Favourite CD's for sound staging, imaging, etc.
500 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 871
DVD title: Jacqueline du Pre in Portrait.
Label: BBC Opus Arte.
This is a DVD documentary film about the life and times of Jacqueline du Pre who was an ace cellist.
She played with various symphony orchestras around the world in her very brief lifetime.
She was born in England in 1945 and died in 1987 from complications due to MS. During the last decade of her life, she could no longer play the cello due to her illness, but she still continued in the musical arena by coaching and giving cello instructions.
This documentary takes us from the time that she was a very young girl to the time she died at the age of 42.
It is a touching story indeed.
For those in the know of classical music, you will recognize the name...Daniel Barenboim. He was the conductor of The New Philharmonia Orchestra. Daniel and Jacqueline were married in 1967 and they together performed at many recitals throughout their musical careers. Daniel would be conducting the orchestra while Jacqueline would be the guest cellist.
Jacqueline would use an original Stradivarius cello built in 1672. She was later given another cello by an anonymous donor. It was an original Davidoff Stradivarius. It is infact this cello which is now in the use and care of the great Yo Yo Ma. It is comforting to know that Yo Yo Ma is taking care of her cello and recording his cd's with it.
She studied music and cello in Moscow with Mstislav Rostropovich. Her main cello coach was a British man by the name of William Pleeth, whom she called her "cello-daddy".
The symphony which defined Jacqueline was the Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85. The very high musical standards which she set in the 1960's are considered even today to be the best and that to be followed.
This DVD has the entire Elgar Cello Concerto from 1967 with Daniel Barenboim conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra. We also get an incredible performance of Beethoven's Piano Trio No.5 in D major Opus 70, called The Ghost. Beethoven named it The Ghost because it is based on a William Shakespeare play where the main character has an encounter with the ghost of his departed father. This piano trio consisted of Daniel Barenboim on piano, Pinchas Zukerman on violin, and ofcourse, Jacqueline du Pre on cello. A fantastic performance rendered by three of the world's greatest classical musicians of that time.
Christopher Nupen who had originally filmed all of this during the '60s and '70s in analog format has now remastered the analog tapes into digital format. The quality of this DVD is superb. The film is very clean with no hint of graininess. The sound quality of the recordings is also excellent. I only heard and watched this DVD with my little TV because I don't have a home audio system yet. But, it still sounded marvelous. So, I can only imagine what it would sound like with a high quality home audio system.
A music critic in England once said of Jacqueline..."She was sent to Earth, ready-made" because of her musical talents and abilities from a very young age.
[ February 17, 2005, 10:18 AM: Message edited by: Keith ]
Label: BBC Opus Arte.
This is a DVD documentary film about the life and times of Jacqueline du Pre who was an ace cellist.
She played with various symphony orchestras around the world in her very brief lifetime.
She was born in England in 1945 and died in 1987 from complications due to MS. During the last decade of her life, she could no longer play the cello due to her illness, but she still continued in the musical arena by coaching and giving cello instructions.
This documentary takes us from the time that she was a very young girl to the time she died at the age of 42.
It is a touching story indeed.
For those in the know of classical music, you will recognize the name...Daniel Barenboim. He was the conductor of The New Philharmonia Orchestra. Daniel and Jacqueline were married in 1967 and they together performed at many recitals throughout their musical careers. Daniel would be conducting the orchestra while Jacqueline would be the guest cellist.
Jacqueline would use an original Stradivarius cello built in 1672. She was later given another cello by an anonymous donor. It was an original Davidoff Stradivarius. It is infact this cello which is now in the use and care of the great Yo Yo Ma. It is comforting to know that Yo Yo Ma is taking care of her cello and recording his cd's with it.
She studied music and cello in Moscow with Mstislav Rostropovich. Her main cello coach was a British man by the name of William Pleeth, whom she called her "cello-daddy".
