December 1, 2003
Radical
Sounds: Tis the Advanced-Resolution Season
The release of music on both
DVD-Audio and SACD discs has increased dramatically this year, making possible this first
column devoted to seasonal music released on the formats. Listeners with a single-format
player will have to pick and choose; those who have one of the newer, affordable universal
players can have the best of both worlds.
EMI has released an excellent DVD-A of choral music by J.S.
Bach performed by the Kings College Chapel Choir and the Academy of Ancient Music,
conducted by Stephen Cleobury. The performances are neat and to the point, and the warm,
reverberant character of a large cathedral is suggested by the 5.0-channel recording. A
DVD-A has a longer maximum playing time than a SACD, and this disc contains more than two
and a half hours of music: the Magnificat, Cantatas 12, 140, 226, and 230, the Missa
Brevis in A, and many shorter pieces -- a real bargain.
Another DVD-A, this one on the DTS label, contains
Handels complete Messiah on one disc, in the orchestration by Ebenezer Prout.
Sir David Willcocks conducts the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and NightPro Symphony Orchestra,
with soloists Lorna Anderson, Paul Esswood, Neil Mackie, and Stephen Roberts. The spacious
sound is appealing and clean, the performance robust and elegant.
There is no complete Nutcracker yet in an
advanced-resolution format, but Sony does have The Nutcracker Suite as a filler for
Tchaikovskys Symphony 4 on a multichannel SACD disc. Leonard Bernstein leads an
exuberant performance; the sound has been satisfactorily remixed in 5.1.
Here are some SACD compilations of shorter pieces to
consider. The first, Dallas Christmas Gala (Delos), has many things to recommend
it, including John Wassons high-energy Festival Fanfare for Christmas, and
Fred Silvers hysterical The 12 Days After Christmas. Andrew Litton and
David R. Davidson lead the Dallas Symphony Chorus and Orchestra in polished performances.
The 5.1 sound, however, is a bit wacky: Somewhat muffled, it sounds as though the
reverberation has been electronically added, although this is probably not the case.
No such criticism can be leveled at Telarcs A
Mormon Tabernacle Christmas, which has presence to burn. Bright and cheerful
arrangements, superbly executed by the choir and the accomplished Orchestra at Temple
Square, make this release a real winner. Nor is there anything "canned" about
this CDs rear channels -- they contribute to making it a live-sounding experience.
Theres lots of lease-breaking subwoofer action, too.
Sony multichannel SACDs from two music legends lead off the
list of holiday pop music. Johnny Mathis has made many Christmas recordings, and his
latest, The Christmas Album, is given the full treatment: lush orchestral
arrangements, backup chorus, and busy 5.1 sound -- and Mathis, his voice spread through
all three front channels, sounds as good as ever. What would the holidays be without at
least one of his songs?
Barry Manilows SACD A Christmas Gift of Love
has just been released. Its sound is brighter than the Mathis, though with a similar
surround perspective. Whereas Mathis mixes religious and secular tunes, Manilows
choices are all secular. Though you cant go wrong with either disc if youre
looking for popular Christmas standards recorded in the highest resolution, they share two
irritating faults: Each is playable only on SACD players (neither is a hybrid disc), and
each is only about 31 minutes long. Are we witnessing the birth of a Sony holiday
tradition of short, exclusive discs?
Concord Jazz has remixed Rosemary Clooneys White
Christmas to 5.1 but has wisely included the original stereo tracks on a hybrid disc
playable on any CD player. This 1996 session found the great singer a bit past her prime,
and certain passages are labored. But theres a lot of magic as well, in such songs
as "Count Your Blessings," "Its the Most Wonderful Time of the
Year," and "Let It Snow."
AIX Records has released their Surrounded by Christmas
DVD-A, with the AIX All Stars: Laurence Juber, Jim Cox, Leland Sklar, John Ferraro, and
Steven Forman. And surrounded you will be -- if you enjoy hearing a piano solo from over
your left shoulder after enjoying a guitar solo up front, the MLP 5.1 Stage mix is for
you. If not, there are stereo tracks as well. Both configurations feature 24-bit/96kHz
resolution, and the discs video side features the extras weve come to expect
from AIX. The arrangements range from the sublime ("What Child is This?,"
"I Saw Three Ships") to the ridiculous ("Jingle Bells") to the
what-the-heck were-they-thinking? ("Hark, the Herald Angels Sing -- Surf
Version").
Here are four superb discs no one would mind finding under
the tree:
J.S.
Bach: Christmas Oratorio
Johanette Zomer, soprano; Annette Markett, alto; Gerd Turk, tenor; Peter Harvey, bass;
Choir and Orchestra of the Netherlands Bach Society; Jos van Veldhoven, conductor.
