Search - George Frederick Handel, Pierre Boulez, New York Philharmonic :: Handel: Water Music; Music for the Royal Fireworks [SACD]

A vintage Boulez recording beautifully presented

02/12/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the second of two reissues of recordings by Pierre Boulez and the New York Philharmonic on Sony Classical's current crop of SACD reissues. It presents this new audiophile medium in an excellent light. Based on superb late analogue recordings from Columbia Masterworks, they sound newly minted in these DSD transfers onto SACD. There is excellent frequency reponse and dynamic range, and virtually no tape hiss. As in other Columbia recordings of this era, there is a very clearly articulated stereo image, which is vividly reinforced in the transfer. It is hard to believe that these recordings are more than a quarter century old. It is nice to see them again, especially with the complete "Water Music": the old "Great Performers" LP and French Sony Classical CD in my collection provide only a selection from the three suites. Here you have the complete "Water Music" and "Fireworks" music.As for the performances, these (as indeed others in the series) are gems from the catalogue. Boulez, the icy and intellectual modernist, is ideally suited to bringing out the brilliance, elegance, and splendid High Baroque polish of these public, celebratory works. He draws playing of an unbelievable refinement from his New York players, making them sound like (say) the Berlin Philharmonic on its best form.The "Water Music" is one of the best ever recorded, on a par with any of the more recent "authentic" contenders, as is it the "Fireworks" music. In the latter, Boulez eschews the augmented brass and percussion favoured in many recordings, and prefers a more pared down set of orchestral forces, including a harpischord, which is clearly audible tinkling away right from the first bars. This is a nicely "inauthentic" authenticist touch, since surely no one present at the original open air performance could possibly have heard the harpsichord's tiny embellishments even if one were present!To sum up, this disc is recommended without reservation, both for its musical merits and as an exemplar of the new SACD format."

Great version, but was SACD necessary?

D. Keel | Houston, TX USA | 05/20/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Having recently acquired a SACD player, I decided I needed a SACD Water Music, as it is one of my favorite all-time works. I was intrigued by the idea of a 70's era version conducted by Boulez, so I listened to some samples of the CD version. Upon listening to the entire recording, I certainly find it interesting. Most of the tempos are a bit slower than what I usually listen to, but the performance is certainly "correct" in that it uses the smaller forces that would have originally performed the work (though mercifully, this recording, being from the 70's is not on original instruments).



My only complaint is with the SACD part of the equation. IMO, this recording does not sound a lot different than a redbook 2-channel CD. I must have assumed it would be at least 3-channel, and would have the sound of the RCA Living Stereo or the Mercury Living Presence SACDs. But to me, it sounds like a standard CD. The sound is certainly clear, to be sure, but it seems to me that one could save a few $ and get the 2-channel CD version and enjoy it just as much. If I were in charge at CBS/Sony, I do not think I would have chosen this title for the SACD treatment. Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable recording."