Rachel Podger, Arte Dei Suonatori – Vivaldi: La Stravaganza, Op. 4 (2003) DSF DSD64

Rachel Podger, Arte Dei Suonatori – Vivaldi: La Stravaganza, Op. 4 (2003)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz  | Time – 01:43:58 minutes | 4,11 GB | Genre: Classical
Source: ISO SACD | © Channel Classics Records B.V. | Front Cover, Booklet

Immersing myself in the 12 Concertos of ‘La Stravaganza’ was an intense and exhilarating experience, and one which has left me full of wonder at Vivaldi’s seemingly endless capacity for invention. Having had many opportunities to get to know his music ever since I started playing the violin (the well-loved A minor Concerto from L’estro Armonico is one of the set pieces in Suzuki’s violin method and played by most 6-10 year olds!), the Seasons and L’estro featuring strongly in baroque concert programmes, it was with interest but also a number of pre-conceptions that I approached these relatively obscure concertos. I rather arrogantly assumed I’d have to put my mind to making them sound as different from each other as possible, as they probably wouldn’t assert their own character within the set by themselves. I’m ashamed of that thought now, since I quickly realised that I wasn’t dealing with ‘samey’ music at all, but with extreme inventiveness within a definite framework. Vivaldi uses melodic figurations in so many remarkable ways. It’s as though he likes to experiment with every possible variant and push the players beyond expectation of what might be coming next.

Having said that, the most predictable comment about his music is that his music is predictable! But listen, for example, to the last movement of Concerto no.1, where we see him first setting up a simple phrase, experimenting with the opening figure (first 2 bars) in minimal ways, taking us unexpectedly (unpredictably!) into a new key just when we expect the solo part to take charge. For 111 bars he lets his imagination run riot with this very simple opening figure, transforming it and avoiding any obvious phrasing that the listener might assume. This way, he creates a wonderful spirit of exploration in the music. Fragments of figurations are often thrown from one part to the next in the orchestra, later making up a whole phrase. Vivaldi also uses very simple tools by, for instance, making the tune leap across the two violin parts: there is an ascending triadic figure which goes to-and-fro between the fiddles as a variation on a similar tune heard earlier in a single part within the orchestra (Concerto no.3, first movement). His citing of a tune, repeating it twice note-by-note and then changing it at the last minute is often both witty and clever (like in Concerto no.5, first movement, during the 4th tutti section).

Vivaldi conveys so much variety and character; it feels easy to perform as the language is so direct and the expression within looks candidly at you from the page. The sublime slow movements (such as in Concertos nos. 1 and 11) recall descriptions or paintings of paradise where you literally feel like you’re hovering on a cloud for the duration of the movement… and the demon-like moments in Concerto no.8 (first movement) make you believe you’re being devoured by hungry tigers. I want to thank all the members of Arte dei Suonatori for helping to make this recording such an exciting project and for being so good-natured in putting up with all my experiments in the sessions. And I’d like to thank Jared Sacks, Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Cezary Zych and Tim Cronin without whom this recording would not have been possible.

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Rachel Podger, Holland Baroque Society – Vivaldi: La Cetra, Op. 9 (2012) DSF DSD64

Rachel Podger, Holland Baroque Society – Vivaldi: La Cetra, Op. 9 (2012)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz  | Time – 01:57:26 minutes | 4,64 GB | Genre: Classical
Source: ISO SACD | © Channel Classics Records B.V. | Front Cover, Booklet

In September 1728, Vivaldi met the Habsburg Emperor Charles VI in or near Trieste, where the emperor was supervising the construction of a new harbour. Charles was a great admirer of Vivaldi, and he gave him the title of knight and a golden chain with a medallion, and invited him to visit Vienna. In turn, Vivaldi gave the emperor a manuscript with a collection of concertos entitled ‘La Cetra’ (the cittern or lyre). It was probably no coincidence that the composer had used the same title for the Twelve Violin Concertos Opus 9 ‘La Cetra’ featured on this CD, which he published a year earlier through Le Cène in Amsterdam, with a dedication to the Emperor. According to the Vivaldi scholar Michael Talbot, the lyre symbolised the great love of music of the Habsburgers. Earlier, in 1673, Giovanni Legrenzi had already dedicated an early anthology – likewise entitled La Cetra – to the-then Emperor Leopold I. Talbot also considers the use of scordatura (adjusted tuning of the strings) in the violin part of the 6th and 12th concertos of Opus 9 to be a homage to the Habsburg Emperor. The scordatura practice was indeed a popular tradition in Austria and Bohemia, as we know from the violin music of Biber and Schmelzer. Concerning the remarkable encounter between Emperor Charles and Vivaldi at Trieste in 1728, the Abbé Conti wrote: ‘The Emperor talked about music at length with Vivaldi. It is said that he told him more in two weeks than his ministers in two years.’

