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

[Yuen A.]

Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 1 in D major, incl. ‘Blumine’ Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich/David Zinman (BMG-RCA 82876 87156 2 SACD)

This performance of the first symphony is one of the finest available - fresh, refined and very detailed. Via my sound system, the finale erupts vividly and effortlessly and without any compression or hardness. In the final bars, the bass drum and timpani have a huge, sustained, and thunderous fortissimo roll and without any compression.

MusicWeb International rightly says: "The movement certainly starts arrestingly enough with that percussion-capped outburst and at 3:30 that floating string theme is meltingly beautiful. The horns have just the right burnished quality, the pizzicato basses are as telling as ever, and the ghostly return of the symphony’s opening motif at 7:30 is magically done."

 

[Yuen A.]

Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4, Stravinsky Rite of Spring Lorin Maazel The Cleveland Orchestra (Telarc 60563 SACD)

Both recordings were widely praised for their sonic realism when released on LP and rightly so. However, via the SACD format, I was not impressed until today. Now, via my upgraded DAC, I discovered that these recordings are indeed lifelike and of demonstration quality. All the spatial cues that create a sense of space and depth are heard. The Cleveland Orchestra is in top form here and could not be better.

 

[Yuen A.]

Rachmaninov Symphony No 3 Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Yevgeny Sudbin (piano) Singapore Symphony Orchestra/Lan Shui (BIS-1988 SACD)​

​

MusicWeb International, when reviewing the 3rd of the Rachmaninov symphonies by the SSO (BIS-2512 SACD), says: "This is a broad vision of the work, avoiding excessive introspection or overly dramatic climaxes, and it works extremely well; not least the exquisite violin solo in the second movement. The symphonies, lushly padded out by Shui and warmly played by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in the luxurious acoustic of the Esplanade Concert Hall, will provide an ample dose of sumptuous orchestral sound for many".​

​

Indeed, the orchestra's sound is lush, powerful, detailed and totally transparent. You can hear all the micro details, the colors, the acoustic space, etc. Fortissimos here are awesome. No compression.​

​

 

[Yuen A.]

Alexander Nikolayevich Scriabin Étude, op.8, no.12 Sonata No.2 (Sonate-Fantasie), op.19 Etude from Three Pieces, op.2 Four Mazurkas from op.3 Sonata No.5, op.53 Nuances from Four Pieces, op.56 Poème from Two Pieces, op.59 Sonata No.9, ‘Messe Noire’, op.68 Valse, op.38 Yevgeny Sudbin (piano) (BIS- 1568 SACD) (A relisten)

Wow, it is the first time, via my upgraded DAC, that Sudbin's playing here came alive and filled my listening room with the glorious sound of a Steinway D (rich, brilliant, powerful and with a long sustain and a vast dynamic range)! Its range of tone and color reproduced, via my sound system, is amazing.

ClassicsToday rightly says: "The performances of all three sonatas are remarkable for their rhythmic definition (no chromatic sludge here) and for the remarkable sense of languorous flow that Sudbin achieves through minutely calculated dynamic shadings. In the dreamy first movement of the Second sonata you can really hear the difference between piano and pianissimo, and the diminuendos on the motto theme’s closing triplets are beautifully judged. The Fifth sonata’s presto 6/8 sections project very powerfully, sort of like Ravel on speed, and when Scriabin asks for “luminosita” at the climax, that’s exactly what Sudbin provides, with no trace of brittleness in his instrument’s treble register."

 

[Yuen A.]

Tchaikovsky The Seasons Yunchan Lim, piano (Decca 487 1021 CD)

Lim's roller coaster renderings have transformed The Seasons into something special. June and October offer an extra emotional punch. It's a probing, intense, thoughtfully reflective, expressive and beautiful account. The recordings are excellent.

Gramophone says: "Lim’s shy and withdrawn manner covers a fire-and-ice temperament. He is a pianist to take you beyond yourself, stunning you into submission with the power of his personality backed by a prodigious, high-octane command. Decca superbly captures his distinctive sound."

The Financial Times says: "Compared to rival recordings, Lim is lighter of touch than Yefim Bronfman and more playful than Bruce Liu. Mikhail Pletnev and Pavel Kolesnikov are similar, but Lim has a slightly wider range of accent and colour. The differences are relatively small, but this new recording edges into the number one spot."

 

[Yuen A.]

