Tchaikovsky: Orchestral Works - Marriner

Capriccio 71 042
Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid
Classical - Orchestral
Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture, Capriccio Italien, Marche Slave
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner (conductor)
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Comment by Tekrad - March 3, 2017 (1 of 3)
There always seemed to be something wrong with all the other versions of 1812 on SACD...whether they be less technically skilled/overdone cannon blasts (Kunzel)...or the congested Gergiev mess on Mariinsky. All others I considered had obscure companion pieces as well - not good for someone carefully building a library with fewest repeats. I am only interested in relatively recent recordings, so this Marriner version seemed appropriate.
The best thing about this Marriner version, is the accompanying Tchaikovsky pieces included. They all seemed to be my favorites - and I especially wanted a good copy of Marche Slave. After listening to this on Multichannel SACD setting, I must say I was pretty impressed. The performances were straight - and not too embellished - but interesting nonetheless. The cannon blasts at the 1812 overture were well balanced and believable.
The recordings are originally from the early 1990's, so it doesn't quite have the presence and punch of very recent recordings. That's just my preference...If you like smoother and more natural recordings, then this is the version for you.
I give it: 5 stars - Performance
4 stars Multichannel recording
Comment by hiredfox - March 5, 2017 (2 of 3)
How did they get a mch from a 44kHz Red Book stereo recording? This was long before the days of DSD, 96kHz PCM and mch.
Comment by Waveform - March 5, 2017 (3 of 3)
Hiredfox, these stereo recordings were prepared for multichannel SACD in the same fashion as the albums in the Universal Eloquence series, I think. Briefly the surround sound is artificial.