Favourite CD's for sound staging, imaging, etc.
07-06-2004, 11:47 PM
#152
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 871
CD Title: Rainbow Body
Ensemble: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Robert Spano
Label: TELARC.
Four different composers have been recorded on this beautiful cd: Chris Theofanidis(b.1967), Samuel Barber(1910-1981), Aaron Copland(1900-1990) and Jennifer Higdon(b.1962).
All 4 symphonic movements are rich with philosophical ideas and dreams. TELARC has done a masterful job in giving this cd great depth, width, breadth and layering.
With a decent stereo system, you should be able to hear the acoustics of the auditorium where the recording took place, including some shuffling of the musicians on the stage.
Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra have come through very strong on this beautiful recording.
Ensemble: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Robert Spano
Label: TELARC.
Four different composers have been recorded on this beautiful cd: Chris Theofanidis(b.1967), Samuel Barber(1910-1981), Aaron Copland(1900-1990) and Jennifer Higdon(b.1962).
All 4 symphonic movements are rich with philosophical ideas and dreams. TELARC has done a masterful job in giving this cd great depth, width, breadth and layering.
With a decent stereo system, you should be able to hear the acoustics of the auditorium where the recording took place, including some shuffling of the musicians on the stage.
Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra have come through very strong on this beautiful recording.
07-08-2004, 01:24 PM
#153
50 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 73
Originally posted by PEI330Ci:
This is going to seem a bit funny.
How the heck do you guys keep track of all these CDs in your car? I mean some of you must have 1000 cds. I only take a portion at a time to the car for listening, maybe 50 to 100 cds at a time.
Adam
This is going to seem a bit funny.
How the heck do you guys keep track of all these CDs in your car? I mean some of you must have 1000 cds. I only take a portion at a time to the car for listening, maybe 50 to 100 cds at a time.
Adam
It is very risky to keep a bunch of CDs in the car -- especially if they are visible. A friend of mine lost a couple of hundred CDs when his car was broken into at a party. Just imagine trying to remember which discs you had in the car if you had this happen to you... And car insurance doesn't cover personal belongings in the car (your home/apartment policy does, but with a $200-500 deductible).
So to track the discs I created Excel sheets and am working on Access queries (good way to learn the software). Sounds nutty, but with 1000 CDs, you need to know what is where.
Each of my nylon packs is numbered, and has a diverse mix of music, kept in alphabetical order (I know, it's crazy and my wife laughs at my obsessiveness, but it's the best way to keep track of these things). I keep printouts of the sheets beside the packs.
So when my wife says "Where's the new Dido?" I can tell her to check the list. Believe me, it works. Bit of an up-front investment in time, but totally worth it.
[ July 08, 2004, 03:02 PM: Message edited by: sac ]
07-08-2004, 02:13 PM
#154
50 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 73
And by the way, Sarah Brightman's CDs can give your system a work-out. Her voice (a soprano) can get really brittle and harsh if your tonal balance is off. But the complex arrangements and dynamics will test your system. I always find myself wanting more power when I listen to this music.
On "Eden" she does a cover of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" in Italian, with a full backing orchestra. Sounds a little pretentious (and it is!) but it blows the original away -- and she makes poor Celine sound like a hack. (Too bad Celine doesn't make music like this -- certainly she has the pipes...)
And thanks to all for the recommendations (major kudos to Keith for the detailed write-ups) -- I've been looking for an excuse to go CD shopping, and now I have plenty.
On "Eden" she does a cover of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" in Italian, with a full backing orchestra. Sounds a little pretentious (and it is!) but it blows the original away -- and she makes poor Celine sound like a hack. (Too bad Celine doesn't make music like this -- certainly she has the pipes...)
And thanks to all for the recommendations (major kudos to Keith for the detailed write-ups) -- I've been looking for an excuse to go CD shopping, and now I have plenty.
07-08-2004, 06:47 PM
#155
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 871
You're welcome SAC.
CD Title: PURCELL O' SOLITUDE.
Composer: Henry Purcell.
Ensemble: Gerard Lesne and Il Seminario Musicale.
Label: Naive.
Henry Purcell (1659-1695), in his short lifetime, was the most prolific singer and songwriter of England. He was a countertenor and his music was very religious in nature. Today, we call this sort of music, "ancient music", or "baroque music".
Purcell's music is performed on this disc by Gerard Lesne, an alto operatic singer. It is Gerard Lesne who also formed the "ancient music" ensemble, IL SEMINARIO MUSICALE.
Gerard Lesne and Il Seminario do a spectacular job in recreating the music of Purcell on this cd. Lesne's voice and singing is spot on and the ensemble play their ancient musical instruments with complete grace, finesse, and a total understanding and commitment to this sort of music.
NAIVE, is a high quality record label based in France which produces some extremely high quality cd's and SACD's.
With performances such as this one, superbly captured by engineering of the highest quality, this is one of the finest recitals of its kind available today.
