Credits:

Riccardo Muti, Philadelphia Orchestra

Description:

A coveted recording that continues the golden era of the Philadelphia Orchestra! Muti and the traditional orchestra play with a high density of sound. An excellent recording from the last days of analog recording! Newly reissued from the original analog master tape. New commentary included. These two recordings were made in 1978, before Muti succeeded Ormandy as Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra. The recording made in the late analog era by the former EMI has been further enhanced by the high sound quality of the new recording. It is a golden sound inherited from the Ormandy era, and both the performance and the recording are of the highest quality. This is the world's first SACD release of this superb recording. The master was digitized at 192kHz/24bit from the original analog master tapes in Japan and mastered separately on SACD and CD. New commentary is included. This is a permanent preservation disc. The Rite of Spring" and "Pictures at an Exhibition" were recorded in March and October 1978, before he became Chief Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra (he became Music Director in 1980, shortly after becoming Chief Conductor).Pictures at an Exhibition" was the first recording for both artists. (The coupling is the "Firebird" suite, which is not included in this recording.) It is said that Ormandy was smitten with Muti's talent, and this performance makes you realize how great it is. From the promenade at the beginning, the brass section plays a thick Philadelphia sound, and after the woodwinds and solo instruments are played with great skill, the performance ends with a slight uplift. The difficulty in gaining control of the orchestra from the beginning and bringing the orchestra's distinctive characteristics to the fore is evident, especially when listening to the various recordings made in recent years. The "Rite of Spring" is a marvel, with a remarkable sense of weight and color. The final analog recording is in even better condition, and is a masterpiece that shows the true value of this piece. However, I did not expect it to be this good on CD. Although it depends on the condition of the original master, the SACD version has a wider dynamic range, better separation, and a more realistic sound image, which really reveals the details. You may feel that the impression is deeper than before.This sound source reminds us once again of the necessity and reason for using the latest technology to bring out the potential that was originally left in the master tapes. (1/2)