State-of-the-Art Recordings of Classical Works (SACDs)
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Jean SIBELIUS Violin Concerto in D minor Op.47 (1903 revised 1905) Serenade in G minor Op.69b Christian SINDING Violin Concerto No.1 in A major Op.45 Romance in D major Op.100 Henning Kraggerud (violin) Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Bjarte Engeset (NAXOS 6.110056 SACD) A Relisten
These are wonderful recordings! Transparent, lifelike, dynamic, rich, melancholic but beautiful. The soundscape is immense and three-dimensional. ClassicsToday says: "Henning Kraggerud is a risk-taker, which mostly is a good thing. In the Sibelius he plays with tremendous intensity and feeling, particularly in the extremely fleet finale, which, thanks to Bjarte Engeset’s pinpoint precision, lacks nothing in rhythmic clarity (note the rhythm in the strings and timpani at the outset). Elsewhere, such as the first-movement cadenza, or the climax toward the end of the slow movement, Kraggerud’s passionate take on the music makes it sound as though life and death issues really are at stake, despite some roughness of tone now and again. It’s a distinctive performance, made only more attractive by the presence of the Serenade in G minor. The Christian Sinding Violin Concerto also is delightful–decidedly Nordic in feeling, fresh as a spring day, and not a note too long."
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Franz LISZT Piano Concerto No.1 in E flat major, S.124, R.455, Piano Concerto No.2 in A major, S.125 Totentanz (Dance of death or Dance macabre), Paraphrase on the ‘Dies irae’ for piano and orchestra, S.126, R.457 Arnaldo Cohen (piano) São Paulo Symphony Orchestra/John Neschling (BIS-SACD-1530) A Relisten
Today is the first time I played this album via my upgraded DAC and it was like listening to a totally new recording. What is more, these recordings/performances of the Liszt's piano concertos are now the best in my collection. The soundscape is really huge (wall to wall and floor to ceiling) and alive. Previously, I found the sound quality of these recordings just so-so. ClassicsToday says: "before we give a disc a 10/10 rating we often consult to see if we agree. ... When it comes to repertoire very frequently recorded, such as the Liszt piano concertos, we often try to be extra careful, to be particularly clear about our reasons for awarding a new release our highest accolade. In this particular case, I had an extensive discussion with my colleague Christophe Huss, who operates CTFrance.com. We both agreed that these performances were unusually excellent, with Christophe a bit more enthusiastic about them than I was. Clearly, Arnaldo Cohen is an exceptional Liszt pianist; he tackles all three works with consummate virtuosity and intelligence. Rapid passagework, such as the scherzo section of Piano Concerto No. 1, truly sparkles. The cadenzas in Totentanz are brilliant without turning noisy or vulgar. The Second Concerto possesses a rare cogency arising primarily from Cohen’s ability to inflect a phrase without slowing down for effect or sacrificing the long arc of melody."
As David Hurwitz (Classics Today) says, there's nothing this guy plays that's ever less than excellent. Hurwitz picked his Beethoven Emperor Concerto (#5) to be among his top10 all time! That's quite a statement coming from Hurwitz.
Johannes BRAHMS Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 Jonathan Plowright (piano)
(BIS-SACD-2047)
This is exactly how a Steinway D should sound like (a powerful resonant sound, with deep bass, sparkling, crystal-clear high notes, and a greater variety of tone, color and richness) and you got it all in these recordings! This is also one of the finest performances of the piano sonata no. 3.
Maurice RAVEL Pavane pour une infante défunte Gabriel FAURÉ Après un rêve, Op. 7 No. 1 Élégie, Op. 24 Richard DUBUGNON Incantatio, Op. 12b Gabriel FAURÉ Romance, Op. 69 Claude DEBUSSY Clair de lune Richard DUBUGNON Lied, Op. 44b Claude DEBUSSY La fille aux cheveux de lin Gabriel FAURÉ Pavane, Op 50 Maxim Rysanov (viola); Ashley Wass (piano) (BIS-SACD-1773)
Gramophone says: "That this programme of arrangements is so thoroughly enjoyable is due largely to the quality of the performances. Maxim Rysanov is a remarkable string player; in his hands the viola’s distinctive voice is explored throughout its range, with consistently beautiful variations of intensity and tone colour. And he and Wass show great sensitivity in finding the appropriate tempo and character for each item. ... For me, the highlights of the disc are the Fauré pieces, which are so effective in these interpretations that one wishes he’d written original music for viola and piano." My sentiments exactly. Rysanov playing is utterly sublime and the recordings are lifelike!