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The English Concert, Andrew Manze – Vivaldi: Concertos for the Emperor (2004) DSF DSD64

The English Concert, Andrew Manze – Vivaldi: Concertos for the Emperor (2004)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz  | Time – 01:18:44 minutes | 3,12 GB | Genre: Classical
Official Digital Download – Source: NativeDSDMusic | Booklet & Front cover | © Harmonia Mundi

In September 1728, the Habsburg ruler Charles VI, Archduke of Austria, King of Germany, Hungary, Bohemia and Spain, Holy Roman Emperor etc etc, travelled to the Duchy of Carniola in order to inspect the port of Trieste. Antonio Vivaldi made the eighty-mile journey northeast of Venice to attend on him. It is not known whether the two men had met before, although the previous year Vivaldi had dedicated his twelve concertos Op.9, entitled La cetra (The Lyre), to Charles, suggesting they probably had met or at least corresponded. This encounter seems to have been the highlight of an otherwise disappointing trip for the Emperor, judging by two letters which survive from a Venetian Abbe?, Antonio Conti, to a French lady, Mme de Caylus. On 23 September Conti wrote, ‘the Emperor is not too happy with his Trieste. . . . He has spent a lot of time discussing music with Vivaldi. It is said that he has spoken with him more in two weeks than he has with his own ministers in two years. . . . His appetite for music is very strong.’ And in another letter Conti wrote, ‘the Emperor has given Vivaldi a large amount of money together with a chain and gold medallion.’

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Virpi Raisanen – The Legacy of Mahler (2012/2016) DSF DSD128

Virpi Raisanen – The Legacy of Mahler (2012/2016)
DSF Stereo DSD128, 1 bit/5,6 MHz | Time – 53:27 minutes | 4,22 GB | Genre: Classical
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 53:27 minutes | 847 MB
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download – Source: AcousticSounds | Booklet, Front Cover | © 2xHD/Ondine

Virpi Räisänen has made a career like a comet in recent years. Her debut album on Ondine, “The Legacy of Mahler”, is a collection of late Romanticism lieder. In addition to Mahler you find lieder by Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg, Dmitri Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten, all strongly inspired by Mahler. Räisänen’s duo partner at the piano is Marita Viitasalo.

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Jascha Heifetz – Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 5; Bruch: Scottish Fantasy (1961/2006) DSF DSD64

Jascha Heifetz – Vieuxtemps: Violin Concerto No. 5; Bruch: Scottish Fantasy (1961/2006)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82 MHz | Time – 42:55 minutes | 1,69 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Bookelt, Front Cover | © RCA Living Stereo

RCA Living Stereo — the gold standard for top quality orchestral performance and sound!

Remastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound from the original analog masters, DSD file created by Gus Skinas of the Super Audio Center

Stunning performances of Heifetz showpieces with Sir Malcolm Sargent and the New Symphony Orchestra of London. Recorded in May 1962 by Kenneth Wilkinson and the Decca Recording team at Walthamstow Hall. This is a must have for all audiophiles! The original 2-track session tapes were used in mastering for LPs, SACDs and DSDs.

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Georg Solti – Venice (1959/2016) DSF DSD64

Georg Solti – Venice (1959/2016)
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82 MHz | Time – 58:35 minutes | 1,45 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Analogue Productions

Georg Solti, conducting the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Originally released in 1959. Ravishing string tone and superior dynamics. Indisputedly beautiful string tone in Act One of Traviata. About a minute or so into the last band on side one, one hears the famous Underground subway rumbling beneath Kingsway Hall. The Underground, the Aldrich-Holborn line, was a constant factor to be addressed by Decca engineers.

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Various Artists – Greatest Rock Ballads (2015) SACD ISO

Various Artists – Greatest Rock Ballads (2015)
Rock | SACD ISO: DST64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Artwork | 1.17 GB
Label: Sony Music Entertainment | Release Year: 2015

This collection combines the greatest classics & contemporary hits of pure unadulterated soft rock.

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Various Artists – Groove Note True Audiophile: The Best Of Groove Note, Volume 3 (2010) MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Various Artists – Groove Note True Audiophile: The Best Of Groove Note, Volume 3 (2010)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 51:50 minutes | Scans included | 2,09 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 958 MB

True Audiophile: Best of Groove Note is basically a fancy name for the Super Audio CD label sampler. Groove Note Records began releasing jazz and blues recordings in 2005. They’ve also expanded their vision and have begun to re-release rare tracks by vintage artists and look to genre-bending vocalists in order to showcase excellent music coming from the jazz and blues traditions.

