Joel Hill wrote:
>I got my copy of the Hough/Rachmaninoff (or is it Rachmaninoff/Hough?)
>on Saturday, Oct 16 after it was mailed on the 12th. Good fast service.
>
>However, I see no mention of SACD on the CDs I got, and don't really
>care, ...
Ah, the apathy that made America great.:-)
>... but were these CDs released in 2 formats? Plain vanilla CD and
>supercharged SACD?
Yes, they Hyperion is releasing in two formats, however the correct
technical terminology is "bland, tasteless, obsolete CD" and "New-Fangled
Hyper-Supercharged Multi-Channel Hybrid SACD with Dual Exhausts and
Racing Stripes".
Hyperion uses the same numical reference for the release, adding a "SA"
to the beginning catalog number. Amazon has separate listings for each:
SACDA67501/2 (SACD)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00030NU9U/classicalnet/
CDA67501/2 (CD)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002VYF4Y/classicalnet/
Hyperion wants 6 pounds more (only 2 pounds more at Amazon) for the SACD
version over the CD version. I've always disagreed with premium pricing
for CDs, and so I predictably disagree with it for SACD. It's not that
the SACD version doesn't offer better value, it's that by charging a
premium on top of their already high price they create a barrier for
people to try the SACD.
>Shades of Mono vs Stereo!! Let's not go back there!
Don't you mean plain vanilla mono and supercharged stereo? As long as
people "don't really care", it's only going to continue the confusion.
>It should be another thread, but what do other Listers think of these
>performances?
>
>I have my opinions, and not the usual humble ones.
Let's hear 'em! With over forty complete sets available (probably well
over 150 through the years), do we really need another? Could the set
possibly capture "...the supreme level of the performances themselves
has truly created a phenomenal Rachmaninov cycle for the new millennium!"
as the Hyperion web site claims? David Hurwitz writes at ClassicsToday.com
"This is the best set of Rachmaninov Piano Concertos ever recorded." Can
this really be? I'm a big fan of Hough, and Litton for that matter, but
how can this be?
Dave
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