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Review by jdaniel November 22, 2008 (4 of 6 found this review helpful)
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Performance: |
Hi Resolution SACDs of legendary mono performances, I love it!
It's a 24/192 resolution, not DSD, not that I care particularly.
I"m only able to compare this release to his famous EMI '51 9th live recording. Objectively speaking, this '54 is much better played, not least in the 3rd mov't during which time the horn player, (so bad in the '51), is expressive and dead-on. IMHO the lovely 3rd mov't is much more coherent. In the '54 we are treated to the wonderful Philharmonia winds and horn section--I love the expressive oboe player--and I believe that Dennis Brain is on 1st Horn. The vocal quartet in the 4th mov't--which can sound downright bizarre with wobbly or out of tune singers-- is as heavenly as the names are legendary. The 2nd mov't is unusual in that the first notes sound more like a "sting of anger" rather than a hammer stroke--it's an unusually dark reading. The opening growl of the 4th mov't comes out of nowhere.
As a recording, the sound is incredible for the time, I repeat, for the time: there is just a touch of (blunted) hardness in the strings at points but other than that there is a blessed amount of air around the orchestra players and a wonderful palpability to the brass and winds.
My dream would be to see Tahra release Furtwangler's EMI Tristan on SACD. Just a dream....
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