State-of-the-Art Recordings of Classical Works (SACDs)

[Yuen A.]

Beethoven The Five Piano Concertos Haochen Zhang (piano) Philadelphia Orchestra/Nathalie Stutzmann (BIS 2581 SACD)

Wow, the performances/recordings are indeed state-of-the-art! It's easily the best in my collection and not quite like any other.

Gramophone rightly says: "Zhang’s muse is ostensibly a lyric one, although a slightly mischievous sense of playfulness is never far away. The opening cadenzas of the Emperor (No 5) have seldom been attacked with such relish, even glee. The poised balances Stutzmann elicits from her players make one wonder where the wind parts have been hiding all these years. The overall effect of the first movement is unquestionably grand while avoiding pomposity; indeed, the entire concerto holds textural surprises aplenty. I cannot think of a more tender and loving 15-bar orchestral opening of the Adagio than that created by Stutzmann and the Philadelphians. What soloist could fail to sing from the heart with such a lead-in?"

 

[Artnet]

Gramophone rightly says:

Thank you for your reviews/posts this one is very compelling!!

 

[Yuen A.]

Yunchan Lim Chopin Etudes Decca CD Catalog #: UCCD-45027 (UHQ + MQA) (Japan Edition)

Wow, these are thrilling performances! His forte/fortissimo is startling, dazzling and stunning. Listen also to the sheer delicacy of Op 25 no 6 in G sharp minor or the newfound details he consistently reveals, especially in the left hand. "The pianist tosses off the double-thirds and double-sixths Études with more finesse than most pianists execute single lines." The recordings are state-of-the art!

 

[Yuen A.]

John Pickard Three Latin Motets O magnum mysterium (2015) Orion – trumpet and organ (2004) Ave maris stella (1992) Ozymandias (1983)
Tesserae – organ (2009) Mass in Troubled Times (2018) Chloë Abbott (trumpet, flugelhorn), David Goode (organ), BBC Singers / Martyn Brabbins
BIS 2651 SACD

Gramophone rightly states that "this is a marvelous collection, featuring impeccable production values and sound of flawless realism in the best BIS tradition. Not to be missed!" The reproduction of the sound of the choir, the trumpet and the organ of St. Jude-on-the-Hill, Hampstead, London, is the most realistic I have ever heard via my sound system. The direct sounds, the early reflections and the sounds that reverberates were effortlessly reproduced with stunning purity and transparency! Timbres were spot-on.

 

[Yuen A.]

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN String Quartets, Op. 18 Quartet No. 1 in F major Quartet No. 2 in G major Quartet No. 3 in D major
Chiaroscuro Quartet BIS 2488 SACD

Wow, the performances here are stunning - insightful, refined, incisive and powerful! The sound is ravishing and pure. The strings' resonance characteristics and the large hall ambience are perfectly captured and reproduced here.

 

[LL21]

View attachment 149181

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN String Quartets, Op. 18 Quartet No. 1 in F major Quartet No. 2 in G major Quartet No. 3 in D major
Chiaroscuro Quartet BIS 2488 SACD

Wow, the performances here are stunning - insightful, refined, incisive and powerful! The sound is ravishing and pure. The strings' resonance characteristics and the large hall ambience are perfectly captured and reproduced here.

Thank you! just ordered! read a whole bunch of reviews quickly just now as well...and listened to some clips. very much look forward to hearing these!

 

[Yuen A.]

Maurice Ravel: Tzigane; Massenet: Meditation (from Thaïs); Tchaikovsky: Souvenir d’un lieu cher; Maier, A: 6 Pieces for Violin and Piano: IV. Allegro molto; Saint-Saëns: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso; Falla: Spanish Dance No. 1 from La vida breve; Fritz Kreisler: Recitativo and Scherzo-Caprice, Op. 6; Waxman: Carmen Fantasy. Johan Dalene (violin), Peter Friis Johansson (piano) (BIS 2770 SACD)

BBC Music says: "Here’s an archetypal recital programme which every emerging violin virtuoso would dream of recording, though few recent contenders have done so with such unerring assurance and mastery as Johan Dalene. His partnership with Peter Friis Johansson yields one of the most satisfying instrumental releases I’ve considered for some time." I agree completely.

The recordings of the violin and piano sounds are among the most realistic (lifelike and three-dimensional)!

 

[Yuen A.]

Ward: Fantasies & Verse Anthems; Phantasm & Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford Linn Records CKD 427 SACD​

The Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford directed by Daniel Hyde, join Phantasm to perform Ward's verse anthems which contain an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of textures and generous word painting amidst a polyphonic swirl of viols. Phantasm are also joined by Emily Ashton and Christopher Terepin for this performance.

The recording is extremely transparent and tone color is exquisite and resonant. Phrasing and dynamics are excellent and the soundscape is immense!

 

[Yuen A.]

Influences Tamara Stefanovich (piano) (Ives: Piano Sonata No. 1; Bartók: Improvisations on Hungarian Peasant Songs, Op. 20; Messiaen: Cantéyodjayâ; Bach, J S: Aria Variata in A minor, BWV989 ‘alla Maniera Italiana') Pentatone PTC 5186741 SACD​

Wow, these recordings are really good! Each note is distinct and clear, with a wonderful resonance that fills the listening room. The lower notes are powerful and deep, while the higher notes are delicate and enchanting. Stefanovich's forte/fortissimo is explosive, luminously played and recorded with great presence/realism. Listen especially to track no. 16 (Messiaen: Cantéyodjayâ)!

