I finally got this last night after months of anticipation - this was of course bumped up to the next next level by the glowing praise that this disc received on the always excellent
www.highfidelityreview.com.
For anyone who is even remotely interested in this music, drop what you are doing and buy it now.
I have to mention, first of all, that I'm sort of new to this audiophile thing and am just beginning to really appreciate the advantages of a truly great recording that is well mastered.
This is also one of the first direct to DSD recordings I've heard.
This is just a review of the Ben-Hur suite, since I haven't yet had time to listen to the entire disc.
I wanted to hear how the Ben-Hur suite turned out, so I popped this baby into my player late last night in SACD stereo mode so that I could listen to it at a good volume under my Grado SR60s. The first thing that I noticed was how warm and full the recording sounded, without being fuzzy or losing definition. Absolutely amazing. The sound is both crisp and clean, and never too bright (which was a concern that I had considering how trumpet heavy the Overture and the Parade of the Charioteers are), so you can play it at fairly high volumes pretty nicely without it getting shrill. The low end is very present, and is very tightly and cleanly defined. The recording is also very spacious, with a wonderful three dimensional quality that will take your breath away. The sound never sounds compressed in any way, and it always seems to have adequate room to breath. The dynamics were also very wide.
I gave a quick listen to the Overture from Ben-Hur in SACD surround this morning before heading off to work. Again, I was very impressed. The surround mix is very tastefully done, with the apparent focus being to put you in the music hall where the music was recorded, not to knock your socks off with strange instrument placements in the surrounds. In short, it sounded phenomenal. The mix is very enveloping, exciting, and engaging. I can't wait to listen to the rest of the disc!
The new performances are also wonderful. Erich Kunzel and his Cincinnati Pops have a passion for the music, and play it precisely and emotionally. The same can be said for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir under the direction of Craig Jessop.
Basically, this disc is an obvious labor of love, and it shows every step of the way. Everyone who was involved with this recording put forth a great effort, from the completion of the choral suites by Rosza's students, to the performances, the recording, the mixing, and the mastering.
This is an A+ disc, every step of the way.