Channel Classics CCS SA 20103, Hybrid Multichannel SACD, two discs.Johann Sebastian Bachs Christmas Oratorio actually
comprises half a dozen cantatas written to be performed in Leipzig from Christmas Day,
1794 to Epiphany, 1795. The works were written for large forces, including oboes, horns,
trumpets, and drums. There are parts for four soloists, including a tenor who acts as
narrator-evangelist. Overall, it is a magnificent work of varied hue, ranging from the
hushed reverence of the Sinfonia that begins the second cantata to the blazing
glory of the final chorus of Cantata 6, one of the most radiant moments in all of music
history.
This performance, on period instruments, is lively, vital,
and one of the best in the catalog. Without indulging in grandstanding, the vocal soloists
turn in sure performances that project the text with loving care. The small chorus and
orchestra phrase with exceptional clarity, singing and playing with virtuoso exuberance.
Though conductor Jos van Veldhoven paces the various arias and chorales briskly, they
never sound rushed.
This is one of the best performances in the Christmas
Oratorio sweepstakes, but what puts it on top is its sound, which is so natural that I
felt I could walk up to the speakers and touch the players and singers. The stage width is
normal, but the depth is enormous. When the echo voice answers the soprano in the fourth
section of Cantata 4, she sounds all the way at the rear of the church, behind the chorus
-- her position is precisely indicated without having to resort to the gimmick of putting
her in the rear channels. Those are reserved for the discreet (and discrete) reverberation
that produces the three-dimensional aural picture of the front soundstage.
The lush packaging bears special mention. A dark red,
felt-like outer case contains two inner packages: one is a foldout containing the two
discs, the other a 196-page hardcover book containing all the text, program notes, and
artist biographies, as well as dozens of full-color reproductions of Renaissance art
masterpieces pertaining to the Christmas Story. This set would make a handsome gift, for
yourself or for someone special on your list.
|
Victorian
Christmas
Stephanie Osborne, harp.
Silverline 288212-9, DVD-Audio, contains MLP 24/96 5.1 tracks, 24/192 stereo tracks, and
Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks.This is a deceptively
simple program of secular and religious favorites played on solo harp. Stephanie Osborne,
clearly a virtuoso, has here opted for simplicity in most of her arrangements in order to
convey a musical picture of the Victorian Era. The results are enchanting. The 5.1 MLP
recording is so realistic that it seems to put the harp comfortably in one's listening
room. The 24/192 stereo transfer adds just a wee bit more resolution to some sounds,
notably the harmonics used in "O Christmas Tree," but the 5.1 has more presence.
However you listen to it, this is an ideal holiday disc for quiet, late-night hours, and
one youll play year after year.
|
The Ray
Brown Trio: Live at the Loa
Concord Jazz SACD-1027-6, Hybrid Multichannel SACD.Regular
readers will know that I am not predisposed to remixes of material originally recorded in
stereo. However, Im the first to join the cause when the results come out right.
Producers John Burk and Nick Phillips have done a splendid job of turning this excellent
1990 recording into a 2003 multichannel experience. Concord Jazz seems to work the extra
channels best on its live stereo material. On this disc, the trio is spread across the
front, mixed with just enough ambience to create a three-dimensional effect, and the
audience is in the surrounds.
Gene Harriss piano solos have remarkable presence,
Jeff Hamiltons drums are crisp yet never brittle, and Browns bass sounds
singularly realistic. Hearing those three names, one would suppose the music would be
close to perfection, and it is. From the opening "Summer Wind" to Milt
Jacksons "Bluesology," which closes the set, this is high-energy music
making from the best players in the business.
|
Steve Earle: Guitar
Town
MCA 086 113 055, Stereo SACD.I mentioned this
release last month in talking about the number of channels to be used for
advanced-resolution recordings. This one is in two-channel stereo, and it sounds as if
that is exactly what was intended. Extra channels would have served only to complicate its
intrinsic simplicity and energy, which finds Earles voice and the drums in the
center, the other instruments spread left and right in a narrow yet effective soundstage.
The guitars, pedal steel, and mandolin have incredible presence in this SACD recording,
and Earles voice has impressive layers of nuance totally missing from radio
broadcasts of the same music. The only minus: this SACD is not a hybrid, so it wont
play on CD-only machines. To my mind, all record labels should try to eliminate double
inventory by releasing only hybrid discs. (At press time, a talk with a Sony rep indicated
that Sony is coming around to this viewpoint, and from now on will release hybrid discs
almost exclusively.) |
...Rad Bennett
radb@ultraaudio.com
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