished in two channels, given the higher resolution that DSD procedures allow. Yes, the dynamic range and detail and sense of tonal presence are all remarkable and lovely. And if this doesn't approximate the holy grail of tube-like warmth, then I do not think we are ever going to get there via digital methods.

Such technical capacities would mean little if this disc were not also showing off the rich sheen of the famed Philadelphia strings, christened with woodwinds in platinum, and golden glowing brass. The organ is particularly effective, yet integrated always into the larger orchestral fabric. Needless to say, there are never any problems of musical technique with the members of the Philadelphia. They excel, as a matter of course. Yet we must not take their excellence for granted, even though they are so generous with their talents that being cup bearer to the gods must come to seem for a while like the most ordinary of musical occupations.

The Saint-Saens was recorded complete with organ, played by virtuoso Michael Murray, at the Saint Francis de Sales church in Philadelphia, so it has special claims to care and to adopting a clean, non-gimmicky approach. Nearby streets were actually closed to traffic during the sessions, and special voicing of the organ and the church as an acoustic recording venue were carried out.

All of this effort paid off handsomely, now that we can hear what the original master captured.

There is nothing eccentric in this performance. It is entirely mainstream in its tempos and accents. Ormandy was often under-rated, like Fritz Reiner ... competent, yes, but ... Hearing him again after all these years reveals the rock solid tempo management he could take for granted, as well as his ability to get out of the way of the music and let the composer ring through without mannerism or fuss. This is all to the good, since with a facile composer like Saint-Saens, it is easy to try to hitch things up a bit by plastering on somebody's version of Frenchification, gone usually all glitzy. The end results of such pushing and pulling is not only to maul and distort the music, but in the end to make the music seem even shallower and less substantial than ever.

Ormandy does not let his players play down to the composer, nor does Michael Murray condescend, despite the composer's use of the organ for color and weight, as well as for display.

The remainder of the SACD is a second complete French music organ recital, played solo by Michael Murray on the great organ installed in Boston's Symphony Hall. It is difficult to imagine an organist who could play this recital repertoire better, nor a better instrument upon which the music could be played. The famed acoustics of Symphony Hall add their hallowed luster.

Murray as an organist is a masterful twin to Ormandy as band leader. Fuss, muss, and fiddle are foregone in favor of the organist adopting a direct, astute, and very rewarding transparency as a channel of musical communication. The tonal occupations of each different recital piece come through, clearly, and if we have to hear something after the symphony so grandly concludes, it is hard to gripe about this recital being it.

Among the full-channel superaudio competition, I am favorably disposed to the Nezet-Seguin/Montreal Metro outing. It has its own special values. The recent recording by Eschenbach with Philadelphia is also getting loud raves, so that one is probably in the high running, too.

Yet if you grew up with Ormandy - or if you didn't, and have been wondering just what the talk was all about during his long-standing tenure as music director - this disc is a blessedly welcome blast from the past. Bravo to Telarc for re-releasing it in superaudio, and not just consigning it to the past.

Why just have one Saint-Saens' Third? Plus you can use the organ recital portion to help voice and balance your chosen subwoofer into the home system you have been dying to test. Sounds like a win-win-win, thanks to soundstream, and thanks to solid musical values.

Gershwin: Concerto in F; Ravel: Concerto in G major [Hybrid SACD]

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Gershwin: Concerto in F; Ravel: Concerto in G major [Hybrid SACD]

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LAGQ - Guitar Heroes (Multichannel Hybrid SACD)

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LAGQ Guitar Heroes by the LAGQ
A Guitar Grimoire for 6 string enthusiasts

LAGQ - Guitar Heroes (Multichannel Hybrid SACD)

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Release Date: 2004-06-22

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Icarus
B & B
We Know You Know: Reverie For Mahavishnu
Pluck, Strum And Hammer
Letter From Home
Uarekena
Aire Para Un Dia (Mood For A Day)
Gyspy Flower
Pop
El Baile De Luis Alonso
Lament And Wake
Let's Be Frank
Blue Echo/Country Gentleman

Customer Reviews:

LAGQ Guitar Heroes by the LAGQ.......2005-03-24

This was the Grammy award winner in classical crossover for 2005. It is great if you appreciate the innovators in 20th century guitar music. Listen to The "Assad Duo" and a rock remedition of a Michael Hedges tribute" Lament and Wake which stand out. Both these songs got great reviews as arrangements by the newspaper critics. Get the multi channel version if you have a a top notch audio system with the speakers to show off the enginneering. If you just want "pretty" background music this is not an album for you.

