[SACD-R][OF] Munch, Boston S.O. - Saint Saens Symphony №3, Claude Debussy - La Mer, Jacques Ibert -Escales (Ports of call) - 1956-1959/2004 (Classical)

What a marvel. This CD sounds so good, it’s hard to believe it was done in the 1950s. The recording of La Mer has so much energy, and the audio quality is incredibly clear. That extra, center channel makes such a difference! The Saint-Saens is another wonderfully balanced recording; both are examples of that old BSO sound, with lots of honesty and also quite accurate technically! Particularly loved the flute, oboe and trumpet solos in La Mer.
SA-CD.net reviews:
Review by Monteverdi October 13, 2004:
It is a thrill to have the Saint-Saens performance on SACD in its original three-channel, unsurpassed performance glory. It is, for someone who has lived with this recording from the first vinyl release, a thrill beyond words to have it now in Super Audio. I recently heard this piece for during the dedication performances of the new organ at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the Los Angeles Philharmonic lead by Esa-Pekka Salonen. Certainly, no recording can duplicate the experience or aural splendor of hearing this symphony live. And as wonderful as it was, Charles Munch in this 1959 recording is still able to bring more glory, sensuality and abandon to this music. The SACD betters the JVC remastering of a few years back, with more brilliance and air. This is truly a landmark performance. Also, hearing it live revealed that the organ can and does, save the brass, completely obliterate the orchestra during the final page of the work. Richard Mohr and Lewis Layton were able to balance the organ by moving the orchestra out from the stage and onto a platform over the seats. As you can hear, it was a brilliant solution.
Dating from December 9 & 10, 1956, La Mer and Escales are less sonically brilliant, but no less satisfying as performances, full of enthusiasm and commitment.
Review by Ivymike July 30, 2005:
First: I can still remember the evening I played this recording in its original Shaded Dog vinyl. I fully expected the entrance of the organ in the fourth movement (or second half of the second movement if you prefer) to be compressed and rolled off. I recall equally well flying for the volume control when the room started shaking…
The original RCA Living Stereo CD from 1993 always mystified me. I liked the performance but the sound was just not of legendary status. It was okay, but nothing more. Then the we find out that the transfer was from a two-track, later generation safety master. The sound was always a bit opaque to me, a bit foggy, and there was distortion on the fff entrance of the organ mentioned above.
This SACD has been (if one believes the liner notes) transferred from the three-track master that was apparently misfiled at RCA for years. I don’t know for sure if this is true or not but one thing is clear to me: the sound on the SACD is definitely superior to that on the original CD. The veiled, opaque quality is missing now; the treble seems more open. The entrance of the organ mentioned above is without distortion and is absolutely thrilling–keep the volume down if you value your lease! The dynamic range of the second half of the last movement is of reference quality; like some of the better Mercury 35 mm transfers the levels get higher and higher without obvious strain or distortion and it’s almost scary, a true tribute to the art of high fidelity recording. Bravo, Lewis Layton! Some subtlety in the stereo imaging has been lost, probably due to concerns with miking such an ambitious piece, but it doesn’t make much difference in the end.
The other recordings of the works by Debussy are, in my opinion, not regarded highly enough. The sound is somewhat thinner, but still of excellent quality and of similar high dynamic range.
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