The symphony which defined Jacqueline was the Elgar Cello Concerto in E minor Op.85. The very high musical standards which she set in the 1960's are considered even today to be the best and that to be followed.
This DVD has the entire Elgar Cello Concerto from 1967 with Daniel Barenboim conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra. We also get an incredible performance of Beethoven's Piano Trio No.5 in D major Opus 70, called The Ghost. Beethoven named it The Ghost because it is based on a William Shakespeare play where the main character has an encounter with the ghost of his departed father. This piano trio consisted of Daniel Barenboim on piano, Pinchas Zukerman on violin, and ofcourse, Jacqueline du Pre on cello. A fantastic performance rendered by three of the world's greatest classical musicians of that time.
Christopher Nupen who had originally filmed all of this during the '60s and '70s in analog format has now remastered the analog tapes into digital format. The quality of this DVD is superb. The film is very clean with no hint of graininess. The sound quality of the recordings is also excellent. I only heard and watched this DVD with my little TV because I don't have a home audio system yet. But, it still sounded marvelous. So, I can only imagine what it would sound like with a high quality home audio system.
A music critic in England once said of Jacqueline..."She was sent to Earth, ready-made" because of her musical talents and abilities from a very young age.
[ February 17, 2005, 10:18 AM: Message edited by: Keith ]
500 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 871
CD Title: Jacqueline Du Pre.
Label TELDEC (8573-85340-2).
Composers featured: Camille Saint-Saens and Antonin Dvorak.
Orchestras featured: The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Guest Cellist: Jacqueline Du Pre(1945-1987).
This cd features the cello concertos of Camille Saint-Saens(1835-1921) and Antonin Dvorak(1841-1904). The orchestra for the Saint-Saens concerto is The Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. The orchestra for Antonin Dvorak's concerto is the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sergiu Celibidache.
The Saint-Saens concerto with Jacqueline Du Pre was recorded in Philadelphia in January 1971.
The Dvorak concerto was recorded in Stockholm in November 1967.
The record label EMI had origianlly recorded both these concerts, which now have been re-mastered by TELDEC. The re-mastering has provided us with a cd of superb quality. The engineers have managed to remove any hiss or unnecessary noise which may have been present on the original master tapes which are now about 40 years old. Both these concerts are live recordings and the engineers have decided to leave in the sounds of the concert halls during the shows. For example, one can hear the coughing and sneezing and shuffling of the audience during the show. I like this idea of not editing these extraneous audience noises. While listening to this cd in my car, it felt like I was sitting in the Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary watching the CPO perform. When I go to these shows, the audience noise is definately audible with the occasional cough and sneeze. So this recording was very, very, realistic sounding. It truly felt like I was there.
Jacqueline Du Pre plays with all of her heart and emotions in both concerts and the supporting orchestras do their part by giving her brilliant support.
Label TELDEC (8573-85340-2).
Composers featured: Camille Saint-Saens and Antonin Dvorak.
Orchestras featured: The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Guest Cellist: Jacqueline Du Pre(1945-1987).
This cd features the cello concertos of Camille Saint-Saens(1835-1921) and Antonin Dvorak(1841-1904). The orchestra for the Saint-Saens concerto is The Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Daniel Barenboim. The orchestra for Antonin Dvorak's concerto is the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sergiu Celibidache.
The Saint-Saens concerto with Jacqueline Du Pre was recorded in Philadelphia in January 1971.
The Dvorak concerto was recorded in Stockholm in November 1967.
The record label EMI had origianlly recorded both these concerts, which now have been re-mastered by TELDEC. The re-mastering has provided us with a cd of superb quality. The engineers have managed to remove any hiss or unnecessary noise which may have been present on the original master tapes which are now about 40 years old. Both these concerts are live recordings and the engineers have decided to leave in the sounds of the concert halls during the shows. For example, one can hear the coughing and sneezing and shuffling of the audience during the show. I like this idea of not editing these extraneous audience noises. While listening to this cd in my car, it felt like I was sitting in the Jack Singer Concert Hall in Calgary watching the CPO perform. When I go to these shows, the audience noise is definately audible with the occasional cough and sneeze. So this recording was very, very, realistic sounding. It truly felt like I was there.
