Arabella Steinbacher & Robert Kulek – Cesar Franck & Richard Strauss (2014) MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Arabella Steinbacher & Robert Kulek – Cesar Franck & Richard Strauss (2014)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & DST64 5.0 >1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Full Scans 450dpi | 2.84 GB
FLAC tracks 2.0 24bit/88.2 kHz | Full Scans 450dpi | 1.04 GB
DSF Stereo DSD64/2.82MHz  | Time – 58:11 minutes | 2,3 GB

Violinist Arabella Steinbacher and pianist Robert Kulek continue their great collaboration with a new PENTATONE release, the recording of Cesar Franck’s Sonata for Piano and Violin in A, which joins Richard Strauss’ Sonata for Violin and Piano in E-flat, Op. 18. While Franck’s violin sonata is epic in character, Strauss’ work is full of jovial energy, hope and anticipation. This fusion of elements brilliantly demonstrates the synergy between Steinbacher and Kulek, something we have witnessed during their recital performances over the past few years.

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Aphrodite’s Child – 666 (1972) [Japanese SHM-SACD 2014] SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Aphrodite’s Child – 666 (1972) [Japanese SHM-SACD 2014]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 78:48 minutes | Scans included | 3,17 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Full Scans included | 1,5 GB

666 (The Apocalypse of John, 13/18) is a double album by psychedelic/progressive art rock group Aphrodite’s Child. It was released in 1972, and was the primary vehicle/effort for the Vangelis project. It had a minor Album Oriented Radio hit in “The Four Horsemen”, and the song “Break” was also released. The album was ostensibly an adaptation of Biblical passages from the book of the same name, but was also very experimental in lyrics and composition.

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Anima – Sacred Alliance (2014) DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Anima – Sacred Alliance (2014)
DSD64 (.dsf) 1 bit/2,8 MHz | Time – 74:27 minutes | 2,01 GB
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 74:27 minutes | 1,45 GB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download  – Source: Animamusic | Artwork: Covers & PDF | Genre: New Age

Feel your spirit soar and your heart touch depths of peace as the healing sounds, enveloping melodies and layers of orchestral harmonies weave a delicate and rich tapestry of sound that reverberate through every cell. Sacred Alliance is Anima’s newest album, an instrumental journey through mountains, forests and sacred lands, carrying the energy of the sacred alliance that grows as we come into alignment with the Divine and the essence of our soul.

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Anima – Sound Medicine (2014) DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Anima – Sound Medicine (2014)
DSD64 (.dsf) 1 bit/2,8 MHz | Time – 68:06 minutes | 2,69 GB
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time – 68:06 minutes | 1,48 GB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download – Source: Animamusic | Genre: New Age | © Anima Sound Productions‎

Anima is a UK based duo comprising of producer/ composer/ instrumentalist Ali Calderwood and vocalist/ songwriter Daniela Broder. “Sound Medicine” is Anima’s best selling album has now been re-produced in high resoltion DSD.

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Anna Netrebko – Opera Arias (2003) MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Anna Netrebko – Opera Arias (2003)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 62:58 minutes | Scans included | 4,05 GB
or DSD64 2.0 Stereo (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Scans included | 2,51 GB
or FLAC 2.0 (Studio Master, Official Digital Download ) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Digital Booklet | 1,15 GB
Features Stereo and Multichannel Surround Sound | Label: Deutsche Grammophon # 474 640-2

This remarkable vocal album, which won the prestigious Amadeus Music Award in 2003, features soprano Anna Netrbko in stunning renditions of works by Puccini, Berlioz, Mozart, Bellini, and Dvorák among others. A multiple Grammy-nominee and the first opera singer ever to be named to the TIME 100 list (Time magazine’s list of the most influential people in the world), Netrebko takes on these masterworks with startling vivacity and vocal virtuosity.

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Anna Netrebko – Sempre Libera (2004) MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Anna Netrebko – Sempre Libera (2004)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 68:59 minutes | Scans included | 4,05 GB
or DSD64 2.0 Stereo (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Scans included | 2,75 GB
or FLAC 2.0 (Studio Master, Official Digital Download) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Digital Booklet | 1,19 GB
Features Stereo and Multichannel Surround Sound | Label: Deutsche Grammophon # 002894748812

Anna Netrebko’s second disc is even more impressive than her first. She still may not be an absolutely polished, finished artist, but she’s working at it and presents here a very satisfying–-even thrilling–-program. She doesn’t quite have the stature or insights for Verdi’s Violetta yet, but aside from some smudged coloratura in low-lying passages she sings the first act scene quite well (capped with a well-placed, big E-flat). She’s close to ideal in the Sonnambula and Puritani excerpts, where her girlishness is entirely right, her coloratura dazzling, and her ability to sound tearful really impressive. The Lucia Mad Scene (also notable here for its use of the glass harmonica for which it was composed in place of the usual flute) is quite wonderful, even if the runs are sometimes not as well-delineated as they should be. And although she’s not vocally suited to Desdemona’s Willow Song and Ave Maria, she does manage to darken her voice to fit the character and presents a very moving portrait. The disc ends with an utterly charming “O mio babbino caro.” Artistry and everything else aside, her voice is just beautiful. Claudio Abbado’s leadership is ideal.

