August 24th, 2024
"L.A. Woman" DCC Compact Classics, 45rpm and Plangent File Comparisons you axed for it!By: Michael Fremer
Here's what happened and why the original review did not include comparisons to the DCC Compact Classics version, the Sax cut double 45 and the Plangent processed edition: just as I'd done the original vs UHQR comparison, it was time for a major loudspeaker install so I was down for two days. Rather than wait I chose to post what I already had. Now here's the rest.First, with the new speakers set up for review (Acora VRCs), I re-listened to tracks from... Read More
August 12th, 2024
Because Sound Matters - Hear Linkin Park As Never Before Warner Records taps into the audiophile marketBy: Dylan Peggin
One-step vinyl pressings continue to fixate both self-described audiophiles and the uninitiated who are curious about the wonders of great sound. These pressings eliminate two of the three steps in traditional vinyl manufacturing (creating the father and mother), thus bringing out more detail from the source material and less surface noise. Audiophiles tend to agree that the results are sonically worth the added cost.Warner Records' Because Sound Matters label... Read More
August 9th, 2024
Karajan, Bruckner, and the Next Generation of Deutsche Grammophon’s Original Source Series - Part 3: “The Force Awakens” - Unleashing Bruckner In a Listening Room Near You A Deep Dive into the History and Technology behind this Epic AAA Reissue, mastered and cut directly from the 8-track master tapesBy: Mark Ward
In Part 3 of this extended analysis and review of the new Karajan cycle of Bruckner’s 9 Symphonies - remixed, remastered and cut directly from the original 8-track master tapes to vinyl by Emil Berliner Studios - I survey the remastered cycle as a whole, as well as examine how the digital recordings of Symphonies 1-3 were sonically refurbished. (You can read Part 1 here, and Part 2 here).
Read MoreAugust 7th, 2024
Karajan, Bruckner, and the Next Generation of Deutsche Grammophon’s Original Source Series - Part 2: “Back to the Future” - Evolutions and Revolutions in the Science and Art of Recording and Vinyl Mastering A Deep Dive into the History and Technology behind this Epic AAA Reissue, mastered and cut directly from the 8-track master tapesBy: Mark Ward
In Part 2 of this extended analysis and review of the new Karajan cycle of Bruckner’s 9 Symphonies - remixed, remastered and cut directly from the original 8-track master tapes to vinyl by Emil Berliner Studios - I focus in on the technical processes behind the original recordings, and the technology used to breathe new life into these classics of the gramophone. A huge thank-you to Rainer Maillard for the time he took to send me his additional thoughts pertaining to this project and much else (beyond his extensive essay in the set's booklet). (You can read Part 1 here, and Part 3 here).
Read MoreAugust 6th, 2024
Karajan, Bruckner, and The Next Generation of Deutsche Grammophon’s Original Source Series - Part 1: “Past is Prologue” - A Conductor’s Journey A Deep Dive into the History and Technology behind this Epic AAA Reissue, mastered and cut directly from the 8-track master tapesBy: Mark Ward
Between 1975 and 1982, the renowned Austrian conductor Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra recorded and released the nine numbered symphonies of the great Romantic composer Anton Bruckner for Deutsche Grammophon. For Karajan it was the culmination of a lifetime studying and performing these works. The cycle, coming at the beginning of the Bruckner revival, was one of the earliest complete recordings, and has remained a benchmark ever since.... Read More
July 25th, 2024
John Culshaw at 100 - 10 Essential Recordings Celebrating the great Classical Producer with 10(+) of his greatest recordingsBy: Mark Ward
Born 100 years ago this year, John Culshaw set new standards in the craft and art of classical recording, primarily during his tenure at Decca. His recordings of Wagner's complete Ring cycle and Britten's War Requiem were critical and commercial successes of an order that has rarely been equalled, and remain acknowledged classics of the gramophone. To mark his centenary, we talk about what made him such an important figure in the history of recording, and pick 10(+) essential records which fully display his exceptional gifts as a record producer, and which sound as fresh today as they did when they were first made.
Read MoreJuly 17th, 2024
It's Monk's Time! With the Unique Thelonious Monk A critical look at the first decade of his recorded legacy, a deep dive into three of his greatest tracks and further recommendationsBy: Willie Luncheonette
Monk was born on October 10, 1917 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Four years later his family moved to New York City, settling at the Phipps Houses at 243 West 63rd St in Manhattan, known then as the San Juan Hill area, later referred to as the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts neighborhood. When he was five years old, a neighbor gave him piano lessons in the stride style of Fats Waller and James P Johnson. At ages 10-12 he had classical piano lessons from Simon... Read More
June 28th, 2024
A Listener’s Guide to Non-Toxic Modern Classical Music These pieces are just good music, period.By: John Marks
Countless pieces of music written by 20th-century (and later) composers are very accessible, listenable, and rewarding. Here are a few.
