Search - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Igor Stravinsky, Fritz Reiner :: Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale [Hybrid SACD]

The Best Performance in Outstanding Sound

Kenneth Stuart | Northern California | 02/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Since a web search will give you many details about both the performance and the sound quality, I will give you merely a summary.



This is simply one of the best classical music releases of all time. I don't say that lightly, as a classical music fan and audiophile for over 35 years.



It has been recognized for even longer, that this is one of the finest and most emotionally satisfying performances of romantic period classical music, and likely the definitive performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. (And, in my opinion, contains the best oboe performance in classical music.)



It has also been widely recognized as one of the best recordings ever of an orchestra, the highly sought after original LP usually residing in the list of top recordings in many audiophile magazines. More recently, it has been pressed on LP by two different audiophile companies.



However, these days most of us don't want to go to the trouble of dealing with LPs, and it is generally recognized that the relatively early CD format, while having great convenience, did not quite provide the full sound quality present in a top LP playback setup.



Recently, this situation has been remedied by the introduction of two "high resolution" disc formats that give all the sound quality of a top LP playback setup in an affordable player compatible with DVDs and CDs as well. These two formats are "DVD-Audio" and "SACD".



SACD has become the format of choice for classical music fans, and so RCA (now BMG) chose to re-release all their excellent sounding "Living Stereo" series recordings on SACD. Back in the 50's and 60's, producer Richard Mohr and engineer Lewis Layton literally invented stereo recording in a celebrated series of brilliant releases.



Fritz Reiner's outstanding "Scheherazade" was recently released in the second batch of ten Living Stereo SACDs. This SACD mastering went back to the original 3-track tape and presents it as original recorded in Left, Center and Right with no mixing or processing, whatsoever. The result is as close to the original sound of Orchestra Hall as your loudspeakers and room acoustics can provide.



When you add in the factor that this is a budget-priced release, it is a must-buy for any classical music fan who has a SACD player and likes the romantic period.



And, while I have not yet auditioned the non-SACD CD-compatible layer (mixed to stereo), nor have I compared it to the previous regular CD release of this recording, nevertheless I can certainly recommend it even to someone without an SACD player, if they are looking for a great performance of "Scheherazade"."

Never sounded better than this

Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 04/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Rimsky-Korsakov's kaleidoscopic sea adventure "Scheherazade" is one piece of classical music that, more than most others, screams for the highest level of sonic production. The classic Reiner-Chicago Symphony version gets it in this SACD treatment. The sound is more vivid here than I can ever recall with great clarity exposing orchestral details -- the snare drum in the third movement and coincidental timpani and cimbal beats in the finale -- never before so apparent in the recording.



This SACD, unlike some other re-releases of RCA classic performances, plays in three channels. I like all this and it sounded wonderful in my living room. I was somewhat disappointed with violins coming from the center right channel, a position opposite of their setting in orchestral format. Still this is an update of a classic performance of the music that is still considered by some critics the benchmark in this music.



The makeweight Stravinksy piece is a delightful 22 minute excursion into that composer's fine mind. Hearing that music for the first time on this recording, I made a quick link between this and the film music of Bernard Herrmann in the way both composers used portamento strings for effect, as opposed to musical value.



Having said this, I still think the best version of Rimsky-Korsakov's wonderful music goes to either of the modern recordings led by Leopold Stokowski, a conductor with far more imagination and influence on musicians than the stern and hard-driving Reiner, who was often hated while respected by his players.



Stokowski's two modern stereo versions -- on the Decca/London label with the London Symphony and on BMG/RCA with the Royal Philharmonic -- are both superior readings, in my opinion. Stoki leads a more leisurely and luxuriant adventure than Reiner, a noted literalist with great projection. While Reiner focuesd on orchestral detail, precision playing and generating excitement in big moments, I think Stokowski's renderings are more in tune with the romantic nature of this wonderful music.



Stoki's Decca/London reading was re-released a few years back to much critical accalim. I believe the BMG/RCA recording is a more "Russian" rendering of the music. Both recordings are in manufactured sound, meaning the recordings were made with many microphones and mixed by the conductor and technicians to present a personalized Stokowski sound that may or may not reflect reality. In this respect, the Reiner recording is far more honest.



Whether or not the Reiner-Chicago rendering is your favorite or one you've never sampled, there can be no question this is a classic performance that sounds better than ever in its current dressing.

"

Better than ever!

Dick K | Centreville, VA United States | 09/09/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a treat for the ears!



The Living Stereo series was wonderful then and it's even better now. This hybrid SACD has fantastic sound quality and, thankfully, is completely true to both music and the original recording. Originally recorded in "3 channel stereo" that's what you get here--no, there's nothing in the rear channels of the surround mix but that's exactly the way it should be. Taken directly from the nearly 50-year old (!) masters, the engineers did nothing at all to the sound except digitize and transfer each track to the SACD/CD master. Nothing added, nothing subtracted. And the quality of those masters is astounding--clear, bright and full. No tape hiss. No loss of highs. Just wonderful music expertly performed.



Dissapointed you're only getting 3 channels and not 5-7? Don't be. You'll hear musicians across the broad but shallow Chicago Symphony Hall just as the engineers heard them in the recording sessions in 1960 and 1956. And those musicians are superb, particularly to my ears, on the Sheherazade portion. This is an excellent orchestra caught at its prime resulting in a truly world-class performance of this well known and well loved music.



In short, get this CD! Even if you don't have a universal player now, the 2 channel transfer is equally good, a faithful recreation of a classic LP. And if you can play the SACD layer so much the better because for the first time you'll hear exactly what was recorded and what the engineers heard in nearly 50 years ago."