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London Symphony Orchestra, Bernard Haitink – Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 1-9 (Special Edition Box) (2006)
SACD ISO: 24,81 GB (Stereo & MCH) | FLAC @ 24bit/88.2kHz: 6,73 GB | Artwork | 3% Rec. Info
Label/Cat#: LSO Live # LSO0598 | Country/Year: UK 2006
Genre: Classical | Style: Viennese School, Orchestral
This is the easiest review I shall ever have the pleasure of writing & can be summed up in two words:
Buy it!
It is not often one can hail a modern classic, especially of music that has been recorded so often in the past, but this is a rare standard of music making.
Full reviews can be found following the links given below but suffice to say that this is the most musical set of performances of Beethoven I have heard since first hearing Schnabel; it is also the most impressive I have heard from a playing perspective in Beethoven & I have never heard the LSO play like this on disc before now. Lastly, it is wonderful to hear Haitink bring all his experience with a truly fresh vision (for both him and us) of how this great music can sound.
From the opening of the first symphony, the notes sound as though the ink is still drying and this impression continues through the other 8 masterpieces. It is more than just sounding newly minted; the honesty, structure and emotion are all vividly conveyed too in the best sound that LSO Live have achieved to date from the Barbican. The Triple Concerto & Leonore Overture No.2 are just as successful and makes one wish for follow-up sets to complete the orchestral music together with a concerto cycle and Fidelio all under the baton of Haitink.
The box-set brings together all 6 discs (in slip-cases) with the original artwork used and the notes conflated into one booklet – very neatly done, even if not everyone admires the concept of the photos.
As I said before (and it cannot be said often enough) – buy it, not just for yourself but for all your friends/family/colleagues… they will all be profoundly grateful. Copyright © 2006 John Broggio
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Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong – Ella And Louis (1956) [Verve’s Remaster 2012]
PS3 Rip | ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 53:49 minutes | Scans included | 2,2 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,08 GB
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong make for a charming team on this album. Accompanied by pianist Oscar Peterson, guitarist Herb Ellis, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Buddy Rich, Fitzgerald and Armstrong perform 11 standards with joy and swing. There are touches of Satch’s trumpet, but this is primarily a vocal set with the emphasis on tasteful renditions of ballads. Its follow-up, Ella & Louis Again, is also worth getting.
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Louis Armstrong And His All-Stars – Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. Handy (1954) [Reissue 1999]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 76:37 minutes | Scans included | 3,27 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,45 GB
This recording was not only Louis Armstrong’s finest record of the 1950s but one of the truly classic jazz sets. Armstrong and his All-Stars (trombonist Trummy Young, clarinetist Barney Bigard, pianist Billy Kyle, bassist Arvell Shaw, drummer Barrett Deems, and singer Velma Middleton) were clearly inspired by the fresh repertoire, 11 songs written by W.C. Handy. Their nearly nine-minute version of “St. Louis Blues” — with witty vocals, roaring Young trombone, and a couple of long majestic trumpet solos — is arguably the greatest version of the oft-recorded song. Other highlights include “Loveless Love,” “Beale Street Blues,” and a romping version of “Ole Miss Blues.” Essential music for all serious jazz collections.
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LAGQ (Los Angeles Guitar Quartet) – Spin (2006)
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 64:09 minutes | Scans included | 3,92 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,12 GB
Features 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 multichannel surround sound | Telarc # SACD-60647
The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is a successful multi-guitar ensemble regularly performing, known for its variety of repertory. They are known for using nylon string guitars to imitate a variety of instruments and effects. They have played in many styles; Baroque, Bluegrass, Flamenco, Rock, and New Age are among their repertoire.
A quick check of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet’s discography reveals its strong grounding in both classical and popular music, and makes clear that the virtuoso ensemble’s success is largely due to finding the right blend to please almost everyone. That’s one reason why Spin, the LAGQ’s 2006 release on Telarc, is a bit of a risky venture, since it features no classical arrangements and presents only pop-inflected pieces by group members William Kanengiser and Andrew York, as well as several similarly flavored selections by rising composers of light and tonal contemporary fare. This agreeable program is commercially viable, and since the music is pleasant and occasionally catchy, few casual listeners will be disappointed with it; but because this collection is extremely mild in its fusion of styles and quite mellow in its moods, adventurous listeners will find absolutely no challenges here. With guest percussionist Colin Currie joining the group on Joe Duddell’s Freaky Dancer and York’s Night Furniture, there are some changes of texture and color that provide relief; but arrangements for guitars dominate the disc, and their timbral blandness tends to pall, especially in music of such limited harmonic and melodic interest. So while this CD has some appealing qualities that LAGQ’s fans will appreciate, it is decidedly lightweight in substance and not required listening for the group’s classical audience.
