Post by zeus October 2, 2003 (1 of 7)
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These are the Holst Planets (David Lloyd-Jones) and "Virtuoso Pieces of Chinese Percussion". I'll post some impressions here when I get a chance to give them a listen.
I only ordered them in June 2002 ...
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Post by Dinko October 3, 2003 (2 of 7)
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Maybe you can finally confirm whether the Planets disc is multichannel.
I think BrianM's site lists it as such, but other places I've seen list it as stereo only.
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Post by zeus October 3, 2003 (3 of 7)
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Dinko said:
Maybe you can finally confirm whether the Planets disc is multichannel.
Both discs came with a Hybrid/Multichannel sticker but I've learnt not to trust these. My player is stereo only so there's no real way to tell for sure.
I've played this a few times and though I have reservations, I think this may be the "best" Planets currently available on the format. It's a "24-bit" recording but comes up pretty well. My reservations are mainly due to the orchestra sound and overall acoustic. Anyway, I'll listen again.
The other, "Virtuoso Pieces of Chinese Percussion" is a real stunner. Also PCM, but a true "audiophile" recording. The notes that come with it even have pictures of the setup for each piece showing which instrument/microphone went where. The recording has fabulous dynamics and you can hear "into" every part of it. The highs are a bit "steely" though. Content wise it's somewhere between "River of Sorrow" and Kodo's "Mondo Head" (but without the corny vocals). There's another copy of this sitting on the shelves where I bought it for AUD $40. If anyone's interested send an e-mail to music@abels.com.au. They offer a mail order service and presumably would be happy to send it anywhere in the world.
It's a pity these Naxos SACDs don't have wider distribution. The other that I have is "Japanese Orchestral Favourites" (with Tony Faulkner as recording engineer). I think most people would be surprised at how good these sound despite their lowish-rez PCM origins.
Stephen
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Stephen,
I have the Naxos as well and have had it for some time here in Japan. One question: What other Planets have you tried that make you suggest this is the "best" one?
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Post by zeus October 3, 2003 (5 of 7)
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flyingdutchman said:
One question: What other Planets have you tried that make you suggest this is the "best" one?
The only other Planets on SACD I have is the Dennis Russell Davis on Chesky which I consider pretty poor. I have however been following comments by others elsewhere and the Akiyama, Elder and Bernstein have all had less than glowing reports. I have the Gardiner on CD which I think is excellent but I'm cautious on it's worth as a SACD (though admittedly unheard). The Lloyd-Jones on Naxos is relatively lightweight (more ethereal!) but seems to me to be a very fine reading.
Anyway, I'd appreciate your comments. Maybe you could also confirm that these are indeed multichannel.
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Post by Dinko October 3, 2003 (6 of 7)
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I've yet to hear the Chesky, but it seems to be getting bad reviews.
Regarding, the Elder/Hallé, I just love it, despite the reviews which range from very negative to rather positive.
I think the Akiyama is also fairly good, without being outstanding. It has its own charm.
I've yet to hear the Bernstein. The Gardiner SACD was disappointing. It sounds relatively good - if not 'great' - but it's Gardiner's performance I'm having trouble with.
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zeus said:
The only other Planets on SACD I have is the Dennis Russell Davis on Chesky which I consider pretty poor. I have however been following comments by others elsewhere and the Akiyama, Elder and Bernstein have all had less than glowing reports. I have the Gardiner on CD which I think is excellent but I'm cautious on it's worth as a SACD (though admittedly unheard). The Lloyd-Jones on Naxos is relatively lightweight (more ethereal!) but seems to me to be a very fine reading.
Anyway, I'd appreciate your comments. Maybe you could also confirm that these are indeed multichannel.
Hi mate, I hope this will help: Gardiner's Planets on DG are multichannel, but the original recording was made in stereo and in 44.1 kHz, so the surround mix sounds a bit artificial and unfocused. If you have the CD, stick to it, I don't think you will gain much from SACD in stereo.
Elder's Planets on Hyperion are in stereo, it is a fine performance and it's good to have Matthews' Pluto attached to them, but I still prefer Gardiner's rhythmical accuracy, and I love Grainger’s Warriors.
As for the Naxos DVD-A with Lloyd-Jones, I am a bit disappointed with the recording, but that’s purely personal – I’ve heard him conducting the piece in Glasgow in the City Hall where the recording was made, and the disc sounds nothing like the real thing in the venue…
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