Read MoreJune 25th, 2024
Perfect Masters Thrive On Disasters: Brian Eno’s “Rock” Albums From the archives: Michael Fremer explores Brian Eno’s four pioneering 70s “rock” albums.By: Michael Fremer
(This feature originally appeared in Issue 7, Spring 1996.)He didn’t play an instrument and he didn’t sing, but Brian Eno was in the band, and the band was Roxy Music. So what exactly did Eno (full name Brian Peter George St. John de Baptiste de la Salle Eno—wouldn’t you shorten it?) do for Roxy Music, which he co-founded in London with Bryan Ferry back in 1972? Listen to Stranded, the first Eno-free Roxy album and you’ll hear something missing. Or, listen to the... Read More
June 19th, 2024
Deutsche Grammophon Announces Four New Original Source Vinyl Releases Classic 1970s Recordings by DG’s Biggest Stars get the Emil Berliner Studios AAA Sonic UpgradeBy: Mark Ward
Deutsche Grammophon’s outstanding, AAA-mastered Original Source Vinyl Series continues apace with four more titles just announced, slated for release on October 4th.
Like previous releases, these are all mastered and cut directly from the original 4-track master tapes by Rainer Maillard and Sidney C. Meyer at Emil Berliner Studios, incorporating 2-tracks of ambient hall information recorded at the original sessions. (For the full technical background on this series I refer you to my review of the first batch here).
Read MoreJune 9th, 2024
Giulini Meets Bruckner: DG’s Classic Recordings by the Italian Maestro Given New Life on Vinyl by Emil Berliner Studios - Part 2 The Philosopher Poet of the Podium meets the Arch Austrian Romanticist in Vienna, and the result is something very special for the Bruckner BicentenaryBy: Mark Ward
In Part 2 of this look at Giulini's legendary recordings of the late symphonies of Anton Bruckner, we review Symphonies 8 and 9, and talk with Rainer Maillard at Emil Berliner Studios about what made the original recordings so successful (even though early digital), and how he went about freshening up the original masters to create these new vinyl reissues (which include the first ever vinyl release for the 9th Symphony). You can read Part 1 here.
Read MoreJune 6th, 2024
Giulini Meets Bruckner: DG’s Classic Recordings by the Italian Maestro Given New Life on Vinyl by Emil Berliner Studios - Part 1 The Philosopher Poet of the Podium meets the Arch Austrian Romanticist in Vienna, and the result is something very special for the Bruckner BicentenaryBy: Mark Ward
Carlo Maria Giulini is one of those conductors whose discography yields constant treasure, from his early Philharmonia recordings on EMI to his always surprising DG legacy with American orchestras like the Chicago Symphony and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. A highlight of his later discography were the three Bruckner symphonies he recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in the fabled Musikverein. In the first of two articles we talk about what made conductor and composer so unique in their own fields and time, and review this new remastering from the same team at Emil Berliner Studios responsible for the highly successful Original Source Series of vinyl reissues - this time working from digital master tapes. Part 2 includes an extensive interview with Rainer Maillard about how the original sessions were recorded, and how he went about improving the sound for this landmark reissue.
Read MoreMay 27th, 2024
Britten’s WAR REQUIEM Revisited - A Masterpiece Newly Relevant - PART 3: Restoration and Remastering, plus Review Decca's 60th Anniversary Re-Release of one of the catalogue's greatest achievements prompts a re-examination of this profound anti-War statementBy: Mark Ward
In Part 3 of this special Memorial Day weekend celebration of Benjamin Britten's timeless anti-war statement, we tell the story of how Decca revisited the master tapes and used the latest technology to bring this historic recording back to life for a new generation of listeners on vinyl and CD/SACD.
Read MoreMay 26th, 2024
Britten’s WAR REQUIEM Revisited - A Masterpiece Newly Relevant - PART 2: Making a Legendary Recording Decca's 60th Anniversary Restoration and Remastering of one of the catalogue's greatest achievements prompts a re-examination of this profound anti-War statementBy: Mark Ward
In Part 2 of this special Memorial Day weekend celebration of Benjamin Britten's timeless anti-war statement, we tell the story of the Decca sessions - led by producer John Culshaw and engineer Kenneth Wilkinson - which created one of the acknowledged classics of the gramophone.
Read MoreMay 24th, 2024
Britten’s WAR REQUIEM Revisited - A Masterpiece Newly Relevant - PART 1: Genesis and Composition Decca's 60th Anniversary Restoration and Remastering of one of the catalogue's greatest achievements prompts a re-examination of this profound anti-War statementBy: Mark Ward
From the moment it was released in 1963, Decca's recording of the War Requiem with the composer conducting was hailed as a supreme achievement of the gramophone. It sold over 200,000 copies in a few months, and is universally acknowledged as a classic. Marking Memorial Day weekend, we tell the story of its composition, recording, and assess the new vinyl and CD/SACD remasterings.
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