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Bamberger Symphoniker, Jonathan Nott – Mahler: Symphony No. 3 (2011)
SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 01:44:10 minutes | 5,33 GB | Genre: Classical | © Tudor
Jonathan Nott has been the principal conductor of the Bamberger Symphoniker since the year 2000 and this has been a very successful partnership. Their recording of Mahler’s 9th Symphony (TUDOR7162) won several awards “This is a fine achievement in a towering symphony.” – BBC Music Magazine
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Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic – Mahler: Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection” (2007)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 84:35 minutes | 6,38 GB
FLAC 2.0 Stereo (PS3 ISO extract / Weiss Saracon conversion) 24bit/88,2 kHz | 1,57 GB
Label: Sony Music Japan | Year: 1963, 2007 | 3% Recovery Info
“DSD Remastering on a Legendary Recording!
“This legendary first commercial recording by Leonard Bernstein of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 has until now, only been available in generally inferior-sounding LP, open-reel, and CD formats, using a master tape derived from the original recording session tapes. It has never until now, been given the opportunity to show the sonics it likely had, and which it now reveals via SACD. This performance is a true “desert island” recording of the work in audiophile format. Remastering Engineer Andreas K. Meyer was tapped to remaster via the Direct Stream Digital (DSD) process, the entire Columbia/Sony Masterworks cycle for the domestic Carnegie Hall label of Mahler symphonies as recorded by Leonard Bernstein, and the results show improvement, not only on that issue, but on this one as well. Copies of Meyer’s DSD remasterings were sent to Japan for issuance on SACD (including this issue), but for some odd reason, the remasterings of these recordings still have to appear as a domestic issue SACD, at least as of this writing.
“Among the improvements of the DSD/SACD remastering vs. the original issues using the old master tape: There is a better sense of “air” around the individual instruments, and a better semblance of the halls in which the recordings were made, adding to a greater sense of “live” presence. Dynamics have been slightly increased, as well as a slight deepening of the bass frequencies. Also, the dynamics at the point of the last movement huge drum roll are improved; one of the best on all Mahler 2nd recordings.
“The greatest benefits overall, have been the increase in presence of the recording to allow individual instruments to stand out, as well as a slight increase in dynamics, which helps the impact of this recording. If you have one of the earlier formats that didn’t use the Meyer remastering, I’m sure you’ll be able to pick up the improvements in this issuance vs. the earlier. A superb recording!” – Stereophile
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Bamberger Symphoniker, Jonathan Nott – Mahler: Symphony No. 2 (2010)
SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 01:24:10 minutes | 3,79 GB | Genre: Classical | © Tudor
Jonathan Nott continues his very successful Mahler series with Symphony No.2. The soloists are Anne Schwanewilms soprano and Lioba Braun contralto. BBC Music Magazine described Nott’s recording of Mahler’s Symphony No.9 as “a fine achievement in a towering symphony.”
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Bamberger Symphoniker, Jonathan Nott – Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (2009)
SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 00:55:23 minutes | 2,81 GB | Genre: Classical | © Tudor
It took Mahler over four years to complete his first symphony. The composer conducted the first performance in 1889 and received a hostile reception from press and public alike. It is now a favourite in concert halls around the world. The Bamberg Symphony Orchestra is led by their star conductor, Jonathan Nott, a conductor who is leading the orchestra to new heights. Their performances and recordings receive unprecedented praise wherever they are played.
…this one of the best recorded accounts we’ve had since Kubelík and Bernstein… Nott, you feel, has got under Mahler’s skin; Gergiev is merely offering an impersonation. – Gramophone Magazine, August 2008
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Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic – Mahler: Symphony No. 1 (2007)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 52:38 minutes | 4,0 GB
FLAC 2.0 Stereo (PS3 ISO extract / Weiss Saracon conversion) 24bit/88.2 kHz | 0.99 GB
Japan Import | Year: 1966, 2001 | 3% Recovery Info
“This performance remains one of the most thrilling and committed performances of “The Titan” to be issued. The DSD/SACD remastering is excellent I look forward to the entire Sony cycle in this wonderful high resolution format.”
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Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado – Mahler: Symphony No.6 (2005)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & DST64 5.1 >1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Covers | 5.11 GB
FLAC tracks 2.0 24bit/88.2 kHz | Covers | 1.29 GB
When at last it was revealed what Mahler’s final intentions were regarding the ordering of the inner movements of his 6th Symphony, 90 years of theory, history, & performance practice went right out the window. For theorists, it altered the harmonic structure of Mahler’s A minor Symphony. For historians, it modified the meaning of Mahler’s “Tragic” Symphony. For players & conductors, it changed the musical progress of Mahler’s 6th Symphony. For listeners, it made Mahler’s deepest & darkest symphony even deeper & darker. With the achingly nostalgic Andante moderato now coming before the bitingly bitter Scherzo, the triumph of the opening Allegro energico sounds even more hollow & empty & the collapse of the closing Allegro moderato sounds even more final & total.
