Sacd

"Blues in Orbit" seems to get overlooked when Ellington's best albums are discussed, but it is a real keeper. There are 11 tracks, none of them is longer than 4:50 and it is all good stuff. There are some familiar favorites like "In a Mellotone" and "C Jam Blues" as well as less often heard gems like "Blues in Blueprint and "Sweet and Pungent".

The featured performers include Ellington stalwarts Johnny Hodges, Ray Nance, Harry Carney and Jimmy Hamilton, as well as the less familiar Booty Wood and Matthew Gee. Johnny, in particular is well showcased here, taking the lead in the rousing, "Smada", which is probably my favorite track. Ray shines on his trumpet, but also gets to play the violin on "C Jam Blues". [customer review on a music store website]

Johann Sebastian Bach: Kantaten BWV 56, 158 & 82
Thomas Quasthoff / Berliner Barock Solisten / RIAS Kammerchor / Rainer Kussmaul
PS3 SACD ISO: 3,62GB (2.0/5.1) | EAC Rip, FLAC LOG & CUE: 210 MB (2.0) | 24B/88,2kHz FLAC (2.0): 863 MB | Lossless Artwork: 260 MB | Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Deutsche Grammophon 474 505-2 | Country/Year: Europe 2004 | Genre: Baroque / Sacred | Hoster: FP/FF

…Not only does Quasthoff perform with his by now customary strength and elegance, but Quasthoff interprets with his by now customary warmth and compassion. Quasthoff knows full well the depths of doom and gloom in Bach's texts, but he also knows that despite it all, life is good and his singing projects a love of life that few other performers can match. The choral singing by members of the RIAS-Kammerchor is subtle and strong and the orchestral playing of the Berliner Barock Solisten is nuanced and sensitive. Deutsche Grammophon's sound is clear and detailed.

Jean Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 3 & 7
London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Colin Davis
PS3 SACD ISO: 2,81 GB (2.0/5.1) | EAC Rip, FLAC LOG & CUE: 211 MB (2.0) | 24B/88,2kHz FLAC (2.0): 860 MB | Lossless Artwork: 156 MB | Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: LSO Live LSO0051 | Country/Year: UK 2004 | Genre: Classical, Romantic | Hoster: Filepost/Filefactory

…But even compared with the LSO's fervent performances of the Sibelius symphonies with Davis in the '90s cannot compare with the fire of these 2003 recordings of the Third and Seventh. With the LSO's passionate virtuosity behind him, Davis creates nuanced but powerful performances, performances that are detailed yet sweeping, lyric yet epic, but, above all, loving. Davis and the LSO's Third is light but shot with shadows, poised but relentless, mysterious but triumphant. The Seventh is the sun cresting the snow-capped mountains, the wind rushing down from the peaks, their song soaring in the high, sharp air. Even though Davis does hum, anyone who loves Sibelius will have to hear these performances.

Ex Cathedra / Jeffrey Skidmore - Fire Burning In Snow (Baroque Music From Latin America)
PS3 SACD ISO (2.0/5.1): 4,08 GB | EAC Rip, FLAC LOG & CUE: 337 MB | 24B/88,2kHz FLAC (2.0): 1,20 GB | Lossless Artwork: 100 MB | Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Hyperion SACDA67600 | Country/Year: UK 2008 | Genre: Classical / Baroque | Hoster: Filepost / Filefactory

Fire Burning in Snow, the third volume in Ex Cathedra's series of Baroque music from Latin America, is strong testimony to the vitality of the musical scene in South America in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. (…) Conductor Jeffrey Skidmore is to be commended for bringing this repertoire, much of which has never been recorded, to light, and for delivering such lively realizations and energetic and full-bodied performances. This SACD should be of strong interest to anyone who loves Renaissance and Baroque polyphony and fans of choral music with a Latin flavor.

JFranz Schubert - Die schöne Müllerin
Christoph Prégardien: Tenor / Michael Gees: Piano
PS3 SACD ISO (2.0/5.1): 3,18 GB | EAC Rip, FLAC LOG & CUE: 236 MB | 24B/88,2kHz FLAC (2.0): 961 MB | Full Artwork: 409 MB | Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Challenge Classics CC72292 | Country/Year: Europe 2008 | Genre: Classical | Hoster: Filepost / Filefactory

…Challenge Classics' Die Schöne Mullerin with Christoph Prégardien and Michael Gees is a recording worthy of taking pride of place on the shelf alongside such "classic" versions as those by Richard Crooks, Aksel Schiøtz, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and is in considerably better recorded sound than any of them.

Orlando und die Unerlösten - Icetales
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 408 MB | Full Artwork: 103 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: NewPast # SACD 1004 | Country/Year: Germany 2004
Genre: New Age, Classical | Style: NeoClassical, Modern, Crossover

"Hört man sich ins Innere der Ice Tales (Geschichten vom Eis) hinein, ist es wie ein Blick in die Dreidimensionalität des Eises - vor allem fantastischen Surround-Sound-Mix dieses Albums (mit der entsprechenden SACD-Anlage zu erleben). Bei diesem Album wurde auf den authentischen Livecharakter geachtet: Alle Songs sind von der gesamten Band in den Studios des BR (Studio Franken) live eingespielt worden."

Christian Willisohn - Hold On
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 254 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Stockfisch Records # SFR 357.4038.2 | Country/Year: Germany 2005
Genre: Blues | Style: Contemporary Blues

"…Within a great session at an scottish artist location sang Christian Willisohn very impulsive and played a very concisely piano. Expressive join in sax, guitar, bass and drums into a very dynamic and balanced sound characteristics…" ~sa-cd.net

Richard Wagner - Lohengrin
Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin / Rundfunkchor Berlin / Marek Janowski
3xCD | EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 843 MB | Full Artwork: 512 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Pentatone # PTC 5186 403 | Country/Year: Netherlands 2012
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Opera

"PentaTone have definitely established a winning formula for success with the ten Wagner operas they are currently recording in association with Deutschlandradio Kultur in Berlin. (…) The presentation of this set is excellent. Thankfully, it includes a well translated German/ English libretto (unlike the travesty supplied with the Bychkov version), a thought provoking essay on the opera by Steffen Georgi and full artist biographies. Though my own allegiance to the Bychkov version among recent recordings remains steadfast this Janowski account is unlikely to disappoint. It will surely be welcomed by avid Wagnerites and makes one eager for the next issue in what is proving to be a superlative series." ~sa-cd.net