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Various Artists – Groove Note True Audiophile: The Best Of Groove Note, Volume 2 (2009) MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Various Artists – Groove Note True Audiophile: The Best Of Groove Note, Volume 2 (2009)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 (& DST64 5.1) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 10:22 minutes | Scans included | 3,53 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | 75:46 min | Scans included | 1,42 GB

True Audiophile: Best of Groove Note is basically a fancy name for the Super Audio CD label sampler. Groove Note Records began releasing jazz and blues recordings in 2005. They’ve also expanded their vision and have begun to re-release rare tracks by vintage artists and look to genre-bending vocalists in order to showcase excellent music coming from the jazz and blues traditions.

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Various Artists – Groove Note True Audiophile: The Best Of Groove Note, Volume 1 (2006) MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Various Artists – Groove Note True Audiophile: The Best Of Groove Note, Volume 1 (2006)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 (& DST64 5.1) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 36:34 minutes | Scans included | 2,86 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | 77:15 min | Scans included | 1,4 GB

True Audiophile: Best of Groove Note is basically a fancy name for the Super Audio CD label sampler. Groove Note Records began releasing jazz and blues recordings in 2005. They’ve also expanded their vision and have begun to re-release rare tracks by vintage artists and look to genre-bending vocalists in order to showcase excellent music coming from the jazz and blues traditions.

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Various Artists – Golden Age Of Crossover: Fusion 1977-1987 (2019) SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Various Artists – Golden Age Of Crossover: Fusion 1977-1987 (2019)
SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 66:07 minutes | 2,67 GB
or DSD64 (tracks.dsf) 1 bit/2.8224 MHz | Scans included | 2,63 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo 24-bit/96 kHz | Full Scans included | 1,39 GB
Victor Entertainment / Stereo Sound Japan # SSRR-12

“Golden Age of Crossover” is a compilation of fusion music selected by Japanese audio critic, Yoshio Obara. With the cooperation of JVC/Kenwood Victor Entertainment, Obara has carefully chosen 13 tunes of Japanese fusion — all of which are his favorites from school days — from its music list, especially from those recognized their excellence in sound creation. This new disc by Stereo Sound label have been released under label’s “Critics Series” mark, that have been produced as reference discs for the auditioning of audio components and are one of well-received “Reference Record Collections”.

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Various Artists – Funky Organ, B3 Jazz Grooves (2007) SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Various Artists – Funky Organ, B3 Jazz Grooves (2007)
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 62:30 minutes | Scans included | 2,52 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 1,17 GB
HighNote Records SACD # HCD 6017

Funky Organ: B-3 Jazz Grooves is a killer little comp of some truly bad-ass Hammond B-3 madness with music by Charles Earland, Bill Heid, Joey DeFrancesco, Mike LeDonne and Joey’s pop, Papa John. This is stellar funky groove played out over 60 minutes with bass out no-holds-barred greasy goodness.

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Various Artists – Five Songbirds: A Reference Collection Of Female Vocalists (2004) SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Various Artists – Five Songbirds: A Reference Collection Of Female Vocalists (2004)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 63:28 minutes | Basic Covers | 990 MB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Basic Covers | 1,14 GB

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Various Artists – Chicago: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture (2002) MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Various Artists – Chicago: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture (2002)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 70:00 minutess | Scans included | 4,52 GB
or FLAC Stereo (carefully converted & encoded to tracks) 24bit/48 kHz | Full Scans included | 1,46 GB
Features Stereo and Multichannel Surround Sound

Chicago: Music From the Miramax Motion Picture is a soundtrack album featuring all of the original songs of the 2002 Best Picture Academy Award-winning musical film Chicago starring Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah, Richard Gere, John C. Reilly, Mýa Harrison and Christine Baranski.

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Various Artists – Concord Jazz: SACD Sampler, Vol.2 (2004) MCH SACD ISO

Various Artists – Concord Jazz: SACD Sampler, Vol.2 (2004)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 01:03:07 minutes | Covers | 3,84 GB
Features Stereo & Multichannel Surround sound | Label: Concord Records | Release Year: 2004

The sound quality of this CD recording is fantastic, as it should be. The primary reason that I only gave it a four star rating over a five stars, is the fact that I am unfamilar with many selections, and I thought it would have a 50-50 mix of Real Jazz and Smooth Jazz. Otherwise, this SACD is really great, and I would recommend it to other lovers of Real Jazz music.

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