HPFI

BRITAIN'S BIGGEST? THE CHORD SPM3000 POWER AMPLIFIER

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RECORD OF THE MONTH

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PLUS REVIEWS ON: AUDIO ALCHEMY, AUDIOLAB, AUDIONOTE AVI, COPLAND, MARANTZ MERIDIAN, MUSICAL FIDELITY, RUARK SUGDEN, WILMSLOW AND MORE

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(617) 933-5225, FAX (617) 935-0272

Digital to Analog Converter Preamplifier

contents

HI F1 sffl, tECOR - EVIEW

FEATURES

I WIN! A SILVER COLLECTION: More than £2500 of compact discs to be won

! BACK TO BASICS: Dave Benin= on tuner principles

i TIM'S RADICAL REVOX: Ken Kessler has his treasured Revox G36 tape deck 'seen to'

EQUIPMENT

THE FULLEST CHORD, The SPM3000 by Peter J Comeau

REAL CLASS A AT LAST?: The Musical Fidelity A1000 amplifier by Martin Colloms

GAZING ON THE GAKU-ON: Ken Kessler reviews the world's most expensive amplifier

COPLAND CTA30I/CTA501 Pre- power by Steve Harris

BRITAIN'S TOP TUNERS: Trevor Butler reviews the Atufiolab 8000T and Quad 66FM

AVI S2000 CD PLAYER: Paul Miller on a quality British model

A DIVERSITY OF DACs: Meridian's 200/263 and Sugden's SDD-1/SDA-1 CD combinations

INSIDE THIS SPECIAL EDITION: Paul Miller with a technical follow-up to KK's 'rave' on the Marantz CD52IISE

MARTIN LOGAN AERIUS: Martin Colloms tests the 'baby' Martin Logan panel speaker

RUARK TALISMAN: Alvin Gold tests a revised version

SELF-BUILD SUB WOOFER: Richard McDonald builds the Wilmslow /vlicroBass kit

AUDIO ALCHEMY DTI: Digital Transmission Interface

REGULARS •

11

14

16

!I

5

COMMENT: on CD's future

VIEWS: letters to the Editor

NEWS: innovations and events

TECHNOLOGY: by Barry Fox

RADIO: by Trevor Butler

HEADROOM: by Ken Kessler

SIDELINES: by John Crabbe

BACK ISSUES: order form

ACCESSORIES CLUB: Offers

COMPACT DISC SERVICE

SUBSCRIPTIONS: order form

REGIONAL DEALER GUIDE

ADVERTISERS' INDEX

CLASSIFIED ADS

Il NEWS IL RECORD REVIEW

MAY 1 9 9 3

O uamCsepiynoEguR,ollr: niew4he looking runt

g at botutA of

watts ts with the Chord

SPM3O9O, a massive four-

channel unit. Review starts

on Mc 28. Photography by Tony Petch

MAY 1993

Marantz CD5211 Special Edition CD

player. A technical follow-up: page SI

Musical Fidelity's new 'Class A' flagship

integrated ampfifier, the A1000: page 32

Meridian "e263 and siqden

SDD-1ISDA-1

SI-CALMUSIC (1).«S

DAct: page 46pla"r combinations offer a diversity of

She fest tee yeces

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RECORD 4 REVIEW P._

Peter Donohoe's Chopin: page 95

68 RECORD REVIEW INDEX

71 MUSIC NEWS

93 MONTH: The Juilliard Quartet plays Tilt RECORD OF THE

Schoenberg

93 CLASSICAL REVIEWS

ROCK/POP/JAZZ REVIEWS

120 BOOKS

130 FINALE: Milt Jackson: still the greatest jazz vibes player?

111

Top tuners? Quad 66FM and Audiolab 8000T: page 40

Smiling

Mau Johnson

of The The:

page Ill

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Editor

Music Editor

Steve Harris

Christopher Breunig

News Editor Trevor Butler

Editorial Secretary Penny Keogh

Contributing Editors Ken Kessler Peter J Comeau

Consulting Editor John Crabbe

Technical Advisers Angus McKenzie MBE Martin Colloms Stanley Kelly Malcolm Hawksford Rex Baldock

Design Consultant Flick Ekins

Advertisement Beverley Simpkins

Manager

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Subscriptions Carlyn Rainford

Publisher Colin Gamm

Editorial and Advertising offices: Link House_, Dingwall Avenue, Croydon CR9 ITA. Tel: 081-686 2599. Fax: 081-760 0973 or (direct) 081-781 6046. Hi-Fi News & Record Review incorporates: Stereo, Tape & Tape Recorders, Audio News, Record News, Audio Record Review, The Gramophone Record and Which CD. Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

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Blue skies research may eventully lead to blue lasers, but CD as we know it is here to stay

Istill have my first compact disc. It was a new digital recording of Anne-Sophie Mutter playing the

Brahms violin concerto with the Ber-lin Philharmonic under Karajan; I received it with PolyGram's invita-tion to a CD press conference on 17 November, 1982.

PolyGram's assumption that most early CD buyers would be classical listeners proved to be correct, so we need make no excuses for the clas-sical bias in this special issue of HFNIRR, celebrating the tenth anniversary of the launch of compact disc. The Music Editor has assem-bled a superb extended review of 'The first ten years', with an intro-duction that looks back in detail over a decade of digital music releases. The two new secondary audio for-

mats, DCC and MiniDisc, represent a divergence between the two major corporations, which, ten years ago, worked together to establish CD: but both Philips and Sony insist that they are committed to the future of CD. Sony's promotion of its Super Bit Mapping noise-shaping process (see 'News') with 'super' gold-plated pre-mium-price CDs may actually con-fuse those who thought that the silver ones were good enough, or even 'perfect sound forever'. The confusion arises, really,

because while the recording industry was still on a fairly steep learning curve with digital applications, it generally had to keep quiet about improvements that it was making. The awfulness of some early digital recordings can hardly be concealed,

HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW

comment

but the technical reasons remained obscure except to a handful of engineers. Yet the companies could hardly be expected to make whole rafts of CDs obsolete every time the engineers found a better way of doing things.

Yet that is almost what is happen-ing now with some material: DG's Karajan re-mastering programme, admittedly a special case because of the conductor's unusually strong influence on the engineering, is covered by CB on page 71.

So the apparently new innovations in CD engineering and mastering are, essentially, just correcting earlier imperfections. They do not improve on the original CD standard: rather, they attempt to exploit it more fully. Looking further ahead, lasers which produce shorter-wavelength blue light are expected to allow the development of optical disc media with higher storage capacity. These would be unlikely to be compatible with existing players. But blue lasers are still several years away and no manufacturer appears to have a definite plan to apply the technology to an audio-only carrier. I have to agree with Barry Fox

when he suggests (in 'Technology', page 21) that CD-R will have more appeal to audiophiles than either DCC or MiniDisc. The arrival of reasonably priced CD-R machines and discs from (now expected from Philips next spring, rather than this autumn) may not help DCC sales, but it can only strengthen the posi-tion of CD as the main domestic sound carrier. Despite audio/video develop-

ments, and despite Sega and Nin-tendo, I am sure CD will happily see us through the next ten years and well into the next century.

NEXT MONTH: HOME THEATRE FREE with next month is the third issue of Home Theatre, packed with news and review coverage of the latest audio/video and sytems. In the main magazine, the cover story will be the astounding Primare CD player: but for vinyl users there will be a full-length feature review on the Kuzma Reference turntable, com-plete with Wheaton Triplanar arm and Benz Ruby cartridge. Speakers on test will range from the Magne-pan SMGb to the new Rogers Studio 7. We will be continuing our extend-ed music coverage too. The June issue goes on sale Friday, 12 May. Don't miss it!

MAY 1993 5

Andy's requiem

Andy's requiem

andrew worton-steward andy's requiem

Ghislaine Morgan/Gillian French Kim Porter/Philip Curtis Andrew Lumsden City of London Choir eie Southern Sinfonietta Hilary Dayan VVetton

I it

• % fib it ite •

al.

de

Andy's Requiem is the last work written by the talented young composer

Andrew Worton-Steward before his death from AIDS in 1990.

This very personal and moving choral work has been recorded by Decca, and all the artists and recording staff gave their services free.

All proceeds from the sale of the record, less administration costs, will be donated to various AlDs charities, notably the Terence Higgins Trust and Crusaid.

Andy's Requiem is available by mail order only, by sending a cheque payable to Capricorn Services for £9.99 ( CD) or £6.99 ( cassette) adding £1 for post and packing, to:

Andy's Requiem Offer, PO Box 341, London Ell 4EVV. Allow 28 days for delivery.

advertising space kindly donated by Hi-Fi News & Record Review

decca classics 1 sussex place london W6 9XS

Dear Sir, Have you t should s so-call produ -

The real eoblem of ompression is lot that it has seen done, but :hat ompression )y the BBC .annot be •estored by the istener'

leave of your senses? he levels of id' in your romo

COMPRESSION DEPRESSION... Dear Sir, Again on the subject of compression, I think the best example at present would be broadcasts perpetrated by Classic FM, or as one of your readers rather cleverly put it 'a sampler CD with adverts'. Here, compression is painfully obvious, particularly on non-concert programmes such as Classic Verdict and Saturday morning's awful Classic CD chart rundown (personal opinion, of course) which would benefit from severe time compression! I believe the idea of compression is

to make the broadcasts more listenable to owners of car radios and to people listening on transistor portables. Well, I participate in this type of listening in addition to that on decent high fidelity equipment, but I would still prefer the sound to be unprocessed. Why don't the radio stations give the listeners what they want instead of what they think they should have? Nick Hickson, Bromley, Kent

... AND CONSTRUCTING A SOLUTION Dear Sir, The issue of compression seems to have returned to haunt dedicated radio listeners. The real problem of compression is not that it has been done, but that compression by the BBC cannot be restored by the listener: after all, we happily listen to Dolby-B compression and also heavily companded hi-fi stereo from video tape.

The solution is surely for Radio Three and Capital FM to decide together on a compression standard which they can publish jointly, and those of us who want to listen 'properly' can decompress, or not if we choose. Like many good ideas, I can imagine the BBC excusing inaction by referring to standards organisations, but there is surely no agreed standard for the compression itself, so why should they not publish it and let us choose? HFNIRR hasn't had a

construction project for some time: why not use your contacts iii the BBC, get details of the compression used and publish a decompression circuit design? We'd all be grateful. And if Classic FM could be persuaded to use the same process, perhaps they wouldn't have to run all the music so hard up against the limiters . . . ME Le Voi, Eaglestone, Bucks

LOWERING THE LEVEL Dear Sir, So the almighty BBC uses the same modulation levels for announcements between musical pieces as for the music itself? (Or so says John Crabbe's November'92 'Sidelines'.) Shame — before I could be accepted to the staff of my first radio station, I had to learn to lower the meter level for announcements in music shows, reserving full modulation for the music itself and for all-speech programmes. We followed this practice for both FM and AM too.

Yet our station, WYBC, was staffed by college undergraduates, not trained professionals. Ivan Berger, Technical Editor, Audio, New York

EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES? Dear Sir, A succession of breakdowns and the recent difficulty of buying vinyl LPs has led me to replace my entire ageing hi-fi equipment in slow stages — each new step being assessed with the surviving and replacement items still in place.

In order of change, I found that replacement of my elderly Leak 2000 tuner/amp with an Audiolab 8000A amplifier and Quad FM4 tuner gave a clearly audible improvement. However, replacement of the 1974-vintage Philips GA212 turntable (with Philips cartridge) by a Thorens 320 MkII turntable and Goldring cartridge had little audible effect. Introduction of an Arcam Alpha CD player showed no real benefit over the new turntable, excepting the expected lack of surface noise. The real ear-opener was the last

step, replacement of ten-year old KEF Concorde HI loudspeakers with either KEF Q60s or Arcam Delta Ifs.

views There was a substantial improvement in sound quality and transparency. I suggest that my experience

makes a nonsense of the oft-stated view that the source is more important than the speakers. I would further enquire why it is that the reviewers test loudspeakers 'blind', but not turntables. Could it be that reputations could too easily be lost? RM Brown, Wolcingham, Berks

MICROPHONE CHAIN... Dear Sir, It was most interesting to see the recent reports in your pages of Sony's 20-bit recording and mastering with the promise of better sound from such recordings via the basic 16-bit CD system. As it is the microphones in use at the very start of the chain that make the greatest difference, listeners are unlikely to notice any 'improvement'!

But then, the companies cannot play the numbers game with microphones — unless, of course, they use too many, and this makes matters worse anyway. MG Skeet, Furzton, Bucks

... OF EVENTS Dear Sir, It seems to me that current microphone techniques for classical music tend to inpair the brain's ability to integrate spatial information. Why is this so? No spatial information is encapsulated monotonically. The result in reviews of loudspeakers seems to be that perceived spatial horizons and height information are unrelated to the original event. The effect of listening in echoic

conditions as distinct from anechoic conditions means the imposition of the listener's room on the listener's experience, given that the recording room is an integral part of any musical experience. Perhaps we should go back to fundamentals and stop strutting about, and allow the listener to take a full part in the performance. Edward Nune. Gloucester

MORE MISSING PRICES Dear Sir, Hi-fi enthusiasts no doubt read hi-fi magazines for many reasons, but most find the reviews an essential element. Sometimes we can only drool over the expensive goodies paraded before us, but at other times we may seriously consider smashing the piggy-bank to buy something particularly inviting. It follows that every review should, if nothing else, say what the product costs, so that we can decide whether piggy must die in the interests of greater fidelity. Unfortunately, your reviewers are becoming rather lax about this. The March issue was a particularly

good/bad example. Three fascinating

II-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 7

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views 'I am left with the depressing feeling that your reviewers no longer believe that anyone is actually buying the kit, and that the review has thus become an art-form in its own right...'

pages on the Lexicon CP-3 from Peter Comeau; it is clearly expensive, but what does it cost? Even if no UK price has yet been fixed, surely we could be given some idea? Writing about the Sony D303 Discman, Martin Colloms (whom God preserve, but who should know better) says that 'it is rather expensive' — could we please be told just how expensive? Perhaps worst of all, Chris Beeching's review of three Sennheiser headphones is built around the point that they are 'at three different price levels' — but what prices? I am left with the depressing

feeling that your reviewers no longer believe that anyone is actually buying the kit, and that the review has thus become an art-form in its own right rather than something of practical use to the average punter. Contrast this with the burgeoning computer magazines, which always give prices. Do please ask your sub-editors (assuming you can still afford any) to check the reviewer's copy and make sure there is a price along with the basic data. A box in the margin, as with your Home Theatre review of four TVs, would be appropriate — such a pity you only gave the price of two of the four. . John Morrison, London N3

We apologise for the absence of price information in the March issue. The missing prices were: Lexicon CP-3, £5000; Ferguson C76W, £1500; Grundig ST70 660, £770; Sennheiser HD44011, £24.95; Sennheiser HD480 Classic II, £64.95; Sennheiser HD.560 II £124.95. The Sony D303 is, as another correspondent noted, officially discontinued, but may still be found at around £280 — Ed.

SELF-INDULGENT REVIEWERS Dear Sir, I am writing about a new style of review which is becoming more prevalent, and whose purpose seems to have more to do with the self-indulgence of the reviewer than with providing useful information. What I am referring to is well

illustrated by a comparison between Trevor Butler's review of tuners and Peter Comeau's article on amplifiers [HFNIRR, February]. Trevor Butler describes clearly the

various aspects of the sound of the tuners. For example, the Nakamichi had 'good bass and treble extension . . . string tones were sharp and brass notes powerful . . the sound tended towards the cold . . . voice avoided becoming plummy, chesty . . . or sibilant'.

After reading those reviews you have a fair idea of how the tuners sounded and how one compared with another. Of course I wouldn't buy

something wholly on the basis of a review, but the information Trevor Butler provides enables a potential purchaser to decide which tuners may be worth listening to, and which probably are not. People who do not happen to work for hi-fi magazines cannot very easily find opportunities for comparative listening, and a particular dealer may not stock all the models one might wish to compare, so a detailed review helps one to decide where to start.

For a complete contrast, look at Peter Comeau's comments on the sound quality of the John Shearne Phase 2 amplifier. About the only thing that is clear is that he liked it. 'More and more musical aroma begins to flood out . . . makes the walls of your living room disappear . . . I've read reviews which suggested that the equipment disappeared, but this is the first amplifier to attempt to demolish the house: 'An explosive dynamic range, enhancing every fortissimo with boundless enthusiasm and delving deep into the low frequency spectrum to really get speaker cones moving . . . '. Rather an anti-climax in that last bit, I think; praising an amplifier on the grounds of an ability to 'get speaker cones moving' is about as relevant as relying solely on technical measurements.

'Bags of fruity character' was another of Peter Comeau's comments on this amplifier, and it fits his review as well. But to be useful and informative, and to make the magazine worth buying, I want a self-disciplined reviewer who concentrates on the equipment and who . . . 'disappears' would be the right word here. The Comeau style has far too much coloration. AJ Williams, Prince's Risborough

JAZZ IS BACK Dear Sir, Your Rock/Pop/Jazz section has not yielded one jazz review in four months. Has Ken Kessler kidnapped Ken Hyder and Denis Argent and decided to review his own collection, or have you perhaps merged with TeeriBeat? Jeff Burns, Johannesburg

You are quite right! I thought I was the only person who wanted jazz in the magazine, but readers have proved me wrong. So we're redressing the balance as from this month, which really does offer 'Rock/Pop/Jazz' — Ed.

GREEDY CD Dear Sir, I am grateful to Mr K Mildenhall for sharing his knowledge of the record business in order to persuade us that current CD prices are entirely reasonable. So the £5 premium on the price of an LP or

MC is due to session costs, engineering expenses and the production of packaging. Well, gosh! So these expenses were not incurred in the days before CD, I suppose?

Pull the other one, sir, and then answer a simple question: when CD production costs are apparently similar to those of the other carriers, why is their cost so much more? Maybe someone should offer a prize for the first satisfactory answer to be received which does not include the word 'greed'. D Edwards, Keighley, W Yorks

CLASSIC CHAIRS Dear Sir, I was interested to see Christopher Breunig's reference to the various classic chairs which might be associated with EMI's Armchair Concerts [HFNIRR, Dec '92]. I have a Breuer, a Le Corbusier, and a Rietveld chair in my listening room, and they each have separate functions: the Rietveld is extremely comfortable to sit on to choose discs from the cabinet, and to adjust the controls of the equipment; the Breuer is in front of the piano, or the harpsichord, for playing over music live; but the Le Corbusier beats them all for relaxing in, in order to listen to the music. John Anstey, London EC1

BRANDENBURG'S BRANDENBURG'S Dear Sir, Please may we make a small correction? Robert Dearling states in his March review that the Brandenburg Consort recording of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos is an 'inseparable set'. Not so! As well as the boxed set, these Hyperion CDs may be purchased separately on CDA 66611 ( 1-3) and 66612 (4-6). Celia Ballantyne, Hyperion Records, London

ECHOES FROM ESSEX Dear Sir, I thank Mr Mourjopoulos for his comment on my recent letter referring to the application of DSP to loudspeaker frequency response correction as used in the Essex Electronic Consultants' equalirer system; I am familiar with his work.

It is correct to state that broadband eqnnliration can be achieved using a finite impulse response filter (FIR) provided sufficient filter taps are used. Once the inverse correction filter impulse response is calculated, and following an appropriate window function to perform truncation, the infinite response can be represented as a finite impulse response. Broadly speaking, the length of the impulse response required is related to the inverse of the lowest frequency fi to be equalized, where if the sampling rate is f, (44.1kHz for CD), then the number of coefficients N required is

HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 111113 9

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views

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shorten letters for publication,

which should be addressed to the Editor and must contain no other

material or enquiries. Letters

seeking advice will be answered,

resources permitting, at our discretion,

but we regret that we are unable to answer questions

on buying specific items of hi-fi. We cannot answer queries

over the telephone.

very approximately given by: N = 2 INT (VI)

That is for fi = 100Hz and f. = 44.1kHz then N = 882. This shows that to extend the low frequency response, and to reduce the effect of low frequency ripple due to windowing, many hundred coefficients are required, often requiring the use of multiple processors. However, when the problem is examined in more depth it is evident that for many high quality loudspeakers most of the linear distortion in the impulse response resides within the first few milliseconds; the extended response tail is only an artefact of the low frequency alignment which generally is amenable to simple modelling such as a second-order, high-pass filter for a closed box system. Also in attempting equalization we should decide which dips and ripples in the loudspeaker's response should be corrected. It is almost meaningless to correct for errors that undergo significant change when the listening angle is altered by a few degrees. The method we use to tackle this

problem is to form a spatial average over a finite listening aperture. This has the advantage of smoothing the frequency response and, when the inefficiencies of attempting low-frequency equalization using an FIR structure are considered, it becomes more expedient to perform the equalization using a restricted coefficient set within an infinite impulse response filter that naturally extends the impulse response to the required target. As a bonus, we find that within our filter optimization routine, the number of coefficients yield excellent control over the degree of detail in the frequency response that is highlighted for equalization, thus there is a near-deterministic trade-off between filter length and correction resolution that extends across the whole frequency band. In effect, limiting the number of coefficients applies a smoothing function in the frequency domain. This research undertaken by Dr Richard Greenfield while a postgraduate student in the Audio Research Group at Essex, has shown that a more modest FIR-11R structure can achieve a level of correction that is more than adequate for most loudspeakers, and can readily include compensation for the all-pass phase response of typical crossover networks, thus focusing the response to a near ideal impulse. The filter may have less than 100 coefficients but the resulting response can extend for many hundreds of samples to meet the requirements of broadband equalization. This in turn allows the

use of low cost DSP devices without resorting to specialist circuitry, though I acknowledge that this is a fruitful area for development. At Essex, we believe an audio

system should be no more complicated than is necessary to achieve the appropriate level of objective performance and that this philosophy applies to both analogue and digital signal processing. We remain unconvinced that processors with many DSP devices are warranted for loudspeaker correction and since such systems are expensive, they will not find a wide application in domestic installations. Multi-processor systems do of course offer an opportunity for room equalization; however, I must again offer words of caution here: active correction can only be applied at low frequency, say below 150Hz, as it is wavelength dependent, possibly requiring a surround sound approach with multiple correction loudspeakers, because of the directional characteristics of the interfering soundfields. Systems proclaiming broadband correction with only two loudspeakers are attempting the near impossible and I predict they are unlikely to find wide favour in audiophile systems. However, correction using DSP applied intelligently to the loudspeaker is a different matter that can be extremely effective at fine-tuning the performance of a quality system. In contrast to the 1980s, I now believe the market will sustain a substantial expansion in this area, whereas a few years ago other components such as ADCs and DACs were in need of far greater development! I am pleased that Steve Harris, in his review of the Essex processor in February, suggests that audiophiles should consider experimenting with loudspeaker equalization. May I suggest that anyone seeking further information on this subject contact Mr Bill Huston at Essex Electronics Consultants, tel: (0206) 872925.

