4 of 4 recommend this SA-CD
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Label:
   Sony Classical - http://www.sonybmgmasterworks.com/
Serial:
   SS 06062
Title:
   Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: Violin Concertos - Stern
Description:
   Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D major, Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto in E minor

Isaac Stern (violin)
Philadelphia Orchestra
Eugene Ormandy (conductor)
Details:
  
Genre:
   Classical - Orchestral
Content:
   Stereo
Media:
   Single Layer
Recording type:
   Analogue
Recording info:
   Original Producer: Howard H. Scott
Recorded at the Broadwood Hotel, Philadelphia, PA, March 23-24, 1958

Produced for SACD by Louise de la Fuente & Dixon Van Winkle
Engineered for SACD by Dixon Van Winkle
DSD Authoring Engineer: Stephen Saper
Note:
   SRGR706 in Japan.
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Reviews: 2
Review by JW May 23, 2003 (3 of 3 found this review helpful)
Performance:  Sonics:
This is such beautiful music and so beautifully played ! Classical music at its best in my view and simply invigorating to listen to. If you want to convince someone to get into SACD, this is as good a place to start as any! Both of these works are well known. The flowing melodies of the Concerto in D Major are just gorgeous. The solo's are complicated and technically challenging, more so than the Mendelssohn piece. In that sense the Concerto in E Minor displays more of a wholeness than the Tchaikovsky. The violin parts are more integrated into the overall themes. This does not take away anything from either pieces, it's just an observation. It's not without reason that Isaac Stern is regarded as one of the world's most acclaimed violinists. His tone is warm and he plays precise and with enormous feeling on these recordings.

Sonically this Sony SACD is pretty good with a nice sense of orchestral weight and acoustical space. The violin is recorded fairly close (forward) which I guess is a minor nitpick with this disc. It may not be as you hear it in the concert hall, but it does give you a first row perspective on one of the greatest players in the world. The violin never gets thin or harsh. This is a 1959 recording and soundwise you would not know it. Some folks have noted that the editing job on the Tchaikovsky piece leaves something to be desired, but I found that if you don't listen for it you don't hear it and I probably shouldn't have told you this anyway. That said, full stars for sonics!

Jw

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Review by markie1949 July 2, 2005 (2 of 2 found this review helpful)
Performance:  Sonics:
I have listened to this recording for many years on vinyl. The sacd version is beyond belief. I can't start to use the prose I've seen posted here to describe the sonics of this recording, but I believe this is an essential, glorious, beautiful sonic experience that vividly showcases the sacd medium.

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