1612 Italian Vespers: Second Vespers of the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (with music of VIADANA, GABRIELI, BARBARINO, A. GABRIELI, PALESTRINA, MONTEVERDI, and SORIANO) – I Fagiolini/ Robert Hollingworth – Decca Pure Audio Blu-ray

by | May 8, 2014 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

1612 Italian Vespers: Second Vespers of the Feast Day of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary (with music of VIADANA, GABRIELI, BARBARINO, A. GABRIELI, PALESTRINA, MONTEVERDI, and SORIANO) – I Fagiolini/ Robert Hollingworth – Decca 478 5011 Pure Audio Blu-ray (PCM Stereo, DTS MA HD 2.0, Dolby TrueHD 2.0, 24 bit/96 kHz), 78:40 [Distr. by Universal] ****:

I am referring everyone who reads these new DGG Blu-ray Pure Audio reviews to my review of the Kleiber Beethoven Symphonies 5 & 7 reissue for comments and details on this series in general. However, as I reviewed the CD edition when it came out you can also see what this release contains with comments here:  The comment I made says ”It should have been in surround sound, but what we get is very nice indeed.” Well, here was Universal’s chance and they blew it. While I don’t think it was ever released in surround sound I am darned sure that it was recorded that way, as most standard hi-def recordings are these days [Not Universal Classical anymore…Ed.], even if not released that way. And of course Universal is promising to put some of this stuff out in surround sound—we shall see—but if you don’t believe that and want the best possible sound, this will have to do, even though the CD wasn’t bad at all. It’s an excellent recording and well worth inclusion in any ancient music collection—you do have one of those, right?—as a fine example of varied composers and their art of the time.

—Steven Ritter

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