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LAGQ (Los Angeles Guitar Quartet) – Guitar Heroes (2004)
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 60:19 minutes | Scans included | 3,43 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,09 GB
Features 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 multichannel surround sound | Telarc # SACD-60598
The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is a successful multi-guitar ensemble regularly performing, known for its variety of repertory. They are known for using nylon string guitars to imitate a variety of instruments and effects. They have played in many styles; Baroque, Bluegrass, Flamenco, Rock, and New Age are among their repertoire. For this album, the quartet received a Grammy Award in 2005 as “Best Classical Crossover CD”.
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LAGQ (Los Angeles Guitar Quartet) – Latin (2002)
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 68:09 minutes | Scans included | 4,3 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,2 GB
Features 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 multichannel surround sound | Telarc # SACD-60593
The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is a successful multi-guitar ensemble regularly performing, known for its variety of repertory. They are known for using nylon string guitars to imitate a variety of instruments and effects. They have played in many styles; Baroque, Bluegrass, Flamenco, Rock, and New Age are among their repertoire.
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LAGQ (Los Angeles Guitar Quartet) – Brazil (2007)
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 53:54 minutes | Scans included | 3,46 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1022 MB
Features 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 multichannel surround sound | Telarc # SACD-60686
The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet is a successful multi-guitar ensemble regularly performing, known for its variety of repertory. They are known for using nylon string guitars to imitate a variety of instruments and effects. They have played in many styles; Baroque, Bluegrass, Flamenco, Rock, and New Age are among their repertoire.
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Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch – Living Stereo – Beethoven: Symphonies 5 & 6 (2005)
Originally recorded May (C Minor) and August (Pastoral) 1955 in two-track stereo, remastering supervisor John Newton, along with DSD engineer Dirk Sobotka, has revitalized two of the Charles Munch Beethoven symphonies with astonishing results. The C Minor Symphony seems to have a dusty film removed and now pierces the air with a take-no-prisoners aural presence that quite literally recaptures Goethe’s first impression of this Herculean work: “When I reached for my hat at the fading of the last chord, I could not find my head.” The sonic refurbishings are too many to name, but one might hearken to the pipings of the flutes and winds in the second movement, or the tympani ostinati in the segue to the finale from a crisp, ripping Scherzo-Allegro. The purity of playing from Boston Symphony commends itself anew as well, since the brass section, except when heard live at Symphony Hall, never sounded so good.
The sonic gloss for the Pastoral is equally lovely, though I find the Munch approach to the first movement a bit hard-driven, a la Kleiber. The transition from oboe to cello line in the second movement, though, is a model of what superior American ensembles can sound like when discipline is superb. Add whiplash accuracy from clarinet, bassoon, and French horns, and you have a glamorous mix. The conception is in the Toscanini mold, long phrases and a high singing line with no repeats. But Nature unfolds itself in a colossal scheme of arches and rainbow colors. I now wonder how the Reiner Pastoral would emerge in this remastered format. I state my query because the volatility and clean, driven sweep of Munch’s strings equal anything achieved in Chicago. The Peasant Dance has Breughel shaking hands with Wagner. I could not wait for the Thunderstorm; the second time around, I raised the volume and drenched myself again. [The same Living Stereo recording of the Fifth — though not the Sixth — was also on a recent xrcd reissue which we reviewed Here. A/B comparison of the two formats showed the SACD to be sonically superior…Ed.]
–Gary Lemco audiophile audition
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Arthur Rubinstein – Living Stereo – Saint-Saens, Liszt, Franck (2007)
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 2,03 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 956 MB | Full Artwork
Label/Cat#: RCA “Living Stereo” # 88697-08279-2 | Country/Year: Europe 2007 | 3% Recovery Info
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic
Arthur Rubinstein had performed Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 many times throughout his concert career; in fact, this was one of the pieces on the program of his first public concert given in 1900. The style in which he plays it is simply captivating. It’s not a serious concerto in the German-school, but rather a light-hearted and somewhat amusing concerto. This is probably the most famous recording of the composition, and it’s no wonder why.
