Huge number of Classical SACD reissues coming from Universal Japan (1 Viewer)

[Seth--L]

As always, the Japanese divisions of classical music labels are ahead of their American and European counterparts. Universal Japan is releasing a large number of Hybird SACD reissues on September 29 in Japan only. Some of the releases include:

Bach, Johann Sebastian / Violin Concertos: Szeryng(Vn), Marriner / Asmf
Bach, Johann Sebastian / Sonatas & Partitas For Solo Violin: Szeryng
Bartok / Duke Bluebeard's Castle: Kertesz / Lso, Ludwig, Berry
Bartok / Music For Strings Percussion & Celesta: Marriner +shostakovich: Ogdon (Hyb
Bartok / Concerto For Orchestra, Dance Suite: Solti / Lso
Beethoven / Piano Sonata.28, 29, 30, 31, 32: Pollini
Beethoven / Piano Sonata.8, 14, 21, 23: Kempff
Beethoven / Violin Concerto: Szeryng(Vn), Haitink / Concertgebouw.o
Beethoven / Schubert / Sym.6 / .5: Bohm / Vpo
Brahms / Piano Concerto.1: Brendel(P), Schmidt-isserstedt / Concertgebouw.o
Bruckner / Sym.9: Mehta / Vpo
Chopin / Piano Sonata.2, 3, Etc: Argerich
Chopin / Liszt / Piano Concertos.1 / 1: Argerich, Abbado / Lso
Dvorak / Slavonic Dances: Kubelik / Bavarian.rso
Dvorak / Cello Concerto: Rostropovich(Vc), Karajan / Bpo +tchaikovsky
Faure / Requiem, Orch.works: Ansermet / Sro
Grieg / Schumann / Piano Concerto: Lupu(P), Previn / Lso
Holst / The Planets: Ozawa / Bso
Mahler / Sym.5: Karajan / Bpo
Mendelssohn / Lieder Ohne Worte, Etc: Barenboim
Mozart / Requiem: Bohm / Vpo, Mathis, Hamari, Ochman, Ridderbusch, Etc
Mozart / Clarinet Concerto, Flute Concerto.1, Etc: Prinz(Cl)tripp(Fl)bohm / Vpo (Hyb
Mozart / Piano Concerto.20, 21: Gulda(P)abbado / Vpo
Mozart / Sym.35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41: Bohm / Bpo
Mozart / Piano Concerto.20, 24: Haskil(P), Markevitch / Concert Lamoureux.o
Orff / Carmina Burana: Jochum / Deutschen Oper.o, Janowitz, Stolze, F-dieskau (Hyb
Prokofiev / Ravel / Piano Concerto.3 / : Argerich(P), Abbado / Bpo
Schubert / Sym.3, 8: C.kleiber / Vpo
Schubert / Piano Quintet: Brendel(P), Cleveland.sq, Demark(Cb)
Schubert / Die Schone Mullerin: Wunderlich(T), Giesen(P)
Schubert / Schumann / Arpeggione Sonata / 5 Stucke: Rostropovich(Vc)britten(P) +debussy
Smetana / Ma Vlast: Kubelik / Bso
Strauss, Richard / Metamorphosen, 4 Letzte Lieder, Etc: Karajan / Bpo, Janowitz
Stravinsky / L'histoire Du Soldat: Markevitch / Solists, Cocteau, Fertey, Ustinov
Stravinsky / Le Sacre Du Printemps: Ozawa / Bso
Stravinsky / Firebird: C.davis / Concertgebouw.o
Tchaikovsky / 1812, Romeo & Juliet: C.davis / Bso
Tchaikovsky / Sym.6: Haitink / Concertgebouw.o
Tchaikovsky / Sym.5: Haitink / Concertgebouw.o
Tchaikovsky / Piano Concerto.1: Argerich(P), Kondrashin / Bavarian.rso
Tchaikovsky / Sym.5: Mravinsky / Leningrad.po
Tchaikovsky / Sym.4: Mravinsky / Leningrad.po
Tchaikovsky / Rachmaninov / Piano Concerto.1 / 2: S.richter(P)karajan / Vso, Wislocki / Warsaw.po
Vivaldi / Four Seasons: Ayo(Vn), I Musici
Wagner / Die Walkure(Act.3): Solti / Vpo
Wagner / Die Walkure(Act.1): Knappertsbusch / Vpo

(NOTE: this is not the complete list)

For a while I’ve been criticizing Universal for reserving SACD only for new digital and quad recordings that can be remixed into surround sound. They've been putting audio quality ahead of interpretation and performance, neglecting how much a 60s analog recording can benefit from a SACD release. Hopefully these discs will be released in the States and Europe so I don’t have to pay FedEx international shipping rates.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Wow. A lot of Haitink and Ozawa. I do hope we see these stateside.

Maybe we will get some additional details from HFR.

Seth, have you bought Rachael Podger's La Stravaganza yet? I've been listening a lot and I think it is an amazing performance.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I wonder which version of Szeryng playing the Bach Sonatas & Partitas is planned: the early 1950's or the mid 1960's? I have both on redbook and much prefer the early ones.

Hey Seth, are you going to go for the Herbey plays Mahler's 5th Sack Dee? :p)

 

[Seth--L]

According to sa-cd.net there are no plans for these discs to be released internationally. The remastering is being done by Sony Japan. Oh well. At $28.50 a pop plus international shipping, I'm probably going to pass on these, especially since most are available at mid-price as remastered redbooks.

Lee,

I haven't picked up that recordings. I like Podger, but Vivaldi does little for me.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

Not the same, not even close.

I can't believe you don't like Vivaldi. His work was incredible.

 

[Seth--L]

Lee,

At nearly 3x the cost of the redbook, the sound better be that much better. In fact, this underlines one of the problems with how labels have been promoting SACD. They've been selling reissues at prices greater than what new CDs go for. The high MSRP makes people less willing to rebuy recordings that they already own as redbooks, and your less knowledgeable listener just wants surround sound, not 60s analog stereo, especially at $18 a disc.

Vivaldi for the most part strikes me as terribly pedestrian.

 

[Seth--L]

This selection came out of left field. Das Lieds by either Haitink (Philips) or Bernstein (Decca) would have made more sense. Oh well, I guess someone at Universal Japan really likes it.

 

[Lee Scoggins]

http://store.acousticsounds.com/

Acoustic Sounds has an interesting ad up for the upcoming RCA Living Stereo releases, 10 discs for $135.

 

[Mike Broadman]

Ouch, and ditto.

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

From the ad for the RCA SACDs:



When did this happen?

 

[Lee Scoggins]

bout a year and half ago. It's just a rounded edge jewel box with the 1/2 inch border on the left. A great case and beats the crap out of a digipak.

 

[Danny Tse]

And watch out for the software AOL is sending to your mailbox....the disc is housed in a "super" jewel case. Just dump the AOL disc into the garbage and you have a spare "super" jewel case. Finally, some use from those pesky AOL mailings.

 

[Larry Geller]

Not quite. These are DVD sized cases, not the smaller DVD-A, or the even smaller SACD super jewel boxes.