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Anner Bylsma, Bob Van Asperen – Bach: Sonatas for Viola da Gamba (1990) [Japan 2019] SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Anner Bylsma, Bob Van Asperen – Bach: Sonatas for Viola da Gamba (1990) [Japan 2019]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 51:08 minutes | Front/Rear Covers | 2,06 GB
or DSD64 2.0 (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Front/Rear Covers | 2,01 GB
or FLAC (carefully converted & encoded to tracks) 24bit/48 kHz | Front/Rear Covers | 533 GB

Cellist Anner Bylsma is joined by organist Bob van Asperen for this recording of compositional works by Johann Sebastian Bach alongside a piece by Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach from “Musikalisches Vielerley”. Originally this recording has been processed using 20-bit technology to maximize sound quality.

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SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, Marcus Creed – Anton Bruckner – Mass in E Minor / Motets (2008) MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart, Marcus Creed – Anton Bruckner – Mass in E Minor / Motets (2008)
SACD ISO: 3,64 GB (Stereo + MCH DSD) | FLAC @ 24bit/88.2kHz: 1,04 GB | Full Artwork | 5% Rec. Info
Label/Cat#: hänssler CLASSIC # SACD 93.199 | Country/Year: Germany 2008
Genre: Classical | Style: Sacred, Vocal, Romantic

Review by James Leonard
Can there ever be too many recordings of Bruckner’s sacred music? For fans of the Austrian romantic mystic, the answer is no. After all, how could there be too many recordings of some of the most honest, most devotional, and most inspired spiritual music of the second half of the nineteenth century? And for them, this disc with Marcus Creed leading the SWR Stuttgart Vokalensemble in a selection of seven motets plus the E minor Mass will be a blessing. As listeners who have followed Creed’s career know, he is a skillful choral conductor able to draw musically balanced but emotionally affecting performances from his singers, and this Bruckner recording proves no less impressive than his classic Brahms recordings. In the a cappella motets, Creed sculpts the Stuttgart choir’s performances into warm-hearted hymns to God while in the wind band accompanied mass he creates a flowing five-movement monument to his Catholic faith. Older listeners may miss the spiritual passion that the great Eugen Jochum brought to these works in his classic Deutsche Grammophon recordings, but younger listeners will surely welcome not only Creed’s smoother performances, but Hänssler’s amazingly clean, digital sound. allmusicguide

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Staatsphilharmonie Nurnberg, Marcus Bosch – Antonin Dvorak – Symphony No. 6; Vodnik op. 107 “The Water Goblin” (2013) MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Staatsphilharmonie Nurnberg, Marcus Bosch – Antonin Dvorak – Symphony No. 6; Vodnik op. 107 “The Water Goblin” (2013)
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 2,93 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 990 MB | Full Artwork: 100 MB
Label/Cat#: Coviello Classics # COV 31316 | Country/Year: Germany 2013 | 3% Recovery Info
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Orchestral

Nach Brahms und Bruckner steht seit Anfang letzten Jahres der Böhme Antonin Dvorák auf der To- Do-Liste des Nürnberger Generalmusikdirektors Marcus Bosch. Alle neune sollen es sein. Mit der nun vorliegenden Einspielung der 6. Sinfonie hat er nach den Symphonien Nr. 3 und 7 in nicht einmal zwei Jahren das erste Drittel der Gesamteinspielung bereits im Kasten.

Auch hier basiert die Aufnahme auf einem Konzertmitschnitt. Im Mai dieses Jahres stand Dvoraks Sechste neben dessen programmatischer symphonischer Dichtung “Der Wassermann” auf dem Programm, Dvoraks erste späte Auseinandersetzung mit den musikalisch-assoziativen Bilderwelten, in denen Smetana, Liszt oder auch Strauss längst in traumwandlerischer Sicherheit beheimatet waren.