A well tuned stereo system will not have you clamping your ears shut with your hands as there is alot of midrange and high frequency information on this cd. (Ofcourse, there is also midbass and subbass, but not as much, due to the type and style of music being played). On the other hand, if you find yourself clamping your ears shut while listening, it's not the cd, it's your system which needs fine tuning.
A beautiful recording indeed !!!!
CD Title: PURCELL O' SOLITUDE.
Composer: Henry Purcell.
Ensemble: Gerard Lesne and Il Seminario Musicale.
Label: Naive.
Henry Purcell (1659-1695), in his short lifetime, was the most prolific singer and songwriter of England. He was a countertenor and his music was very religious in nature. Today, we call this sort of music, "ancient music", or "baroque music".
Purcell's music is performed on this disc by Gerard Lesne, an alto operatic singer. It is Gerard Lesne who also formed the "ancient music" ensemble, IL SEMINARIO MUSICALE.
Gerard Lesne and Il Seminario do a spectacular job in recreating the music of Purcell on this cd. Lesne's voice and singing is spot on and the ensemble play their ancient musical instruments with complete grace, finesse, and a total understanding and commitment to this sort of music.
NAIVE, is a high quality record label based in France which produces some extremely high quality cd's and SACD's.
With performances such as this one, superbly captured by engineering of the highest quality, this is one of the finest recitals of its kind available today.
A well tuned stereo system will not have you clamping your ears shut with your hands as there is alot of midrange and high frequency information on this cd. (Ofcourse, there is also midbass and subbass, but not as much, due to the type and style of music being played). On the other hand, if you find yourself clamping your ears shut while listening, it's not the cd, it's your system which needs fine tuning.
A beautiful recording indeed !!!!
07-11-2004, 05:29 PM
#156
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 871
CD Title: Shostakovich, Symphony No.7, "Leningrad".
Composer: Dimitri Shostakovich.
Conductor: Valery Gergiev.
Ensembles: Kirov Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
Label: Philips.
Performing Shostakovich's "Symphony No.7", also called "Leningrad" or "The Grand Wartime Symphony", requires the invitation of huge forces in the brass and string sections of an orchestra. This is why the conductor, Valery Gergiev, decided to use two large orchestras; the Kirov Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he is principle conductor of both, to put forth the drama and tension depicted in this massive symphonic work.
This work is based upon the **** invasion of Leningrad during WWII, where Shostakovick was living, which made Shostakovich's creative juices flow 'till the cup runneth over, thus resulting in this masterpiece.
As Shostakovich proclaimed, "The Soviet artist will never stand aside from that historical confrontation taking place between reason and obscurantism, between culture and barbarity, between light and darkness...I dedicate my Seventh Symphony to our struggle against fascism, to our coming victory over the enemy, and to my native city, Leningrad."
Powerful words from an otherwise shy and quiet man.
Philips has captured the sonic magnitude and the concert hall beautifully resulting in a cd of superior sound quality. This is a live recording, so assuming you have a decent system, you will hear the movements of the musicians on-stage occasionally as well as the acoustics of the hall.
Recording took place at De doelen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, during September 2001.
Composer: Dimitri Shostakovich.
Conductor: Valery Gergiev.
Ensembles: Kirov Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.
Label: Philips.
Performing Shostakovich's "Symphony No.7", also called "Leningrad" or "The Grand Wartime Symphony", requires the invitation of huge forces in the brass and string sections of an orchestra. This is why the conductor, Valery Gergiev, decided to use two large orchestras; the Kirov Orchestra and the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he is principle conductor of both, to put forth the drama and tension depicted in this massive symphonic work.
This work is based upon the **** invasion of Leningrad during WWII, where Shostakovick was living, which made Shostakovich's creative juices flow 'till the cup runneth over, thus resulting in this masterpiece.
As Shostakovich proclaimed, "The Soviet artist will never stand aside from that historical confrontation taking place between reason and obscurantism, between culture and barbarity, between light and darkness...I dedicate my Seventh Symphony to our struggle against fascism, to our coming victory over the enemy, and to my native city, Leningrad."
Powerful words from an otherwise shy and quiet man.
Philips has captured the sonic magnitude and the concert hall beautifully resulting in a cd of superior sound quality. This is a live recording, so assuming you have a decent system, you will hear the movements of the musicians on-stage occasionally as well as the acoustics of the hall.
Recording took place at De doelen, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, during September 2001.
07-11-2004, 05:42 PM
#157
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 871
CD Title: Out Of The Cradle.
Composer: Lindsey Buckingham.
Label: Reprise.
Buckingham is the lead guitarist from the band, Fleetwood Mac, and a fine guitarist he is !!!
On this solo cd, Buckingham has created a handful of songs (soft-rock, pop) which have been incredibly recorded by himself and a few of his friends in his personal recording studio in the basement of his home (mansion). The sound quality is to die for !!!! The guitar work and drumming are spectacular !!! This cd will give all of your speakers; tweeters, midrange, midbass and subwoofers a decent workout. The dynamic range is very wide !!!
