"Classical" SACD thread

The Mozart complete sonatas for keyboard and violin Volume 3 on Channel Classics by Rachel Podger and Gary Cooper is an excellent recording, even if I am no big fan of Mozart. The violin playing by Podger is quite inspiring.

 

I just did a search for some info on the Julia Fischer Bach SACD and found this quote:
"Those concerned hearing about the eccentric Gould style with Bach needn’t fear anything bizarre in Fischer’s performances on her l750 Guadagnini violin. She shows great maturity in her playing and a gorgeous rich tone that doesn’t lack for finesse and beautiful phrasing. The famous Chaconne of the Second Partita is by far the longest movement of all six works, and while it may not be quite up to the Szeryng level it stands on its own, especially in the satiny, lucious sonics provided by PentaTone. The instrument does sound larger than life and switching to the two-channel mix drops out the feeling of being in the hall with the performer without reducing the size of the instrument. Raising the level of the center channnel and dropping the level to the L and R front channels does give a more realistic size to Fischer’s violin."

You can read more on this page: http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=279

BTW, I didin't know that she had won one of the BBC's first-ever classical music awards:

Here's the quote:
BEST NEWCOMER [Jury Award]
• Julia Fischer [violin] / JS Bach Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin BWV 1001-1006
• CD/SACD hybrid
Jury: “There are many recordings of Bach’s works for solo violin but rarely do they reach such breathtaking heights of musicianship as this one. Julia Fischer is an incredible technician and soulful musician who doesn’t let an ounce of ego come between the music and the listener.”
Winner: “Winning the newcomer award is a wonderful thing because everything for me started in Britain. I won my first competition in Folkestone when I was 11 years old – the Menuhin competition. So anything to do with Britain is somehow always a very nice thing.” [Julia Fischer]

Page here: http://www.bbcmusicmagazine.com/ima...scher Bach Cantatas and Partitas SACD review"

 

Yeah, the late Henryk Szeryng was a tremendous violinist and has a recording of this same JS Bach work on DG. While I prefer period instruments in the performance of baroque, Szeryng performance of the Brandenburg Concertos with the ASMIF and Marriner and an all-star cast of Michaela Petri, Heinz Holliger, etc in that 1980 recording remains my all-time Brandenburg favorite.

 

Mutter also has a 1999 DG CD recording of Vivaldi Four Seasons with the Trondheim Soloists, which I believe is a Norwegian group. It is a pretty nice recording, even if it is not in period instruments.

 

This is the title that was released on DVD-A which I own. I do like it, but I also do prefer the period instrument ensembles with Baroque music.

 

I would buy it on vinyl for the large cover alone

 

She is sensual babe.

 

The Bach - Complete Organ Works/Hans Fagius (BIS) 5-SACD set I ordered from Amazon UK arrived today. I'm listening to the first disc right now.

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/3072

I'm actually disappointed in the quality of the packaging for this box. It is not what I expected at all. The box itself is a bit flimsy feeling, and the SACDs are packed in paper envelope-type CD sleeves, glued shut no less. No jewel boxes or notes on the disc packages themselves at all.

On the upside, the 100-page booklet is quite nice as is the fold-out with images and information on all the organs. I suppose it's a bargain in the end, for a 5-SACD set for the price of two SACDs and 200+ hours of music, which was originally released on 18 CDs!

I have some of the original CD releases of these recordings, and I always thought they sounded very good; I love the playing as well. Fagius is a brilliant organist, IMO, and he certainly knows his Bach. Of course, the SACDs cannot add anything to the original 44.1/16 resolution, but to me having it in DSD still improves the sound by removing the grunginess in the higher frequencies caused by quantisation errors and brick-wall filters. So far on this first disc, I am not disappointed by the sound. To me, the original CDs, though they were 80's PCM recordings ('83 - '89), always had a certain warmth and fullness to their sound, that is even more evident on these SACD reissues.

 

For those who like the recording/technical side of things, here's a few photos of the mic setup for the Julia Fischer Bach Cantatas and Partitas SACD: http://www.sa-cd.net/showthread/7885/7958/y#7958

 

It appears Hans Fagius also has a number of JS Bach organ works in a few volumes on the Brilliant Classics label.

 

Well put, and my feelings exactly. There was just no drama, and having studied the score, I know that M wrote it in. Even the old over the top vinyl recordings by Bernstein, Solti, et al. give me more of a rush than this sonically spectacular but ultimately sterile performance.

My wife said, "What, another Mahler 5? He's not writing anything new nowadays, so why?" This time I had no answer.

Greg

 

This is life. SACD recording does not guarantee performance. Some superb performance found on redbook CD's may never be re-issued in the SACD format.

 

Yes, these are the same recordings which Brilliant has licensed from BIS. The packaging is basic, but there are extensive liner notes in very small type. As I recall, the SACD includes the Art of Fugue, which was issued by BIS as a single CD but does not figure into the Brilliant boxes.

 

My apologies for straying off topic a bit, but how do the Fagius performances compare to those of Michel Chapuis (who is responsible for my "complete" Bach organ music set on Auvidis Valois CDs).

 

Yep.

 

So, the all the recordings in this Bach - Complete Organ Works SACD box that BIS is selling has also been licensed out to another label selling them as individual box sets? On CD, I presume?

 

I am not familiar with the Chapuis recordings. I wish I could comment.

 

They've been around for quite a while--among the first things I bought, as they dribbled into release at the downtown Tower, when I moved to the DC area back in the late '80s, and they'd been out on LP well before that, also, I think, on Valois; the commendable Chapuis Buxtehude cycle was on Telefunken LPs. I have half of that one on LP and all on Auvidis Valois CDs. I like both sets, although a friend whose taste in organ music is more purely "Germanocentric" did not care for the one Bach disc I gave him for Christmas one year. I don't know whether either set is still in print.

 

Interesting. Maybe you should try to hunt down one of the budget releases of the Fagius recordings just to get an impression. Personally, I like his playing and the sound of the BIS recordings. I've had a few of them on CD for years. I also have some of Fagius' other organ recordings on BIS, and I like them very much.

I have a few other recordings of Bach organ works, but no complete sets. Of the recordings that I have, I always favour the Fagius. The only one that would be different for is the E. Power Biggs SACD, which is juts spectacular. I have other Bach organ works SACDs (and one DVD-A) that are just alright, IMO. For me, it is the combination of Fagius' playing and the sound of the BIS recordings that does it. They sound very warm and mellow and Fagius' playing is delicate and intricate.

 

I have to say, I get a kick out of putting in one of these Bach - Organ Works SACDs and seeing 259 minutes come up on the display!

 

Goldenboy, are you referring to this one? http://www.amazon.co.uk/J-S-Bach-Or...r_1_2/026-1297091-0712416?ie=UTF8&s=classical

 

No, this set from BIS:

http://www.bis.se/index.php?op=album&aID=BIS-SACD-1527-28

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/3072

 

I just ordered the Bruckner - Symphony No. 7/Saito Kinen Orchestra/Seiji Ozawa SACD.

http://www.sa-cd.net/showtitle/2392

 

I am thoroughly enjoying the Bach - Organ Works box set, I am so glad I finally decided to get it. I had my eye on it for nearly a year. It's not really high-res (since they are original 80's PCM recordings) and it's only stereo, but they still sound very good and the performances are superb, IMO.