Asstiming you already own a quality audio system, then to optimize and harmonise your listening environment it is better to spend only a few hundred pounds on additional loudspeaker correction together with a few thousand on curtains, carpets and acoustic treatment. In my own system this expedient has been most satisfying acoustically and my wife is happier both with the decor and more appreciative of the sound quality, and believe me, after a lifetime of designing audio systems, this has to be the neatest trick of all! Malcolm Hawksford, University of Essex

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111-F1 NEWS RECORD REVIEW MAY 1983 11

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news PIGffAL AUDIO ;ROADCASTS BY '95 3st of Europe should have a terres-al digital audio broadcasting service 1995 following finalisation of sped-ations developed under the Eureka oject. These have been passed to the wopean Telecommunication Standard stitute for international ratification. arge-scale DAB field trials are now anned for the UK, Germany and rance after doubts were expressed >out the 1.5GHz allocation favoured i the French. The BBC's engineering depart-ent confirmed that widespread tests ere being considered, using a fairly .gh-power transmitter in an attempt cover the entire London area. All BC radio networks would be radi-ed to see what happens. If the :sults are encouraging, transmission ould continue. Most European broadcasters have ow ruled out a satellite DAB service ue to the lack of available spectrum, ith each country accommodating le service where it has vacant fre-uencies. In the UK this will mean reas around 220MHz and 60MHz. Because of the frequency spread,

arly receivers will have to cover a ange of 50-250MHz and incorporate converter to cater for 1.5GHz

ransmissions. The Institution of Electrical

àagineers recently held a one-day eminar in London entitled Terrest-ial DAB: where is it going? Speakers acluded engineers from European Jroadcasters including the BBC, EDF and Bayerischer Rundfunk. Papers presented were wide-

anging and addressed the issues of ntroducing a new DAB terrestrial ervice, including spectrum require-nents and planning problems. The •ecent developments within the rarious European programmes were •eported and there was discussion on he commercial and economic issues. G Stroll from IRT discussed the

mailability of high quality audio with ow bit-rates, while his colleagues :oncentrated on combined channel :oding and concealment. A spokes-nan from hardware manufacturer Kobert Bosch outlined the provision if features and implementation aspects of DAB receivers.

Sansui winner Winner of our February Sansui audio/

visual competition is John Flood-Paddock from Brighton. He identified the correct answers as 1.c; 2.d, and will be receiving the integrated home theatre package of a Sansui AV7000 amplifier and four SBX1111(

loudspeakers. Our congratulations to Mr Flood-Paddock and thank you to all

who took part.

Sony uses Super Bit

Mapping in its effort to

improve 16-bit CDs

SONY PS TURE

True 'no diffraction' speaker Dimensional Research Labs' A2A is being heralded as the first dynamic loudspeaker with a true diffractionless baffle. The Californian company has produced a push-pull radiation pattern that cancels odd-order harmonic distortion products, and a tuned labyrinth bass enclosure with non-parallel walls to produce 20Hz in-room. Tel: 010-1 714 875 3674.

idOri

1411COr'Ci

Robert McDonald *Pane

Kreisler Paganini

&We. Tehailrovsky Sarasate

While it is commonplace to find 20-bit recOrding equipment used in modern studios, only 16-bits can be accommodated on the current CD format. Record companies are at odds over the best way to achieve this data reduction, which will continue to be necessary unless a higher resolution blue-laser CD is introduced some time in the future. One of the major labels, Sony Clas-sical, says it will now be pressing ahead with the full introduction of its Super Bit Mapping technique. Although SBM had been used unpublicised on Sony's new releases for several months, the company 'wanted to judge critics' opinions' before publicly announcing that it was using SBM to re-master its vast back catalogue, including titles already issued on CD.

Bit-reduction from 20- to 16-bit results in re-quantization noise. To deal with this, Sony uses noise shap-ing, a technique originally developed to improve the sonic performance of oversampling D/A converters, to redistribute the noise energy within the audio spectrum (in accordance with a hearing — sensitivity curve) to minimize its audibility.

Sony's SBM K-1203 processor (pictured) offers a 20-hit through mode or 20-bit to 16-bit reduction using Super Bit Mapping. It is the work of an engineering team based in Tokyo and led by Tetsuo Baba.

At a pan-European press confer-ence to launch SBM, Sony Classical executives said they would have liked to increase the bit-rate of the CD format but were wary of introducing another digital system. So Sony engineers were instructed to develop a method of enhancing the 16-bit specification, to ensure that compact discs remains the reference standard music format.

Deutsche Grammophon, part of the huge Philips-owned PolyGram

group, has developed its own '4D' recording system. This currently uses two 18-bit Crystal converters in a patented Yamaha package (with

custom software) to achieve 21-bit resolution in the studio; but plans are in hand for a 16-track 24-bit record-ing system in the future. DG's recording chief Klaus

Hiemann told a London press gather-ing that he would prefer to see a higher bit-rate with the advantage of better resolution, rather than increased playing time, when the shorter-wavelength blue-laser CD is introduced. He further pointed out that the DCC format could handle 24-bit resolution. Mr Hiemann said that 4D recre-

ated the audio chain by using a stagebox with A/D converters to transfer the microphone signals to digits, while Yamaha 1.30G digital consoles operating custom software were used for mixing. Distortion rather than signal-to-noise was the over-riding factor', he said, pointing out that D/A conversion takes place only in the listener's hi-fi.

Tetsuo Baba (above) with the SBM equipment which will enhance music from Sony artists

1•41 NEWS 1. RECORD REV« MAY 1993 13

DENON ADDS RDS AT ENTRY LEVEL The latest Denon tuner incorporates the user-friendly attributes offered by the

Radio Data System. The £200 TU580 benefits from the experience the

company gained with its in-car RDS receivers, and follows close collaboration

with the BBC to ensure the more useful features of RDS are offered. A large,

variable brightness, fluorescent display dominates the front panel and gives

station name, programme type and clock time data. Features of the MF/FM

design include 30 pre-sets, variable FM IF bandwidth, RF attenuator and

auto-scan operating under full remote. The synthesised circuit uses four

varactor diodes and three Mosfets in the front-end. Tel: (0753) 888447.

• Denon's UK distributor, Hayden Laboratories has, by mutual consent,

terminated its agreement to handle Monitor Audio speakers. Monitor will sell

product direct and all enquiries should be made to tel (0223) 242898.

ATC FLOOR-STANDER: SCM 20 TOWER ATC Loudspeaker Technology has improved its SCPA20 monitor, first introduced ir April 1990, and has produced a floor-standing derivative with bi-wiring, aimed at hi-fi users. A revised version of the SCM20, which has found favour in recording and broadcast applications world-wide, will be launched later this year. Billy Woodman has redesigned the mid/bass drive unit while the cros-sover network now includes fourth-order acoustic filters to give an improved phase characteristic over odd-order types. The tweeter is a 34nun sofi-dome sourced from Vila. The new stand-mounted SCM20 will cost £ 1461, while the 'tower' version SCM20 T, will be £1999 in standard black and walnut finishes, or £2498 in rosewood.

The company says that while the sensitivity is no greater than conven-

tional speakers of this size, it has achieved some 6-8dB more dynamic range through the use of a massive 9.9kg magnet and a 75rnm voice coil. Further information from ATC, tel: (0285) 760561.

High-end update Distributor Audiofreaks has announced availability of new Conrad Johnson products. Premier 11, 70W/ch stereo valve power amp based on the flagship Premier 8, is £3500. The line-only Premier 10 is £3900 while the Evolution 20 is available in special edition form for £6700. Models in O's Motif range have been subject to a price reduction: the MS1001 is now £3000 and the MS2001 £4000. The Kuzma Stabi Reference turntable is now selling for £3000 while the Wheaton Triplanar 3 tonearin has been given new Cardas wiring. Details from Audiofreaks, tel: 081-948 4153.

Scratch I " n win TDK tape purchasers stand to win cash prizes up to £1000 this spring. Over one million promotional packs contain a scratchcard giving a 1-in-10 chance of winning.

JVC HEDGES BETS OVER FORMATS Matsushita's subsidiary JVC is pro-ducing products for DCC and MiniDisc machines despite its parent's co-development activities with Philips over DCC. JVC, which pioneered early stationary-head digital recording before producing rotary-head DAT machines, sees the two new digital formats as satisfying different markets. JVC president Takuro Bojo sees DCC as a Western-style product, largely because of its compatibility with existing cassettes, while Sony's more compact MiniDisc is seen as a Japanese type of product with no compatibility. He believes there is a need to foster a new market and is determined to develop all types of new products. JVC plans an MD

recorder initially, followed by a play-back-only unit and a portable, poss-ibly by the autumn.

B&W budget market

One of the country's largest loud-

speaker producers is to attack the

budget sector in over 50 countries

with four new models. B&W has

added the 2000 series spanning the

£120 to £250 price range. A strik-

ing Pentagram design has been

adopted to unify the range in a

clean, modern style, but not just

for effect the company is quick to

point out. The grooved and radiused reinforced polypropylene

baffles have been designed for anti-diffraction and to stiffen the

cabinet. The 25mm and 30nem

tweeters used across the range are

derived from B&W's famous

metal dome design using fluid

cooling, while the bass drivers are

all new and feature acrylic

damped fibre cones with low hys-

teresis rubber surrounds. B&W

UK Sales, tel: (0903) 750750.

14 Me NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

news MUSIC SAMPLING CASE SETTLED Judgment has been given against indie record label Shut Up And Dance in the first UK case of its kind involving

copyright sampled music. The Mechanical Copyright Protec-tion Society reactivated the proceed-ings which had commenced in September 1992 on behalf of a num-ber of copyright owners after failing to reach an out of court settlement with the label. MCPS says the outcome represents

a victory for copyright owners whose

works were illegally included in SUAD recordings. Peter Dadswell, secretary of the Music Publishers' Association, expressed delight at the outcome, which he said was long overdue: 'It is generally not the intention of copyright owners to pre-vent the use of their work in sampled recordings, but they do have the right to a choice and to be paid royalties for the use of their work.' The court ordered a perpetual

injunction against the record com-pany manufacturing and distributing copies of musical works embodying samples. Damages and legal costs were awarded to the copyright own-ers. No one was available for com-ment at Shut Up and Dance's north London headquarters.

Baby talk British Technology Group and a WC subsidiary have launched Baby Soother CD and tape, the result of British innovator Roger Wannell, who wanted to pacify his new-born baby, a persistent

crier. He discovered a series of rhythmic sounds which sent his son to sleep and the idea is now being offered commercially. Experts describe the Baby Soother as having sound patterns resembling the mother's womb and the human voice.

NEW THETA RANGE AIMS HIGH At least one American hi-fi manufacturer is aiming to restore the country's

p ace at the forefront of electronic design. Theta Digital does not believe that

the glory days are over and that it should simply bow to the Far East: the

c3rnpany has been working on a range of high-value products designed and

manufactured in the US. It says it is determined to combine excellent

production engineering, advanced assembly and test techniques, and true mass

production to compete with the Japanese majors. The first in a planned new

range is a D/A converter. The Cobalt 307 DAC is priced at $599 in the States

and available through UK distributor Absolute Sounds for £ 00. Theta's CEO

Mike Moffat believes it may be compared with multi-thousand dollar models,

without qualifications. Design was from the ground up and uses the Crystal

i iput receiver for low jitter and a digital filter with 45-bit accumulator, while the

[)AC is the K-grade Burr-Brown PCM6. Theta, tel: 010-1818 597 9195.

AMSTRAD is back in the black, announcing a half-year taxable profit of £5 .6m compared with losses of £11.98m last time. Sales were boosted by the company's return to the audio market. APRS and Record Producers

Guild have published The Master Tape Book by music industry experts Alan Parsons, Bill Foster and Chris Hollebone for £15. It covers studio practice, tape formats, machines and copying, and the role of the producer. Tel: (0734) 756218. BURR-BROWN has a new high-speed op-amp for current or voltage feedback modes. The OPA622 is designed for use in HDTV and broadcast equipment with its 200MHz large signal bandwidth at 5Vp-p output swing. Burr-Brown, tel: (0923)233837. CANON Inc has named Hajime Mitarai as its new president. A farmer senior MD, he will succeed Keizo

11141 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW

BRIEFING

Yamaji, who will become vice chairman. CARVER Corp has acquired the assets of New jersey-based US Sound, a maker and installer of high-intelligibility speaker systems. DESIGN Council's British Design Awards have attracted three loudspeaker entries in the consumer products category. Judging will be completed by May. DYNAUDIO's UK distributor AuTek has been forced to increase prices due to currency fluctuations. Tel: 081-770 9553. ESPRIT, the European Strategic Programme for Information Technology will give a £330 million boost to internationally collaborative research and development likely to influence the 21st century. Tel DTI on: 071-215 1378. HHB has an all-new range of pro user DAT tapes with a minimum archive life of 15 years. Tape durations span 15 through 122 minutes.

MAY 1993

HI-Fl CORNER, the Scottish hi-fi chain, is co-sponsoring Int Bru Pop Video, an audio/visual experience outlining the history of the pop video. Open until 6 June from noon to 6pm, it is located in Midland Street, Glasgow. Tel: 041-221 810; for details. MANGO of Hastings has developed a range of cylindrical omnidirectional speakers including hi-fi models. Tel: (0424) 428020. MASTERKIT from Big Life Music uses CD-ROM technology to create a drum trigger system that sounds and plays like a real drum kit. Tel: 071-636 3456.

MORDAUKT SHORT has announced the departure of speaker designer Robin Marshall (who founded Epos before a TGi buy-out) and administrator Jacky Stevens after many years loyal service. The moves follow the appointment of Steve Harris from Tannoy as MD late last year. A new design team will be created. NAD Marketing is to lose the services of managing director Alan Shearn who is to create a management consultancy in semi-retirement. NEAR, New England Audio Resource of Maine, is setting-up distribution of its home, outdoor and mobile speakers in England. Tel: 010-1 207 353 7303. NIMBUS has produced another rival to CD-I with its full-motion video and FM quality digital audio from a standard CD player previewed at Midem '93 in Cannes. PRESENCE Audio, distributor of Decca, Glane, Spica and ZYP, is

considering opening a retail audio, video shop in the Sussex area. Anyone interested in co-operating is asked to contract Brian Smith, tel: (0444)46/6/ /. WC Victor Company 91 Japan is closing a German videocasette manufacturing plant to stem mienting losses The radical move may see other Japanese majors retrench from overseas operations. SONY of America president, Ron Sommer, has moved to head operations at Sony Europe, which represents 28.3% of Sony's sales. The move makes a merger of Sony's US electronics and entertainment operations more likely. TECHNICS has a new number at its Bracknell base for consumer enquiries, tel: (0344) 853943 WOLATON Audio is now distributing the XL0 Signature range of cables and interconnects launched at CES in Las Vegas. Tel: (0602)284147.

15

Chord Electronics Ltd 3 Bower Mount Road, Maidstone ME16 8AX Tel: 0622 764874/692000 Fax: 0622 764506

MUSIC MATTERS 10- À1 THE AUDIO SPECIALISTS

for the most exciting range of equipment available in the Midlands which includes

AIWA ALCHEMIST ALPHASON APOLLO ARCAM AUDIOLAB AUDIOQUEST AUDIO INNOVATIONS AUDIO-TECHNICA AURA WSW DRYER CANON CELESTION CHORD CYRUS DELTEC DENON DUAL EPOS EXPOSURE HARMAN KARDON HEYBROOK IMPULSE INFINITY REF LUXMAN MARANTZ MERIDIAN MICHELL MICROMEGA MISSION MORDAUNT-SHORT MICHAELSON AUDIO MONITOR AUDIO MONSTER MUSICAL FIDELITY NAKAMICHI PANASONIC PINK TRIANGLE PRO-AC REVOLVER REVOX ROGERS ROKSAN ROTEL ROYD RUARK SANSUI SENNHEISER SHURE SME STRAITINIRE SYSTEMDEK TARGET TECHNICS THORENS WHARFEDALE YAMAHA etc

351 HAGLEY ROAD, EDGBASTON, BIRMINGHAM BV 8DL Tel: 021.429 2811

156/7, LOWER HIGH STREET, STOURBRIDGE, WEST MIDLANDS DY8 1TS Tel: 0384-4441M

OPENING TIMES: Tues-Thurs 1030-6.00 Friday 10 30 8 00 Saturday 10 30.5.00 Demonstration by Appointment

BRENTWOOD MUSIC CENTRE

SIMPLY THE BEST HI-FI THE BEST ADVICE • THE BEST CHOICE

CHORD SIMPLY THE FINEST RANGE OF BRITISH POWER AMPLIFIERS

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TEL: ( 0277) 221210

Audiophile June 91 SPM1200 "This power amplifier will startle with its powers of resolution and dynamics"

Audio Reflections The Northern A Itemaure DISCOVER ACCURACY IN HIGH FIDELITY

On permanent demonstration exclusively in Yorkshire and the North East of England—ATC: SCM10. SCM20, SCM50A and SCM100A, ATC, AV International. Castle, Chester Winchester. Concordant, Chord SPM Power Amplifiers, Equinox, Harbeth Acoustics, JPW. Kelvin Labs, Marantz, Mehef I Gyrodec, Michell ' ISO', the new Michell Argo Preamp, Mehl, Music Link, Odeon premier range, Jeff Rowland. Rotel, SME. Sumo, Slate Audio, Sony. Sugden. Target, Townsend Demonstrations by arrangement in LEEDS. or in your own home without obligation For further details contact JOHN BL KIEV. Phone/Fax Leeds (0532)

528850 (evening calls welcome) Part Exchange and Second Hand Equipment available

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Hi-fi News & Record Review June 92 SPM120 "These arc serious audiophile power amplifiers"

"It is good to see such high-quality, high-end products from a UK specialist"

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Open Tuesday — Saturday 9.30-6.00 p.m.

(Closed Monday)

Gramophone February 93 SPM800 "This Chord is a cracker excellently constructed and beautifully finished"

London Hi-Fi

Services

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Call Colin Howard on

071 263 1015

Evening and weekend calls

welcome

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ALL ON PERMANENT

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EST 1981

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listen to musk presented by

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Just Id the High Street, Bloxwich, %Valsall, West Midlands. (Ample free parking)

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Audiophile September 92 SPM800 "You are aware of a tremendous authority and stature in the sound"

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DOUG AT HEAD OFFICE: KINGSWAY STUDIOS KINGSWAY NORTH WARRINGTON, CHESHIRE (0925) 828009 Fax; 10925) 825773 Open 6 days

16

Hi-fi World March 93 SPM1200 "This Chord is one of the best power amplifiers around" RI-FINE» Ai RECORD IIEVIBV MAY 1993

'HILIPS PLUNGES NTO THE RED utch electronics and hi-fi group Phi-ps has reported a financial loss and

lans to cut its workforce by ten to 15 iousand to help it return to profit.

. will be the second phase of stream-fling since Jan Timmer assumed the residency in mid-1990 and launched peration Centurion. Philips, :urope's largest consumer electro-ics company, said the slump in emand for its products throughout :urope was unprecedented. umouncing a net loss of f11.2billion E337m) for 1992, Philips could see o sign of an improvement in the :uropean economy. The planned job cuts are part of

he company's restructuring plan fter its payroll rose to 252,000 11,000 in the UK) at the end of 1992 gainst 240,000 in 1991. Philips, vhich had a f1878m profit in 1991, ook a fl1.2b restructuring charge in 992. The charge is for reshaping 'hilips' consumer electronics and omponents businesses, and for its ;erman associate Grundig, in which t has a 31.6% stake. PolyGram, the music company

10% owned by Philips, reported a lealthier financial position with net ncome up 13% in 1992 to fl506m. A Irong US performance offset a lownturn in most of Europe and in fapan and Brazil, and gave the corn-)any its eighth consecutive year of ;rowth with CD sales rising by 13% n volume terms. In contrast, sales of nusic on cassette dropped by 110/., with vinyl in decline by 60%.