65 beglückende Minuten

Die gemeinsame Spurensuche von Marcus Bosch mit seiner Staatsphilharmonie Nürnberg nach dem böhmischen im Brahms’schen Gewand und nach dem böhmischen in Hain und Sage des Antonín Dvorák, nach den Zauberwelten zwischen Naturmystik und Ballade dauert knappe 65 beglückende Minuten. In diesen Minuten entfaltet sich ein Tableau zwischen elegant blühender Holzbläserwärme, schwelgerisch-sinnlicher Melodieführung in den Streichern, raffiniert-dezenten Dialogpassagen und rasant-überschwenglich bodenständigem Volkston. Das Scherzo im Furiant der 6. Symphonie bürstet Bosch scharf gegen den Strich, setzt die Gegenrhythmik des so typischen Zweier- und Dreierrhythmus genau dahin, woher sie stammt – auf den Tanzboden böhmischer Feste. Da packen Überschwang und Leidenschaft, Ausgelassenheit und überschäumende Freude kräftig zu und als Hörer fühlt man sich unmittelbar in ein Dorffest hineinkatapultiert.

(Bayerischer Rundfunk, Ursula Adamski-Störmer, 29.11.2013)

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Antonio Carlos Jobim – The Composer Of Desafinado Plays (1963) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2011] SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Antonio Carlos Jobim – The Composer Of Desafinado Plays (1963) [Japanese Limited SHM-SACD 2011]
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 35:35 minutes | Scans included | 1,43 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included | 695 MB
Genre: Jazz

In his first American album, Antonio Carlos Jobim presents a dozen of his songs, each one destined to become a standard — an astounding batting average. Jobim, who claimed to have been out of practice at the time of the session, merely plays single notes on the piano with one hand, punctuated by chords now and then, sticking to his long, undulating melodies with a few passages of jazz improvisation now and then. Yet it is a lovely idea, not a gesture is wasted. Arranger Claus Ogerman unveils many of the trademarks that would define his Creed Taylor-produced albums with Jobim — the soaring, dying solo flute and spare, brooding unison string lines widening into lush harmony; flutes doubling on top of Jobim’s piano chords — again with an exquisitely spare touch. The songs include “Desafinado,” “Corcovado,” “Chega de Saudade” (No More Blues), “The Girl From Ipanema,” “Meditation,” “One Note Samba,” and half-a-dozen others (every one of which is included on The Man From Ipanema set).

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Anton Heiller – J.S. Bach. Organ Works (2004) SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Anton Heiller – J.S. Bach. Organ Works (2004)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 43:39 minutes | Scans included (PDF) | 1,76 GB
or FLAC(converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans included (PDF) | 872 MB

Anton Heiller (1923-1979) was one of the great organists of his time. He was also renowned as a keyboard improviser in the tradition of Bach himself, as evidenced in many of the recordings he made for Vanguard Classics.

Vanguard Classics remade this collection of organ warhorses from J.S. Bach (1675-1750) in 2004, redoing their earlier failed stereo collection that originally included the Bach warhorse of all warhorses, the Tocatta and Fuuge in D minor BWV 565. Thankfully, Vangauard left it out of this collection.

The Austrian organist Anton Heiller made this recording on Vangaurd HM 73 and it was also issued as Bach Guild BGS-70675. For the performance on this recording, he selected the organ at the St. Mary Church in Helsingborg in Sweden. It was previously available on CD in the Organ Works by Bach and other recordings of variable quality. This version is the best-sounding one yet, produced by Artemus Records, which purchased the Vanguard Classics line from Omega Records in 2003. A lengthy discussion on this is included in the well-written but difficult to read seven pages of notes that accompany this issue.

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Wiener Philharmoniker & Carl Schuricht – Anton Bruckner – Symphony No. 8 & Symphony No. 9 (2012, 1961 & 1963) {2x Hybrid-SACD} SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Wiener Philharmoniker & Carl Schuricht – Anton Bruckner – Symphony No. 8 & Symphony No. 9 (2012, 1961 & 1963) {2x Hybrid-SACD}
2xSACD ISO (Stereo): 5,11 GB | 2x24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 2,26 GB | Full Artwork | 3% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: EMI Classics “Signature Series” # 50999 9 55984 2 0 | Country/Year: UK 2012, 1961 & 1963
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Orchestral