Jacqueline Du Pre plays with all of her heart and emotions in both concerts and the supporting orchestras do their part by giving her brilliant support.
My recomendation is Jamie Cullam's "Twentysomething" awesome disk of inspired covers -- yes it is "jazz", but don't worry it won't hurt you. I especially like with takes on "the wind cries mary" and "lover, come over" (I like his version better than Jeff Buckley's original!!). I would dare say this was the best disk of 2004 in my book.
500 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 694
CD: The Ultimate Demostration Disc: Chesky Record's Guide to Critical Listening
Someone suggested this on the boards awhile back, I picked it up and I would say it's a must have it examines, high resolution, depth, athmosphere, midrange purity and other things to really break down speakers and give them a good run.
Someone suggested this on the boards awhile back, I picked it up and I would say it's a must have it examines, high resolution, depth, athmosphere, midrange purity and other things to really break down speakers and give them a good run.
Yankee
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 3,599
^Lots of good tracks on the Chesky CD, very realistic when your system is tuned properly.
The organ track (23) is wonderful and full of emotion, it is airy, has true depth, showcases massed and individual voices, it is my favorite track on that CD.
[ March 16, 2005, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: JohnVroom ]
The organ track (23) is wonderful and full of emotion, it is airy, has true depth, showcases massed and individual voices, it is my favorite track on that CD.
[ March 16, 2005, 05:03 PM: Message edited by: JohnVroom ]
500 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 871
CD Title: YO-YO MA Plays ENNIO MORRICONE.
Label: Sony Classical(SK 93456).
Ensemble: Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra.
Conductor: Ennio Morricone.
Guest Cellist: Yo-Yo Ma.
Guest Pianist: Gilda Butta.
The conductor of this fine orchestra, Ennio Morricone, is also the composer of all the music on this cd. The music represented are the film scores that he has written over the many decades of his professional music career in the film industry.
The orchestra plays with extreme finesse and dedication to each of the scores, and, Yo-Yo Ma is ofcourse at his best as he always is. To my ears, Yo-Yo Ma is the finest cellist on the planet today. The only other person that could compare to him or even maybe supercede him is Jacqueline du Pre, but unfortunately, she left us in 1987.
The film scores represented on this excellent compact disc are: THE MISSION, THE LEGEND OF 1900, CINEMA PARADISO, MALENA, A PURE FORMALITY, ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY, CASUALTIES OF WAR, THE UNTOUCHABLES, MOSES, MARCO POLO and THE LADY CALIPH.
The balance engineers and sound engineers of Sony Classical have done an excellent job with the recording of this disc. The background is very, very black (a good thing) and there are no extremes in the sound. We get a full range of the entire sound spectrum on this cd....from the low subbass to midbass to midrange to the high frequencies. But as I have mentioned earlier, there are no extremes and everything is balanced perfectly in just the correct proportions.
While listening in my car, the sound quality is top notch. When the full orchestra joins in with Yo-Yo Ma, the music simply swells up and around me and engulfs me with the rich, mellow, textured, and thickly layered sounds of the cello and orchestra. It was an absolute delight to listen to this cd. A high quality, finely tuned stereo system will do wonders to this excellent recording.
The music itself is very melancholy, sad, emotionally moving, and heart wrenching. The whole cd is like this....just the way I like it. I find that sad, emotional music is the best type of music to listen to on a fine stereo system.
You could play this recording in a biker bar and there wouldn't be a dry eye in the house!!!!!!
