Rhapsody in Blue / An American in Paris
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CD Details
Composer: George GershwinConductor: Arthur Fiedler
Orchestra: Boston Pops Orchestra
Performer: Earl Wild
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
CD Release Date: 2005-01-25
Music Label: RCA
Music reviews of Rhapsody in Blue / An American in Paris
Music Review: Special, If Not Spectacular
Rating: 4 Stars
The reason I could not give this SACD a 5-star rating is that in some of the loudest passages the music becomes congested and compressed. And, I don't remember that occurring in my previous experiences with this special recording of the Boston Pops led by Arthur Fiedler. It is truly amazing, however, that such an historic recording can sound so uncannily present.
The stereo SACD layer of this disc does what SACD is supposed to do: the instruments are much better placed within the three dimensional sound stage, timbre is more accurately rendered, the instruments are, also, resolved more finely, more of the ambience of the venue is captured and the air around each of the instruments more realistically clarifies their positions, bass is much more controlled and real, which adds up to more realism and more musical drama. Some moments on this SACD are truly transcendent (I could tell you where, but I'll leave the wonderful surprises to you), while the rest is damned good.
I guess I hoped for more, though.
Why?
When this RCA Living Stereo recording of Rhapsody in Blue was last released on CD in 1997, the remastering used 20 bit technology, a customized Studer transport, Cello electronics and UV22 Super CD encoding (per the CD cover). This remastering had done a phenomenal job in getting as much musical information onto the CD as possible. Consequently, this raised the bar that the present SACD had to outstrip, which it does. However, it does not do so as handily as other Living Stereo SACDs whose prior CD release did not have such wonderful remastering.
Another problem I noticed with this SACD and some other RCA Living Stereo SACDs that have been released recently is that there is something missing at the very top end. I thought though that maybe I was just now hearing these recordings as they sounded from the master tapes, as all the hype has stated. However, Harry Pearson has the same problem. As he expressed recently, "The top octaves sound rolled off, and harmonically depleted."
Is this better than the most recent CD iteration? In most respects, yes, except for the caveats just stated.
If you treasure the RCA Living Stereo series as I do, the improvements that this SACD brings to the table are well worth the price of admission.
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