No-cable Sennheiser Sennheiser recently unveiled its wire-fess infra-red IS490 headphone system at £170. A development of its multi-shannel IR conferencing facility, this hi-fi product includes the S180 stereo transmitter which is connected iirectly to the headphone socket of an amplifier or CD player, and the HDI 190 open-air headphones, a derivative of the popular 400 Series audiophile :ans. Separate volume controls are offered for left and right channels, together with an on/off switch. A rechargeable battery pack is housed in the headset, while a second port on the transmitter permits two cell packs to be used. Sennheiser UK, tel: (0628) 850811.

AES digital meeting The UK section of the Audio Engineering Society is holding a wide ranging Digital Audio Interchange conference at Imperial College, London on 18 and 19 May. It will focus on digital audio communication techniques and address the growing topic of multi-media services. The role of audio storage on physical media will also be examined. The chairman for the two days of presentations and discussion will be Tim Shelton. Details and bookings from the AES Secretariat, tel: (0628) 663725.

Spendor awarded Speaker company Spendor, recently acquired by Soundtracs plc, has been honoured in Japan. The SlOOP three-way monitor was bestowed with the coveted 'Component of the Year' award for 1992.

MARBLE FROM SLATE Slate Audio is using marble to revive interest in old turntables. Its £349 plinth

has been optimised for use with the Garrard 401 which generally does not work

successfully in wood or medite bases as these are often prone to rumble and

feed-back. Nicknamed the Green Monster, the solid marble plinth has been

produced after more than 20 years experience of the 401 deck. The platform is

intended for use with 9in arms and comes with detachable arm mounts to

facilitate fitting. Details from Peter Soper, tel: (0525) 384174.

Cables from Quad (bad is to introduce a range of dedicated loudspeaker cables. Two types will be

available and are described as a response to the great cable debate which has been raging within the audio industry. Quad

believes its approach will allow its customers peace of mind, confident that

Quad cables will carry the signals measurably free from disturbing

disto-tions: It is this confidence in the sensible application of engineering

principles which has been ard continues to be part of Quad's design philosophy.'

Tie two cables are a rund profile option ( at £5.80/metre) carrying 4.0mm2

con luctors and a flat profile bearing 2.5mm2 selling for £3.50/metre. The

round shape will be available in a choice of colours to match or contrast with a

user's decor.

CDs `too much' Music retailer WH Smith, which operates the Our Price chain as well as its own 'Sounds' departments, has told the government that CDs are too expensive. The company submitted a report to the Commons select commit-tee, chaired by Gerald Kaufmann, which is looking at the pricing struc-ture of CDs in the UK. WH Smith said it was working with its suppliers in an attempt to try to reduce the typical price of a CD from £12.99 to under £11. The move comes after criticism from consumer watchdogs over CD charges here compared with typical prices in America.

EVENTS

17-18 APRIL: Chesterfield Hi-Fi Show. Tel: Wentworth Audio (0709 ) 873667. Note: date change.

23-25 APRIL: 4th Midi and Electronic Music Show, Wembley Conference Centre. Tel: 081-549 3444. 30 APRIL-3 MAY: 3rd Video Show,

()lympia. Now cancelled. 16 MAY: second National Vintage Communications Fair, Birmmgham NEC. Open 10.30am-5pm. Tel: (0398)331532. 31 MAY-5 JUNE: St Petersburg Hi-Fi

Show. Contact Lenexpo, fax: 010-812 II 22 348. 1-5 JUNE: SIAM '93, Seoul Ina Audio Show, Korea. Tel: 010-82 2

551 0114. 19-20 JUNE: East of England Hi-Fi Show, Swallow Hotel, Peterborough. Open 10am-7pm. Admission £3. Tel: (0775)722757. 25-27 JULY: British Music Fair, Olympia 2. Tel: (0442)215435. 27 AUGUST-5 SEPTEMBER: International Funkausstellung, ¡CC Berlin. Contact: 010-49 30 3038-0. 4-5 SEPTEMBER: In Car '93, Wembley Exhibition Centre. Tel: Angex on: (0895)677677. 9-12 SEPTEMBER: The Hi-Fi Show, sponsored by HFN/IIR, Heathrow Penta Hotel. 9-10 Sept, trade only.

Contact: 081-686 2599 ext 457.

17

-93-

HI-FI '93, BRISTOL SHOW REPORT The south-west's annual hi-fi

event made a welcome return in

mid February after a year's abs-

ence while the hotel venue was

being refurbished. A £12 million

programme has resulted in

extended conference facilities in a

former cinema next to the

renamed Bristol Marriott.

.1 he event, organised by three dealer groups (Audio Excell-ence, Audio T and Radford Hi-Fi) was not as busy as in pre-vious years but, considering that most visitors paid a £3 admis-sion charge, the turnout of West Country audiophiles was high.

Actor/comedian Gary Wilmot took time out from his Bristol Hippodrome appearance to open the Show. He was on the look-out for a new system he said, as every one he buys is subsequently stolen! He was 'just interested in good sound' to listen to music and his collec-tion of comedy tapes including Round the Horne.

Audio/Visual was popular at the Show, with many companies including Pioneer, JPW, Denon, Acoustic Research and

KEF giving their rooms over to Home Theatre presentations using LaserDisc and Dolby Pro-Logic sourced material. Celes-tion majored on its recent distri-bution arrangement with Lex-icon, while Yamaha stuck to its traditional DSP guns. Revox used the occasion to demon-strate its new Evolution desig-ner hi-fi package. Priced at £2249, this is also available with panel loudspeakers, sourced from Sequence and suitably badged for Revox [HFNIRR Jan '93]. The black finish costs £222, while a fawn cloth option is £244. There's an MK satellite/ sub-woofer package too at £599. Home cinema users are also catered for here: two pairs of panel loudspeakers and a Pic-colo centre speech channel speaker are £549. Campus International show-

ed its new AMC CD6 CD player which has been designed to match cosmetically the CVT3030 valve integrated praised by KK [HFNIRR Aug '92]. The one-bit player uses a Philips mechanism and selected

The first mains-powered MouDisc recorder is this £699 MDS-101 from Sony

18

SAA7323GP DACs in a £349 package. The venue was a surprising

one at which to learn of the return to the UK of the Klipsch horn speaker line. The Arkansas company has appointed Mid-land Radio Supplies (tel: 021-430 7817) which is starting with the prestige models including the £3800 Kfipschom, £1800 La Scala and smaller Heresy at £850. Guy Holdsworth, a fan of the big horn designs for over 20 years, jumped at the chance to handle UK distribution. One British company not to

sit on its laurels is Cambridge Systems Technology. Its Audiolab brand goes from strength to strength. Apart from the new 8000T tuner [reviewed in this issue], there was news of a forthcoming CD transport, with AES/EBU output, due before the end of the year, and a revised 8000DAC out now. The '93 model features DAC7 converters in a package offering three coaxial, three digital and an AES/EBU input for £750. Owners of the earlier D/A con-verter may upgrade for £60. There was an unusual com-

bination in the Sansui room where its new 'Vintage Line' electronics of AU-a707DR amplifier and CD-a717DR CD player were driving a pair of baby Apogee speakers to pro-duce some of the best sounds of the Show. The amp can handle load impedances of 4-16ohms, offering 130W/ch into 8oluns. As always there were plenty

of new speaker models. AR was expecting its Classic Series designed by David Day, but they were held up in transit. Ruark announced a revised Cru-sader, the MkIl costing £ 1495 and incorporating a new cabi-net, new crossover, new drive units and better bracing. Only

the midrange dome of this tri-wireable, floor-standing three-way remains from the earlier model. From SD Acoustics came the floor-standing SD5 with twin 6in bass drivers and a 6in midrange unit to comple-ment a ribbon tweeter in a tri-wireable package costing £ 1235. Mission had its entire new

range of Cyrus electronics in either pre-production or proto-type form, although staff seemed a little shy of publicity, turning away our photographer! Sony was more bullish about its latest product, a midi-sized MiniDisc recorder. The MDS-101 is expected around June for £699, with a range of accessories including the ECM727P stereo mic and MDR-D77 'unbreak-able' folding headphones to fol-low. One Sony product not to make it to the UK is the replay-only DAT Walkman. The ultra-slim WM-DDT1 sells for around £300 in the US and Japan but with a lack of prere-corded software there are no plans for release here. The long awaited new single

box CD player from Maranta was being demonstrated. The beautifully finished £1100 CD 10 has a simple, smooth fascia, cast zinc end plates in a sparking charcoal, and relies on twin DAC 7 converters. It is related to the CD11 which, at £2500, is considered too expensive for the UK market. Maranta pointed out that its ST-72L tuner reviewed last month is available in champagne finish to order. The Definition range from

Tannoy is being extended. The smallest model, the D100, was shown in prototype form and we can expect the D500 to join the D700 flagship as well. Because this is an engineering-led project time spans between models are lengthy, unlike the marketing-

This three-way floor-stander is a revised

Ruark Crusader, now in mark II guise at£ 1495 with new crossover and drive units

HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

news

Haman UK has had speakers sine

Audas drive units designed for the UK market by Dave Bern man

Mini Apogee loudspeakers were used alongside Sansui Vintage Line electronics including AU-0707DR amplifier to provide some of the best sounds at the Show

led Sixes loudspeaker series. Monitor Audio and Quart

distributor, Hayden Laborator-ies, showed what is essentially a non-hi-fi product. The Denon DN2000F is a twin CD player controller aimed at disco DJs. It offers pitch and beat control while displaying time down to frame level. The Show coincided with

Harman/Kardon's decision to revamp its electronics range. New CD players include the CD7625 at £549 which uses a new post-conversion technique with twin 18-bit DACs such that one is ahead of the other by one-to-two bits. Top of the range is the £800 7725 model with selected K-grade Burr-Brown 18-bit DACs. New power amplifiers from 11/K are the PA2200 at £549 offering 100W/ ch (bridgeable to 200W), the PA2100 at £349 with 60W/ch (120W bridged) and the massive PA2400 with 170W/ch or 340W when bridged. Available in three to four months' time it will be priced around £800. Harman UK also showed a range of inexpensive loudspeakers using Audax drive units, including the popular 34nun soft dome. The £169 two-way has a paper coned mid/bas unit, the £ 199 model a fibre coned mid/bass, and the £299 floor-stander uses two fibre cones for mid and bass frequencies in a twin-chamber cabinet. These are UK-designed models aimed at the home mar-ket, the work of Dave Berri-man, all are bi-wireable ported models intended to complement the H/K electronics, visually as well as electronically.

Valve fans at the Show were not disappointed. Apart from Papworth Audio Technology

and Copland there were new models from Audio In-novations which showed its P2' phono-amp at £700 for m-m and £900 for m-c cartridges, plus the T2 transformer which, at £399, replaces the old series 800 and 1000 models. Audio Note had finished versions of its DAC3 with valve output stage, and pre-production samples of the MI pre-amp and 12W P1 power amp.

Accessories were a-plenty with the HFNIRR Accessories Club doing a roaring trade. There were new equipment stands from Fabriweld which showed its three-legged Sound-style tripod system available in six striking colour finishes for £180. Ortofon announced its new flat speaker cables, seen at last September's Hi-Fi Show in early form. The white single wire version is £2.50 per metre, while the grey bi-wire type is £5/m. A blue, 7-core option at £7.50/m has 19 laminated strands per core, to provide non oxidising termination. The HFNIRR room was

packed for most of the show with queues forming to discover the secret of 20-year-old Quad amplifiers carefully restored by Chris Beeching, and described in last month's Valve & Vinyl supplement. HFNIRR's other demonstration theme was digital satellite sound, but Bristol proved too far west for digital satellite reception from TV-Sat using a small dish and the signal was prone to interruption. The organisers admitted that

sales were down on the 1991 figure but, while not releasing actual figures, said they were pleased with the overall attend-ance at the Show. -IL Pro-ject turntables, including the 6 here, are being handled in the UK by Osten

HamanIKarion's new electronics include the £549 7625 CD player with I8-bit Burr-Brown DACs configured for Real- time Linear Smoothing conversion

Audiolab has revised its 8000 DIA converter tabotK) and plans a (:I) transpon tor later

this year intended w sit on the DAC as pictured below

1141 NEWS MOOD RENEW MAY 1983

"V7r1 E311

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20 HI-FI NEWS d RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

With Kodak's Photo CD already on sale and consumer CD-R around the corner, Taiyo Yuden's recordable disc patents could become very important

Ismell a major patent row brewing, involving Kodak and Japanese company Taiyo Yuden, on

recordable CD. Kodak has now started selling its Photo CD system. which allows photographers to trans-fer photographic pictures to a com-pact disc, for display on a TV screen. The PCD system relies on a write-once recordable CD, and over the past five years Taiyo has built a folio of patents which protect virtually every aspect of the CD-R technology. Kodak has recent memories of a

very expensive patent mistake. Polar-oid sued Kodak for infringement of its instant picture photography patents. After a ten-year battle through the 1980s, Polaroid won around a billion dollars from Kodak in damages and costs. Although both Taiyo and Kodak now refuse io discuss the legal issue of a licence, what they have said and done in the past, and what the public patent records show, tell the story.

Kodak's fuss prototype Photo CDs were made by Taiyo. Last year Taiyo confirmed that it 'sold a substantial quantity to Kodak for experimental purposes'. Kodak is believed to have paid $17 each for them. Kodak has now stopped buying from Taiyo, and is selling its blank discs at a retail price which is so low, £4.99 retail, that Taiyo finds it ' hard to believe . . . from our experience and knowledge'. Taiyo has been asking where Kodak gets its discs. Kodak says it is making them in-house in Rochester, NY. They are marked 'Made in USA'. Kodak is subsidising

the price of its blanks because it hopes still to make money out of photo film if Photo CDs are used for storing pictures. Taiyo also said last year that

Kodak's discs appeared physically identical to its own, although there are minor viariations in the code written to the pre-groove. These differences are designed to prevent low cost PCD blanks from being used on audio CD recorders. Kodak's own blanks also have an extra coating, called Infoguard, which makes them last longer, for example in hot, sunny conditions. Kodak is so touchy about this

policy that it will not release even one blank PCD for testing on a CD audio recorded

Professional audio studios must pay four times the price of a PCD blank if they buy audio blanks from Kodak or Taiyo's distribution chain. If, as seems likely, hi-fi companies launch a domestic version of the CD-R recorders currently used pro-fessionally, Taiyo's folio of patents could become the most valuable asset of recent decades. More and more people in the audio

industry are realising that the public would rather buy a recorder which uses discs that play back on a conven-tional CD player, than choose between the rival DCC and MiniDisc systems on offer from Philips and Sony, which are incompatible with CD players.

Taiyo is a components company supplying resistors, capacitors, coils etc (but not microchips) to electro-nics factories around the world. Over recent years, Taiyo has seen the consumer electronics industry shrink, and with it its own market for components. Taiyo's work on record-able CD began in 1985 and it began filing patents in Japan in July 1988. On the face of things, these patents

cover the blank discs on which Kodak is building its Photo CD business. Significantly, all Taiyo's patents have been granted in the USA. The US Patent Office examin-ers would have been quick to reject them if anyone, including Kodak, had staked a prior claim on the technology. The fact that Kodak adds an extra layer of protection is unlikely to influence the issue of whether the basic disc is made as described in Taiyo's patents.

Taiyo filed a cluster of four patents in the USA, all on the same day: April 14, 1989. These patents staked their priority claim on a string of patents filed in Japan between 30 July 1988 and 14 January 1989. Taiyo then filed two more US patents on 7 November 1989 and 6 July 1990, claiming back to more Japanese applications which were

technology filed between 30 December 1988 and 5 February 1990. From the patent documents it is

clear that Taiyo's engineer, Emilio Hamada, has been the driving force. His name is credited as inventor in all the patents. Together they claim a wide range of different ways of achieving the same object, namely recording digital code on a blank CD by deforming the disc material so that a conventional CD player reads the deformations just as it reads the pits on a factory-pressed music CD. The challenge was to find a mate-

rial which would deform sufficiently easily to work with a low-power laser in a low-cost recorder, but still be sufficiently stable to hold its record-ing in warm rooms and sunlight. Taiyo was looking for chemistry which would register a recording from a CD player laser cranked up in power to deliver 6 to 9mW. The breakthrough came when

Taiyo's engineers found they could form readable pits directly on the disc substrate, that is, the plastics material from which CDs are pressed. Previous write-once disc systems have formed disc pits in a layer of metallic material on the disc surface, not the disc substrate. This has meant that they need a special player to read them. USP 4 990 388 shows a blank disc,

pressed from polycarbonate (like a conventional CD) and coated with a layer of chemical, such as cyanine dye, which gets hot when it absorbs a laser beam. As the dye heats, it deforms the adjacent zone of polycar-bonate to create a pit. The absorptive layer is backed by a reflective layer of gold, silver, copper or aluminium, and this layer is topped with a protective coating of resin.

Ideally, an extra layer of resin is laid between the polycarbonate sub-strate and the light absorptive dye

PCD discs won't record audio

HI-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW IMO 11113 21

technology

Taiyo confirms that it is now working on an erasable version of its write-once disc. 'We have to do it,' says Andy Ishizaka, managing director of Taiyo's European office in Nuremburg. 'We are pushing our engineers because with an erasable disc, all ball games change.'

layer. If this layer is thick, it deforms to create pits, leaving the polycarbon-ate untouched. If the layer is thin, it deforms along with the polycarbon-ate. Either way, when the laser beam in a conventional CD player is focused on the disc, it passes through the polycarbonate to the deformed

pits, on to the reflective layer and back again. The strength of the reflected beam depends on whether it passes through a pit or the unde-formed land areas between the pits. The result is a beam modulated with the recorded signal which the player decodes. The patent gives details of around

50 different disc types tried by Taiyo, all with a slightly different chemical make-up for the substrate, dye layer and coatings. To play back on a CD player which meets the Philips/Sony Red Book standard, the disc must reflect at least 70% of the laser light beam energy, with digital errors lower than the specified block error rate, BLER, of 3 x 10-2. Other patents go on to claim finer details of the coating chemistry which meets the Red Book standard. USP 5 090 009 gives details of

another 50 experiments, with pages of formulae and carbon ring chemis-try. It reveals that in practice it is necessary to use a protective layer of resin, to stop the substrate being eaten away by the solvent used in the dye layer. USP 5 155 723 details another 60 experiments aimed at finding the best materials for the layers and USP 5 009 818 describes ways of making the discs. USP 5 080 946 makes it clear that

Taiyo's engineers first worked empir-ically, trying many hundreds of diffe-rent chemical combinations to find out which produced discs of Red Book standard. Then in 1989/90 they started to quantify the results, with analytical studies that tied practice to theory. This is particularly important to the vital matter of pre-grooving. The blank substrate is pressed

with a groove, before it is coated. The groove is then used by the servo mechanism in the recorder, to keep the laser on the 1.6 micron pitch track specified by the Red Book. The servo works on the push-pull princi-ple, using a photo-detector to com-pare the light reflected from the two edges of the groove. By balancing the signals, the servo holds the laser in the middle of the groove. The spiral groove, and the land

between its turns, must have diffe-rent optical characteristics and this is achieved by adjusting the depth of the groove to match the wavelength of the laser light. If the servo cannot follow the groove accurately, the signal suffers jitter and BLER rises above the Red Book standard. The

difference between success and fai-lure is a matter of nanometres. USP 5 080 946 also explains how

time-code information (ATIP, abso-lute time in pre-groove) can be recorded along the edge of the groove, so that the recording is timed like a pressed CD. The ATIP is pressed into the substrate at the time of grooving, by a stamper formed from a time-coded master disc. So making a blank CD-R is very similar to making a pressed CD. The pressed blank is coated with dye layers, before metallization and sealing with of resin. Taiyo says gold is best for metallization, because it has the high-est reflectancy making it easier to match the Red Book standard.

It is at the level of pressed ATIP that Taiyo's audio blanks differ from Kodak's PCD blanks. PCD uses a code of 01 and 02. Other blanks have a code of 00 and cost far more! The different coding stops a PCD work-ing on a CD audio recorder and vice versa, and protects the price struc-ture. It is of no consequence to the patent issue. Taiyo's patent claims to monopoly are not restricted by such fine detail. There may also be incom-patibility between the newer Kodak discs with extra protective coating, and older recorders with weak lasers. Kodak, incidentally, hopes that

mass-production will push the price of general purpose blanks (that is, not PCD blanks which are subsidised by film sales) down to $9 this year.

Taiyo's USP 4 940 618 is particu-larly interesting, because it describes a hybrid or mixed format disc. Dur-ing the pressing process (which applies the pre-groove) the stamper also presses a sequence of pre-recorded sound, such as music or speech, onto the disc. This means that the blank disc plays on a player, but has blank areas into which users can write their own recordings. There is only one thing missing

from the folio of Taiyo's patents, and that is any mention of erasure.

In April 1988 the Tandy Corpora-tion of Fort Worth made news, and saw its share prices rise, when it promised Thor, an erasable CD that

was compatible with conventional CD players. Thor, said Tandy, would be ready in 18 months and the recorder would cost only $500. It later turned out that Tandy had bought a licence to use technology patented by Optical Data Inc of Beaverton, Oregon. ODI's idea was to use a blank disc coated with two layers of different coloured dyes. The recorder would use two different coloured lasers, one to write a record-ing by creating deformations and the other to erase it by melting them.