Mahler Symphony No. 9 Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä (BIS 2476 SACD)
Gramophone says: "The Minnesota Orchestra's virtuosity is self evident and the BIS engineering is superb." The sound is beautiful, immediate, focused, refined, transparent, nuanced, dynamic and effortless.
Joachim Raff Symphony No. 2 in C major for Large Orchestra, Op. 140 Orchestral Prelude to Shakespeare's: The Tempest in G minor, WoO 49 (1879)Macbeth in C minor, WoO 50 (1879); Romeo and Juliet in D major, WoO 51 (1879); Othello in D major, WoO 52 (1879) Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Neeme Järvi (CHANDOS CHSA 5117)
These are very enjoyable pieces by Joachim Raff and the sound is superb/lifelike (however, before upgrading my DAC, it was just so-so). Gramophone says: "Järvi and his Suisse Romande players seem to be having a whale of a time, or least that's the impression that these extremely vital performances suggest ... a perfect place to dip a toe into Raffian waters."
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Mozart Violin Concertos, Marianne Thorsen, Trondheimsolistene/Øyvind Gimse (2L 38 SACD)
These recordings/performances are state-of-the-art. There is a sense of immediacy and space around instruments, especially with the soloist. The sound is transparent, detailed, and three-dimensional. ClassicsToday rightly says: "This disc is recorded in what the label calls DXD. Without getting into the technical details, the vividness and life-like naturalness of the recording are striking, recalling the old Mercury Living Presence LPs. In both CD and SACD stereo formats the sound is involving, close-up but with plenty of width, depth, and air around the instruments. Details like the wind parts or the lower strings’ held notes under the soloist in the cadenza of the third movement of K. 218, often lost in recordings, are graphically present here."
Peter Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Daniele Gatti.
(HARMONIA MUNDI USA 807 381 SACD) A Relisten
Wow, the sound quality of this SACD is now (via my ungraded DAC) excellent! The dynamics, the transient response/speed, the timbres, the bass lines, the clarity are all lifelike. The performance of the 5th symphony here is world-class, fresh, detailed, flowing, melancholic, intense and exciting. Gramophone correctly says: "The Abbey Road recording is first class, full-bodied, with resplendent brass, and glowing woodwind and horns."
Mahler Symphony No. 3 Bach Suite Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Riccardo Chailly (Decca 470 653 2 SACD)Wow, the recordings here present an impression of a real three-dimensional concert hall space and the depth of tone the Concertgebouw generates in the climaxes is breathtaking and startling!
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Sergei Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor, Op.30 Sergei Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 Mikhail Pletnev (piano) Russian National Orchestra/Mstislav Rostropovich (Deutsche Grammophon 477 060-2 SACD) (48 KHz/24 Bit)
Wow, via my upgraded DAC, this recording of the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 is now the best (performance and sound quality) in my collection! Classics Today rightly says that "virtually every note from orchestra and pianist is a crisp staccato ... In the more gentle moments Pletnev gives the melodies their due, but Rostropovich’s austere directness really puts the stamp on this performance. These observations, however, don’t detract from what is a uniquely punchy feat of musical precision. Rarely do you hear the orchestra and piano so together as an ensemble in those famous 16th-note passages that frame the opening and conclusion of the first movement. Further, Pletnev’s technique is so fine that the climactic third-movement glissandos sound as if they are played note for note, rather than with hands sliding back and forth." The piano and orchestra sounded so transparent, so real, so pure, so enchanting and so dynamic.