A Guitar Grimoire for 6 string enthusiasts.......2004-08-14

This is an exciting display of 6 string prowess that really isn't classical, yet will inevitably become a classic. It is an amazing tour de force worthy of the California Guitar Trio. The efforst here focus on composers and players who are heroes to this quartet, and it is a compendium of the best: McLaughlin, Hendrix, Metheny, Towner, Howe, Rheinhart. Each and every selection is brilliant whether they are essaying Norman Blake or Frank Zappa. York, Tennant, Kanengiser and Dearman command their instruments with power and discipline, and the finessse and passion leaps off the strings. The fretwork is a tribute to each of the heroes honored, and indeed this is truly an honouring of great fretmen. The digital encoding of the disc is such that you get a very precise definition of who is playing spacially from right to left. Very impressive, as you would expect from Telarc.
Their take on Towner's "Icarus" is both timely and quite a creative adjustment of the tempo. Steve Howe's "Mood For A Day" undergoes a makeover as a flamenco tour de force, and it actually comes off even more amazing than Howe's various re-workings of this abstemious wonder. At times, the compositions are those of the heroes, at others it is the LAGQ's composition evoking essential qualities of the personalities honoured. It works beautifully on all accounts. If you are a fan of acoustic guitars, or even of any of the guitarists honoured here, you owe it to yourself to pick this up.

Stravinsky: Petrouchka; Firebird Suite [Hybrid SACD]

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Performance A+, Original Mastering A+, This Remaster D-
Mackerras, LSO, Stravinsky: Musical Magic in Surround Sound

Stravinsky: Petrouchka; Firebird Suite [Hybrid SACD]

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ASIN: B0001IN0EO
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Tracks:

The Shrove-Tide Fair
Petrouchka's Room
The Moor's Room
Shorve-Tide Fair (Toward's Evening)
Danse Infernale Du Roi Kastchei
Berceuse
Finale
Bonus Track 1
Bonus Track 2
Bonus Track 3
Bonus Track 4
Bonus Track 5
Bonus Track 6
Bonus Track 7
Bonus Track 8
Bonus Track 9

Customer Reviews:

Performance A+, Original Mastering A+, This Remaster D-.......2007-04-13

The right channel on this SACD/CD release has an unacceptable hum in it, which mars an otherwise fantastic performance brilliantly captured by the original engineers. It's too late for me to return it to Amazon, from whom I purchased it, so if you purchase it with the right to refund it if defective, LISTEN to your CD the moment it arrives, and don't leave it in an auditioning stack for a couple of months like I did. If the CD you pick up does NOT have the hum, you've got a 5 STAR in your hands. The pressings with the hum drop the star count by two. I'm reviewing the copy I have, since you have a chance of acquiring the same problems in your CD. Buyer beware: check your CD out, rejoice if it's kosher, act quickly if you've got that hum. This is all the more a pity since this is now my favorite take on Petrouchka, and I own about 15 different versions of the ballet. I'll even listen to it with the hum -- and I'll eventually break down and repurchase this in the hope my next copy is hum-free.

Mackerras, LSO, Stravinsky: Musical Magic in Surround Sound.......2006-05-20

Let me be clear that I am reviewing the SACD/CD Hybrid version of this recording. Long years have I cherished and cheered this performance of Stravinsky's middle ballet, Petrouchka. The remainder of this disc offers a piano transcription of the equally famous Firebird Suite ballet music, played to the hilt by Robin McCabe.

I first obtained this recording in the ancient days of LP vinyl. Immediately I realized that this was one of the best played and recorded editions available. So I hung onto it, until my LP collection was destroyed in a shipping accident. Then, one day I found it on regular 16-bit CD, and scooped it up as quickly as possible. The coupling was a tremendous, top-notch performance of Mussorgsky-Ravel's Pictures at an Exhibition, with Mackerras leading the New Philharmonia (London). (Now also available in SACD transfer, and standing equally high as sound demo and as musical performance on my play list.)

That regular CD still sits on the fav shelf; but the moment I encountered a SuperAudio version of the Mussorgky-Ravel Pictures, I began to look for an SACD version of the Petrouchka. My particular treasure hunt ended at a local store; but yours may take you along other paths. No matter, look for this wherever you can obtain it.

The SACD provides a surround remix of the original 8-track master tapes, and the result is simply stunning as music, and as high resolution system display piece. (I'm going full tilt on five Def Tech floor speakers, plus a Velodyne sub, powered by Bryston amps, with a Pioneer omni-player feeding a B&K Ref 30 preamp.) Of course, Stravinsky's brilliant orchestration is rooted in the Late Romantic lexicons of Berlioz and Rimsky-Korsakov, and carried forward in a hybrid manner that imports the keyboard athletics of what would otherwise be a concerto genre. The fact that conductor and band are playing the original 1911 scoring, later reduced and streamlined by the composer to fit a more linear, modern sensibility, only emphasizes the flash, fire, and balletic energy of this performance. The London Symphony play it all to the absolute tens, and thanks to the multi-track master, every harmonic nuance and virtuoso soloist's riff is present and then some. In the surround SACD, the instruments have been allocated to the back and front channels, which isn't anything at all like a live auditorium performance would be. It took some getting used to, every time the back channel performers kicked in. That said, if any music in the classical repertoire can take this sort of sonic treatment and still come out music, the Stravinsky Petrouchka has to be on that list.