At the Berlin Radio Show in 1991, Tandy boss HQ, John Roach, perso-nally told me that he still planned to launch Thor, and that the launch was 'close'. But last summer, Tandy pul-led the plug on Thor, shutting down the Californian laboratory where all the work was being done. No announcement was made. Insiders say Tandy's management decided that the engineers were never likely to come up with a saleable product with reliable erasure. Taiyo confirms that it is now

working on an erasable version of its write-once disc. 'We have to do it,' says Andy Ishizaka, managing direc-tor of Taiyo's European office in Nuremburg. 'We are pushing our engineers because with an erasable disc, all ball games change.' Too true. If Taiyo can make a low cost erasable Sin disc that plays back on a conventional CD player, the news would surely kill DCC and MiniDisc stone dead overnight.

POSTSCRIPT Kodak has now confirmed the cur-rent state of a fluid situation. Philips will act as keeper of a pool of patents which covers all aspects of CD-R technology as standardised by the new Orange Book. The pool contains patents on recorders as well as blank media, owned by Philips and Sony, as well as Taiyo. Philips will issue one-stop licences. So far, no licences have been granted but the manufac-turers of discs and recorders have been led to believe that this will happen as soon as the last legal details have been ironed out. +

22 HI-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

COMPETITION

Wix A SILVER

COLLECTION The Rules I ) The competition is open to UK readers only. All entries must be on the entry form provided, photocopies will be accepted but only one entry per reader win be considered. No other correspondence may be included with entries. 2) There will be no cash or other alternative to the prizes offered. The winner, will be first correct entry opened. 3) Employees of Link House Magazines or associated companies, and of participating record companies or their agents, will not be eligible. 4) All entries must be received by first post on 24 May 1993, when judging will be carried out. The Editor's decision will be final and binding. No correspondence of any kind will be entered into regarding the competition. 5) The prize winners will be notified by post and the results will be published in the August 1993 edition of HFNIRR. 6) Entries become the property of Link House Magazines. 7) Entry to the competition is taken to indicate acceptance of the rules.

More than £2500 worth

of selected classical CDs

must be won . . .

The luxury of a complete CD collection to be won! This month's bumper classical sec-

tion celebrates the tenth anniversary of compact disc. In two retrospective features, the Music Editor has cho-sen some of the outstanding record-ings of the decade, 'Highlights on Silver', and has short-listed classic reissues all at mid-price, ' Silver Treasury'. All these superb discs make up this month's competition prizes.

The 'Unfinished Symphony' is the theme of the competition. All you have to do is add the missing word from each of the four sentences — each to do with scholars who have produced performing editions from sketches for incomplete, final sym-phonies. The first two answers are to be found in this month's HFNIRR. And the others? Perhaps just `P-pick up a Penguin'! The First Prize, worth more than

£1250, comprises both the full and mid-price collections starting on pages 76 and 88. The Second Prize is the full-priced selection; Third Prize is the mid-priced selection.

THE QUESTIONS 1)Professor Brian Newbould not only prepared a completion

for Schubert's Eighth, the Unfinished, but also his Marriner's cycle on Philips includes this symphony.

2) Dr Barry Cooper produced a coniectural first movement, working from Beethoven's sketches for an unrealised There are Pickwick and Chandos recordings of this.

3) Deryck Cooke completed Mahler's Various recordings have been made, most notably Rattle's for EMI.

4) Bruckner left only sketches for the finale of his D-Minor, the These were recorded, together with a completion by William Carragan, by the Oslo Philharmonic/ Talmi on Chandos [HFNIRR Jan/Feb 1987].

HOW TO ENTER Simply select what you consider the most appropriate answer to each of our questions and complete the coupon. Don't forget your name, address, and daytime telephone num-ber. Send your entry to: Unfinished Symphony CD Competition, Hi-Fi News & Record Review, Link House, Dingwall Avenue, Croydon, CR9 2TA, to arrive not later than first post 24 May.

THE ANSWERS

1)

2)

3) r--4)

Name and Address

Daytime tel no

HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 23

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THE PERFECT MATCH Now that the new Audio Pro B1-20 Sub-woofer is, at long last, freely available, our concept of 'the perfect match' — first enunciated with the BI -45 in mind — becomes more relevant than ever. Despite being smaller than the B I -45 to a really astonishing degree, the B I -20 performs as brilliantly as did its predecessor and is thus even more perfectly suited to all those who share our passion for glorious, full-bodied musical reproduction while, at the same time, wishing to avoid equipment whose sheer bulk dominates the home.

The B1-20 measures no more than 12in. square x I 43/4in. high, so that hiding it out of sight could scarcely be easier. It is indeed perfectly matched to the little, BBC-designed LS3/5A speakers, still our prime choice after more years than we care to remember, whose size ( 12mn. x 71/2 ins x 61/2 in.) utterly belies their performance which is anything but small-scale and, above all, astonishing in its truthfulness and clarity. We also have here a close relative of the LS3/5A, the Harbeth HLP3, not to mention the QUAD ELS63 for those who can both afford and accommodate them, but it is the combination of LS3/5As with the Bl-20 Sub-woofer that truly represents our ideal of a 'marriage made in heaven', especially if the main speakers are mounted on a pair of Foundation stands.

Such a wonderful speaker system is bound to be fairly costly (L1,030 including the stands) but, contrary to a great deal of 'received wisdom', the rest of the equipment you require need not be particularly damaging to your bank account. Thus the wonderfully neat Denon D-70 system (receiver, CD player and auto-reverse cassette deck) will set you back no more than £590, while plenty of alternative 'separates' are also on offer at comparable prices.

When you visit us you can listen unhurriedly to our chosen equipment and discuss musical and audio topics. Nor should it be forgotten that everyone who purchases equipment from us is thereafter entitled to a 20% discount on all compact discs, cassettes and video 'software' — indeed, TV and Video, including LaserDiscs, nowadays play an important role in our scheme of things.

Thomas Heinitz Ltd MUSK IN 1111 110M1 35 Moscow Road Queensway London W2

Telephone 071-229 2077 11prning hours: 9.30 to 5.30 iThursday 9.30 to I; Friday 9.30 to 71

conrad-johnson

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HI-FIRMS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

The country's second national commercial radio station goes on air on 30 April, but engineering tests are already under way by Virgin Radio which is using the old R3 1215kHz AM frequency

vt' r gin Radio, which began as a joint venture between Richard Branson and the former inde-

pendent breakfast franchise TV-am, promises a lot when it comes on air at lunchtime on 30 April. Its licence was granted by the Radio Authority last spring and all involved in the project have worked at full-speed to build a radio station from nothing in a year. Precious time was lost when an earlier decision to create a studio base at County Sound's former head-quarters in Woking was over-ruled by newly appointed joint programme directors Richard Skinner and John Revell. Instead the radio station will operate from premises in the heart of London's West End.

Quality rock music 24-hours a day interspersed by 'intelligent and infor-mative comment', not DJ chatter, is the recipe Virgin hopes will attract over four million listeners, mainly in the 20-45 age group. Its target audi-ence has been quoted as 10 million, as it plans to take listeners not only from Radio One but from leading independent stations around the country.

Virgin Communications bought TV-am's interest in the radio station, and a leading venture capital firm, Apax Partners and Company, was brought in, holding a 25% stake. TV-am boss Bruce Gyngell conse-quently stepped down as chairman of Virgin Radio although he will remain on the board until the station is up and running. His place has been taken by 37-year-old Robert De-vereux, chairman of Virgin Corn-

munications, who said the chance to acquire TV-am's interest in the pro-ject was irresistible, while indications were that the opportunity for Virgin 1215 is even greater than original assumptions. Mr Devereux said that Bruce Gyngell and TV-am had been wonderful partners who had made a major contribution to the foundation of the station. 'I am sorry to see them go,' he said, 'but delighted that Bruce will remain on the board'.

Exhaustive consumer research has been carried out on behalf of the station by Question Air to try to establish the type and range of popu-lar music listeners want to hear. Researchers conducted nearly two thousand in-home interviews, rein-forced by large-sample street surveys and auditorium tests in which a total of 1200 listeners in the targeted age range were played sample artists and music styles covering the entire rock and pop landscape.

Results showed that nearly 60% of adults had a strong preference for soft rock, with mainstream and con-temporary rock, rock from the 1960s and 1970s, and pop/rock all scoring heavily. Enthusiasm for post punk, heavy rock and all but a few of the more musical heavy metal bands was distinctly lacking. These categories relate to the

genre rather than vintage and, as good music is constantly being added to the list, the research will be continually updated to ensure that Virgin remains in touch with its audience wishes. Initially though, programming will concentrate on the classic tracks of the past 25 years rather than simply Golden Oldies. There won't be Freddie and the Dreamers, but there will be bursts of Neil Young. Virgin has no room for dub reggae and urban dance, but there will always be space for Bob Marley and UB40. And while we won't find Sweet or the Bay City Rollers, we can expect Paul Simon and the later works of the Beatles.

Virgin promises a weekly chart show at 4pm every Sunday, concen-trating on the best-selling albums rather than the declining singles mar-ket which is dominated by teenage sales. The station won't chase the fads of the Top 40, but it knows that popular music is a living form, and performers like Simply Red, REM and Nirvana are adding to the body of classic rock music every day. Former Radio One presenter,

Richard Skinner is the joint prog-ramme director. He said Virgin was the station he always wanted to listen. 'The top 40 is always aimed at young people, the 50-plus market is also catered for but we are aiming for people in their thirties who still feel music has something to say to them.'

radio Virgin's experienced presenters

are mainly young. Chris Evans, 25, left his Big Breakfast slot on Lon-don's GLR to present a three-hour Saturday morning show in front of a live audience on Virgin Radio. Twenty-two year old Wendy Lloyd who started in radio as John Peel's assistant before joining Radio Lux-embourg, will be the resident week-day night voice. Russ Williams, 31, is leaving Capital to host the weekday afternoon sequence, while Sandy Beech, 21, from Atlantic 252 is to be the weekend overnight host. Top RI DJ Tommy Vance will present a daily primetime show. Technical consultant Andy

Gemmell-Smith and his team — de-termined to produce 'the loudest and clearest' signal on the band — have invested over £1.5 million in modern transmitters aimed at reaching 80-90% of the population from day one. Centred on 1215kHz, in-fills will be either side on 1197, 1224 and 1242kHz. The days of the patchy sound quality of the old Radio Three network are long gone, he says. Stereo AM has not been ruled out as a future option. The signal is up-linked from Vir-

gin's Soho base to Eutelsat and re-ceived at each transmitter site, the satellite link offering some 6.5kHz of audio before sharp filtering. Opti-mod processors, carefully aligned, will be located at each site to ensure 100% modulation. The material played during engineering test trans-missions from mid-March to the on-air date will be chosen to allow critical processor alignment.

The 24-hour quality rock and pop station is headed by Virgin boss Richard Branson while Bruce Gyngell (right) is returning to Australia

HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 25

AUDIO REFERENCE TECHNOLOGY ECHNOLOGY

Government ruling rarely help audiophiles, but this time it's different:

Europe is now a single market.

Because of this, A.P.T. of Italy can now supply its accessories directly to you, with greater speed and a substantional savings.

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A highly refined natural oil which is ideally suited for use on CD discs. This oil removes the release-agent left over in disc manufacture. Further, it adds a protective coat to the disc and optically acts as a lens coating by removing bloom and flare from the sound. It is available in 10m1 dispenser bottles with a high quality lens cloth for polishing.

Special cleaning oil for CDs • £ 19 60

accessories HEAD-0-DAMPER Damper for headshell resonances D S 24.00 CD MAT 0-DAMPER Solid graphite CD damping mat D £ 77.00 0-RING Ferrite ring for reducing RFI n £ 18.75 0-DAMPER Carbon support blocks Set of 4 E £ 59.95

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cables... FG-3000 Speaker Cable 2m pair

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26 DM NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

And finally... balanced NBS cables and a Puppy Tail substitute — the last link in the chain

Supplier: NBS Cables, 401 First Street South, Suite 302, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401, USA. Tel: 010-1 612 332 2973; Fax: 010-1-612 339 8750

Okay, so I lied about the mora-torium on cables . . . but I do have a tiny excuse for this

lapse. They tell me that Virgo in ascent makes me (on occasion) a perfectionist, a completist, so I must report on the addition of the final links of NBS cable to my system. Then it's no more cable until 1994 at the earliest. Not even this new car-bon fibre stuff which is giving everv-one a tingle in their trousers. Having already tried a couple of

grades of NBS interconnect, speaker cable, tonearm wire and digital co-axial cable, all that remained for me to audition were balanced lengths for use between Krell pre- and power and short lengths for the WATT-to-Puppy connections. That sharp intake of breath you just heard came from California, but allow me to leave the Puppy Tail substitutes for half a mo.

I'm not sure which grade of NBS has been supplied for balanced con-nection, but I think it's the killer Signature stuff at $ 1600 for the first 4ft, with each additional foot costing $200. And those are the new, reduced prices. We're entering the realms of cloud cuckooland here [see the Audio Note Gaku-On review in this issue], so just turn the page if you still think that the Beeb's Citizen Smith is a right-on TV series. Suffice to say, this is only suitable for the mildly deranged and heavy of pocket. Oh, and it is without question the most impractical cable I've ever used, not having tried the water-filled product I saw in the USA, which would be

written off within minutes if anyone enters your listening room wearing either golf shoes or stiletto heels. The NBS cable is so heavy and stiff that it actually lifted the front end of the Krell KRC pre-amp off the shelf, which meant finding a spare Flux Dumper to use as ballast. One other point to better convey

the unmanageability: my equipment racks are sited 330mm from the back wall, and this wasn't enough of a gap to allow me to double-back the 1.5m lengths of Signature cables to use them between the Krell Studio DAC and the KRC, which are stacked in the Newsstand. So Walter Fields isn't kidding when he says that his wires are designed for open plan hi-fi. What bothers me is that Walter is one of the least macho, most refined human beings I've ever met, a collec-tor of pocket watches, a man of impeccable taste. So why the fixation with Rambo-spec hawsers? Anyway, I did manage to run the

cables 'twixt pre- and power, and the degree of added openness and an even lower noise-floor convinced me of the wires' greatness. However much I love XLO, Mandrake, Symo and Siltech wires in specific roles, all of which represent far better value for money, I must nod to NBS: if you can afford 'em (within the context of your budget and your system), buy 'em. Not being a cable fetishist, I refuse to say that you should budget £500 for cables in a £ 1000 system, because no cable made will turn a mediocre system into a winner. And there are those reviewers who think more of the accessories and wires and bits'n'pieces who'd rather listen to a 30W integrated and £ 100 pair of speakers and a £200 CD player with a grand's worth of wire, than a system costing the same but featuring £1400's worth of primary compo-nents and a C-note's worth of wire. The NBS's subtle virtues become apparent only after your system reaches a level of resolution and coherence and transparency which will exploit cleaner transmission. So, I'm sorry, gang, but this ain't gonna make a £299 music centre sing. More like £2999. And so I added the final link, the

Puppy Tail substitute, against my better judgement. Why the trepida-tion? Because Dave Wilson is, beyond any question, the most fasti-dious, thorough, painstaking indi-vidual in the entire high-end com-munity. I know — I saw his set-up procedure at The Hi-Fi Show a couple of years ago. And you can be certain that if he chose the existing Puppy Tail, then he did it for a reason. But the NBS in its place? A transformation on a par with a full-scale Harmonix makeover.

headroom Example: one of my colleagues, a

24-year-old with golden ears and technical suss, has always respected, but never 'liked', the WATT/Puppy combo. He admires the authority, the detail, the precision. But he never warmed to them, never found them embracing, felt that they lacked warmth and musicality. I sat him in front of the NBS'ed WATTs and all he could do was nod and grin, nod and grin. For me, it meant that I could use the WATT/Puppy package for something more than hypercri-tical, analytical listening. Instead of in-your-face, studio-like warts'n'all nudity, the music shed some edges, acquired a couple of degrees Celsius in the midband and — you're gonna love this one — benefited from even wider dynamics.

If you've not heard the WATT/ Puppy combo, let me suggest to you that its most remarkable characteris-tic is its complete denial of its size. Although it has the hottest of hot seats, it sounds big even off-axis. It goes loud, it goes deep. But with the NBS wires, it sounded like the speak-ers were suddenly freed, the corral door opened. Whether driven by Krells or mid-sized tube amps, the WATTs'n'Puppies showed a new lik-ing for bombastic orchestral, roll'em-in-the-aisles show tunes (Cabaret at full-tilt), funk and even 'eavy metal. I ended up staying in my studio

until eight o'clock that night. And believe me, it takes one hell of a cable to make me miss a session with Jack and Vera Duckworth. -14-

HI-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 27

With a reputation for high

quality power amplifiers,

Chord moves into the top

league with its four-

channel SPM3000

by PETER 1 COMEAU

THE FULLEST CHOREY.

With studio use and active loudspeaker configuration in mind, designer John Franks

has adopted a building block approach to the Chord power amplifier range, topping it off with this latest, dual-purpose product, the SPM3000. Comprising two complete power amps with a total output capability of 1200W into 4ohms, this block of astonishing electronic po-tency takes up little more space than more mundane high-end products. The relatively compact dimensions

result from the incorporation of switch-mode power supplies. The casing houses a layered sandwich of, starting from the top, power supply and 80W (8ohms) per channel amplifier, then a further power supply for the base 250W (8ohms) per channel unit. Each amplifier has its own input and output terminal block, but shares common AC supply and speaker switches. The Chord was originally devel-

oped for bi-amp or active speaker use and John Franks seemed a little surprised when I mentioned its audio/visual applications. Yet two complete amplifiers in one box is an attractive composition for Dolby Sur-round; the main power amp provides plenty of grunt for the front chan-nels, while the secondary amplifier is more than adequate for the rear. With such enormous reserves of power, one can be sure that film soundtrack transients will be repro-duced in full force, and excellent control held over passive subwoofer units. In addition, the duplication of characteristics be-tween front and surround channels improves the real-ism and three-dimensional nature of the overall acoustic field, especially where speakers are accurately matched too. With a complement of four sets of

paired speaker outputs, there might be various possibilities that suggest themselves for this amplifier, but just

the basic bi-amplification is enough to light up your speakers and take them to new levels of performance. Obviously, the larger 'main' amplifier should be used for bass, or bass and midrange, coverage, and the secondary amp wired to the treble units. It can also be fun playing around with different speaker cables for each amplifier, on the basis that they can be optimised for the diffe-rent frequency ranges in the path to the drive units. All you have to bear in mind is that stranded cable with a predominance of inductance over capacitance will suit the amplifiers best: this covers just about every-thing except some of the more obscure coaxial types. The strong 4nun terminals will accept bare wire, spade or plug connection, although with rather cramped access plugs make life easiest. One is given the option of phono or

unbalanced XLR input connections, the latter strongly recommended to achieve the 'cleanest' input. It is possible to link the two amplifiers for bi-amp use with interconnects between the spare input terminals, but again the clarity of the amplifiers is enhanced by running separate pairs of cables from the pre-amplifier. Several pre-amps are available with XLR outputs, such as the Exposure XVII [HFNIRR, Dec '92], though don't let this dictate your choice of pre-amplifier.

BI-AMPING The benefits of bi-amping over good old bi-wiring can be an astonishing leap in performance which may make you question exactly what does hap-pen in the amplifier/speaker inter-face. The simplest explanation for bi-wiring improvements is that the purity of the signal to the treble unit remains untroubled by the consider-able current required to push the bass unit around, let alone the elec-tromagnetic distortions subsequently set up in the cable. Those who think that all the cable is carrying is the audio signal as put out by the amplifier would get a shock if they looked at the reflected and distorted waveform generated by the crossover and drive unit combination at the speaker end. Many of the audible differences

heard when comparing power amplifiers are due to the way their output and feedback circuitry cope with the distorted signal from the speaker. Feedback taken from the output terminals to the input or drive sections of the amplifier will generate a corrective signal in response to the speaker-generated distortion. There-fore, if you provide another amplifier to drive the treble section of the speaker, any higher order harmonic

28 HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1113

gradually light up when power is first applied, reaching full intensity after the speaker protection relays cut in.

artefacts due to the operation of feedback on the distorted bass signal should be suppressed by the cross-over. The treble amplifier will be working under much `cleaner' oper-ating conditions. As befits a powerhouse of this

magnitude, the SPM 3000's physical construction is substantial, though overall size is minimal considering the output power. Heatsinking is provided by vertical finning running the complete height of the back panel and, if you are planning to run this unit at high continuous powers, it is advisable to keep this area well venti-lated. (In normal domestic use the sinks become barely warm.) The chassis is formed from extruded alu-minium sections into which the cir-cuit boards slot, the whole being tied together by a front panel machined from a lOmm thick aluminium slab, with a brushed and anodised surface featuring gold-filled engraved legends and brass nameplate. Only three push buttons intrude on this surface: an AC power switch and independent switches for speakers A and B. Correct operation is con-firmed by LED indicators which

SOUND QUAUTY Regular readers may have noticed that I have been using the SPM1200, as a power amplifier that offers excel-lent clarity and transparency, for reference purposes in reviews over the last six months. The SPM3000 (£6327) took over this role without disruption, and indeed offered an even closer subjective approach to the ideal 'straight wire with gain' amplifier. Freedom from obvious character is the hallmark of the Chord range, and the SPM3000 man-ages to draw less attention to itself than any other piece of electronics that has crossed my portals. It is also rare to find an amplifier which extends its analytical qualities com-pletely across the whole sound spec-trum, even the most extended and powerful bass is unable to upset the 'window into the music'. The one flaw in the crystal-clear

rendition of the original signal that this amplifier offers is minor, but defines the only sonic signature that

betrays the solid-state electronics through which the signal passes. The effect is confined to the treble range and concerns a hint of grain and hardness which might occasionally make itself known within the texture of string instruments. Oh yes, this is far too subtle a phenomenon to ascribe to the 'steeliness of transis-tors', which valve pundits are all too fond of proclaiming, as massed strings retain a sweetness and soaring nature which is intensely pleasing to the ear. Rather, it is a low-level curiosity which emphasises fast arpeggiare on guitar, or pizzicato violin, and is thus often hard to identify. Such mild forwardness of the upper reaches of instrument tone has the effect of limiting absolute depth in the stereo image, and intro-duces a certain dryness into the otherwise rich sonority of harmonics. It is fairly harmless, nonetheless it is something to beware of when choos-ing partnering equipment, and should not be exacerbated by brittle treble units or hard, bright pre-amplifiers and CD players.