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Schubert Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat, Op. 99 Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat, Op. 100 Storioni Trio Amsterdam (PentaTone PTC 5186 050 SACD)
Gramophone says: "Young players take a light approach to deeper works – and it pays off, too. The young members of the Storioni Trio of Amsterdam, founded in 1995, here give exceptionally light and sparkling accounts of Schubert’s two piano trios." The sound is excellent - lifelike, detailed and three dimensional with a good sense of air space between the performers.
Jean Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor, Op.47 Karelia Suite, Op.11 The Swan of Tuonela, Op.22 No.2 Valse lyrique, Op.96a Andante festivo, JS 34b Finlandia, Op.26 Jennifer Pike (violin) Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra/Andrew Davis (Chandos CHSA 5134 SACD)
The Sunday Times says: "This is an exceptionally fine reading of a testing concerto ... She [Jennifer Pike] catches the sinuous ethereality of Sibelius’s vision, and the loneliness as well, but there’s plenty of passion where it matters and tremendous technical skill." Here, the sound is of demonstration quality (having lifelike dynamics and timbres). Pike's violin and the orchestra have tremendous sense of presence.
Ravel: Tzigane, M. 76. Lento quasi cadenza; Bartók: Rhapsody for Violin & Orchestra No. 2, BB 96b, Sz. 90; Ravel: Violin Sonata in G major; Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances, Sz. 56, BB 68 (Arr. for Violin and Piano by Zoltan Szekely); Bartók: Violin Rhapsody No. 1, Sz. 87, BB 94; Hubay: Scènes de la Csárda No. 4 "Hejre Kati", Op. 32. Rosanne Philippens (violin) Yuri van Nieuwkerk (piano) (Channel Classics 35013 SACD)
This album is "captivating in its kaleidoscope of color and subtle touches of expression, dynamics and rhythmic acuity" and contains some of the most realistic recordings I've heard. It sounds like the violinist and pianist are in my listening room performing the pieces.
Johannes Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 14 (1880) (arr. string orchestra by Iván Fischer) Variations on a Theme by Joseph Haydn, Op. 56a
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 Budapest Festival Orchestra/ Iván Fischer (CHANNEL CLASSICS CCSSA 28309)
Classics Today (David Hurwitz) says: "Iván Fischer and his orchestra hit the ball out of the park with this recording, offering a First Symphony full of personality and fire, all at an exalted technical and interpretive level." Indeed, these are outstanding performances - finely sprung and exquisitely phrased. The sound quality of the recordings is state-of-the-art - very detailed and nuanced and lifelike. Dynamics and bass lines sounded real. The soundscape has a sense of space and is resonant (i.e., a deep, transparent and a continuous sound).
Rachel Podger Violin Guardian Angel Works by J.S. Bach, Biber, Matteis, Pisendel, and Tartini (Channel Classics CCS SA 35513 SACD)
MusicWeb International says: "This is a remarkably beautiful recital. I doubt the solo violin has ever been more exquisitely recorded in surround. The instrument just floats before the listener within a lovely acoustic. The playing and the music itself is all gorgeous." The recording is spacious, resonant and detailed. Podger's 1739 Antonio Pazarini violin sounded so pure, sweet and melancholic. I was transported to the amazing acoustic space of the recording venue!
Beethoven Cello Sonatas in G minor op.5 no.2 & in C major op.102 no.1, Horn Sonata in F major op.17 Kristin Fossheim (fortepiano), Bjørn Solum (cello), Steinar Granmo Nilsen (natural horn) (2L 79 SACD)BBC Music Magazine says: "Performing on period instruments, these fine Norwegian artists present feisty accounts of the two Cello Sonatas, while the early Horn Sonata is projected with charm and good humour." The sound is excellent - three-dimensional and dynamic.
Bach, J S: Goldberg Variations, BWV988 Gaede Trio: Daniel Gaede (violin), Thomas Selditz (viola), Andreas Greger (cello) (Tacet S 70 SACD)
"The Trio plays naturally, homogeneously and - in a word - perfectly." — Repertoire. The recording has that 'you are there' presence.
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