The Symphonic Variations of Cesar Franck are fantastic, full of energy, vitality and French-Romantic beauty.
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Livingston Taylor – Ink (2003)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 48:54 minutes | Artwork (PDF) | 2,69 GB
Features 2.0 Stereo & 5.1 multichannel Surround sound
FLAC 24bits/96khz | 970 MB
While somewhat overshadowed by his more famous brother James, Livingston Taylor is a fine singer-songwriter in his own right–superficially, his voice recalls that of his sibling, but Liv is less moody, more folk-like. INK is a “tribute” album of sorts–instead of paying homage to a particular artist, Taylor interprets hit songs by various writers from several eras, leaning a bit toward classic R&B/soul hits. Songs made famous by Ray Charles, the Jackson Five, and Stevie Wonder are re-imagined via the gentle, genial imagination of Livingston Taylor.
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Little Richard – Here’s Little Richard / Little Richard, Vol.2 (1957-58) [2006]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | Stereo DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Artwork | 2,25 GB
MONO | Label: Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab | Cat. # UDSACD 2028
All 24 timeless classics that comprise the entirety of 1957’s Here’s Little Richard and 1958’s Little Richard are here, each remastered from the original master tapes. For the first time, the sheer exuberance, ferocious urgency, and joyous passion of all of the singer’s moans, screams, yelps, shouts, whoos, and impromptu interjections come alive with high-voltage detail and colorful immediacy. This is as explosive, engaging, and lively as early Rock N’ Roll can sound.
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Sviatoslav Richter – Franz Liszt: Piano Recital 2 (2015)
SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 01:19:28 minutes | 1,05 GB | Genre: Classical | © Praga Digitals
A first volume (PRD/DSD 350 078) presented some among the most famous works by the ‘Hungarian’ pianist-composer. This last volume proposes more mysterious pages,‘Mephistophelean’with their dancing flavors, their satanic, doleful, gloomy, or oblivious aspects and with indelible threnodies. An unusual Richter’s program.
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Sviatoslav Richter – Franz Liszt: Piano Recital 1 (2014)
SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 01:19:29 minutes | 1,09 GB | Genre: Classical | © Praga Digitals
Virtuoso, fascinating, Richter charms with his old fashion or atonal approach, Haydn or Prokofiev like sense of humor, then sharply addresses the listener in unrivalled Feux follets or Wilde Jagd.
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Lisa Dillan – Love Me Tender (2012) [Reissue 2017]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 47:36 minutes | Front, Scans NOT included | 736 MB
or FLAC (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Front, Scans NOT included | 943 MB
Kirkelig Kulturverksted / Master Music # FXSA 377 | Genre: Rock, Pop
Norwegian jazz vocalist Lisa Dillan brings a sensual quiet reverence to songs sung by the King of Rock, Elvis Presley, including “You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me”, “Heartbreak Hotel” and more.
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Various Artists – Linn Records – The Super Audio Surround Collection Volume 2
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD 2.0/5.1 | DSD 2.8 MHz | 01:04:14 minutes | image | 3.6 GB
Following numerous requests from the audiophile community, Linn Records has produced a stunning new collection of demonstration quality tracks that showcase our artists at their very best. Encompassing classical, jazz and Celtic music, the Linn Super Audio Surround Collection Vol. 2 exemplifies Linn Records’ commitment to quality, originality and diversity. Many of the artists featured have never before appeared on a Linn Records compilation CD.
Making their debut are La Scala and Covent Garden favourite Emma Bell, whose soaring soprano voice garnered her numerous five star reviews for her 2005 album ‘Handel Operatic Arias’, the inimitable Girl Talk, a trio of divas whose witty and politically incorrect showstoppers have delighted UK audiences for seven sell-out years, Ian Shaw, recently nominated for ‘Best Vocalist’ at this year’s BBC Jazz Awards and named Britain’s leading male jazz singer by The Guardian and Baroque specialist Alison McGillivray whose debut album ‘Geminiani Cello Sonatas’ was awarded Best Classical CD of 2005 by the Financial Times. Tracks by William Carter and Ian Bruce, not originally released on the SACD format, have been specially mastered for inclusion on this compilation.
Particularly exciting is the inclusion of a new track by Barb Jungr, from her new album ‘Walking in the Sun’ due for release in October 2006. This is the first time a new track has ever been previewed on a Linn compilation.
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