 

[Yuen A.]

Sergei PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor Op. 16 Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No 1 in B Flat Minor Op. 23 Haochen Zhang (piano) Lahti Symphony Orchestra/Dima Slobodeniouk (BIS 2381 SACD)

I will only comment on the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 2 and spoiler alert, this performance/recording by Zhang, Slobodeniouk/Lahti Symphony and BIS is the best in my collection! Zhang/Slobodeniouk performance here is the most insightful, thrilling, dynamic and enchanting and again, their performance is like no other! The recording is simply state-of-the-art - very detailed, explosive, pure, transparent, three-dimensional and lifelike.

 

[Yuen A.]

Claude DEBUSSY Pelléas et Mélisande, Suite symphonique (arr. Nott) Arnold SCHOENBERG Pelléas & Mélisande, Op 5 Orchestre de La Suisse Romande/Jonathan Nott (Pentatone PTC 5186 782 SACD)

Immersed yourself into the sound world of Debussy and Schoenberg! The soundscape is immense and atmospheric. The strings shimmer, the brass, powerful and brassy and the woodwinds, enchanting.

 

[Yuen A.]

Magnificat/Philip Cave Where late the sweet birds sang: Latin Music from Tudor England William BYRD Christe qui lux es et dies Robert WHITE Lamentations a5 Robert PARSONS Ave Maria William BYRD Domine, quis habitabit Robert PARSONS Domine, quis habitabit William BYRD Quomodo cantabimus De lamentatione Robert WHITE Christe qui lux es et dies (IV) (Linn CKD 417 SACD)

The Observer rightly states: "The sober packaging of this disc gives little indication of the pleasure within. Pass it over at your peril ... the long lines of intertwining and unfolding polyphony, performed with warmth and purity, is the reason to buy this inspirational CD." The choral singing is indeed magnificent, and the sound, so beautiful, so harmonious and rich. You can easily hear how the choral singing interact with the acoustically reverberant spaces. Play loud.

 

[Yuen A.]

Jacques IBERT Escales…, Sarabande pour Dulcinée, Ouverture de fête, Féerique, Divertissement, Hommage à Mozart, Suite Symphonique ‘Paris’, Bacchanale. Orchestre de la Suisse Romande/Neeme Järvi (CHANDOS CHSA 5168 SACD)

BBC Music says: "The highlight, though, is Escales, which finds Järvi and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande on top form and benefiting from recorded sound that is wonderful on CD and outstanding on SACD." The recordings are lifelike, very transparent and massively dynamic.

 

[Yuen A.]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 8 Zweden, Jaap van · Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra. (Challenge Classics 72549 SACD)

This is one of the most realistic recordings of a symphonic work. It has an excellent recreation of the soundscape. There is true breadth and depth here, with instruments very specifically located. Brass and tympani have excellent weight and impact. The strings have a rich, lush sound. The forte/fortissimo has tremendous energy, weight and power.

 

[Argonaut]

This is an excellent thread btw , @YuenA. If I may enquire , which SACD player are you currently employing ?

 

[Yuen A.]

This is an excellent thread btw , @YuenA. If I may enquire , which SACD player are you currently employing ?

Hi, I am currently using an EMM Labs SACD transport to play SACDs, optically link to the lastest V3 (EMM Labs DV3) DSD DAC.

 

[Argonaut]

Hi, I am currently using an EMM Labs SACD transport to play SACDs, optically link to the lastest V3 (EMM Labs DV3) DSD DAC.

Nice …

 

[Yuen A.]

Anton BRUCKNER Symphony No. 6 Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Jaap van Zweden (CHALLENGE CLASSICS 72552 SACD)

This recording/performance is among the best available for this work. The sounds are powerfully impressive. The scherzo is detailed, i.e., full of subtleties of rhythm and texture. The string players deliver abundant richness of tone.

 

[Audiocrack]

View attachment 149473

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 8 Zweden, Jaap van · Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra. (Challenge Classics 72549 SACD)

This is one of the most realistic recordings of a symphonic work. It has an excellent recreation of the soundscape. There is true breadth and depth here, with instruments very specifically located. Brass and tympani have excellent weight and impact. The strings have a rich, lush sound. The forte/fortissimo has tremendous energy, weight and power.

All Bert van der Wolf’s recordings for Challenge Classics sound very impressive. They belong imo (sonically) to the best currently available. See the thread regarding Challenge Classics I started on WBF. I refer - just by way of example - to his various Prokofiev recordings with James Gaffigan as conductor. I listen to them in their original dxd recording format but they sound also very good (although not quite as good) in the dsd 256 or sacd format.

 

[microstrip]

All Bert van der Wolf’s recordings for Challenge Classics sound very impressive.(...)

Yes, they are excellent. See:

https://www.discogs.com/label/1338106-Northstar-Recording-by-Bert-van-der-Wolf

https://www.discogs.com/release/107...nnovative-High-End-Audio-Recordings-By-Norths

and

https://www.discogs.com/artist/535854-Bert-van-der-Wolf