First of all, let me tell you that I am not a musician in the proper sense. By this I mean that I am not a player (though sometimes I struggle with my double-bass…) but a listener.
(And for the record, I think that we, the listeners, are as important for the music as the players themselves, because if we are not there to attend, playing should be no less that infertile and meaningless)
For so many times I’ve read reviews wrote by musicians, also intended for musicians that have to know every term in it to understand why the interpretation was good enough, or not. From scholars to scholars.
In my case, listening to music has to do with pleasure and not with any other approach. I’ve always thought that when a well known conductor at the podium gives us his interpretation of a piece of music, he knows how to read a score quite well, and his decisions are taken seriously after a thoughtful study.
Then we come in, and we like it or we don’t. And for me that is all what matters.
Now, I will speak briefly about this SACD, because I cannot say anything more than this: it is a miracle. The way EMI remastered these old takes from 1961 and 1963 is astonishing. I am not saying that this SACD will sound as perfect as a new production, but… what levels of mastery had those technicians in the past that used to edit the tape sometimes cutting it with razor blades.
Not to tell the clarity that Schuricht gives to the music. He is probably an old fashioned conductor for nowadays standards, as we can say about Furtwängler, Klemperer or Jochum, for example. But those good old days gave us lots of great musicians that are now a source of inspiration for the new stars.
Schuricht’s Eight is the Nowak Ed. (with some liberties taken by the conductor, as the booklet says and I quote: “…he never forgot that the conductor was ultimately in charge of a performance.”)
The scherzos of both Symphonies are taken at a beautifil fast speed but allowing you to hear all the fine details. And how beautiful are both Adagios, two of the more wonderful pieces of music ever written.
This music finds the Vienna Philharmonic at its best. And if you like Bruckner’s music this is a must.
I do remember when I’ve read an article that said that Bruckner was a sort of province musician with boring ideas, as Brahms thought about him: a kind of “symphonic boa-constrictor”. Well, for me, it is absolutely impossible to understand what happened next, at the end of the XIX century, with Mahler, Sibelius, etc, without the music of Anton Bruckner, one of the greatest composers ever.
Go and get it. ~sa-cd.net

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Ann Mortifee – Into The Heart Of The Sangoma (2005) MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Ann Mortifee – Into The Heart Of The Sangoma (2005)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 60:05 minutes | Scans NOT included | 3,11 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Scans NOT included | 1,03 GB
Genre: Africa Rock

An amazing journey to the head Sangoma (Shaman) of the Zulu nation was the inspiration for this magnificent album. A brilliantly produced musical and poetic experience by one of the most powerful voices you will ever hear.

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Ann Hampton Callaway – Blues In The Night (2006) MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

Ann Hampton Callaway – Blues In The Night (2006)
PS3 Rip | ISO | SACD DST64 2.0 & 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 55:14 minutes | Artwork | 3,74 GB
or FLAC 2.0 Stereo (converted with foobar2000 to tracks) 24bit/88,2 kHz | Artwork | 1,1 GB
Features 2.0 Stereo and 5.1 multichannel surround sound | Telarc # SACD-63641

Ann Hampton Callaway is not your typical jazz songbird. For one thing, she’s an accomplished and award-winning songwriter, which is unusual in a field dominated by interpreters. But what’s most surprising is her voice — it’s a low alto instrument with a rich, dark, butterscotchy tone, and when she gets way down into her lower range the effect can be downright startling. Her latest album is a pleasing mixture of originals and standards, some performed with a small combo that includes bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash, others with the all-female Diva Jazz Orchestra. The big-band pieces pack the most wallop, which is no surprise given both the quality of the band and the fact that the arrangements were written by the great Tommy Newsom; a powerhouse rendition of her own “Swingin’ Away the Blues” opens the program with a serious bang, and her small-scale but equally powerful take on the chestnut “Blue Moon” carries the energy forward nicely. The rest of the album is a mix of tender ballads and vibrant uptempo numbers, most with a theme related to the blues, either in a mood of resigned acceptance (“Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most,” “Willow Weep for Me”) or defiant opposition (the Callaway original “Hip to Be Happy”). She imbues most of these songs with a smoldering, torchy quality that brings new energy to old material, and her new songs stand up very nicely next to the established standards. Highly recommended.

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Anne-Sophie Mutter – Tchaikovsky, Korngold: Violin Concertos (2014) SACD ISO

Anne-Sophie Mutter – Tchaikovsky, Korngold: Violin Concertos (2014)
PS3 Rip | SACD ISO | DSD64 2.0, 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 00:58:33 minutes | Basic Scans included | 4,21 GB
Genre: Classical | Label: Deutsche Grammophon

“Performing contemporary music had added immeasurably to the way I play Tchaikovsky’s Concerto,” writes violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter in the liner notes to her 2nd recording of the work in 20 years. To be more precise, what performing contemporary music has added to Mutter’s performance of Tchaikovsky’s concerto is an abrasive tone, an aggressive technique, & an interpretation that treats Tchaikovsky’s tender little concerto as if it were a lover who liked it rough & raw. Although there is no denying Mutter’s virtuosity, her performance is at best willful & at worst wrongful.

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