The following paragraphs are direct quotes copied from the liner notes of the cd package:
For YO-YO MA, the collaboration revealed new depths in music he has always loved. "When I was rehearsing, I looked at the way he wrote for The Mission," Ma said. "This is gorgeous music, but beauty can be deceptive, skin-deep. When I looked inside it - at the blood and the bones, the muscle and the craft of what he has written - I had this moment when I realized, OH MY GOSH...GRANDE MAESTRO. To create so much music that is so unique and expressive - to me, it is extraordinarily moving. It goes very deep. And I can't get it out of my head."
"When Sony Classical offered to record my music with the great YO-YO MA as soloist, I couldn't believe it: indeed, it was a source of great happiness and a unique honor that will live forever in my heart as an extraordinary musical and human experience. It was a unique experience from the artistic and human point of view, and I will never forget it." - Ennio Morricone from an interview during August 2004.
Recorded at Forum Music Village Studios in Rome, Italy, June 16-23, 2003.
[ March 29, 2005, 08:28 PM: Message edited by: Keith ]
Label: Sony Classical(SK 93456).
Ensemble: Roma Sinfonietta Orchestra.
Conductor: Ennio Morricone.
Guest Cellist: Yo-Yo Ma.
Guest Pianist: Gilda Butta.
The conductor of this fine orchestra, Ennio Morricone, is also the composer of all the music on this cd. The music represented are the film scores that he has written over the many decades of his professional music career in the film industry.
The orchestra plays with extreme finesse and dedication to each of the scores, and, Yo-Yo Ma is ofcourse at his best as he always is. To my ears, Yo-Yo Ma is the finest cellist on the planet today. The only other person that could compare to him or even maybe supercede him is Jacqueline du Pre, but unfortunately, she left us in 1987.
The film scores represented on this excellent compact disc are: THE MISSION, THE LEGEND OF 1900, CINEMA PARADISO, MALENA, A PURE FORMALITY, ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY, CASUALTIES OF WAR, THE UNTOUCHABLES, MOSES, MARCO POLO and THE LADY CALIPH.
The balance engineers and sound engineers of Sony Classical have done an excellent job with the recording of this disc. The background is very, very black (a good thing) and there are no extremes in the sound. We get a full range of the entire sound spectrum on this cd....from the low subbass to midbass to midrange to the high frequencies. But as I have mentioned earlier, there are no extremes and everything is balanced perfectly in just the correct proportions.
While listening in my car, the sound quality is top notch. When the full orchestra joins in with Yo-Yo Ma, the music simply swells up and around me and engulfs me with the rich, mellow, textured, and thickly layered sounds of the cello and orchestra. It was an absolute delight to listen to this cd. A high quality, finely tuned stereo system will do wonders to this excellent recording.
The music itself is very melancholy, sad, emotionally moving, and heart wrenching. The whole cd is like this....just the way I like it. I find that sad, emotional music is the best type of music to listen to on a fine stereo system.
You could play this recording in a biker bar and there wouldn't be a dry eye in the house!!!!!!
The following paragraphs are direct quotes copied from the liner notes of the cd package:
For YO-YO MA, the collaboration revealed new depths in music he has always loved. "When I was rehearsing, I looked at the way he wrote for The Mission," Ma said. "This is gorgeous music, but beauty can be deceptive, skin-deep. When I looked inside it - at the blood and the bones, the muscle and the craft of what he has written - I had this moment when I realized, OH MY GOSH...GRANDE MAESTRO. To create so much music that is so unique and expressive - to me, it is extraordinarily moving. It goes very deep. And I can't get it out of my head."
"When Sony Classical offered to record my music with the great YO-YO MA as soloist, I couldn't believe it: indeed, it was a source of great happiness and a unique honor that will live forever in my heart as an extraordinary musical and human experience. It was a unique experience from the artistic and human point of view, and I will never forget it." - Ennio Morricone from an interview during August 2004.
Recorded at Forum Music Village Studios in Rome, Italy, June 16-23, 2003.
[ March 29, 2005, 08:28 PM: Message edited by: Keith ]
