Post by Edvin May 30, 2006 (1 of 9)
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I feel quite guilty about the Stravinsky SACD I reviewed and must write some more about the sound of the SACD.
In Les Noces we are faced with the problem of balancing four pianos, percussion, chorus and solo voices. This is met with perfection and the surround speakers are used with utmost taste. We are far from Tacet so don´t expect one piano per speaker, oh no, this is more tastefully done. As a listener you are placed where things happen. You are in the middle of this nervous pre-wedding strife. The balance engineer has found a perfect formula for clarity and impact. The back to front perspective is a lesson for many to learn.
The Mass is a more small scale work and divided into voices/winds/brass. The engineer, Florian Schmidt, has wisely decided to place the two bands in the rears, left & right with lots of reflection in the fronts. The voices are in front and as this is recorded in the famous Jesus-Christus Kirche we all know what to expect. The balance between the "orchestras" are perfect and they make some magic noises. The voices in front are spread out in order to make a perfect illusion. This is pure magic, no less.
Th Cantata is a different piece. Only a few instruments, a secular text. No elaborate counterpoint. So Mr Schmidt chose to present the music in front with some super tasteful atmosphere in the rears.
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Post by terence June 16, 2006 (2 of 9)
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poor review of this in today's UK guardian, alleging dullness, lack of dynamism and cutting edge in the performances.
any more comments from those who've heard it? i was looking forward to buying....
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Post by Edvin June 16, 2006 (3 of 9)
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Did they review the SACD track, the surround mode?
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Post by terence June 16, 2006 (4 of 9)
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of course not edvin, it's the BRITISH hi-fi press we're talking about here....
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Post by Claude June 16, 2006 (5 of 9)
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Post by Edvin June 16, 2006 (6 of 9)
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My initial response to Les Noces was that it lacked drive, but after turning the volume up and listening several times the impact was great. I also bought the score to check some details and I stand by my review.
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Post by ramesh June 16, 2006 (7 of 9)
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Thomas,
You should contact this reviewer Clements directly by e-mail. He may respond to you as you're a fellow newspaper critic.
The joke is that the words he uses, 'in which everything is present and correct except any hint of earthly physicality, theatrical presence' could equally apply to Simon Rattle conducting Mahler, etc. If the disc had Rattle's and Kozena's names on the front cover, the review would be four or five stars, the way all Rattle discs are lauded in the Guardian and the Observer. ( The Observer is the Sunday edition of the Guardian.) I subscribe to the print edition of the 'Observer', which is very expensive with air freight added, and rather laughably, they self-advertise it as 'having the best music coverage of any Sunday newspaper'. There was a recent Observer 'major' review of a new Covent Garden Ring which had slightly more space taken up with a photograph than was devoted to the text of the review.
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Post by Claude June 17, 2006 (8 of 9)
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The disc received a very favourable in Diapason (France), at least for the artistic merit: 5 stars for interpretation (next is their rosette), 6 stars out of 10 for sound.
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Post by sylvian April 8, 2009 (9 of 9)
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Absolutely stunning performance! Compared to Stravinsky Legacy boxed version, this one is bringing listener to the next step in perception of the whole work. The same for Mass and Cantata, which are more lively than previous stereo versions. 5*/5*
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