Ravel sacd set

The post that got waylaid would be a good subtitle for todays offering because it was going to come last week but unfortunately events intervened and that was it. 

The French had a way with classical music taking over after the romantic period and the bombast of Wagner, taking things down to a smaller more intimate scale with lush orchestration which can be seen in music of Debussy and Ravel.

There are a couple of connections which is that in the main Debussy work at and for the piano and it was Ravel who worked on the orchestrated versions.

The other is in this recording which was part of series Jean Martinon conducted with the Orchestre de Paris which covered both composers and to which I have their Debussy on two sets of two standard cds.

This set of four super audio cds contains the finest complete series of this music from the over popular Bolero,the Ma Mére I'Oye ballet, Daphnis et Chloe, Une barque sur L'océan, his concertos and Pavane pour une infante défunte originally recorded for SQ quadraphonic surround sound in 1974.

This was re-issued at the beginning of 2021 from the original analogue tapes by Warner Japan who own British Emi and Emi Angels recordings in conjunction with Tower Records in a set limited to just 800 of which mine is no 173

The transfer to super audio cd is excellent sounding very fresh and open and like all the disc s in this series has a layer that plays on regular cd playing equipment.

While it wasn't cheap, I really enjoyed listening to it.

Classical Music on sacd

Today we're starting a new series of reviews following installing the Super Audio cd player and you might think I'd just have regular cds but as it happened I already had a few with that higher quality layer present.

When it comes to older pop and rock titles actually I have a good number because they were issued by companies that specialize in making the best possible sounding editions and many of theirs are of the sort that have a layer for super audio cd players and another for regular cd players so buying them is like buying those dual dvd and blu ray editions in that they allow you to move over from the original format to a better quality one at your convenience .

Until a few months back I had only a few classical music Super Audio cds, usually buying the High Definition Naxos downloads as they don't make sacd's instead and playing them over my stereo (on a high quality portable player) but I was keen to start a basic small collection on sacd  by favourite composers not least cos there just is something in holding a disc in your hand.

I do openly admit to enjoying classical music and had music appreciation classes at my boarding school and one composer I do like is Ravel.

This double sacd recorded in 1994 is quite valuable for having a wide selection of his works such as the Mother Goose Suite and Bolero on it, exceptionally well performed by the late Pierre Boulez and the Berlin Philharmonic in both stereo and also surround sound for those who have player that can output it. The reproduction is simply outstanding.

An enterprising company has lead the way releasing classical super audio cd's is Pentatone Records which as the name suggests are interested a lot in surround sound discs too as the sacd format often allows space for both stereo and multichannel versions.

They have been doing for a period reissues of recordings from the 1970's and early 1980's  from the Philips and Deutsche Grammophon catalogues in this form and it is fair to say I loved the recordings usually on Deutsche Grammophon made by the Boston Symphony Orchestra during that era often having the record or cassette versions.

 While I make no bones about my preferred version on cd of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring being the Claudio Abbado recording conducting the London Symphony Orchestra coupled with a good version of the Firebird suite, this recording from 1972 has an opulence that is lacking in that cd with fuller sounding transfer of the analogue tapes.

The rendition of the "King of the Stars" which is the second piece (I'm used to the French titles but am using English to aid accessibility) is exquisite in its choral moments sang by the Men's chorus of  the New England Conservatory choir.  It replicates the original lp but like most of their discs can be had for around £9 to £10 is good value for money.

In 1974, Seija Ozawa recorded a four lp set of the entire Ravel orchestral output, later issued as a three and then a budget two long playing cd set which doesn't quite equal the sound on record in 1993, but Pentatone have issued a new stereo/quadrophonic transfer of just over one and half lps worth of that original set sounding much more fuller and open that takes in Le tombeau de Couperin, Menuet antique and Valse nobels et sentimentale which runs to about 76 minutes.

As a fan of the originals-they were my introduction to Ravel as a child- these sound just fantastic in their new Super Audio cd form.

I also got a disc performed by the Boston Symphony Chamber Players of three Debussy's Sonata's which was the first Quadraphonic (four channel surround sound) recording Deutsche Grammophon made which remains a first class performance.

 I was very taken with this work by Berlioz around the age of 12 and 13 which my therapist discussed with me while I was under him at the time and so finding a really good version that matches a need for 'hifi' (wide difference between loud and soft sounds, good reproduction of low and high frequencies) and the ability on the part of the performers to summon up the darkness of the Witches Sabbath with its shrieking torment of the artist in death has been a life long challenge having gotten through many a version.

This recording from 1974 was a favourite of mine but the cd versions sounded muddy until Pentatone mastered this direct from the original tapes and managed to restore the very wide dynamic range and inner clarity that easily makes this the best overall bet with its rich atmospheric feel.

Ravel Orchestral Music

Ravel's orchestral music has always had  place in my life from Bolero to the Mother Goose suite and when cds first came out I bought a single cd in Dg's Galleria series from 1987 that had the recordings of Seiji Osawa's set with the Boston Symphony Orchestra  that included Un Bal and Bolero but it didn't sound so good.

I really loved that three lp set from 1974 and recently I bought this newly remastered two cd set that holds all the lp set did on two discs that fit as many now do in a single cd size case.

While the notes are a little basic in this set, the sound is now most vivid allowing the beauty of this set I loved to be heard in a digital form.