Generally, the Chord is so transpa-rent that the characteristics of associ-

The benefits of bi-amping over good old hi-wiring can be an astonishing leap in performance which can make you question exactly what does happen at the amplifier/ speaker interface

111-1,1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW NAY 1.93 29

Part of the matching problem is that the focus of sound is so good. Whereas many lesser components cause a smearing of sound images in space due to their changes in performance across the frequency band, the Chord retains superb coherency with regard to tonal and level variations

ated products make themselves known immediately. This sort of clean, clinical resolution often lends itself to selection of simple front-end components including a good, pas-sive controller. In the case of the SPM3000, the input sensitivity is slightly too low to appreciate the full output of the unit via passive pots. Whilst, in general, listening levels are fine from the 2V output of the common CD player, tuners and tape decks need some signal boost before becoming useful; and if you really want to explore the wild ear-bending levels that the Chord can produce with abandon, then even CD output can fall short.

Part of the matching problem is that the focus of sound is so good. Whereas many lesser components cause a smearing of sound images in space due to their changes in per-formance across the frequency band, the Chord retains superb coherence with regard to tonal and level varia-tions. Thus, the image shift engen-dered by PASC processing in DCC players is easily shown up, and altera-tions in timbre and balance produced by the use of mediocre interconnects become obvious.

All this is as it should be in a unit of this price, as one would expect the potential owner to mix-and-match the system components with care. Choice of pre-amplifier is, however, always going to be difficult, as one is looking for equivalent transparency but with a combination of sweetness and light-footed speed to match and contain the many strengths and single weakness of the Chord. Per-sonally, I found this in the Shearne Phase 1 pre-amp which achieved an entirely satisfactory partnership, retaining much of the open and transparent nature of the SPM3000 while controlling any blaze of treble attack. You may have a favourite pre-amplifier with sonic virtues you appreciate, in which case the Chord will show them up for good or ill. One need have no fear with regard

to consorting loudspeakers, however, as the Chord seems to have the capability to drive, and obtain the best from any combination of trans-ducer. To a certain extent the amplifier revels in the lower impe-dance loads, providing more and more mind-boggling current into 2oluns, but the main interest lies in the control it offers over drive unit movement. Given a testing loud-speaker load, the integrity of the circuit operation remains inviolate, such is the stiffness of the power supply and output stage. One of the attributes of an

amplifier that can retain the quality of the amplified signal into real and difficult loudspeaker loads is the abil-

ity not just to accelerate the moving diaphragms rapidly, but also to stop them when required just as quickly. You can see and hear this happening in a ported loudspeaker, where strongly hit percussion causes large movements of the cones, perhaps even making them hit the limits of their suspension. Insert the SPM3000 into the chain and those limits seem much wider, allowing higher listening levels with no signs of distress, and giving a visceral impact to the vibration of the drum skin. To accomplish this requires huge instantaneous swings of cur-rent, placing demands upon the power supply and operation of the amplifier circuit which the Chord is ideally placed to deal with. If you can imagine how such control extends to each dynamic impulse fed to the speaker then you can begin to under-stand how such an amplifier can reduce coloration and so improve the transparency of the system.

In just such a way are changes in pace, rhythm and timing given an uplift by the SPM3000. By separat-ing out bass and treble areas so that they are covered by the individual amplifier sections, the Chord man-ages to deal with midrange staccato, bass power and treble attack so that every impulse is fused together. Per-formances which previously seemed lackadaisical become sharper; perfor-mers who might have been thought to relate to each other only loosely start to work together closely. This 'tightening up' of the actions of rhythm and melody sections in a

performance has a dramatic effect upon foot tapping and stomping amongst listeners — they all find the time signature immediately.

TECHNICAL The amplifier design is modular in approach, drawing on the experience gained in the production of the SPM1000, and as applied to the SPM1200 and 800 units. High cur-rent complementary PET output devices are arranged in groups of four in a tidy block which contains their voltage bus supplies and heat shunts. A 'tower block' arrangement of four of these output blocks rises vertically up each side of the rear heatsink panel, giving a total of 12 Mosfets per channel for one power amp, and four devices per channel for the other. Each amplifier section has its own driver board and the unique Chord switching power supply. The drive circuitry runs in Class A and has very low impedance output with bags of current drive to accommodate the multitude of FETs latched on to it. Similarly, it is pointless providing the capability to give prodigious power output without a hearty power supply to back it up. Look inside the Chord and you

will not find the usual gargantuan transformer and capacitor combina-tion that you would expect in such a beast. In this case we are only talking about a sense of scale; the transfor-mer/capacitor combo is there all right, but in a different format. Switch mode supplies are common in computers where their compact size

30 14141 NEWS L RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

PLIFIERS

and low weight are a distinct advan-tage. In the Chord, the mains input is rectified to feed a fast recharge reser-voir capacitor at 340V, which acts as the supply to a power oscillator running at 80kHz. Whereas a con-ventional mains transformer operat-ing at 50Hz needs to be of large proportions, the higher frequency employed here requires only a small toroid to accomplish a similar job. The high frequency switching is managed by high quality FETs in a circuit which minimizes losses and helps, together with the case screen-ing, achieve low radiation of electro-magnetic interference.

So far so good, and most switch-mode supplies stop right there, but designer John Franks takes one further step which makes the set-up more than just a method of saving space and weight. On the grounds that audio amplifiers have to contend with instantaneously varying demands upon their voltage and cur-rent resources, the Chord circuit backs up the outputs with 6600µF of reservoir capacitance for each voltage rail, with a specially wound inductor sharing out the energy storage between positive and negative rails. The effect of this arrangement is to balance the power demands made by the speaker load, so that positive and negative voltages are equally affected. To see why this is beneficial we need to look again at a conven-tional power amplifier.

It is often assumed that the 'bigger is better' school of power supply design is simply a question of supply and demand: current demanded by the load must be supplied by the power section. Given that no power supply is of infinite capacity it is interesting to view what happens within a circuit when the supply voltages start to wilt under dynamic conditions. Peak demands for power usually occur where a positive or negative going transient reaches its full height, requiring the speaker diaphragms to accelerate dramati-cally (note that a further burst of current will be required to stop them moving too).

In these cases only one voltage rail will be instantaneously affected, and the balance between positive and negative voltages and the 'ground' or zero voltage point will be disturbed. As the amplifier's operating condi-tions are referenced to 'ground' via DC feedback networks, the earlier small signal sections of the circuitry may well not perform to specifica-tion. In particular, common mode distortion cancelling mechanisms can be badly upset, resulting in audible artefacts very similar to 'clipping' distortions. The obvious way out of this is full

regulation of the power supply, but in a very powerful amplifier the resultant current limiting is out of order. By balancing the voltage rails and keeping the zero voltage point a reliable reference, the Chord achieves an ideal common mode performance throughout the amplifier circuit, including the output devices. A further advantage of the switch mode supply is that the secondary output is free-floating, giving a quasi-balanced operation free from mains-borne ground loops.

In this way the Chord manages to deliver better performance into real speaker loads under musically dyna-mic conditions than its measured results would indicate. Output dou-bles from the big amplifier from 250W 8ohms, to 500W, 4ohms while into lower loads the output protec-tion trips on sustained high levels, requiring us to resort to pulsed tests to measure the full output potential. Here ±45A peak current is available from a 2ms tone burst; this accords well with the unflappability noted when driving panel loudspeakers. Distortion is quite high, reaching 0.22% on the 4ohm test but a satis-factory 0.028%, 8ohms. The distor-tion spectrum [Fig 2] shows a wide spread of harmonics, odd-order slightly exceeding even-order, and upper harmonics receding gradually into the noise floor at - 105dB. Output from the top amp is graded

according to distortion, this unfortu-nately, considering the bi-amp con-figuration, rising slightly higher to 0.04% at 80W into 8ohms. The harmonic spectrum, however, shows an ideal gradient to the upper harmo-nics, disturbed only by a slight increase to the 7th and 8th harmonic. This amplifier is capable of much higher outputs before clipping, up to 320W into 3.3oluns, and thus shares the transient drive capability into low loads evinced by its big brother. Sensitivities for both amps are per-fectly matched for OdBW, balance between all four channels being extremely accurate, this being ideal for the intended bi-amp role.

CONCLUSION Titanic in structure, the soundstage produced by this Chord amplifier exhibits every nuance of dynamic shading, based on a formidable foundation of deep, tightly control-led, low frequency energy. This underpinning of the structure of rhythmic flow and transient intensity allows the Chord to scale new heights of dramatic fervour with effortless grace. It will not only do wonderful things for your loudspeakers, it will also continue to delight with its revelations of recorded detail and musicianship. y*-

2

o

1,01-11111pe" Fig 1 Chord SPM3000. frequency response

1 Fig 2. Chord SPM30007 IF section: distortion spectrum, I kHz input (baseline - 130dB)

Fig 3. Chord SPM30(0, 250W section: distortion spectrum, !kHz input (baseline - 120dB)

' I I

Titanic in structure, the soundstage exhibits every nuance of dynamic shading, based on a formidable foundation of deep, tightly controlled, low frequency energy

--Anglia• --•-‘1"=• - Fig 4. Chord SPM3000, 80W section: supply modulation at 37.5Hz, 2/3 output into 4 ohms

- - Fig 5. Chord SPM3000, 250W section: supply modulation at 37.5Hz, 1/4 output into 4 ohms

"Pe Test results Clwyd SPM3000 Rated power nto 8ohms 250W; Both channels 8ohms Both channels 4ohms Instantaneous peak current DC Offset UR) Distortion Rated power 8ohms at Odffiri Noise DPIS iroodaace and snoltility 20k-ohms 16V (c) 8V) Channel balance all four channels 0 0208 Channel separation 70d8 Dimensions oodh mm) 422 , 355 x 275 Typical Retail Price one VAT) £6327

24d8W 8.C/W 18 8410i) 14d6W 118 8513W1 24(113W (18 80BW, ±45A 1:t10a 50mV'50mV 2011: 1kHz 20kliz - 70aB - 7558 -62dEl -64013 - 68dB - 59dB

- 106dEl

Supplier: Chord Electronics Ltd, 3 Bower Mount Road, Maidsume, Kent ME 16 8AX. Tel: (0622) 764874

14I- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY IOU 31

The company's best

amplifier to date comes in a

chunky looking box

by MARTIN COLLONS

REAL CLA_S(, A AT LAST?

MUSICAL FIDELITY A1000

Having lived with the unit for a reasonable period I have to say that, in my opinion, this unfussy, chunky amplifier is Musical Fidelity's best yet, regardless of price or technology

.1. here is a strong, flamboyant streak about large sections of the Musical Fidelity range. The

Chronos and the Da Vinci models are both proof of this, while other pro-ducts such as the A1000 reviewed here also seek to establish their own identity. It comes in either silver alloy or black satin finish. A massive and heavy machine, its

solid aluminium controls fall easily to hand and are silky in operation. Both the separate power supply and the amplifier proper come with thick alloy fasciae, superbly finished and milled to a gentle but distinctive radius at the sides. Linkage between the power unit and the A1000 is established by captive power cables terminated in XLR-type connectors.

'Chunky' expresses the styling but you have to see it to appreciate it. What you get for just under £1400 is an integrated transistor amplifier with moving-coil, moving-magnet and CD/Attic facilities as standard. Rated at 50W/ch (8oluns), it is quite load-tolerant and has a fair current capacity. The remote power supply allows larger supply transformers to be fitted and their removal from the main case ensures low levels of hum. Inputs are gold-plated phono sock-ets, the loudspeaker outputs 5-way binding posts with 4nun sockets, while the power supply is via a detachable IEC cord.

TECHNOLOGY The key technological feature in terms of engineering cost, and one which is intrinsically bound up with heatsink size and power capacity, is the fact that the 50+50W 8ohm output is pure Class A. The story behind this amplifier

begins with the Musical Fidelity Al, a 15W integrated model operating primarily in Class A. The company has made several attempts to produce what is basically a 'bigger Al', but these have not met with conspicuous success. For 1993, however, the A1000 represents a major effort to meet this challenge.

Internally the amplifier proper may be regarded as a group of upgraded Al amplifiers operating in parallel. Each section has its own complete power supply providing full isolation between pre- and power stages. Massive, efficient heatsinks are provided to carry away the heat (typically 205W quiescent) and although they do this efficiently, the airflow should not be obstructed.

It is evident that the amplifier has a tailored distortion characteristic resembling that of a low-feedback valve tube stage. It ranges from 0.5 to 0.3%, with a smoothly progressively decaying harmonic content. The line-stage uses packaged Mosfet arrays for amplification. The disc amplifier is a conventional feedback type with

large area power transistor junctions to establish a low impedance, low noise moving-coil input. Extensive power supply regulation is used for the earlier stages of this single-ended design. The output stage itself is DC-coupled to the loudspeaker and a generous array of TO3 transistors help disperse the heat generated.

SOUND QUALRY Dominated by Class-A circuitry in the output stage the A1000 ran warm such that it reached operating temperature fairly quickly: 10-15 minutes sufficed for a good sound from a cold start. Systems were tried which would seem appropriate for the price, and one based on the Epos ES il proved to be most rewarding when used with a Meridian 200 transport feeding a Micromega Duo BSII decoder. For turntable tests, a Linn LP12 system proved most satis-factory. Speaker upgrades included the Celestion SL700, the KEF R105 II and the Quad ELS63. No campati-bility problems were found with any of these combinations and the fun-damental good character of the A1000 remained true.

Readers may recall that I have a soft spot for the Al MkII which, when driven within its limits, com-bines valve-like delicacy and trans-parency with a lively rhythmic and expressive quality. Its tonal accuracy on orchestral strings, for example, was also unusually good for the price.

Often when such a simple and elegant, as well as relatively low powered, amplifier is scaled up in size, something gets lost. That sense of intimacy and involvement can be diluted. Tonal balance and trans-parency can likewise suffer, and it is hard to maintain a pure, grain-free treble in the larger amplifier size.

Musical Fidelity set out to build a bigger Al of genuinely superior per-formance and much increased power. With such an objective, price is not a significant design consideration, and in this respect the A1000 price fol-lowed the design requirement. Given the very high standard of finish, it is a wonder that it did not cost more.

Having lived with the unit for a reasonable period I have to say that, in my opinion, this unfussy, chunky amplifier is Musical Fidelity's best yet, regardless of price or technology. On sheer sound quality grounds alone, primarily judged via the line inputs, the high score is unpre-cedented for a pre-/power combina-tion in this price/technology. The nominal figure on my subjective scor-ing scale was 23, placing it right up with other top-line international audiophile products. While this figure represents an analytical dis-tillation of a gamut of subjective

32 NEWS AL RECORD REVIEW MAY 5113

AMPLIFIERS

• • • • ,ise‘

Ne,

judgements over over a range of para-meters, assessed with a selection of supporting equipment and prog-ramme, it cannot convey the relaxed, creamy and wholly musical quality which this amplifier possesses.

Stereo images were well formed with focus, depth and width all in the 'very good' category. Images were stable over a wide power and fre-quency range, and very good pers-pectives were generated. Frontal images were not too forward, while a fine layering of perspective devel-oped further back. Transparency was very good; detail was in the same class, and only the most specific references can show a modest increase in clarity and low-level ambience over the A1000, an increase for which you must pay dearly. The bass was also very good. The

low frequency extension seemed sub-jectively unbounded yet overhang or loss of control was successfully avoided. The bass range had fine slam, very good articulation and showed good pace. Here it success-fully matched the Al, yet it went deeper and was substantially more powerful. A solid foundation for the rest of the frequency range was estab-lished by this fine bass performance.

No areas project through the mid-range as the sound was creamy in respect of both its fine texture and a faint 'sienna' tinted glow or colora-tion. It was euphonic nonetheless, especially with digital sources. The mid was essentially free from unmusical aspects: glare, hardness, grain and the like. Vocals and piano sang well, the whole pleasantly harmonious. In the treble the per-formance was so good as to attract little attention. Neutral in tonal balance, the sound was not contrived in this range. It was well extended, precise and detailed with negligible grain. A touch more liquidity, a slighly finer texture here, and the A1000 treble would align ciosely with the finest valve references. Taken overall, the A1000 had bet-

ter than 'good' dynamics with good expression and, while it was not a rhythm and dynamic leader, the overall performance placed it high in the field. The high standard was substantially maintained via the mov-ing-coil input. At 19 points, there was a small shortfall compared with the line input but, taken in context, this was still a first class result. On a competitive basis, the disc

input was not quite as neutral. The

bass was slightly softer and the treble not quite as open sounding, but no mailer. The basic strength of the following section of the A1000 was still apparent and this phono input was certainly not one of those marketing afterthought inclusions.

LAB REPORT Rated at 50W/ch, the amplifier pro-duced precisely that, 17dBW both channels driven into 8ohms and a little more singly driven, the small difference attributable to the power-ful supplies. Little change in level was seen into 4oluns and the true output approached 95W into that load. Especially noteworthy was the power bandwidth with no significant power limit at 20Hz or 20kHz. While generously endowed with output transistors, there was an inherent current limit at ± 10A, suggesting that very low impedance loads be avoided, those with impedance dips below 3ohms. In any case, low impe-dances will drag the amplifier further out of its Class A regime.

Total harmonic distortion was unexceptional overall; if it were not of predominantly low harmonic order it would be on the verge of audibility. At rated power, and certainly before

Internally the amplifier proper may be regarded as a group of upgraded Al amplifiers operating in parallel

It141 NEWS L RECORD REVIEW MAY 11183 33

40111111*''

eland atott5títO PROBABLY THE BEST

TABLE IN THE WORLD

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44 uen NEWS & RECORD RENEW MAY 1993

clipping, distortion was — 47dB and dominated by second-harmonic. Third-harmonic content was fairly harmless at — 58dB, while fourth-order was — 72dB. Moreover, this pattern was maintained essentially unchanged from 20Hz to 20kHz. This distortion behaviour was in fact more valve-like than transistor. The Class A 50W/ch claim was

based not on an inspection of the standing current in the output stage but of the total power (RMS mea-sured) drawn by the amplifier from the wall socket. When idle, or driv-ing 50+50W 8ohms, the current drawn does not change: a valid crite-rion for pure Class A, since with any proportion of Class B the input power rises with load demand. The output impedance was stable

with frequency probably defined by a small, matching resistor and re-mained at a moderate 0.28ohms. This value was just sufficient to slightly alter the tonal balance of some loudspeakers with more vari-able load impedances, enough for some 'character' to be wrongly attri-buted to the A1000.

At full power, the high-frequency intermodulation was satisfactory, while rather higher figures were seen via m-m and m-c disc inputs when fed IHF input levels: the poorest figure seen at 10% ;. — 20dB). [Fig 1]. But with normal sensitivity car-tridges it sounded well enough, though one could speculate that still better sound might be obtained with lower distortion. Examining the frequency res-

ponses, the CD input was perfectly flat with a controlled response at the audible frquency extremes, — 1dB at 25Hz and 20kHz, — 3dB at 12Hz and 35kHz: just audible and quite satis-factory. Via m-m disc the results were very similar, the bass a little flatter to 40Hz and then rolling off a

little faster to — 3dB at 16Hz, a degree of rumble filtering. The RIAA equalization was very accurate at + 1, — 0.5dB over 30Hz to 15kHz. With the moving-coil input selected there was some exaggeration of the necessary equalization, with the response +0.3, — 0.5dB 30Hz to 15kHz, this still fine.

Signal-to-noise ratios were more than satisfactory via all inputs although I felt that the DC offset at the speaker terminals was on the high side at 67mV. A reading of 100 is excessive, while I favour readings of less than 20mV. Input overload mar-gins were fine via all terminals, so the 'soft' distortion noted via the disc input is not overload-related. Chan-nel separation was fine for the CD input, while that for analogue disc revealed some asymmetry between the channels. A better separation balance is desirable here. Channel balance was also fine and the volume control tracked very well over a wide range, right down to — 60dB. Sensiti-vities and load impedances were fully satisfactory. Tested for supply mod-ulation 37.5Hz with 2/3 rated power at 4ohms, the distortion products were rather valve-like, as has been noted previously, while there is no evidence for any unwanted hum intrusion — a good result.

CONCLUSION The A1000 was undoubtedly an impressive product. Its looks reflect the price, with both the build quality and the finish worked to the best international standards. A rating of 50W/ch of pure Class A, with a high sound quality to boot, is hard to find these days. Highly accomplished and full of refinement, this really is a big Ai, one with a practical dynamic range and a fine bass. This is Musical Edelity's best yet and is awarded a firm recommendation. -44-

Fig 1. Musical Fidelity A1000: inœrmodulation resulting from 19120kHz tones, m-c input

ii I.