Recording took place during 1992.
Composer: Lindsey Buckingham.
Label: Reprise.
Buckingham is the lead guitarist from the band, Fleetwood Mac, and a fine guitarist he is !!!
On this solo cd, Buckingham has created a handful of songs (soft-rock, pop) which have been incredibly recorded by himself and a few of his friends in his personal recording studio in the basement of his home (mansion). The sound quality is to die for !!!! The guitar work and drumming are spectacular !!! This cd will give all of your speakers; tweeters, midrange, midbass and subwoofers a decent workout. The dynamic range is very wide !!!
Recording took place during 1992.
07-13-2004, 12:17 AM
#158
500 Watt CAFz'r
Join Date: May 2000
Posts: 871
CD Title: STRAVINSKY, "PETROUCHKA" & "LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS".
Composer: Igor Stravinsky.
Ensembles: New York Philharmonic Orchestra and
Cleveland Orchestra.
Conductor: Pierre Boulez.
Label: Sony Classical.
Igor Stravinsky's (1882-1971) two most famous symphonies are "PETROUCHKA", AND "LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS".
"PETROUCHKA" is a story based on the grotesque premise of three puppets of a circus puppeteer named; Petrouchka, the Moor, and the Ballerina, who are brought to life and invested with human feelings such as love, hatred and jealousy, culminating in Petrouchka's death at the hands of the Moor. But Petrouchka's spirit is immortal and at the end, the puppet appears above the roofs of the circus grounds laughing at the world below.
"LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS" is a symphony devoted to the love for the season of "spring". This must have been Stravinsky's favourite time of the year.
Pierre Boulez leads the New York Philharmonic in a dazzling performance of PETROUCHKA, and leads the Cleveland Orchestra in a gorgeous rendition of LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS.
Recording of PETROUCHKA was at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, May 1971.
Recording of LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS was at Severance Hall, Cleveland Ohio, July 1969.
The remastering of the original master tapes was done using Sony's 20 bit mapping process, leaving us with a compact disc which captures alot of the original detail. This remastering was done in 1994 when 20 bit technology was at the fore-front. Ofcourse today, the technology has improved even more. But nonetheless, this cd is very revealing as the sound engineers have decided not to edit anything out, making the hall acoustics audible.
Both these symphonies have a very wide dynamic range and are thrilling to hear on a good to excellent stereo system.
Composer: Igor Stravinsky.
Ensembles: New York Philharmonic Orchestra and
Cleveland Orchestra.
Conductor: Pierre Boulez.
Label: Sony Classical.
Igor Stravinsky's (1882-1971) two most famous symphonies are "PETROUCHKA", AND "LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS".
"PETROUCHKA" is a story based on the grotesque premise of three puppets of a circus puppeteer named; Petrouchka, the Moor, and the Ballerina, who are brought to life and invested with human feelings such as love, hatred and jealousy, culminating in Petrouchka's death at the hands of the Moor. But Petrouchka's spirit is immortal and at the end, the puppet appears above the roofs of the circus grounds laughing at the world below.
"LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS" is a symphony devoted to the love for the season of "spring". This must have been Stravinsky's favourite time of the year.
Pierre Boulez leads the New York Philharmonic in a dazzling performance of PETROUCHKA, and leads the Cleveland Orchestra in a gorgeous rendition of LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS.
Recording of PETROUCHKA was at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, May 1971.
Recording of LE SACRE DU PRINTEMPS was at Severance Hall, Cleveland Ohio, July 1969.
The remastering of the original master tapes was done using Sony's 20 bit mapping process, leaving us with a compact disc which captures alot of the original detail. This remastering was done in 1994 when 20 bit technology was at the fore-front. Ofcourse today, the technology has improved even more. But nonetheless, this cd is very revealing as the sound engineers have decided not to edit anything out, making the hall acoustics audible.
Both these symphonies have a very wide dynamic range and are thrilling to hear on a good to excellent stereo system.
07-13-2004, 10:25 AM
#159
I'm curious, do you actually take the time to type all of this out or do you copy and paste it from another review, or do you review these things as part of some publication?
There is an interesting thread on carsound about the sound quality of recordings these days. First it was MP3s and how bad they are, prompting people to go to the source (the original, store-bought CD) but now that may not even be trustworthy anymore!
There is an interesting thread on carsound about the sound quality of recordings these days. First it was MP3s and how bad they are, prompting people to go to the source (the original, store-bought CD) but now that may not even be trustworthy anymore!
07-13-2004, 12:08 PM
#160
Come to think of it, if you are looking to exploit your system's low end, ENYA's Watermark is a good CD for this (not the most macho of material, but who cares). Another disc I like, although it is a bit older, is Paul Simon's Graceland -- the track Diamonds on the Soles of her shoes has a really nice electric bass fill about three minutes in that really tests your mids.
