SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
WALTON: Facade Suite; LECOCQ: Mamzelle Angot ballet suite - Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden/Anatole Fistoulari - HDTT
Another in the 96K/24 bit DVD-R series of transfers, now in a larger case.
Published on October 21, 2008
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WALTON: Facade Suite; LECOCQ: Mamzelle Angot ballet suite - Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden/Anatole Fistoulari - HDTT 96K/24bit DVD-R - HDDVD152 (also avail. as CD-R) *****:
These were originally recordings in the RCA Living Stereo series and have been reissued on audiophile vinyl by Classic Records. At the same time as the original LP release they were also offered on prerecorded analog open reel tape. High Definition Tape Transfers has transferred one of these tapes to DVD-R and CD-R using the highest-end mastering equipment, including a customized Studio 810 open reel deck, ATR tape head preamp, Manley tape preamp, Purist Audio cables, Essential Sound AC cords, Symposium vibration control, Weiss digital hardware and software, and a Sonic Studio CD.1 Pro CD burner.
Though starting out with two-track prerecorded tapes, HDTT has now been mastering from quarter-track as well, and the end result on the DVD-Rs sound to me to be just as fine. (I don’t know which this Fistoulari tape was.) The CD-R versions are also excellent, but if your DVD player and associated gear is capable of passing the full 96K resolution signal to your amps and speakers you can’t do much better with any commercial digital recording.
Dame Edith Sitwell’s reading of the poetry on the recording premiere of Facade can‘t be beat for its evocation of period avant-gardism, but hearing those verses every time becomes tiresome, and all 11 of these short instrumental movements are wonderful to hear without a break. The performance is sparkling and full of fun. The same goes for the little seven-movement ballet suite by Lecocq. I had forgotten what delightful music this was. The spatial placement of the various instruments across the sound stage is uncanny, and unfortunately is compromised by switching from Direct to ProLogic II for surround effect, at least on my system. HDTT has begun putting these individually-burned DVD-Rs in standard DVD-V cases, which sets them aside as special hi-res recordings - but they no longer fit on my CD shelves. Inside there are also notes on the music.
- John Sunier
These were originally recordings in the RCA Living Stereo series and have been reissued on audiophile vinyl by Classic Records. At the same time as the original LP release they were also offered on prerecorded analog open reel tape. High Definition Tape Transfers has transferred one of these tapes to DVD-R and CD-R using the highest-end mastering equipment, including a customized Studio 810 open reel deck, ATR tape head preamp, Manley tape preamp, Purist Audio cables, Essential Sound AC cords, Symposium vibration control, Weiss digital hardware and software, and a Sonic Studio CD.1 Pro CD burner.
Though starting out with two-track prerecorded tapes, HDTT has now been mastering from quarter-track as well, and the end result on the DVD-Rs sound to me to be just as fine. (I don’t know which this Fistoulari tape was.) The CD-R versions are also excellent, but if your DVD player and associated gear is capable of passing the full 96K resolution signal to your amps and speakers you can’t do much better with any commercial digital recording.
Dame Edith Sitwell’s reading of the poetry on the recording premiere of Facade can‘t be beat for its evocation of period avant-gardism, but hearing those verses every time becomes tiresome, and all 11 of these short instrumental movements are wonderful to hear without a break. The performance is sparkling and full of fun. The same goes for the little seven-movement ballet suite by Lecocq. I had forgotten what delightful music this was. The spatial placement of the various instruments across the sound stage is uncanny, and unfortunately is compromised by switching from Direct to ProLogic II for surround effect, at least on my system. HDTT has begun putting these individually-burned DVD-Rs in standard DVD-V cases, which sets them aside as special hi-res recordings - but they no longer fit on my CD shelves. Inside there are also notes on the music.
- John Sunier
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