Stravinsky on super audio cd

Seeing we are into the new year, we resume the ongoing series around classical music on super audio cd staying very much with one letter-S.
Igor Stravinsky was a Russian composer that really pushed the boundaries of what had been accepted in European classical music, never more so than in his ballet scores of which Le Sacre du Printemps that actually caused a riot in Paris on its début.
The Firebird (L 'Oiseau de fue) was written for the 1910 Paris ballet season and is based around the Russian folk tales of the Firebird and the blessings and curses it brings to its owner.
It was first performed at Opéra de Paris June 25 1910  where it was an instance with public and critics a like.

 For orchestral concerts, a reduced version, the Firebird Suite was devised in 1919 and recordings of both abound.
For a long time the 1959 Mercury recording issued on cd in 1992 and briefly on super audio cd in the early 2000's have been the 'to go' version for recording quality and interpration.
More recently Sweden's BIS label issued this modern stereo and multi-channel  version which comes extremely close to matching that making for a modern replacement in Super Audio (as well as regular cd) with the improvements high resolution digital recording can bring.
It is coupled with orchestrations by Stravinsky of works originally by Chopin,Sibelius and Tchaikovsky.
While during the nineteen-sixties increasingly stereo recordings and matching equipment superseded monaural high fidelity, in the recording studios and research centres people were looking toward  not just sounds from left and right but also how to transmit the ambience of a concert hall into a living room for greater realism.
This lead to "Quadraphonic sound" with two speakers left and right behind you as well as the by now standard front left and right to send that additional sonic signature (and in popular music, effects too).
As was the requirements of that era the results were recorded for lp record and tape and an artist and composer who featured was  Pierre Boulez with the New York Philharmonic conducting the works of Stravinsky.

 From those sessions the British company Dutton Vocalian have re-issued in stereo and quadraphonic two lps in that series Petrushka with David Jacobs on piano originally issued in 1972 and the Pulcinella suite from 1978 on a single Super Audio cd that plays for just under 80 minutes.
These interpretations have stood the test of time and in this disc that also plays on regular cd too, Michael Dutton's mastering from the original analogue tapes affords the best sound these recordings have ever had .
I personally found both of these discs hugely enjoyable for the playing as well as sound.

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.