Hires 24

Arnold Schoenberg - Orchesterwerke
Manuela Uhl / Beethoven Orchester Bonn / Stefan Blunier
SACD ISO: 3,50 GB (Stereo + MCH DSD) | FLAC @ 24bit/88.2kHz: 1,01 GB | Full Artwork | 5% Rec. Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Gold" # 937 1584-6 | Country/Year: Germany 2009
Genre: Classical | Style: Early 20th Century

What a program! On his first recording as the conductor of the Beethoven Orchestra of Bonn, Stefan Blunier offers us a look at four important phases in the life of the composer Arnold Schönberg. The selection ranges from the late-romantic Notturno through the Orchestral Songs op. 8 to the atonal Orchestral Pieces op. 16 and the highly romantic transcription of the Prelude and Fugue BWV 552 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Premiere Performance Schönberg’s Notturno for harp, solo violin, and string orchestra was long regarded as lost…

Anton Bruckner - Symphonies 3 & 4
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra / Mariss Jansons
2xSACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 6,16 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 2,08 GB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: RCO Live # RCO 09002 | Country/Year: Europe 2009
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic

…The rich & real tone of the string section(s) is fantastic. The famous Scherzo that follows is brought almost like a chamber music piece. (…) The tension need to unload in this final movement and it does. Like Haitink, Jansons is at his best in great architectural pieces and this recording is proof of that. So far my best 4th on SACD.

Jean Sibelius - Kullervo
Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra / Leif Segerstam / Isokoski / Hakala
SACD ISO: 3,78 GB (Stereo + MCH DSD) | FLAC @ 24bit/88.2kHz: 1,30 GB | Full Artwork | 5% Rec. Info
Label/Cat#: Ondine # ODE 1122-5 | Country/Year: Finland 2008
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic

…There is no doubt in my mind that this Kullervo from Segerstam and his team is exceptionally fine and in the first rank of the ever-growing list of recordings. Spano's deeply thought and excellently performed account would also merit a first ranking. But I find Segerstam to have produced the most psychologically realistic Kullervo performance, thanks to the depth of characterisation uncovered by Hakala and Isokoski in the seemingly unpromising and dificult texts of the Kalevala verses. Segerstam comes close to Berglund's powerful first recording from 1970, which allowed many of us to encounter this unforgettable work. The state-of-the art fidelity of Ondine's engineering is a great advantage in itself. While quintessentially Finnish, Ondine's production nevertheless fulfils Sibelius' intent to make this music universal in appeal. Warmly recommended.

Frederic Chopin - Hardy Rittner - Complete Etudes
Hardy Rittner plays a Conrad Graf Piano (c. 1835)
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 3,23 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 938 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Scene" # 904 1747-6 | Country/Year: Germany 2012
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Piano, Period Instrument

"…Outstanding. I cannot recommend this disc highly enough." "…This is a remarkable recording which reveals Chopin in a new light." ~SA-CD.net

Ludwig van Beethoven - Ronald Brautigam - Eroica, Variations (1796-1802)
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 3,60 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 1,19 GB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: BIS # BIS-SACD-1673 | Country/Year: Sweden 2012
Genre: Classical | Style: Classical Period, Piano

"…Like the previous releases in this series, BIS's sound is excellent. All I can say are the usually adjectives of praise. Since I received this disc a month and a half ago I've probably listened to the Eroica Variations nearly 20 times – like the previous releases, it's Beethoven played to perfection." (sa-cd.net)

Eugen D'Albert - Der Golem: Opera in 3 Acts
Mark Morouse / Beethoven Orchester Bonn / Chor des Theater Bonn / Stefan Blunier
2xSACD ISO: 6,53 GB (Stereo + MCH DSD) | FLAC @ 24bit/88.2kHz: 1,96 GB | Full Artwork | 5% Rec. Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Live" # 937 1637-6 | Country/Year: Germany 2010
Genre: Classical | Opera, Early 20th Century

…The opera is very much worth hearing—and owning (though I wish MD&G had supplied an English translation of the libretto). The performances are for the most part on target. (…) So I guess this must be a qualified recommendation, but a recommendation nonetheless, given the quality of D’Albert’s music.

Dmitri Shostakovich - The Symphonies: Symphony 10
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln / Dmitrij Kitajenko
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 3,23 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 985 MB | Full Artwork
Label/Cat#: Capriccio # SACD71-035 | Country/Year: Germany 2005 | 5% Recovery Info
Genre: Classical | Style: Early 20th Century, Contemporary

"Beautiful, full rich string sound, and great sound overall. I is fantastic. II is slightly slower than I prefer (about 4'30"), but Kitajenko does very well with it, sustaining tension throughout. III is terrific; you can hear and feel the soft percussion toward the end. IV again has a slightly slower basic tempo than usual, but tension is sustained throughout, and the playing responsive." ~SA-CD.net

Antonin Dvorak: Concerto in B minor / William Walton: Cello Concerto
Gregor Piatigorsky, cello - Boston Symphony Orchestra - Charles Munch
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 2,86 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 1,25 GB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: RCA Red Seal "Living Stereo" # 82876-66375-2 | Country/Year: Europe 2005, 1950s/1960s
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Contemporary, Cello

"…As far as sound goes, it's the best I've heard from Living Stereo and perhaps the best I've heard from my stereo period! The soloist to orchestra balance is just about perfectly even, which means the orchestra is considered an equal part by the engineers. I prefer that to the "I'm ready for my closeup now Mr De Mille" balance used by most producers in order to highlight the "STAR"." ~sa-cd.net

Ludwig van Beethoven - Symphonies Nos. 1-9 / Leonore Overture No. 2 / Triple Concerto
Gordan Nikolitch / Lars Vogt / London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus / Bernard Haitink
SACD ISO: 24,81 GB (Stereo & MCH) | FLAC @ 24bit/88.2kHz: 6,73 GB | Artwork | 5% Rec. Info
Label/Cat#: LSO Live # LSO0598 | Country/Year: UK 2006
Genre: Classical | Style: Viennese School, Orchestral

"…I will treasure this set until the end of my days, and hope others will attain the same joy from it after I am gone." ~SA-CD.net