 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
81.19.57.162
In Reply to: A long, rambling post/update re Classical DVD-A's posted by Chris from Lafayette on August 26, 2005 at 17:18:29:
This is a good reference post, which I'll be studying when I can grab a moment out from my 'day job'.By the way, I don't suppose you've heard the stunning "Ravel, Debussy, Faure" played by the Guerneri String Quartet? This DVD-A was published by SurroundedBy Entertainment. Sadly, I no longer think the label is active. But if you can find this disc, I highly recommend it! (But I’m not giving mine up!) Both the multichannel (4.0 channel @ 96khz) and stereo (@ 192kHz !) are spectacular. Unusually this disc ONLY plays in DVD Audio players, since there is no Dolby Digital track.
I also recommend the slew of releases from Naxos. I bought virtually the whole lot. Although most are in 48kHz 24bit. And value-for-money these can't be beaten. Stand-outs include Vivaldi Four Seasons (96kHz), and Mass In B-Minor (2-DVD set @ 96kHz) which features some top soloists. There are other choral releases from Naxos such as Arvo Part "Berliner Messe", Tallis "Spem in alium", and Vivaldi "Dixit Dominus" which I find particularly refreshing from the usual dose of "chart" symphonic works. I am also grateful for them to release operatic highlights from Mozart’s "Don Giovanni" (Highlights) and "Le nozze di Figaro". (OK these two fall into the "chart" category, but they are well performed and worth having nonetheless in your collection.)
I also have the Tacet release of Franz Schubert / Streichquintett C-Dur D956 (cat #110), by the Auryn-Quartet (96Khz), which is excellent.
Arts Music have a few gems too. My favorites include: Handel’s Messiah; Shostakovich No. 5 op. 47 & No. 6 op. 54; and Antonio Vivaldi L'Estro Armonico op. 3 Vol. 1, and op. 3 Vol. 2 (two separately purchased DVD-As each with 96kHz LPCM stereo as well as the multichannel -- offers absolutely stunning sonics, ambience, & soundstaging).The most stellar Teldec (Warner) disc IMO is St. Matthaus Passion, conducted by Harnoncourt, which runs for a continuous 2hr 45mins on one DVD-9, at 96kHz in 5.1 multichannel.
Anyway, these are just a few which spring to mind just for now. I may think of some more later.
Follow Ups:
Martin,Thanks for your post – haven’t heard the Guarnieri DVD-A, but I’ve seen it praised by lots of posters and reviewers.
Regarding the Naxos DVD-A’s, I think the ones you mentioned are indeed excellent. I also like the Naxos series originating from Russia – not state of the art perhaps, but better than a lot of reviews and posts report. (I wonder if the negative tone of some of these reviews is caused by listening to the SACD incarnations of these recordings? After all, I believe all these Naxos hi-rez recordings started out as PCM, so it’s hardly likely they’re showing SACD to that format’s best advantage.) I also like the Mozart opera discs you mention with (mostly) unmarketed, but excellent singers led by Halasz – a very dynamic conductor in these works.
On the other hand, there are some real turkeys in the Naxos hi-rez catalog, among which I would include the Vaughan Williams Sea Symphony (the Spano/Atlanta Sym on a Telarc SACD is SO much better!), the Vaughan Williams Orchestral works with Judd and the New Zealand Sym, and the recent de Falla disc.
Haven’t ordered my Tacet recordings yet, and have not heard the Harnoncourt St. Matthew Passion. I’ll reply to your other post separately.
. . . are the "Bucharest Sessions" from Dr. Mark Waldrep's AIX Records.These discs are single-layer DVD-5s which are packed with alternate mixes to suit every DVD player. As well as the 5.1 in 96kHz MLP, they also have DTS & Dolby multichannel, AND also LPCM stereo in 96kHz. As a result of the above, play time is between 45mins and 50mins.
My favorites include:-
~ Marcello/Handel/Vivaldi [respectively: (a) Oboe concerto; (b) Organ concerto; (c) Sinfonias];
~ Mozart Variations/Schumann Fantasie (piano solos);
~ Scarlatti/Beethoven: woodwind quartets;
~ Mozart: Symphony nos. 26 & 41 / Jupiter;
~ Chopin: Four Ballades (piano solo) played by Anita Chang -- this one is a regular AIX title whcih is a DVD-14 with DVD-A on one side, and DVD-Video (with 'live' visual footage) on the other side. Stunning sound quality.I should also mention another excellent AIX DVD-A which I recently bought: Frédéric Chopin "Selected Piano" Works played by the talented Roberto Prosseda. This latest one comes as a dual-layer DVD-9, and the playing time (a full hour) is longer than previous AIX releases. Moreover, and it comes with a CD of the same music which I have in my car CD changer. It is good to see AIX releasing more classical again.
Thanks for this post too – I have some of the AIX Romanian DVD-Audios, but unfortunately, not any of the ones on your list. My favorite of the ones I have is the Romanian Folk Music disc with the Adrian Petrescu Band – lots of insane fun and energy!Regarding the Anita Chang disc of the Chopin Ballades, I agree that it’s recorded very well indeed. However, I could not get past the performances which sounded a bit (sorry!) amateurish to me – by which I mean lacking basic elements of control and technique in voicing chords or creating seamless legato lines. This type of control is a sine qua non in this music. (I may as well ‘fess up here and admit to being Jon Nakamatsu’s accompanist and sometime duo partner – that influences my outlook on piano performances a little.)
I haven’t heard the new Roberto Prosseda Chopin recital yet, but I agree with you that it’s good to see AIX issuing new classical DVD-Audios! I’ll keep an eye out for it.
About the Chang recital -- I agree entirely with what you say! But note that I did just stress the sound quality (not the performance)!Now as you are a pianist yourself, I might also order the Messiaen "Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant-Jesus", since you recommend it so highly.
The two AIX classical recordings I have and love are the Firebird Suite and Brandenberg Concertos 3 + 5, both by the George Enescu Philharmonic (Romania). I'm not a classical expert but I'm crazy about the performances and of course the compositions are magnificent. These were early efforts by AIX but the sonics are stunning, and since these disks don't have all the bells and whistles of the later releases, the price is less than most of their disks.Once again, thanks, Chris. I'll use your suggestions when deciding on future purchases.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