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Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic, Israel Philharmonic, Janet Baker – Mahler: Symphony No. 10 (Adagio) & Kindertotenlieder (2007)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 55:312minutes | 4,14 GB
FLAC 2.0 Stereo (PS3 ISO extract / Weiss Saracon conversion) 24bit/88.2 kHz | 1.0 GB
Japan Import | Year: 1974/5, 2007
One can hardly believe the SACD sound Sony has achieved here, trumping even the “Carnegie Hall Presents” remaster! It is almost unbelievable that the original sound we were able to hear back in the 60s and 70s has been so revived from those original recordings in New York’s CBS Studios and Tel Aviv.
In the Kindertotenlieder, Janet Baker’s signing is unmatchable. She shines radiantly in every song. The last sung passage of In diesem Wetter is exquisite. Baker keeps her voice steady and is never lacking in purity throughout. She sounds haunting at times, too. It is a truly amazing musical experience. The 10th Adagio is a masterpiece. It’s power sends shivers throughout. This is a definitive recording of the only movement Mahler got to complete of his last Symphony.
As good as the LP vinyl version of this music, the transfer to SACD is heavenly. It completed, for me the entire set of Bernstein/Mahler symphonies reissued on SACD (Japanese imports), and it was a wonderful finale.
The sound is is stunning. Few of the Adagios and Kindertotenlieder available come close. The DSD sonic transfer highlights the wonderful strengths in these performances. The entire set of Bernstein/Mahler SACDs, expensive imports that they may be, is the best things in my SACD collection!
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Mahavishnu Orchestra – Birds Of Fire (1973) [Audio Fidelity 2015]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 & DST64 4.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 40:36 minutes | Full Scans included | 3,04 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | 40:33 mins | Scans included | 832 MB
Features Stereo and Quadrophonic surround sound | Mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio | Audio Fidelity # AFZ5 212 | Genre: Fusion, Jazz Rock
Emboldened by the popularity of Inner Mounting Flame among rock audiences, the first Mahavishnu Orchestra set out to further define and refine its blistering jazz-rock direction in its second – and, no thanks to internal feuding, last – studio album. Although it has much of the screaming rock energy and sometimes exaggerated competitive frenzy of its predecessor, Birds of Fire is audibly more varied in texture, even more tightly organized, and thankfully more musical in content. A remarkable example of precisely choreographed, high-speed solo trading – with John McLaughlin, Jerry Goodman, and Jan Hammer all of one mind, supported by Billy Cobham’s machine-gun drumming and Rick Laird’s dancing bass – can be heard on the aptly named “One Word,” and the title track is a defining moment of the group’s nearly atonal fury. The band also takes time out for a brief bit of spaced-out electronic burbling and static called “Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love.” Yet the most enticing pieces of music on the record are the gorgeous, almost pastoral opening and closing sections to “Open Country Joy,” a relaxed, jocular bit of communal jamming that they ought to have pursued further. This album actually became a major crossover hit, rising to number 15 on the pop album charts, and it remains the key item in the first Mahavishnu Orchestra’s slim discography.
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Maeve O’Boyle – All My Sins (2009)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 39:02 min | Scans included | 2,39 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Scans included | 785 MB
Features Stereo & Multichannel Surround sound | Linn Records # AKD 318
All My Sins, the debut album from Glasgow’s rising star Maeve O’Boyle, is a master class in melodic, folktinged pop and showcases Maeve’s poignant, personal and deeply meaningful self-penned songs. Produced by Calum Malcolm (The Blue Nile), ‘All My Sins’ is a master class in melodic, folk-tinged pop and features co-writes with, among others, Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue) and Francis Macdonald (Teenage Fanclub). Her unique blend of melodic pop, folk and rock won the acclaim of many established musicians and the press upon its release.
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Macy Gray – The Trouble With Being Myself (2003)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 00:48:37 minutes | 3,38 GB
Genre: R&B, Funk, Soul | Scans included | Label: Epic Records
Like Alanis Morissette, Macy Gray has the unenviable task of her work always being measured against her brilliant debut album, On How Life Is. One of the most joyous releases of the decade, its blend of pop and soul seemed to captivate everyone who heard it. Since then Gray’s appeared on the big screen (in Training Day and Spiderman), guested on songs for Santana and Fatboy Slim, and in 2001 tried to recreate the formula of her debut on a follow-up album, The Id – with diminishing returns.