Fig 2. Musical Fidelity A1000: supply modulation test, showing spuriae resulting from 35Hz tone, 2/3 rated power

,a1C•L 01. I"

000C

0000

2 0000

4 000

Fig 3. Musical Fidelity A1000 frequency response (CD solid line, m-m dotted, m-c dashed)

Test results Musical Fidelity A1000 2014 lldiz 20IdIz 174 17.5 174 16.5 167 165

13 5cIBW 1-10A. -20A

-48dB -47dB -47dB

Power output One channel, 8ohm load idgwt) both channel. 4ohms One channel. 2ohms pulsed Instantaneous peak current Total harmonic distortion at rated power aux input Intermoduiation. 1W20kHz. rated power aux input Intermoduiation. 19/20kHz. at OdBW. disc (m-m) Intermodulation, 19/20kHz. at 008.W, disc Im-CI Noise Disc (m-m)Vp (IHF. CCIR weighted) Disc (m-c) i/p (IHF, CCIR weighted) Aux/CD Vp (*IF. cCIR weighted) Residual. unwtd Ivol at min) DC output offset JR haul overload Disc vn-rm P min Disc 1m-c) (RIF) Auxt0 (Pe Stereo separation

Al, A p Output impedance (damping) Channel balance, disc. lkHz Voluusalialauee tracking Aux input

-45d8 -33d8

-20d8

-70dB -62d8 -77d8 -7708

67mV/ 67mV

32 808 32dB 27 64:18 30 5dB 29 3dB 22 OdB >2808 >28dB >28d8

60013 35/60dB 28/5108 60dB 71d8 480B o 28ohm 0.28ohm 02860m

0 0608 Odlt -201113 - 60dIt 0 06d8 0 16d8 0 69013

bpi deb lead type wade* lead% Disc en-m) phono 1 25mV 47k ohms. 100pF Disc irn-c) phono 0.085/mV 3k ohms. 3.5pF Aux phono 54mV 47k ohms. 100pF Outputs, pie-amp (tape) 7.8V max NA ohms Disc equalization error. 30Hz-15kHz +0.3013. -0.5(18 Illesetleas (vMcImm) 482x127x405 Typical retail pace (inc VAT) £1400 laPProxl *where OM .2.83V. or IW into 8ohms

Total harmonic distortion was unexceptional overall, if it would be on the verge of audibility. At rated power, and certainly before clipping, distortion was 47dB and

dominated by second harmonic

Supplier: Musical Fidelity, 15116 Olympic Trading Estate, Fulton Road, Wembley, Middx. HA9 OTF. Tel: 081-900 2866.

1114111EWS & MORO REVIEW MAY 1993 35

Would you pay £128,000 for

some World War II valves?

The awesome sound — and

price — of the Gaku-On

by KEN KESSLER

GAZING ON THE GAIKU

The Gaku-Otis look almost ordinary, well finished but hardly an indicator of wealth, taste or status unless the viewer happens to know the price tag beforehand

Think about a nice little cottage, straight out of Lovejoy. Maybe a shiny Ferrari. Or school fees

for your child's entire pre-university education. Any of the above is avail-able to you if you have a spare £128,000. Or you could buy a pair of Audio Note Gaku-On monoblock power amplifiers.

Yes: £128,000. Sorry, make that £128,125. Unless I'm ill-informed, the Gaku-On is the most expensive amplifier in the world. And for this kind of money, it should transport you to realms hitherto inaccessible outside of a live performance. It should also restore your hair if you're bald, add points to your IQ, heal the sick and give sight to the blind.

Like you, I thought this was some kind of joke. But never underesti-mate Peter Qvortrop, a man so able to convince himself of the worth of his own claims he will spend hours justifying this, this, ludicrous attack on the concept of 'value for money'. To wit: Qvortrop argues that the

Gaku-On's price is due, among other things, to the rarity of the main valves (two original, circa- 1944 845s per channel), the 1200 man-hours needed to make each pair of amplifiers (including 500 hours for each transformer), the fact that the company makes only one pair per year and the high content of pure silver (all wiring, transformers, etc). To this I would counter that wages must be phenomenally high in Japan and that pure silver is worth slightly less per ounce than good chopped liver. Indeed, I have some very large, heavy, mint 1920s sterling silver wristwatches which would scrap for about £5 each. Which is generous, as scrap silver is only worth a couple of quid an ounce, pure silver a couple of quid per gramme. Then PQ replies with his cachet/

objets d'art pitch. You're asked to think not about high-end audio in 'conventional' terms, but as you would about one-off garments from names like Ozbek and Versace and

Miyake. But are there audiophiles in the world who are that desperate to own an amp merely because it's a near-one-off, something they won't see in any shops or other audiophiles' homes? For your eighth-of-a-million

pounds, you get a brace of copper-clad monoblocks sprouting the afor-ementioned 845s, whacking-great phalluses which are classified as 'direct-heated true triodes with bright emitters' — they almost light up the room. They're air force-grade tubes, designed to be used as trans-mitters in bombers. Each amplifier also uses a 5687 driver tube and a pair of 6072A tubes for input and phase-splitting, the latter valves described as 'super ECC83s with lower gain'. Tango makes the mains transfor-

mers to Audio Note specifications, while the output transformers are in-house products. The core material is described as 'ceramic leaf, said to cost £1500 per transformer, while each requires £3000 worth of '99.99% silver wire'. This magical material is specially drawn and coated, then wound around the core under micro-scope in a special overlapping pat-tern. Everything else in the amplifier — admitted to be based on a vener-able, simple, classic circuit — is hard-wired with silver solder. The direct-heated triodes provide

these amplifiers with 45W each of pure Class A power. No feedback whatsoever is used. Other designer

ON goodies contributing to the six-figure sticker price include pure copper chassis, non-magnetic tantalum film resistors, hand-made silver foil resis-tors and a choke power supply employing Cerafine electrolytic caps throughout. At the back are decent binding posts for bare wire or bana-nas, while the front contains a rotary on-off switch and a level control, so you can feed this with a line source straight in if you don't mind using volume controls which could be spa-ced quite a few feet apart in certain installations. That said, the Gaku-Ons look

almost ordinary, well finished but hardly an indicator of wealth, taste or status unless the viewer happens to know the price tag beforehand. So, unlike a Rolls-Royce or a Chanel original purchased for the prestige they impart, this method of buying glory isn't self-explanatory. The footprint measures a tidy 250x 480mm (wxd), so it doesn't over-whelm with size, either.

36 10-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW NAY 113

AMPLIFIERS

Switch on the rotary knob and you get a Frankenstein's laboratory hum, thrum and then silence. After a few seconds, the amps are ready to use, but a good hour seems to be the minimum if you want optimum per-formance. They glow brightly, enough to elicit a sigh from any red-blooded anachrophile. I used the Gaku-Ons with suitably

esoteric as well as mundane equip-ment, including Krell's KRC, Musi-cal Fidelity's F22 and Audio Note's M7 pre-amps, CD components from Primare, Krell and Vimak, the GyroDec/SME/Transfiguration ana-logue package and speakers includ-ing Apogee Stages, Wilson WATTs/ Puppies, Sonus Faber Extremas and BBC LS3/5As. And the first thing I learned is that this amplifier likes neither low impedances nor big appetites, confirming Qvortrop's belief that a low impedance and low sensitivity are Satan's playthings. Overdrive the Audio Notes and the bass goes lumpy, the treble soft. Which rather limits the speaker choices for those who wish to spend lots of bucks on the rest of their Gaku-On-based systems. Consider, then, only certain electrostatics, most horns and the Wilsons, which worked wonderfully with the Gaku-On. So I stuck to the Wilsons for a week before discovering that the best match is actually the humblest.

Say/think what you like, the BBC LS3/5A is so remarkable a speaker that it's worthy of a £128k goose up the backside, because Audio Note's pure tube concoction — despite bass which wouldn't shame a 300W tran-sistor behemoth (in terms of sound quality if not power) — is primarily a midrange/treble device, a perfect voice carrier. That's where it works most of its magic, just like the baby Beeb monitor. And that's where you start forgetting the comical price. Much though I hate to say it (and

I do, despite my seemingly non-critical championing of the high-end) the Gaku-On is one of the sweetest, warmest, most holographic amplifi-ers I've ever heard. 'Beautiful' comes close to describing it, 'natural' even closer. Used within the limits of its power capabilities — and I would expect Qvortrop to advise all poten-tial purchasers to use horns or some-such — it sounds easy, relaxed, yet commanding. The silences and air between the instruments, the shim-mer to strings, the life in the vocals: this amplifier places the music in your room, causing the speakers to vanish completely. I can think of no experiences other than my exposure to the Apogee Grand/Krell KAS demonstration at the 1992 Chicago CES and listening to EAR's Yoshi-nos which come close to what I felt

when listening to the Gaku-On-through-LS3/5As for the first time in a darkened room, with Liza Minnelli belting out 'Maybe This Time' from the Cabaret soundtrack. When it played 'Tomorrow Belongs To Me', I felt my DNA chain unravelling. Taken aback? Transfixed? Thril-

led? Hey, the last time I had goose-bumps this big from music was at a concert, not in front of a hi-fi. And to test this, I played the same track for one of the industry's most finicky listeners, a rival to Audio Note not known for his respect for the opposi-tion. A musician in his own right, he heard his particular instrument and Merely shook his head in wonder. The sheer awe on his face confirmed my belief that the Gaku-On isn't all hype. Only about £108 grand's worth of it. Which leads me to another revelation voiced by my guest. Having listened closely to the

Gaku-On with my own components and one of his own, he found himself lost in admiration despite any reluct-ance about praising the opposition. Then his manufacturer's knowledge came into play, tempering his epiphany. Looking closely at the Gaku-Ons, he did some mental pric-ing. His final comment? If the Gaku-Ons sold for even £20,000 per pair, they'd wipe out all the competition.

They're that good, power limita-tions taken into consideration, of course. But think about this: if you had money to burn, how much would you pay for the finest sound-ing amplifier in the world? Would you, like a wealthy art lover, pay £40 million for a Van Gogh? Would you, like a well-heeled watch nut, pay £50,000 for a Patek Philippe repea-ter? Or like a platinum-Amex'd gourmand, drop £150 on lunch, sans alcohol? And are these not just as ludicrous a list of purchases as £128,125 for some hi-fi equipment?

In no way, and I mean no way, can anyone justify the Gaku-On by its parts count. Labour? I know classy hookers who charge less per hour. Perceived value? The Gaku-On looks like a DIY nightmare compared to a Jadis, a Krell, a Goldmund. But then there's the sound, quite without question the least flawed perform-ance I've heard yet from any amplifier. At all times you know you're listening to pure tubes, even though there's no Vaseline-on-the-lens edge removal. The bass, even through the Puppies, is taut and extended. There's more bottom-octave speed in other amplifiers, especially solid-state power houses, but the relative sloth compared to, say, the Krell MDA300s, is not enough to condemn the Audio Note. Remember: this amplifier simply is not worth hearing through loud-

speakers which dip too often below 4oluns and 85dB/1W.

But, you're rightly thinking, for this kind of outlay the amplifiers should drive lightbulbs, hammer drills and Apogees. Wrong. That's like saying a Ferrari should handle off-road duties. Horses for courses. And in this case, the course is an easy load. And within that context, I have to say that the product is sensational. But, as always, there's a caveat. However bowled over I was by the

sheer musicality of Gaku-On, I was reminded time and again of the Yoshino XXXB through the WATT/ Puppy. And even though its £281t tag frightened me, I have to look at it now almost as 'good value'. So, for the same bucks, you can tri -amp with Yoshinos and still have £44,000 left over for the rest of the system. Or a new Alfa Spyder, a complete Leica system, and a no-holds-barred week in Las Vegas.

I'm not coping well with this, feeling as must have the reviewers who had to assess Mark Levinson's first price-busters in the early 1970s. Those who can just about 'accept' ki-fi costing a high four or low five figures will be pushed to the limits of their materialism even to understand how someone could have the sheer nerve to ask this much for an amp. But, should you ever have the good fortune to hear Gaku-On, you'll agree with me when I say that the lone audiophile who acquires this system in 1993 is one fortunate son of a gun. Irredeemably and certifi-ably insane, perhaps, but fortunate nonetheless. I just pray for the sake of the high

end industry's credibility that it doesn't set a precedent. +

The Gaku-On looks like a DIY nightmare compared with a Jadis, a Krell, a Goldmund. But then there's the sound, quite without question the least flawed perforrnance I've heard yet from any amplifier

Supplier: Audio Note (UK) Ltd, Unit!, Block C, Hove Business Centre, Fonthill Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 6HA. Tel: (0273) 220511

HI-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY IOU 37

With more power, good

facilities and domesticated

manners, Copland's

CTA301 and CTA504 make

up a truly civilised tube

pre-/power combination

by STEVE HARRIS

OPLAND CTA301/CTA504 T

here must be many enthusiasts who are attracted to valves but still believe that valve amplifiers

are unreliable, noisy, difficult to use, and likely to set fire to the curtains. The Copland range, which is none of these things, is for them.

Before he started the Copland company some eight years ago, Olé Müller was working for the cartridge manufacturer Ortofon. When he found a very old Ortofon valve amp, he took it home and was surprised how good it sounded. Then, as he says 'there was not so much talk about valve amps', but the experi-ence encouraged him to build his own 12W amp using EL84 pentodes.

Miller's original model remained in small-scale production in Denmark for three years, by which time it was getting some market acceptance and a good press abroad. So he took the plunge, and entered into the current agreement with Xena of Sweden, under which Xena manu-factures the products to his designs. The Copland products all have a

kind of well-bred, understated aes-thetic which matches Müller's thoughtful electronic design and is

combined with excellent build qual-ity and careful attention to electrical protection against overload or abuse. The products are hardly cheap, but they come with at least believable price tags. This review covers the CTA 301 pre-amplifier (£ 1499) plus the new, larger stereo power amplifier, the CTA 504 (£2000).

Externally, the CTA 301 offers Copland's usual combination of sim-ple lines and high-quality finish. In this case there are five uniform rotary controls, although two of these are simply two-position switches. From left to right we have: source selection (RIAA, tuner, CD, aux 1 and aux 2); tape monitor on/off; balance; level (volume); and power on/off. The RIAA or LP disc input position is at moving-magnet sensitivity, so mov-ing-coil users will need a suitable step-up device. The balance control is appropriately scaled for fine tuning a system, as it offers just 10dB of adjustment in either direction. The level control is marked in dB of attenuation, OdB being full level.

Inside, there are six tubes, two pairs of ECC83s in the RIAA section and one ECC82 per channel for the

line amplification stage. Copland's founder and designer, Olé Müller has used a CAD facility to optimise the track layout of the single large circuit board for minimal interaction between components, with careful attention to component orientation. The board is a high- quality type with 701.4,m track thickness and through-plated insertion holes. The input RCA (phono) sockets at the rear are wired directly to relays which are remotely controlled by the selectors on the front panel. Switching in the signal path has been avoided throughout the amplifier. A custom-built 40VA toroidal transformer feeds four separate power supply circuits (for line amp, RIAA, valve heaters, plus a small supply to fix the heater potential at the correct dis-tance from the cathodes).

Essentially a higher-powered ver-sion of the existing 401 model, the CTA504 uses the ultralinear con-figuration to extract a quoted 50W from each channel's pair of 6550 tetrodes: but it is also possible to run the output stage in triode mode, giving a quoted output of 26W/ch. The circuit is described as having just 16dB of negative feedback. Two ECC83s for each channel provide the input stage and phase splitting. All these tubes and most of the other components are mounted on a single large circuit board, of the same qual-ity as that in the pre-amp, which runs most of the way across the 430mm width of the case and occupies about

38 141-F1 NEWS 8. RECORD REVIEW MAY 183

AMPLIFIERS

half its front-to-back depth. Ceramic valve bases are soldered direct to the board (using high-temperature sol-der). The power supply is based on a big (600VA) toroidal transformer in the back righthand corner: the rest of the back part of the chassis area is largely taken up by the two output transformers. Presumably, the two front panel controls are presented as rotary knobs only for aesthetic reasons, since each rotates just a few degrees between two switch posi-tions. One is the on/off switch, while the other switches the output stages to triode mode.

LISTENING For this review, the UK distributor (Absolute Sounds) provided a com-plete system from its own lines. So, rather than building up to the sup-plier's recommended system, I lis-tened to this first. Later, I assessed the Copland units separately and together, and compared them with other models in my own system. The rest of the Absolute Sounds

system included the Krell CDSP CD player and Linaeum LFX speakers (in Conan), which came with a pair of slate stands by Slate Audio, cus-tom made for this model and a perfect visual match.

After a lot of tuning this system did start to work. It had guts, control and astounding detail. This combina-tion seemed able to reveal the full abilities of the Krell player in terms of rock-solid timing and exceptional detail combined with freedom from any glare. (To me there was, however, still just the faintest hint of 'solid state electronics' in the sound.)

In that system, then, the Copland combination did all that was expected of it. While this equipment was on hand, I also had the opportunity to try the Lux 500 CD player, which offers an interesting contrast to the Krell: here was a sound of undeni-able refinement, but one which mis-sed the Krell's ability to extract that last ounce of punch and detail. And, of course, it is the last ounce which matters. It was quite hard to find fault with it, as the amplification appeared to be transparent enough to allow listeners to focus on the charac-teristics of the front end, or the recording quality, or (more enjoy-ably) on the music itself. The next stage of listening concen-

trated on the CTA 504, used with other pre-amplifiers and sources (CD and vinyl) and with the CTA 301. Once the amplifier was warmed up, it worked beautifully and self-effacingly. It gave a stereo image of very good depth and unexaggerated, comfortable width: it sometimes achieved that almost magically con-vincing positioning of instruments

within the stereo stage which Blum-lein invented but didn't live to hear.

Voices could sound beautiful, sweet and smooth, but that easy-on-the-ear quality did not bring with it a sense that anything was missing. On well-recorded rock, instruments sounded in correct proportion: they came in and out with no sense of strain. With Rickk Lee Jones, the dynamics of what could be called her semi-recitative vocal were very natu-ral. Then, when a guitar came in with a chord, it just came in: there was no 'hi-fi effect' of unwanted surprise, no tightening or constriction.

If you want a muscle amplifier, you are unlikely to have read this far anyway, but the '504 is designed to cater for those who thought the 401's wattage too feeble. The idea of the triode on/off switch is that if you are a purist, you can have 26W in triode mode: if you need 50W/channel, you leave it as a tetrode. If you want reasonably high levels in a biggish room with averagely sensitive speak-ers (say 87-88dB/1W) you could find it necessary to use the tetrode ('triode off') mode to avoid audible clipping distortion. But when the power demanded is less the triode output is sufficient. The gain in sound quality was subtle but not unimportant. After bathing in the luxury of the triode sound for a while, switching back to the tetrode mode gave just a little less space, less feeling of free-dom. Strings sounded thinner, and everything was less open and sweet.

If you want bass in thunderous quantity with ostentatiously vice-like control, look elsewhere: but the 504's bass was informative, illuminating the music's flow with a feeling of good balance and quite adequate extension. In other words, the feeling of transparency was carried down into the lower octaves too.

Finally, I listened to the CTA 301/CTA504 combination with a range of other ancillaries. The CTA 301 pre-amplifier includes a phono stage of moving-magnet sensitivity, so for moving-coil use a step-up or head-amp is needed. I was fortu-nately able to make use of The Head, that extraordinarily high-quality transformer step-up designed by Tim de Paravicini. Using a Roksan front end (Xences/Artemiz/Shiraz), this combination produced more than magic moments.

CONCLUSION With the Copland combination, it seems easier to point to its intentional limitations than to faults. Some tube amps create instant excitement com-bined with a sense of power in the raw and a sense of danger, a feeling that things are only just under con-trol. Switching-on the Coplands may be a less spine-tingling experience, but it is also a less stressful one. Longer exposure to the Coplands will make it obvious that these are pro-ducts of real design integrity which can deliver very high levels of musical realism.

Supplier: Absolute Sounds, 58 Durham Road, London SW20 ODE. Tel: 081-947 5047

HI-Fl NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 113

True British mid-priced

designs with strong hi-fi

pedigrees to their names

by TREVOR BUTLER

BRITAIN'S TOP TUNE

There is a wonderfully quiet background when listening to the Audiolab. The silence behind Radio Three transmissions was eerily quiet

t is pleasing to be able to report on two successful British-designed tuners which will not break the

bank. Cambridge Systems Technol-ogy has been promising the Audiolab 8000T for as long as I can remember, while Quad's new engineering direc-tor, Derek Jones, began work on the Quad 66FM upon joining the com-pany two years ago, determined to improve on the FM4. Both newly released models were

assessed over several weeks in two systems, by listeners with a wealth of RF engineering and broadcasting expertise. While the Quad design is intended solely for use in an all-Quad 66 set-up, it worked well in our system, which comprised a line-level Onix integrated amplifier driving

Rogers LS7t loudspeakers, and a more up-market arrangement with AVI electronics and ATC SCM10 monitors. Tests were in Sussex and relied on four-element Yagis directed towards the BBC mast at Wrotham.