Gustav Holst The Planets Deborah Cheetham Fraillon Earth (2024 ) Deborah Cheetham Fraillon (soprano) Women’s Voices of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Melbourne Symphony Orchestra/Jaime Martin (Melbourne Symphony Orchestra MSO 0003 SACD)

This is the best, most lifelike, transparent, detailed, thrilling and immersive recording of the Planets in my collection. Listen to the opening bars of Mars. The soundstage depth, width and height are awesome!

BBC Music Magazine says "This is Martín's third recording on the orchestra's new in-house label, and there's certainly an edge-of-seat quality to 'Mars', the opening movement of Holst's The Planets, with punchy, well balanced brass contributions and an appropriate quiver of nervosity in the march rhythms."

 

[Yuen A.]

Gerald Finzi Cello Concerto in A minor, Op.40 Eclogue for piano and string orchestra, Op.10 Nocturne, Op.7 Grand Fantasia and Toccata for piano and orchestra, Op.38 Paul Watkins (cello); Louis Lortie (piano) BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sir Andrew Davis (CHANDOS CHSA 5214 SACD)

JULIAN HAYLOCK of The Strad says it all: "Paul Watkins’s captivating performance, supported devotedly by the BBC Symphony Orchestra under an inspired Andrew Davis and captured in opulently detailed sound, radiates insight and conviction in every bar. Rarely have the opening movement’s declamatory outbursts resonated so profoundly, nor the slow movement’s noble restraint and the finale’s triumph in the face of adversity. With first-class couplings, this is a Finzi disc to cherish."

Gramophone says: "not only does Paul Watkins evince his customary purity of intonation, unruffled technical address and selfless dedication, he forges a healthy, infectiously tangible rapport with Andrew Davis, who obtains playing of commendable discipline and eager application from the BBC SO. The opening movement unfolds with a defiant sweep and enviable sureness of purpose (Davis takes the impassioned orchestral exposition at quite a clip). At the same time, these artists are fully alive to this music’s nervy, at times angry undertow."

 

[Kingrex]

Do you all really have 25 pages of good SACD. Makes the idea of a good transport more appealing.

 

[Bloomie]

This is a wonderful selection of vocal/operatic tracks with stellar singers in tow.
The recording is sublime.

 

[Yuen A.]

Ralph Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music Concerto for Oboe and Strings in A minor Flos Campi Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in C Major
Carla Huhtanen (soprano), Emily D’Angelo (mezzo-soprano), Lawrence Wiliford (tenor), Tyler Duncan (baritone) Louis Lortie (piano) Teng Li (viola) Sarah Jeffrey (oboe) Elmer Iseler Singers Toronto Symphony Orchestra/Peter Oundjian (CHANDOS CHSA 5201 SACD)

Wow, these are beautiful, touching and enchanting music! The soundscape is huge and resonant. The sounds are very lifelike. Teng Li's and Louis Lortie's account of the works are astonishing. MusicWeb International says: "Teng Li produces a rich, nourished tone and plays the more robust passages without the slightest suggestion of roughness. Her viola really speaks, her playing richly communicative. The choir is excellent, the orchestra too, and by careful attention to Vaughan Williams’s markings, Oundjian achieves something very special." BBC Music Magazine says: "The solo playing by Toronto Symphony principal Teng Li offers deep weight of tone, rapturous phrasing, and a musical personality that mesmerises the ear; the choral singing is superbly focused and (easier said than done) flawlessly in tune, with a classy orchestral accompaniment to match."

 

[Yuen A.]

Beethoven Violin Concerto (version for piano) Olli Mustonen (piano) Tapiola Sinfonietta (Ondine 1123-5 SACD) A Relisten.

I will only comment on the piano version of the violin concerto. This is a very fresh, very musical and very enjoyable performance of the D major Concerto. The recording is as good as it gets - extremely transparent, lifelike, nuanced, dynamic and pure.

 

[Yuen A.]

Beethoven Symphony No. 3 & 8 Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Paavo Järvi (RCA 88697 00655 2 SACD) A Relisten.

These recordings came alive for the first time today via my upgraded DAC! They are extremely transparent, detailed, dynamic and nuanced. BBC Music Magazine says: "Paavo Järvi stresses the revolutionary aspect of these symphonies in these impressively dynamic performances: their outer movements are delivered with tremendous energy, and at speeds you may not have experienced before, yet with crystal clear articulation throughout."

 

[Yuen A.]

