The Columbia SACD I really wished was reissued -- and wasn't -- was the Quad mix of Boulez/NY doing
Bartok "Concerto For Orchestra." It was issued on SACD with a new mix that was just a "surround"
expansion of a typical stereo mix. The Quad was radically different -- the listener was placed
INSIDE the orchestra, with the sections placed in a circle around the listener. It was one of the
boldest produced-sound things Columbia ever did. I've heard the quad off the LP and even with the
limits of matrixed-quad formats, it's really kewl. Discrete quad would be something else!
The other quad mix Sony never put out on SACD, and I can't understand why since it exactly fit the
audiophile/SACD market, was "Switched On Bach." That, too, had a really trippy quad perspective and
mix.
As far as I know, the only real-deal Columbia/CBS quad master to make it to a digital format was
"Chicago Transit Authority," which was issued as a Dolby and DTS DVD by Rhino Handmade a few years
ago.
Interesting quad tidbit -- the iTunes download version of John Keating "Space Experince" is a
matrixed quad mix and plays back in nice surround if you play it through a Dolby analog de-matrixer
(which is kinda like QS and SQ but not exactly). I always mangle the Dolby surround formats, so I
won't try to name it, but it's not the digital DVD one.
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: "Roderic G Stephens" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, June 01, 2012 7:34 PM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Who needs vinyl?
Are we talking about SACDs, because I'm interested Bernsteins' Mahler second in that format with the
N.Y. Phil that only seems to be available in a Japanese remastering?
http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=SICC-10054
--- On Fri, 6/1/12, [Richard A Kaplan] <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
From: [Richard A Kaplan] <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Who needs vinyl?
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Friday, June 1, 2012, 1:09 PM
Sony's release of Bernstein's Mahler cycle last year in new masterings from
session tapes was revelatory; it shows (a) what they're capable of when
they're willing to use the resources, and (b) how inadequate the huge bulk of
their CD reissues have (has?) been. I'm with Steve: More!
Rich Kaplan
In a message dated 6/1/2012 3:05:07 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
I recently heard the last 2 movements of the Beethoven 3d Piano Concero on
the radio and was amazed. I had no idea who was before the public at
present who played the piece this well. What particularly grabbed me was
how
rich the piano tone was, how clear the various piiano voices and orchestral
parts were and how well the whole thing sounded together.
Imagine my surprise. It was Leon Fleisher, George Szell and the Cleveland
Orchestra, made in 1959.
After a bit of investigation, I learned it was a new, 2012 24 bit ransfer
from Sony. I orderd the box of the 5 Beethoven and two Brahms Concerti that
night. When it arrived, it also proved to contain the Brahms Handel
Variations, the op. 39 Waltzes and Mozarrt's 25th Concerto.
I'm playing the 3d now through my office listening set-up. It's far more
than the radio disclosed.
Though I've yet to see a review that addresses it, this is clearly (!) a
huge improvement over all previous releases in any format.
I am assuming they've used Capstan as there is no wow or flutter- something
to which my my ear is particulary sensitive. The crispness of the sound
indicates corrections to problems caused by slight misphasings, firmly and
distinctly positioning the instruments within the orchestra. A slight cut
made here at about 2700 cycles allows the piano to sound completely
equalized throughout its range with no notes suddenly sticking out. The
occassional buzzy noise I used to think were defects in the recording are
now revealed as piano problems. I can't hear any tape hiss at all. The
only
negative is that the time between movements is often too short and
unrelated
to the music's pulse.
Oh, yes. Setting aside a few missed notes in a few of the more elaboate
passages, the 3d is a terrific performance. They are well enough known by
now not to require a review.
The digital millenium has arrived. More! More!
Steve Smolian
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