AUDIOLAB 80001 Many would consider £700 a lot to spend on a tuner, yet think nothing of a much higher outlay for a CD player. Audiolab's design team of Philip Swift and Tony Scotland had promised its customers an audiophile tuner four years ago and wasn't going to cut corners now. Designed to match the other

Audiolab separates cosmetically, the three-band tuner is housed as stan-dard in a black finished box (measur-

ing 445 x 74 x 330mm, whd), and fea-tures a bright green frequency dis-play (shown as yellow in the brochure) alongside what looks like a large rotary tuning knob with soft magnetic detents. This operates an optical encoder to tune manually the sophisticated synthesized circuitry inside but doesn't wrap round at frequency extremes. Tuning (in rather small 25kHz steps) may also be achieved using up/down buttons (in manual or auto `seek' mode), but sadly there is no provision for direct frequency input or a remote control.

Facilities allow for 39 pre-set sta-tions (with random access from a 0-9 key-pad) selectable hi-blend, switch-able mono/stereo FM reception, 11-element 'magic eye' centre tuning scale, logarithmic signal strength meter, and selectable IF bandwidth operative on AM and FM. There is also an on-board calibration oscillator producing a 400Hz tone representing 37.5kHz deviation on FM and 50% AM modulation. With so much technology it is

surprising that use has not been made of RDS signals, whereby station

40 MI41 MEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 11193

names and programme types could be displayed. For those wanting RDS data, it may be sourced from a rear-mounted phono socket to feed a separate decoder. There is also provi-sion to connect an oscilloscope or, more crudely, a voltmeter to ascer-tain exact signal strengths. The VHF antenna is connected to

a 75otun Belling Lee socket, while the AM loop supplied must be con-nected at all times, as it forms part of the Hi-Q input tuning circuit. An additional long-wire may be con-nected to adjacent screw terminals to enhance reception of lower frequen-cies. Mains is connected via a non-earthed IEC socket, the appliance being a double-insulated Class II product. Audio output (700mV rms at 100% modulation) is through one set of RCA phonos.

TECHNOLOGY Much thought has gone into every detail of the design, such as ensuring that the back-lit LCD does not radi-ate RF interference, and the provi-sion of a nine-section LC Butter-worth configured birdie filter with

low pass-band ripple to remove har-monics of stereo pilot tone and interference from adjacent channels; this without compromise to the chan-nel separation and distortion figures. There's also a centre tune indicator calibrated in 25kHz steps and nine-segment signal strength meter cover-ing a vast signal range from 1.61.4V to a strong 2.5mV. A double conversion technique is

applied in the in-house designed IF strip where the first IF of 10.7MHz is frequency doubled to 22MHz before being down-converted to 712kHz to avoid spuriae. The front end is home grown, too, with no Mitstuni mod-ules here. Instead, BF981 dual-gate Mosfets are used as the first RF amp and mixer stages, plus a clutch of Toko coils to produce an impressive set of figures from a modern varicap design. The team created its own charge integrating demodulator using passive components to give low dis-tortion and good strong-signal hand-ling able to withstand input in excess of 2V rms without overload. The result is very stable, non-temperature sensitive, does not age and is totally non-microphonic. Measured distortion was very low,

typically around 0.1%, and the audio response commendably flat to 12kHz before a slight treble roll-off. Good filtering removes 19kflz pilot and 38kHz sub-carrier effectively.

This is a good tuner for the DXer with its high sensitivity (although lmV was necessary to reach full quieting), and the ability to defeat muting when tuning manually for exotic stations.

SOUND QUALITY Here is a tuner which inspires confi-dence from the first moments of listening on FM. Although the sound produced is quite neutral, it main-tains a power and translucence that reveals a wealth of depth and detail. There is a wonderfully quiet back-

ground when listening to the Audiolab. The silence behind Radio Three transmissions was eerily quiet. The 8000T reveals the true potential of FM radio as a superb aural experi-ence. This was especially true of well engineered live performances. The ability to portray classical,

vocal, and both light and heavy rock with consummate ease and enjoy-ment for the listener is remarkable. The sound is consistently sweet and clear with a vivid stereo soundstage combined with good bass drive and convincing dynamics. The AM section (LP and MF) is

among the best I have heard and it is clear that a considerable amount of the engineering budget has been spent here. In 'wide' IF mode the tuner was clearly making the most of

TUNERS

the signals broadcast without the annoying noises, whistles, and adja-cent channel interference which ruin the sound of so many MF receivers.

CONCLUSION The sound quality achieved with this tuner is almost unsurpassable at this price. It is equal in every sense to .the Revox (sadly no longer in produc-tion), but more English in character. Where it is rivalled on sound quality by the Quad 66FM, it makes up for in the provision of facilities. The 8000T is proof that when care

is taken over design and engineering, and time is spent to listen carefully and analyse the results, it is possible to achieve a product that will give enjoyment and trouble-free service for many years.

QUAD 66FM Quad is a company with a long pedigree of producing good tuners with many of the earlier FM3 models still in use. When Derek Jones joined the company two years ago his first task was to pick up the threads on a successor to the then ageing FM4. What was required was a component of the successful 66 series with its modern styling and remote control operation. Thus the midi-sized box (321 x 80 x 255nun, whd) is fmished in the house livery and has but one button for power on/off. The colour scheme was regarded as drab by some non-Quad aficionados. There had been a delay in produc-

ing a suitable product when the first re-design was scrapped because of what were termed 'technical difficul-ties'. Time was then short and a target date of just eleven weeks was allocated to R&D staff to get the product off the drawing board.

Operation of this £520 FM-only receiver is a little unusual, if only because use must be made of Quad's table-top remote, or a learning remote suitably programmed. Nine-teen pre-sets are offered with stereo and mono options. There is a bar-graph signal meter but nothing by way of hi-blend, RF attenuator or other frills. There are two front-panel displays.

The larger shows memory operation while the smaller is confined to show operating frequency. To the rear arc a pair of phono sockets for the rather low audio output (100mV rms at 30% mod), 75ohm Belling Lee male socket for antenna connection and in/out IEC mains connectors.

Operation of the tuner is not directly catered for on the remote. While there is a button marked 'radio', one has to use CD player controls such as 'Track', 'Search' and 'Pause' to store and recall memories or activate tuning modes.

Supplier: Cambridge Systems Technology, 26 Roman Way Industrial Estate, Godmanchester, Huntingdon, Cambridge PEI8 8LN. Tel: (0480)52521

Circuit layout and construction is neat with no wires trailing across the board. The hand-made VGO coil has to be placed at right-angles to other components in order to wort property

111-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1113

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tor improvement? Up to now, apart from tinerking with you, mnplification. there hasn't been much on offer, but Gradient the Finnish distributors for Quad) have come up with a .vbwoofer system to give the extra bass extension that many SL 63 owners would regard as the only real shortcoming of the

speaker. You don't have to take our word for it — come and listen t. 'r yourself Full literature pack available on request.

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I elcased ii from restrictions determined by 0 need to make the standard speaker a full-range device. With the SW63 the electrostatic blossom, into o true ugh end speaker of such integrity and ability that no sensible criticisms are worth voicing. This is a most graceful performer which again shows the fundamental quality of Peter Walker's marvellous .-reation. It cornes strongly recommended.

I can think of no better upgrade path for a '63 owner with ambitions, while as an all- in-one purchase the high review rating equally applies

TESTIMONIALS FROM SATISFIED OWNERS Oull.un

•li really w a delight to listen to this combination of ESL 63's and SW 63.s. The musicseems to be libre solid and I find the imaging properties of the Quads are enhanced. The extended bass is a Is ion when listening to large orchestral and organ works, yet the treble is clearer. Altogether a most successful marriage::

Mr. Tyler of Basingstoke. With the SW 63's raising the Quad ESL 63's some 15 inches from the floor, the effect is to create

iin excellent tonal balance with a truly authoritive firm boss combined with an opeining up of the sound which is wholly beneficial. . . the results are really beyond criticism over a whole range of materiar

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42 NI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

TUNERS

CHNOLOGY uad's new technical director Derek Ines inherited a bread-board vamp of the FM4 design when he rived at Quad, but found supply oblems with several obsolescent .mponents. The opportunity was en taken to make detailed circuit tanges and he looked in particular improving the IF strip to cope with tgh deviation signals in an creasingly congested VHF band. A .ree-pole Besse11 filter was included ith an improved low-pass birdie her placed between the discrimina-I' and multiplexer. Pin diode pro-ction was added to the front-end to iprove the strong signal handling. was paramount throughout that

ie new model would pass EMC tests id meet current regulations, includ-tg the American FCC standard. Inside the well finished box a ngle circuit board houses all the ecessary components without :course to screened compartments. he 4500 stereo decoder has been etained in a rear-end similar to the Id FM4. Circuit layout and con-.ruction is neat with no wires trail-ig across the board. The hand-made 'CO coil has to be placed at right-ogles to other components in order work properly. The frequency response is fairly at from a lower point of 28Hz, with peak at 5kHz and rolling-off at 6kHz before filtering comes into lay to remove 19kHz pilot tone and 8kHz sub-carrier. The ladder signal leter worked well with two seg-:tents lit by 5p.V and needing over mV for a full house. This tuner does require a good

ignal from an external aerial for the thimate performance and is not one or DXers to short-list. The select-vity is only `average' and doesn't natch the Audiolab, for example. Che 66FM has clearly been con-eived as a receiver for the listener vho requires excellent audio quality vith a good signal-to-noise figure rom the main stations.

IOUND QUALITY Ilthough the initial impression from he Quad 66FM was of a somewhat told and rather lack-lustre quality, teveral hours of listening later the uner was singing and that opinion vas revised. Read on . . . After prolonged auditioning, the

dea that this smooth performer with definitely `English', slightly res-

rained sound, but lacking ultimate iparlde, was put down to a slightly early treble roll-off. Perhaps our panel had become too used to the iharpness and over sibilance por-trayed in some Japanese designs? The Quad is capable of decent bass

extension without swamping a

Audiolab's new

8000T tuner. (Below:

the Quad 66FM.)

velvety mid and treble. Good stereo width was obtained across a range of programme, with precise positioning of individual instruments.

In detail, rock programme was portrayed with good, strong. bass lines and a real sense of rhythm and pace. The sound never became tiring as the only temptation was to keep advancing the volume. Even the mish-mash of sounds from electronic dance music was unravelled to reveal a wealth of detail and some interest-ing underlying sounds. On human voice, so often an acid

test, the Quad simply shone, produc-ing an extremely natural, well con-trolled sound, never over sibilant, chesty or nasal. The character of individual announcers and perfor-mers was maintained, sounding natu-ral rather than manufactured. A neutral tonal balance was parti-

cularly evident on classical material where a smooth, velvety treble did not lead to masking of inner detail. Live Radio Three concert relays were superbly portrayed with inextricable amounts of detail and clarity. The stereo width seemed just right whether the performance was a quar-

tet or massed choirs and full orches-tra. The apparent height and depth were also good, with every sound in the correct place and, more impor-tantly, in the correct proportion. Good and punchy, or smooth and

silky, the 66FM was able to copy with all types of music which simply flows from this unfatiguing tuner, allowing hours of constant enjoyment in a very musical presentation.

CONCLUSION This is another product that the music lover can enjoy. It does not throw the sound at the listener, but simply produces a well balanced, very detailed and thoroughly listen-able performance. Imaging is superb across a solid soundstage. I hope that this product will mark

a renaissance for this famous brand. The one disappointment is that the 66FM requires the Quad 66 remote, since many non-Quad users would otherwise be able to enjoy this simple to use, no frills tuner. As it is, 99.9% of music lovers may be precluded from buying one. +

Operation of this FM-only receiver is a little unusual, if only because use must be made of Quad's table-top remote

Supplier: Quad Electroacoustics Ltd, St Peter's Road, Huntingdon, Cambridge PE18 7DB. Tel: (0480)52561.

Il-fl NEWS 43 RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

Think of the S2000MC as a vintage Beaujolais in a shop full of nouveau brew, a player that offers a sound to be savoured, not gulped

Small but smart, AVI's

S2000MC CD player aims

for the top

by PAUL MILLER

AVI S2000 CD PLAYER

AV International is just one of a number of small but exceed-ingly smart outfits that have

conquered the fickle Far Eastern markets yet, for whatever reason, remain virtually unknown on their home turf. This latest series of midi-sized components looks set to address our ignorance of AVI, a collection of separates that is headed by a novel-looking CD player called the S2000MC. And with an entry ticket marked up at some £999, AVI is evidently aiming for the top on its very first attempt.

AVI's styling is highly distinctive, its sculptured alloy fascia raised proud of the player's body and bro-ken by just a handful of elementary facilities. A simple, two-part static LED display suffices for track num-ber and track time while its recharge-able remote control — milled from a solid alloy piece — offers no more than play, pause, track + 10, search and skip. No repeat, index search, tape edit, program play or direct track access facilities are provided,

even though the S2000MC responds to Philips's standard RCS IR coding.

In practice, AVI's logic is arranged in such a way that individual com-mands, such as a single stroke of the track skip key, are confirmed and executed before another command is accepted. As a consequence, skip-ping from track to track or simply into the middle of a disc results in frustrating delays as the player plods through each step in turn. You can-not, say, rattle ahead to track 25 and wait for the player's mechanism to catch up, or fast-search at the very extremes of the disc. And the reason for this quirky

behaviour? AVI's own microcontrol-ler panel, which accommodates both the display and IR receiver functions via a one-time programmable CMOS processor from Motorola. This pro-cessor is brain-washed with AVI's software, bringing the S2000MC into line with its matching remote-controlled amplifiers! Meanwhile, I would guess that AVI's choice of 20-bit technology is a reflection of

Far Eastern market trends where high-end bitstream simply refuses to sell, no matter what the pedigree. Given this technological straitjacket, the choice of Burr-Brown's popular PCM-63P DAC may have been inevitable.

Philips's so-called 'CD-Engine' completes a very tidy package, this combination of a CDM9 transport, servo, decoder and digital output board being addressed to AVI's own logic card via an RS232 link. Once again, this simply reaffirms AVI's policy of using low power con-sumption/low RF interference cir-cuitry: nothing fancy, just down-to-earth but eminently sensible engineering.

SOUND QUALITY This CD player is frustratingly diffi-cult to pigeonhole, a player that eschews the fruity character of a Marantz, the measured atmosphere of a Pioneer or the sparkling bril-liance of a Rotel. No, the sins of the S2000MC are those of omission

44 HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

CD PLAYERS

rather than colour or exaggeration; its sound a model of dryness, of restraint and poise. Nevertheless, there's a sense of balance and propor-tion that's so well judged, the player all but oozes an air of smug self-satisfaction. I pondered at the time that it would be so refreshing if the AVI's mask were to slip just once and reveal, if only momentarily, any fra-gility in the music at hand. But I would wait in vain, for this player has an unshakable composure, a sense of correctness and propriety, as if 'Quad' were stamped all over it. Then again, all CD players sound the same, don't they?

In the main, this decorous outlook is thoroughly appropriate, sustaining the delicate colour of vocalists like Tori Amos, whose voice was left to hang timorously in front of the speakers while the resonant impact of piano punctuated a dark, and sober atmosphere. In this instance, the instruments and voice combined to produce a very uniform sound, in music that was so undemanding yet still luxuriously detailed - music that flowed gently rather than strid-ing boldly from the speakers.

Indeed, the S2000MC could never be described as 'obvious' in its pre-sentation: never forward, abrupt or uncouth. On the flipside, nor did it possess the bite or attack of a faith-fully up-beat machine - preferring instead to err on the side of caution and sobriety.

Yet I've already suggested the S2000MC is hard to pin down, so don't make the mistake of equating temperance with a compressed or lacklustre sound. Listen to the articulate snap of Tomy Remy's acoustic guitar, the full and resonant quality of bass and distant echo of percussion, and the likes of 'Hazel's Dream' will appear to fill your room with a delicious ambience. An inti-mate and exquisitely detailed sound that, upon reflection, extends both deep into the bass and high through the treble without drawing attention to its prowess.

Finally, a word of warning before you visit your local hi-fi emporium: think of the S2000MC as a vintage Beaujolais in a shop full of nouveau brew, a player that offers a sound to be savoured, not gulped.

LAB REPORT This is a textbook implementation of Burr-Brown's Colinear PCM63P DACs, right down to the use of a matching DF1700 8-times oversam-piing filter. Nevertheless, AVI's con-figuration steals a march on Creek's DAC60, converter [HFNIRR Feb-ruary] with its Signetics NE5532AN op-amps used in both I-V conversion and output buffering stages, op-

amps that avoid the slewing encoun-tered with the DAC60 so distortion holds to just 0.005% at 20kHz, real-ised as the harmless 2nd and 3rd harmonics on the 3D plot [Fig 3]. Incidentally, this graph also exposes the merest hint of stop-band noise between 24.1-30kHz which, at just -96.5dB, still falls some way short of the 110dB rejection claimed by Burr-Brown. By way of confirma-tion, the same result is obtained with Audio Synthesis DSM-M and DSD Decode-1 DACs - two competing models that use the DF1700. On the other hand, Burr-Brown's

claim for an exceptionally low pass-band ripple is borne out by the smooth high and low (-60dB) fre-quency responses, their high fre-quency roll-off (--0.8kHz at 20kHz) being a function of AVI's analogue circuitry and not the oversampling filter [Fig 1]. The DACs themselves are very advanced, employing two complementary 19-bit networks that are interleaved yet share a common reference and a common R-2R lad-der. This Colinear or `Dual-DAC' approach effectively doubles the number of quantization steps avail-able to a single 19-bit DAC, implying true 20-bit performance with an improved low-level resolution. Once again, this is reflected in the

test results which show maximum deviations of just 0.17dB at I kHz and 0.14dB at 20kHz over a full 100dB dynamic range. Couple this with its genuine 113dB S/N ratio and near-perfect reaction to dithered sig-nals [Fig 2] and you've an example of state-of-the-art performance in multi-bit CD player design.

CONCLUSION Aside from its exasperating inflexibil-ity, this turns out to be an extremely subtle and capable player, one whose qualities you will grow to appreciate rather than be stunned by on your first exposure. Unfortunately, such honesty in hi-fi is rare and I cannot help wondering whether this senti-ment will be lost, given the contrived fireworks of its under-priced com-petition. Either way, the S2000MC marks an impressive debut for one of the unsung innovators of our home-grown industry. +

AVI S2000MC

sà FREQUENC ,

Fig 1. AVI S2000MC: frequency response at OdB and -60dB

FREQUENCY 1104.1

AMPL I,U°7

61 120196 bit -DI 11111M36f 11111616

1111

14 10 30 30 30 CO PO 10 00 OUrPuT FREQUENCY (kHz)

Fig 3. AVI S2000MC: spuriae up to 100kHz associated with swept 0-20kHz tone at OdB

Test results AVI S2000MC

Channel Balance dB) Channel separation (dB) THD vs Leve), OdB

-30dB -60dB -80dB

Dithered. - 90dB Dithered. - 100B Dithered. - 110dB Resolution at - 60d8

-80dB -90dB :00dB

Peak output level, L R Relative output level dBi Output impedance Radio frequency spuriae 1Hz noise modulation CCIR IMD Suppression of stop-band IMD De-emphasis accuracy, 'dB)

1 kHz Sidle 16kblz

S/'N ratio 16-tste. w emp. 0198 o mop. OLSB o emp. ILSB

Digital output Crystal clock accuracy Typical retail price ,e VAT',

201h 0.00 135.6 -98.0 -78.7 -55.9 -28.0 -17.5

lIdtt 20kHz 000 002 129.3 104.7 -97.0 -85.6 -76.4 -80.2 -50.6 -59.5 -30.3 -41.4 -21.3 -31.6 -20.2 -13.5

+0.01/0.00 -0.01/+0.14 -0.171+0.02 +0.101+0.03

2.1658112.1655 +0.69 9.3ohm lmV broadband

+13.6 -95.5

96.5

+0.03 +0.10 -0.65

115.6 113.0 113.0 Coaxial

+5.0ppm

£999

Aside from its appalling inflexibility, this turns out to be an extremely subtle and capable player, one whose qualities you will grow to appreciate rather than be stunned by on your first exposure

Supplier: AV International Ltd, Unit F3C3, Bath Road Trading Estate, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 3QF. Tel: (0329)231773

HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 45

The 263 rated highly, with a midrange free from hardness or glare, probably a result of the new discrete output buffer instaNed. Trials with alternative transpouts or modes of digital connection did little to change my overall view of the 263

New CD transports and DIA

converters from Meridian

and Sugden reflect quite

different approaches to

digital technology

by MARTIN COLLOMS

Li

DIVERSITY OF DACs

While Meridian is long estab-lished as a UK leader in digital audio, well-known

amplifier specialist Sugden has just entered the CD market with its first range of digital products. This review covers new CD player systems (each comprising transport and D/A converter) from these two famous companies. For the 1993 season, Meridian has

released the latest version of the popular 200 transport along with the new 263 decoder, this replacing the 203. This unit uses Delta Sigma conversion, a version of the low-bit or BitStream group. This one is built by Crystal in the USA and first saw service in the analogue outputs of the 601 digital pre-amplifier [HFNI RR, Sept '92]. Alternative versions of this chip are fitted to the Roksan, and most recently to the Quad 67 [reviewed last month]. Sugden was long renowned for its

original Class A integrated amplifier, designed by founder Jim Sugden back in the early 1970s. The com-pany now offers a complete CD player, the SDTD at £949; a CD transport called the SDD-1 [£749];

and a matching decoder, the SDA-1 at £749. These last two items were chosen for review. While using the latest Philips

CDM-9 mechanism, Sugden has chosen for the DAC the 'traditional' Philips 16-bit chip, the TDA-1541.