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Stuttgarter Hymnus-Chorknaben, Rainer Johannes Homburg, Kay Johannsen – Machet die Tore weit: Chor- und Orgelmusik zu Advent und Weihnachten (2011)
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 3,71 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 1,14 GB | Full Artwork: 130 MB | 3% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: MDG “Scene” # 902 1725-6 | Country/Year: Germany 2011
Genre: Classical, Sacred | Style: Renaissance-Contemporary, Vocal
In 1900 the Stuttgart Hymnus Boys’ choir (German: Stuttgarter Hymnus-Chorknaben) was initiated by the Swabian entrepreneur Paul von Lechler.
His models were the Thomanerchor Leipzig and the Dresdner Kreuzchor. After the re-foundation in 1946 and under the leadership of Professor Gerhard Wilhelm, who conducted the choir until 1987, the Hymnus Boys’ Choir soon reached an artistic level, that was recognized far beyond the country borders. Then Eckhard Weyand was in charge until 1992. From 1992 until 2010 the choir was led and conducted by church music director Hanns-Friedrich Kunz, who retired in March 2010. Since then the choir has been led by Rainer Johannes Homburg. Even though churches and concert halls in Baden-Württemberg are the centre of their public appearances, the choir was on successful concert tours through Germany and Europe.
The Stuttgart Hymnus Boys’ Choir has a broad repertoire of spiritual vocal music, especially music by Johann Sebastian Bach and other baroque composers. Parallel to the concerts the musical-liturgical arrangements of masses have a special meaning.
About 170 boys and 30 young men come together to rehearse in Stuttgart weekly, because the choir does not have a boarding school. The singers live with their parents and go to school in their hometowns.
The boys start to learn reading easy notes and dealing with musical basics at an age of seven or eight years. Later, usually after three years, the boys are introduced to the literature of the concert choir and start to fully participate in concerts. After the voice has changed, the boys can sing in the men’s choir as tenors or basses. Skilled voice artists and teachers support both boys and men in single voice lessons. wikipedia
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Maceo Parker – Schools In! (2005)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 57:27 minutes | Scans included | 3,93 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,27 GB
An outstanding, jazz funk groove album. Just let the old’s cool sounds of Maceo’s alto sax send your body to the happy land where time forgot. Nothing on earth compares to a live evening epic with Maceo’s super tight band of brothers. But be advised his new release titled Schools In! on BHM Records is undoubtedly the next best thing to being with the funk maestro in person.
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Lynyrd Skynyrd – Second Helping (1974/2013)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz | Time – 00:37:22 minutes | 1,47 GB | Genre: Rock
Official Digital Download – Source: AcousticSounds | © Geffen Records / Analogue Productions
This Lynyrd Skynyrd 1974 album follows the success of “Free Bird” and “Gimme Three Steps” from their 1973 debut and features their biggest hit single, “Sweet Home Alabama,” an answer to Neil Young’s “Southern Man” and “Alabama.” The song reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1974. Second Helping also featured “Don’t Ask Me No Questions,” “Workin’ for MCA” and “Call Me The Breeze,” the latter of which includes an acclaimed piano solo. Backed by a tight rhythm section and the mighty three-guitar attack of Allen Collins, Ed King and Gary Rossington, singer Ronnie Van Zant turns in a legendary performance on the urgent blues ballad “I Need You,” the cautionary “The Needle And The Spoon” and “The Ballad Of Curtis Loew.” 200-gram vinyl, mastering by Kevin Gray, lacquer plating by QRP’s Gary Salstrom, heavy, tip-on gatefold jacket. None better.
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Lynyrd Skynyrd – Nuthin’ Fancy (1975/2013)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz | Time – 00:37:28 minutes | 1,47 GB | Genre: Rock
Official Digital Download – Source: AcousticSounds | © Geffen Records / Analogue Productions
Nuthin’ Fancy is a 1975 album by Lynyrd Skynyrd, their third studio album, and their first to reach the Top 10, peaking at #9 on the US albums chart. It was certified Gold on 6/27/1975 and Platinum on 7/21/1987 by the RIAA. This is the first record with new drummer Artimus Pyle and the last with guitarist Ed King until the reformation of Lynyrd Skynyrd and the release of Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991.
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Lyn Stanley – The Moonlight Sessions, Volume Two (2017)
DSD128 (.dsf) 1 bit/5,6 MHz | Time – 58:19 minutes | 4,6 GB
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/192 kHz | Time – 58:19 minutes | 2,41 GB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: NativeDSDmusic | Genre: Jazz | © A.T.Music
Lyn Stanley, the Sultry Jazz singer of the decade, offers this collection of love songs where she’ll spins tales of love’s make ups and break ups. “The Moonlight Sessions” is the title of the newest chapter in Ms. Stanley’s remarkable singing career. With this project, Lyn creatively offers a number of jazz standards with classical twists together with refreshingly new takes on iconic pop songs. The project was developed with the intention of creating a new take and approach to arrangements and was dedicated to the famous arranger, Sammy Nestico, best known for his swinging Count Basie arrangements but also worked for many other music greats. He was involved in the development of this project from its inception.
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