“The Tube-Only Night Music” – MOZART: Eine kleine Nachtmusik; Divertimenti KV 136, 137, 138 – Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra/ Wojciech Rajski – Tacet

by | May 9, 2006 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews | 0 comments

“The Tube-Only Night Music” – MOZART: Eine kleine Nachtmusik; Divertimenti KV 136, 137, 138 – Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra/ Wojciech Rajski – Multichannel SACD Tacet S136, 64:24 ****:

Andreas Spreer of the German classical label Tacet has come up with a number of interesting sound ideas.  The most unique is probably his approach to surround on DVD-A and SACD – placing a quintet one performer to a speaker, as well as the latest version of that approach, which has an option of the performers moving around the listener while playing.  He has an excellent new series of recordings of the Welte Mignon piano rolls made by well-known composers and performers.

This SACD is the latest in a series of recordings Tacet has issued made entirely with vacuum tube microphones and tube analog tape recorders.  Earlier recordings in the label’s tube series were stereo LPs and CDs, but I gather this one was made with multichannel analog decks since it is multichannel – as was a previous SACD titled The Tube Only Violin.  Spreer used Neumann tube mikes manufactured in 1951. The music is a perfect choice for this type of reproduction, and does sound rich and mellow.  Of course the best SACDs all sound warmer and more mellow than most equivalent 44.1 CDs, but if you close your eyes this sounds like it could be coming from a really excellent vinyl release rather than an optical disc.

The “A Little Night Music” will be immediately familiar to all, and the three Divertimenti are more of Mozart’s lighter music intended strictly for entertainment purposes at the court. They are full of catchy melodies and are so perfectly balanced and developed that it is difficult to believe most were dashed off at breakneck speed between games of billiards, drinking coffee and so forth. The Polish strings are superb in their phrasing and intonation.  Even if you care nothing for the niceties of tubes vs. transistors or the refinements of retro recording methods, you will find this SACD a most worthwhile entry in this Mozart year.

– John Sunier

Related Reviews
Logo Pure Pleasure
Logo Crystal Records Sidebar 300 ms
Logo Jazz Detective Deep Digs Animated 01