Since the SACD comes in a hybrid version with a regular CD layer, you get value either way, depending on what kind of player you have at the moment. Also it may serve consumers with regular DVD players to recall that Silverline Classics is releasing the Vanguard/Artemis catalogue in DVD Audio 5.1 remixes, too, that also play in regular Dolby Digital 5.1 format on ordinary movie players. You may eventually get this outstanding performance in that high-resolution format, and enjoy it even if you haven't upgraded to SACD yet.

In any case, grab this one. It appears in the catalogue, but disappears rather more quickly than its excellence might suggest. This SACD is mid-price in some locations, but there is nothing compromised about its sonic and musical value.

Truly five bright stars, and very highly recommended.

Super Artists on Super Audio, Vol. 2 [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

Super Artists on Super Audio, Vol. 2 [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Channel Classics Nl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Sextets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00027X3R8
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Average customer rating:

One of the Best-Ever Toscas Now in Splendid SACD Sound!

Puccini: Tosca [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: Pentatone
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000I2IV1K
Release Date: 2006-10-31

Tracks:

Ah! Finalemente
E Sempre Lava!
Dammi I Colori!
Recondita Armonia
Gente La Dentro
Mario! Mario! Mario!
Ah, Quegli Ochi...
Mia Gelosa
E Buona La Mia Tosca
Sommo Giubilo, Eccellenza!
Un Tal Baccano In Chiesa!
Or Tutto E Chiaro
Ed Io Venivo
Tre Sbirri, Una Carrozza

Tracks:

Tosca E Un Buon Falco!
Ha Piu Forte Sapore
Meno Male!
Ov'e Angelotti?
Ed Or Fra Noi Parliam Da B uoni Amici
Sciarrone, Che Dice Il Cavalier?
Orsu, Tosca, Parlate
Floria...Amore...
Nel Pozzo Del Giardino
Se La Giurata Fede
Vissi D'arte
Vedi, Le Man Giunte
E Qual Via Scegliete
Tosca, Finalmente Mia!
Io De' Sospiri
Mario Cavardossi?
Introduzione A:
E Lucevan Le Stelle
Franchigia A Floria Tosca
O Dolci Mani
Senti...L'ora E Vicina
Amaro Sol Per Te M'era Il Morire
E Non Giungono
L'ora!
Come E Lunga L'attesa!
Presto, Su! Mario! Mario!

Customer Reviews:

One of the Best-Ever Toscas Now in Splendid SACD Sound!.......2006-11-13

This Tosca was recorded in 1976 and originally issued by Philips in both plain-vanilla stereo and the then-new quadraphonic sound. The quad format didn't survive largely because the grooves of vinyl LPs simply couldn't contain and transmit the full sound of the otherwise superior sound recording system. Fortunately, Philips kept the master tapes and that superior-sounding recording is now reissued on the PentaTone label (a newish label started by former Philips technical personnel) in hybrid SACD format. Hybrid SACD is playable on regular stereo CD players and also with SACD playback equipment. Even in plain stereo CD the sound here is amazingly good. On SACD equipment it is sensational.

All this would be of no particular importance if this performance of Tosca were not musically satisfying in itself. But, thankfully, this is luxurious casting and all the principals are in marvelous voice. We have Montserrat Caballé at the height of her powers -- her 'Vissi d'arte' is one of the loveliest ever recorded. Some quibbled early on that she didn't have the spinto coloring to handle the more dramatic aspects of the role, but frankly I don't hear that at all. In her scene in Act II with Scarpia she is plenty dramatic. She is able to vent her fury without making ugly sounds. And the lyrical passages throughout are marvelous. Her justly acclaimed pianissimos in alt are here in abundance. José Carreras, as Cavaradossi, is in his very best voice. He recorded the role three years later with Karajan and the voice was then already showing some wear. But here the voice is full-throated and beautiful. His two big arias and the love duet are ravishing. Scarpia is sung by Ingvar Wixell, not a baritone one would ordinarily think of for the role -- and who can think of the role without thinking of Tito Gobbi? -- but he brings a rather lighter voiced but suavely evil approach to the role and I for one am convinced by it. And speaking of luxury casting: Angelotti is sung magnificently by the young Samuel Ramey, at the start of his career before he had essayed the larger, more dramatic role of Scarpia.

There are those who feel that Colin Davis was not a very good Puccini conductor. I beg to differ. This may not be the most flashily dramatic version on CD, but the orchestral contribution here -- by the Covent Garden orchestra -- is among the most flexible and finely detailed ever recorded. Davis is a superb accompanist for these great singers. I frankly count this Tosca as one of the two or three greatest I've ever heard. And if you have SACD or even feel the need for a new version of Tosca for playing in regular CD, I urgently recommend this one. Particularly because of the contributions by Caballé, Carreras, Wixell and Davis, this is a recording for the ages.

Scott Morrison

Music Review: