State-of-the-Art Recordings of Classical Works (SACDs)

[Yuen A.]

Rachmaninoff: Prelude Op. 3 No. 2 in C sharp minor
Orch. by Stokowski

Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 Sinfonia of London, John Wilson Chandos CHSA 5309 SACD​

To me, this is the most romantic interpretation and performance of the Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2. I love it! The colors of the orchestration and the virtuosity of the Sinfonia of London are awesome! The phrasing in the adagio is sublime! The sound is totally transparent and has amazing fortissimos/dynamics and bassline. The strings are delicate and silky..

 

[Yuen A.]

Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis; Howells: Concerto for String Orchestra; Delius: Late Swallows; Elgar: Introduction and Allegro Sinfonia of London/John Wilson Chandos CHSA 5291 SACD

To me, this is the best performance/recording of Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. A stunning new benchmark and a tour de force! The most beautiful, passionate and heartrending performance. The Sinfonia of London's strings are sumptuously rich, exhilarating, surging, brilliant, weighty, silky, vivid and the bassline is awesome, like the real thing.

 

[Yuen A.]

Beethoven Piano Concertos in D, Op. 61 & No. 4 Ronald Brautigam (piano)
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Parrott BIS 1693 SACD​

These are fresh, light, sparkling and invigorating performances by Ronald Brautigam (piano) and the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra and the tempos are fleet. The sound is state-of-the-art - spacious, transparent and airy. The Steinway Model D has the bell-like-tone. The strings are silky, vibrant, dynamic and has agility. The brass has the golden, full-bodied resonance. There are plenty of air and space around the piano. The bassline is awesome - resonant, clear, full and deep. A very realistic recording. Play loud.

 

[Yuen A.]

Dvorak Symphonies Nos 8 & 9 Budapest Festival Orchestra/Iván Fischer
Channel Classics CCS SA 90110 SACD

Wow, a very passionate, intense, dynamic, precise and detailed performances of the No. 8 & 9! The sound is state-of-the-art. Lush strings, blaring brass, airy woodwinds and thundering timpani.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

It is pretty nice but state of the art? Not by me. This is a re-issue of a 2001 Philips release.

 

[Yuen A.]

It is pretty nice but state of the art? Not by me. This is a re-issue of a 2001 Philips release.

Hi Kal, with all due respect, I cannot agree with your conclusion. Via my sound system, it sounded awesome and the soundstage is huge! And I am not alone in my opinion. Classics Today, review by David Hurwitz, gave it the highest rating: No.10 for sound quality! MusicWeb International says: "These new performances are extremely well played and are presented in sound which is clear, rich and full. There is just the right amount of space around the orchestra so that quiet playing registers beautifully while the climaxes expand naturally."

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Hi Kal, with all due respect, I cannot agree with your conclusion. Via my sound system, it sounded awesome and the soundstage is huge! And I am not alone in my opinion. Classics Today, review by David Hurwitz, gave it the highest rating: No.10 for sound quality! MusicWeb International says: "These new performances are extremely well played and are presented in sound which is clear, rich and full. There is just the right amount of space around the orchestra so that quiet playing registers beautifully while the climaxes expand naturally."

He was less enthusiastic about the original CD release and, despite the 10, had one cavil of the new one. It is a lovely performance with really good sound but I find his Channel releases superior sonically. IMHO, not state-of-the-art or, at least, not still.

 

[Yuen A.]

He was less enthusiastic about the original CD release and, despite the 10, had one cavil of the new one. It is a lovely performance with really good sound but I find his Channel releases superior sonically. IMHO, not state-of-the-art or, at least, not still.

Hi Kal, point taken. However, many a time one needs a state-of-the-art sound system to reveal the hidden gems in a recording.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

Hi Kal, point taken. However, many a time one needs a state-of-the-art sound system to reveal the hidden gems in a recording.

Perhaps but that is a much more debatable issue which opens more than one can of worms. Let's stick with the recordings.

 

[Yuen A.]

American Piano Concertos Samuel BARBER Piano Concerto, Op. 38 Aaron COPLAND Piano Concerto George GERSHWIN
Concerto in F Xiayin Wang (piano) Royal Scottish National Orchestra/Peter Oundjian CHANDOS CHSA 5128 SACD

A collection of demonstration quality recordings of works by Copland and Gershwin (Track 4-8). Listen also to track 3 (Barber Concerto for Piano and Orchestra). The recordings here are utterly transparent, pure, and realistic! Listen to the piano, the percussion, the brass, etc. They sounded so real and tangible/physical. Fortissimos are awesome. The soundstage is huge, wide and deep!

 

[Yuen A.]

Handel: Water Music Haydn Sinfonietta Wien, Manfred Huss BIS 2027 SACD​

Great performances and excellent sound.

 

[Yuen A.]

Vallée d'Obermann (No. 6 from Years of Pilgrimage, Book I: Swiss) Il Penseroso (No. 2 from Years of Pilgrimage, Book II, Italy)
Légende No. 1: St. Francis of Assisi Walking on the Water Bagatelle Without Tonality Hungarian Rhapsody #13 [Volodos version] Sposalizio (No. 1 from Years of Pilgrimage, Book II, Italy) Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen (Prelude in f after Bach's S.179) Funérailles (No. 7 from Harmonies poétiques et religeiuses) La lugubre gondola No. 2 Nocturne - En rêve
Arcadi Volodos, piano (Steinway) Sony Classical 88697065002 SACD

Listen especially to the Funérailles. Volodos achieves a strong funeral march ambience than most pianists. The final emotionally-charged passage of the Funérailles is electrifying, crystalline, and effortlessly lucid. The concert hall realism of the sonics is so satisfying!

 

[Gregm]

Sibelius Violin concerto:


It includes the original version alongside the final version (the only one most of us know).
Superb dynamics!

 

[Yuen A.]

Dvo?ák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 'From the New World' Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Mariss Jansons RCO 04002 SACD​

Wow, another great performance/recording of the Symphony No. 9! The Concertgebouw Orchestra' superlative playing was magical, atmospheric, vivid, rhythmic, and refined. The performance is full of textural subtlety. Here, the woodwind sounded sublime and airy, the strings - silky and velvety and the brass too sounded so right. The entire performance was effortless!

 

[Yuen A.]

Gustav HOLST Orchestral Works - Vol. 1 The Ballet from ‘he Perfect Fool’' The Lure The Golden Goose The Morning of the Year Joyful Company of Singers/Peter Broadbent BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Richard Hickox DSD CHANDOS CHSA 5069 SACD

Wow, l am very impressed by the realism of the sound here! The natural reverb retrieval contribute to that illusive concert hall realism.

 

[Yuen A.]

Mozart Night Music. The English Concert, Andrew Manze DSD Recording. Harmonia Mundi HMU 807280 SACD

A very fresh approach by Andrew Manze and a very enjoyable one as well. The sound quality is excellent - full, tangible, detailed, dynamic and pure. Instrumental timbres are spot-on.

 

[Yuen A.]

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E flat K.364 Rondo for Violin and Orchestra in C K.373
Concertone for 2 Violins and Orchestra in C K.190 Julia Fischer & Gordon Nikolic Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Yakov Kreizberg PentaTone Classics (PTC 5186 098)

Here, Julia Fischer, Gordon Nikolic and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra performed with "great sensitivity of phrasing or detail of instrumental color" and "with a sense of wonder". The recording is first-rate - atmospheric, detailed, and with amazing instrumental colors and textures. The soundstage is huge - wall to wall, and resonant. The bassline is deep, resonant and pure!

 

[Yuen A.]

Linn Records CKD 315 SACD

BBC Music Review says: "Pizarro takes the music's virtuosity in his stride, but the real triumph of this disc is the clarity, gentility, delicacy and precision with which each perfectly-couched phrase is imbued. The tone is quietly thoughtful rather than heart-on-sleeve; he captures the music's special quality of being wrapped in an otherworldliness that borders, but never succumbs to, aloofness. The pedal is employed to great affect for Le Tombeau de Couperin's smoothly rippling ''Prélude'', but Pizarro knows when less is more, engaging it only sparingly for passages such as the opening theme of the same work's ''Menuet''. This is a deeply pleasurable disc, and one I believe Ravel would have approved of."

 

[Yuen A.]

The Complete Piano Works of Maurice Ravel Volume One: Jeux d'eau, Gaspard de la nuit, Sérénade grotesque, Miroirs, La Valse Artur Pizarro (Hamburg Steinway D) Linn Records CKD 290 SACD

A fascinating and magical performance by Artur Pizarro. A tour de force. The sound is shimmering bell-like. Absolutely magical!

 

[Audiocrack]

This is one of the very best sacd vocal recordings I have in my collection. Diego Ortiz: Ad vespersas.The soundstaging, fluidity and tonality of this Alpha recording - which dates from 2005 - is really spectacular (in a good way). Over 70 minutes of gorgeous music.