Murray Perahia Plays Bach (Italian Concerto; Brandenburg Concerto No. 5; Concerto For Flute, Violin & Piano) Murray Perahia (piano), Jaime Martin (flute), Kenneth Sillito (violin), Jakob Lindberg (theorbo) Academy of St Martin in the Fields (Sony Classical SS 87326 SACD) A Relisten

These recordings came alive via my upgraded DAC! The sound is lifelike, detailed, resonant and pure. Gramophone says it all: "The sense of engagement is infectious. Then there’s the cadenza, subtly reminiscent of Alfred Cortot in its bell-like voicing, elegance and, just prior to the orchestra’s return, cumulative excitement. ... Even when judged in relation to other top-ranking piano recordings of Bach (among the most recent, Goode, Hewitt, Schiff and Anderszewski) this CD strikes me as exceptional."

 

[LL21]

Revisiting the Barenboim now...Symphony 4 sounds promising.

I have just received and listen to the Jochum LPO Brahms Symphonies remastered. I thought that it would meet in the middle of the more functional Suitner and the more sweeping Furtwangler...and be the sweet spot for me. Interestingly, I do like it and it does sit in between...but I am thinking I prefer the Barenboim for taking that position on the spectrum...which was not at all what I was expecting. Will play thru them again.

 

[Yuen A.]

Antonín DVOŘÁK Symphony No. 9 in E minor Op. 95 From the New World Bohuslav MARTINŮ Symphony No. 2 Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra/Paavo Järvi (TELARC SACD-60616) (Digital Recording System: Sony/Philip DSD with EMM Labs ADC custom engineered by Ed Meitner) A Relisten

Via my upgraded DAC, the soundscape is completely transparent, three-dimensional and resonant. Dynamics and timbres are lifelike. Gramophone says: "Paavo Järvi reveals his keen imagination and sharp concentration in both performances and under his guidance the Cincinnati SO is consistently excellent: ensemble more than matches that of the rival versions, including Järvi’s father Neeme in both works. The quality of the playing is highlighted by the refinement and clarity of the brilliant Telarc recording, with cleaner separation than in any version listed." Play loud.

 

[SCAudiophile]

Do you all really have 25 pages of good SACD. Makes the idea of a good transport more appealing.

Easily yes, and multiples of that.

 

[Kingrex]

Easily yes, and multiples of that.

I can see you loving a SACD as you have the Legacy Audio system. Sort of a match.

 

[Yuen A.]

Anton Bruckner Symphony No. 5 Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Nikolaus Harnoncourt (RCA 82876 607492 SACD) A Relisten

This recording is truly lifelike! The wonderful acoustic of the Musikverein is marvelously captured here. Music Web International says: "The outer movements are handled with a rare understanding of structure, so that the ebb and flow of tempi, of the musical line’s moments of tension and relaxation, are achieved without any sense of imposed force. Nowhere is this more important than in the closing stages of the work, with the inevitable return of the first movement’s principal theme." Gramophone says: "The ‘liveness’ of the live performance owes much to Harnoncourt – his persona fuelling the music-making not the concept, which is as it should be – though the superlative playing of the Vienna Philharmonic is also a factor. The light-fingered realisation of the exquisite string traceries is a constant source of wonder; tuttis are glowing and unforced. The hall of the Musikverein helps, too; with an audience present it offers a uniquely natural-sounding Bruckner acoustic."

 

[SCAudiophile]

I can see you loving a SACD as you have the Legacy Audio system. Sort of a match.

I had the same opinion of SACDs, various XRCD formats, SHM-CD, SHM-SACD, UHQCD, etc when I owned another audiophile speaker (TAD R1 MK2) for a couple years before going back and many years before with many other passive speakers.

If you had made that statement regarding my liking for Esoteric for 20 years through today with my present Grandioso stack, I would agree with you.

The focus on SACD / other best disc formats for me, and choice of Legacy speakers have nothing to do with each other. I could just as easily have chosen top vinyl and RTR.

 

[Kingrex]

I had the same opinion of SACDs, various XRCD formats, SHM-CD, SHM-SACD, UHQCD, etc when I owned another audiophile speaker (TAD R1 MK2) for a couple years before going back and many years before with many other passive speakers.

If you had made that statement regarding my liking for Esoteric for 20 years through today with my present Grandioso stack, I would agree with you.

The focus on SACD / other best disc formats for me, and choice of Legacy speakers have nothing to do with each other. I could just as easily have chosen top vinyl and RTR.

On a most superficial level, I'm saying, your already very digital, so why focus on the highest quality digital media.

Can you bypass a DAC and take a digital CD direct to the Legacy head unit? If so, do you like it, or prefer and external DAC?