My favorite system demo CD
Roughing IT | on the Mississippi | 06/04/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Regarding the music, engineering, performance and musicality as written by the other reviewer, I can only agree.
My two cents: Have been an audiophile since the '60s, had several hundred LPs (vinyl), have several hundred CDs now, and THIS ONE is my favorite demo.
I have an absolutely unforgiving system, crystalline clarity (they are electrostats)... the soundstage is THERE, absolute breadth and depth, but, even more importantly, the "air" around the instruments, you are hearing the performance in time AND space, this really leaps the ditch between experiencing great sound REPRODUCTION and a sense of actually being in the hall (with great seats about 12 rows back in the orchestra section).
The transients are breathtaking, the bite on the english horn, the crystal clarity of the triangle...
A SUPERB feat of composition (Mussorgsky), orchestration (Ravel), performance (Dutoit and the MSO) and engineering (London/Decca). Every one has outdone themselves, and it's all on this superb CD,"