MERIDIAN 200/263 A universal DAC, the 263 will work on all available sampling frequencies and has optical Toslink and wired phono digital inputs with automatic switching. Phase inversion is avail-able at the touch of a button. With mains input via an IEC cord,

the unit is floating, double-insulated and usually free from hum problems. A fixed audio output of a little over 2V is delivered from a powerful, low impedance source, and thus suitable for driving any cable or controller including passive line controllers such as the Audio Synthesis Passion [HFNIRR, April]. Outwardly, the 200 transport

looks much the same as its predeces-sor, but engineering improvements have resulted in a still greater 'playa-bility'. Designer Bob Stuart keeps a library of rogue discs which can

cause audible drop-outs in many players. The new 200 is claimed to play these happily, as well as the standard error gap discs. Occupying two Meridian case

'units' linked together, the 200 is a drawer-load type where the entire transport and front section slides smoothly out of its housing for disc load. I suppose you could argue that it is a drawer type of top loader!

Digital outputs are a fast Toslink optical and a coaxial phono socket; whilst the mains connection is via a detachable IEC cord.

TECHNOLOGY The enclosures of both Meridian units are built from custom alloy extrusions and care has been taken to control electromagnetic interference. The transport uses a version of the CDM-4 mechanism, fitted with the long life Hall motor transport and employing low-noise magnetic disc clamping. Jitter reduction measures include a high speed gated output buffer on the SPDIF output, while the Toslink transmitter is a faster selection of the Mitsubishi variety. Custom code in the control micro-

processor improves 'playability' by improving the stability of the various servos involved in play-ing a CD: CLV, focus, tracking.

For the 263, a new analogue out-put has been fitted, this wholly DC-coupled without a servo. It is a high current type, executed in discrete transistors. The Crystal Delta Sigma DAC is a one-chip solution for two channels of decoding and includes a high performance digital filter, over-sampling and noise shaping, plus the one-bit DACs. In addition, its ana-logue path includes a high specifica-tion charge-coupled low-pass filter, and very little needs to be done to the audio output after that apart from de-emphasis. At the front end, the 263 has

improved signal acquisition with a high performance ADIC circuit, resulting in very low jitter, essential if the highest resolution is to be obtained from a low-bit decoder.

SOUND QUALITY Ancillary equipment included KEF R105/3 and Celestion SL700 speakers driven mainly by the Musical Fidel-ity A1000 integrated amplifier. Reference units included the Orelle DA180 and the 1992 Micromega Duo BS decoders. Transports comprised an old Marantz CD50, the Accuphase DP-70V and the Micromega Duo. The DP-70V was also used as a reference player.

Initial trials included the new (1993) 602 transport and, while some positive qualities emerged for this combination, taken overall the cur-

46 1941 NEWS & IECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

rent 200 transport was preferred with the 263 decoder and is, in any case, its natural partner. Once everything had settled in and warmed up we

began serious listening. Initial reactions were followed by

confusion; confusion because the sound was different from the broad understanding and experience of CD replay. There was also the intuitive reaction to its overall subjective qual-ity which was one of mild disappoint-ment since, on my marking system, the score achieved was in the 16-18 range. This wasn't terrible but was nonetheless uncomfortably removed from the historic performance of earlier Meridian models. My records show the original BitStream 208 CD at 22 marks with the first 203 Bit-Stream, if fed a clean digital data diet, reaching 24. I also rated the 206B at 24: all landmark perform-

ances at the time. The different sound of these new

Delta Sigma DACs is likely to result in differences of opinion between

critics, dealers and purchasers. Rightly or wrongly, my favourite Meridian decoder remains the 203 and those CD players which were

built on its technology. First impressions of the 263 Delta

Sigma was of a spotlit, edge-enhanced sound: in photographic terms, a 'solarised' quality to the presentation. The soundstage was impressively wide, and seemed quite

and it was certainly

tonal quality, the 263 rated highly, with a midrange free from hardness or glare, probably a result of the new discrete output buffer installed. Trials with alternative transports or modes of digital connection did little to change the overall view of the 263

and it would seem that the 200 transport was the stronger part.

well crisply focused with equally crisp impedance was a layered,losvi definition — so far so good. As the Frequency response errors were auditioning proceeded my listeners very small, better than 0.1dB 20Hz

became aware of several other to 20kHz with and without de-aspects. Dynamics were somewhat emphasis. The standard frequency compressed, diluting the expression response was so good that the high and loudness content in the prog- resolution graph for the two channels

ramie. The bass was very crisp with looked like two straight lines over-

fine extension, lots of detail and good laid. THD at full level was low at

tune playing, but it also lacked out- — 90dB (0.0033%) even up to 20kHz right slam and drama, and appeared (ie, in-band products). 'checked' somewhere. By —70dB, fed with a diet ot

The treble also gave an impression dithered lkHz tone [Fig la] the noise of crispness with no loose edges, and distortion bettered —40dB: while grain, fizz or sibilance, but it also individual harmonics did not exceed appeared oddly processed with a hint —44dB: a fine result. The good of a synthetic 'filtered' sound. Natu- indication for low-level linearity was

ral cymbals sounded a little closer continued to pure tone tests at than usual to the synthesized key- —90dB modulation where the aver-

board equivalent, age error was — 0.4dB, very close to a Regarding the contentious area of full 16-bit resolution. Distortion at

rhythm, I found that the bass did not —90dB was 2nd harmonic only, at a tie in w ell with the mid and treble. wholly negligible — 110dB relative to There was also a lack of listener full scale, while on this standard interest and involvement where rock bandwidth setting the noise floor was

progranune was concerned, and in down at — 120dB. A decent sinewave

this respect I found that the 263 fell was recovered at — 90dB [Fig lc]. below the original 203. Perfect correlation was not estab-

In addition, when heavy rock was lished for the error differenced concerned, the 200/203 combination linearity graph [Fig Id] which sug-

did not hold on to midrange detail as gested an error of — 1.5dB at —90dB well as might be expected. By con- for the left channel, but this was still trast, simple musical scores sounded a fine result nevertheless. By 105dB clear and atmospheric. As regards there was some significant deviation,

s

MERIDIAN 200/263

Fig. Ia. Meridian 2001263: spuriae up to 1001:11z associated with ¡kHz tone at — 70dB

+Cal

Fig lb. Meridian 2001263: intermodulation spuriae from 191tHz120kaz tones at OdB

At the front end, the 263 has improved signal acquisition with a high performance ADIC circuit resulting in very low jitter, an essential requirement if the highest resolution is to be obtained from a low bit decoder

Fig lc. Meridian 200/263: dithered ¡kHz _

sinewave at — 90dB, with distortion spectrum

above

LAB REPORT This highly developed successor to the 203 delivered very good lab

results. Channel balance was excel-

lent at typically ± 0.01dB at all fre-quencies, while channel separation was better than 100dB mid-band

holding to 90dB by 20kHz. Inter-channel phase difference was zero

while the output measured absolute phase correct, at a level of 2.185V, 0.77dB above the 2V norm. Output

• 04ohms

.. Fig I d. Meridiati.2001263: lineanty plot below

—60dB

lest results

Channel balance ;18! Stereo separation dB., Channel phase difference

Distortion CE THD at OdEl THD at - 10dB THD at - 70dB Intermcd 19kHli2OkHz.OdB (mermcd 19kHz./20kHz, - 10013 Frequency MOOD». UR (dB)

Signal-to-noise qtd 20F1c20M15, unweighted CCIPMPtd. lkHz ref

De-emphash (error in dB)* Output bevel. OrIB Output impedance Spuriae to 100kftt (dB) Linearity - 90dB UR Error correction capabitity

Mechanical noise Track access time

Dimensions .Wht:

Typical retail mice

'Worse _baffle

-0.021

Madding 200/263

20111 0 02 108

llitz »kHz 003 0.02 105 90

cr

-90.5 -90.5 >90 81 40.5 85 85 - +0.01/

-0.01 -004

92 88

lIdlz 51diz iS 0 +0.09 +0.05

2.185V (+0.77dB) 140ohns

92 -0.5dB/ -0.3dB

1.5mm 040

very km 3.5$

ZOO, 160 x95x 380mm. 263, 32009503800m

200, £895; 263,1495

supplier Meridian Audio Ltd, 14 Clifton Road, Huntingdon, Cambs PE18 7E1. Tel: (0480) 434334

While Sugden's choice of digital technologies looks sensible and conservative, in fact it has resulted from extensive research and investigation of the market and is based on careful listening tests

averaging at — 5.5dB. Interestingly, while the signal-to-

noise ratios were more than satisfac-tory, they were not exemplary and were poorer when CCIR weighted, measuring —92dB unweighted and —88dB weighted. The old 16-bit multi-bit DACs generally bettered 105dB weighted, even in relatively low cost players. No premature clipping was seen in

respect of the peak white noise test signal and good results were seen for high frequency intermodulation with —85dB at full level and —93dB at —10dB modulation. These results are not in fact quite as good as those achieved by its predecessor [Fig lb]. The lack of spurious responses above 20kHz was, however, noteworthy. Measured over a 100kHz range the spectrum showed the usual noise shaped rise in energy, reaching a maximum of —95dB at 75kHz. An overall dynamic range of 95dB was noted. A little radio frequency was present on the audio output, with 6 to 7mV in the 10MHz region. A good resistance to shock and

vibration was seen. The digital out-put was fast and clean while track access was quite quick at 3.5 seconds. Error correction was fine, clearing a 1.5mm gap without audible imperfection and with good playabil-ity on awkward discs.

CONCLUSION This two-box player has emerged fairly well and if I appear dis-appointed at all, it is simply because in my opinion the overall perform-ance is closer than expected to that of other 'good' combinations such as the Linn or Roksan; and on this basis I feel that at present Meridian is just not demonstrating much of its expected cutting edge. Only a couple of years ago, a 203 decoder was essentially state-of-the-art, regardless of its moderate price and, two gen-erations on, I am not convinced that progress has been made. The sounds are subtly different, perhaps to some ears more attractive, but not neces-sarily better. I found a brief spin with the companion 206 unconvincing and while marginally better rhythm was heard, the sound was not as delicately drawn or as well balanced as the more costly 200/263 combination. At least insofar as I feel the 200/203 betters the 206, Meridian and I agree. While there are quite strong tradi-

tional hi-fi qualities to the sound of the 263 I am less enthusiastic about the unexceptional dynamics, rhythm and pace, its larger than life presenta-tion and that subtle aspect which I can only describe as slightly synthe-tic. However, I do regard the 263 as recommendable; and it may well fare differently in alternative audio sys-

tems. As regards the 200 transport, this latest version builds on the strengths of its predecessor and it is recommended. In some respects I even prefer it to the more expensive 602. The latter has striking slam but may not be as well balanced tonally with some systems. I certainly liked the more natural balance of the 200 and found that it compared well with noted transports costing up to £2500.

SUGDEN SDD-1/SDA-1 Presented in rather utilitarian satin black, the Sugden casework is all metal. The SDD-1 transport is a drawer-loading type, with a limited range of fascia control buttons augmented by the simple remote control handset. The digital output may be switched off from the front panel and there is a standby switch. Player controls include pause, pre-vious, play, next and stop, on non-tactile long travel action buttons. The display is a vacuum fluorescent green with track and time data. Digital data is available on phono and BNC sock-ets and the IEC mains input socket is accompanied by the power on/off switch on the rear panel. The decoder has no controls, save

an on/off switch. Phono and digital inputs operate in parallel while the analogue output is at fixed level, via two gold-plated phono sockets. The build quality of these slirnline units is workmanlike and does not match established Japanese standards.

TECHNOLOGY The CDM-9 radial arm transport from Philips has newly designed ser-vos and microprocessors, while the optical head is a low inertia type with the vital pre-amplifier built into the head itself. In the SDD-1, Sugden has taken care to buffer the S/PDIF digital data output and provide the proper terminations. Good power supplies are included. The CDM-9 also comes with an advanced polymer suspension which improves resist-ance to shock and vibration. Higher

error correction rates are also achieved. For the SDA-1 DAC, Sugden has

chosen the ubiquitous Yamaha ADIC leading to a classic multi-bit imple-mentation, the Philips 7220B digital filter feeding the TDA14541A stereo 16-bit DAC with dynamic element matching. The 'Crown' selection is used in this model, operating at 4-times oversampling. Simple output filtering leads to a discrete output buffer to maximize analogue sound quality.

SOUND QUAUTY First impressions were favourable and were maintained as the listening continued. The most striking feature was the fme dynamics. For me, the Sugden proved once again that expressive dynamics really do matter and that we would rather not have the music watered down, as happens so often with many mid-priced low-bit converters.

This combination sounded as if there was some real weight and mus-cle in the design, with a sense of solidity and control. Loud transients did not sound 'squashed'. In addi-tion, the Sugden combination showed a nice sense of rhythm, a rarity these days and it won a 'very good' rating for rhythm and pace. High standards were also set for

stereo focus, image depth trans-parency and stage width. While a 1992 Micromega Duo BS was consi-dered more transparent than the Sug-den, you would need a very good system to hear the difference clearly. While possessing a highish output

impedance less suited to passive con-trols and heavier loadings, the Sug-den does not reach the standard of my class reference, the OreIle DA180. Nevertheless, the virtue of this unit is its well balanced nature, with all major subjective parameters present in good proportion. As regards system matching, the

low output impedance of the Sugden made it highly tolerant of various

48 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY IOU

ncillaries including passive control-ers. Its tonal balance was slightly

yet this shading was so mild as be of little consequence unless

ne's choice of both speaker and mplifier was on the 'hard' and 'for-tard' side of neutrality. With the latching transport a fine score of 22 tas arrived at. While we had the Meridian 200

1993) transport on hand, this was aated to the Sugden DAC. On my Istening test scoring system, this eve a surprising lift to 25 marks, veil worth the effort. With the Meri-lian source the decoder picked up a ittle speed, the soundstage appearing nore spacious, while the mid and reble were a little smoother and weeter, as if the jitter levels had ieen reduced by 10 or 20%. Pro-onged listening confirmed the merits if this combination, and rock enthu-iasts might well score it higher still.

AB REPORT rested as a two-box combination with little measured difference if an themative transport is used) the Sug-fen arrangement fared well. Disposing of the basics, channel

aalance was fine and separation more han satisfactory, if poorer than usual it the highest frequencies with a igure of 66dB at 20kHz. No inter-:hannel phase difference was present ind output was absolute phase cor-rect, with an essentially linear phase pulse response. The audio output was 1.43dB above the nominal 2V itandard, measuring 2.36V with a [ow source impedance of 47ohms. For the record, the transport deli-vered a fast 9nS risetime on its digital data output, with a good waveshape. One slight oddity noted was the

unusual if mild rise in high frequency response, essentially flat to 20kHz with an extended bass. The output rose to +0.8dB by 20kHz. This is just audible and it is more usual to rolloff slightly rather than let it rise as Sugden has done. In fact this rise was due to the uncompensated digital filter response. There appeared to be no de-

emphasis on this sample, leading to several dB of rise at high frequencies with pre-emphasised recordings: Sugden's comment was that this must have been due to the pre-emphasis switching relay not work-ing on this sample. (Listening tests were not affected, as no pre-emphasised discs happened to be included in the sessions.) Sugden also pointed out that the overall lift in high frequencies has been reduced to 0.2dB on current production models.

Total harmonic distortion was fine at full level. Aside from a degree of imbalance between the channels, high frequency intermodulation

results were very sound. For exam-ple, at 10dB relative to peak level the figure was a very fine —95dB for the IkHz difference tone [Fig 2b]. Unweighted, the signal-to-noise

ratio was 85dB which was pretty good but indicative of a mild hum content. With the usually tougher CCIR ARM weighting (1kHz ref) a fine result of 104d13 was generated so, psychoacoustically speaking, all was well. Measured at lower signal levels,

distortion was moderate, averaging —37dB at a —70dB encoded level (with dither) with orders no higher than the third and the fifth.

Analysed out to 100kHz spuriae were better than 108dB down while negligible radio frequency compo-nents were present, out to a test limit of 250MHz which was a good result [Fig 2a]. Down at —90dB the level error was moderate averaging —2.9dB, and the distortion was just third harmonic present at an inaudi-ble 113dB below peak level [Fig 2c] and, while noisy, the accompanying sinewave was quite presentable, pro-ving the quality of the low level resolution. Absolute linearity was equated to 15.7 bits with a weighted dynamic range of 105dB, this close to the theoretical limit.

Fig 2d shows the analysis of level error down to — 120dB modulation. Near perfect to —85dB there was a small but controlled deviation below this point. At — 118dB the error had not exceeded 2dB even with the visible noise content. The good risetime and waveshape

has been noted for the wired digital output. Track access was rapid at 3 seconds while gap error correction was very good: 2.4mm. Mechanical noise was low while the CDM9 mechanism provided improved immunity to noise and vibration. Negligible RF content was noted in this well shielded example.

CONCLUSION This Sugden pair suited each other well and together they result in a worthwhile two-box player. At the same time, there were no compatibil-ity problems with other equipment and these units can be mixed and matched as required. With our tests we found the partnership of Meridian 200 transport and Sugden DAC to be particularly rewarding. While the transport was substan-

tially good, the matching DAC was particularly liked for its naturally expressive dynamics and its sense of authority. These units' boogie fac-tor', that is their qualities of rhythm and timing, were in the very good class, which is rare these days, while the remaining sound quality aspects were all up to standard. +

SUGDEN SDD-1/SDA-1

Fig 2a. SugdenSDD-11SDA-1: spuriae up to 100kHz associated with ¡kHz tone at — 70dB

Fig 26. Sugden SDD- 1 ISDA-1: intermodulation spwiae from 19kHz120kliz

tones at OdB

Fig 2c. Sugden SDD- I ISDA-1: dithered ¡kHz sinewave at — 90dB, with distortion spectrum above

51.00.

10 000

.0.0000

a 0000

000

000

-11 000

• 000

10 00

. ,

Fig 2d. Sugden SDD-11SDA-1: linearity plot below — 60dB

Test results

Ckemei balance ici13) Slims separation WEI) Cluannel pluse difference Mutation (dB) THD at OdB THD at - 10dB THD at - 70dB Interned 194)11z/20kHz. Od8 Intemmd 1966z/20kHz. - 10d8 Freeness, memo. l/R (dB)

Signal-to-noise (dbl 2011z20kHz unweghted CCIFtiARM. lkHz ref

Demnplusis error (n del' Output Wei 00B Output impedance Spevias to 100Idtt (dB) Linea* error at - 9006, UR DTP correetkm capability

Sugden S00-1/SOA-1

20Hz lkilz 201dtz 013 013 013 124 89 66

0° 0°

-85 -89 83 - 82 - 37

85

-0.04/ +0.8- 2/ -0.04 +0.831

85 104

1kHz5Mlit

2.360 (+ 1.43dB) 47ohms 108

-2.4d8/ -3.4418 mm gap

3$ Dimensions (aid, each unit) 433 x 81 x 365mm Typical retail price ( inc VAT) SOD-1, £749;

SDA-1, £749

• Worse channel tsee text

Tested as a two-box combination (with little measured difference if an alternative transport is used) the Sugden combination fared well in the laboratory

Supplier E Sugden& Co

Ltd, Valley Works, Station Lane, Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire WF16 ONF. Tel: (0924) 404088

11141 PEWS ECM 'DIEM MAY 953 49

Ox cord Audio Consultants HI-FI SPECIALISTS

SONY .DEALER.AMRDS. HP-FI NEWS

REGIONAL NOMINEE

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Somebody Somewhere must make better storage units for CDs,

Music, LPs, HiFi, Books, etc. than Ian Edwards

Until he appears why not send for the brochure showing a selection of HAND MADE units.

Picture shows drawer chest for 480 CD's with matching hifi cabinet made in our Georgian style in yew

Please send 3x 2nd Cass Stomps

IAN EDWARDS The Old Chapel

282 Skipton Road, Harrogate, Yorks Tel: 0423 500442

51) NI-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

After our March review:

a technical report on

Marantz's CD-52IISE

CD player

by PAUL MILLER

n.ar..flts

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INSIDE THIS SPECIAL EDITION...

Inevitably, the CD-52IISE is allied to both the older CD-52SE and newer CD-521I, maintaining such

revisions as the NJM2114 analogue )p-amps, a Rubycon Black Gate elec-trolytic in its digital power supply and, lest we forget, the little rubber grommet that nestles snugly over its 11.2896MHz crystal! Furthermore, in response to my review in January ['The Real MkII', p46], 1 am now guaranteed that both CD-521I and CD-521ISE employ the correct 100µF Silinic caps to decouple their op-amps. Next on the list are two pairs of

220µF Sihnic capacitors which AC-couple the final output (as the CD-52SE). Each pair is connected back-to-back and replaces the single bi-polar Nichicon Muse capacitors that feature in both the CD-521I and older CD-52, leaving just two revi-sions that are unique to the CD-52IISE. Costliest of these is a new frame transformer whose mu-metal yoke beefs its specification from H8 to H13, a reflection of the magnetism that can be supported before the core begins to saturate.

Finally, there are the two 220µF Gerafme electrolytics which supplant the older 420µF 'brown' Elnas in an effort to 'quicken the response' of its analogue power supply: a ruse imple-mented some years ago in various Rotel amplifiers.

LAB REPORT The changes outlined above certainly have some subjective influence, yet, as they refer principally to a review of passive components rather than active topology, there is very little measured correlation. In fact, even the most detailed measurements could be readily confused with those derived from a CD-52, ' 5211, '52SE, '42, '72 or CD-72SE! This is because

Marantz's choice of SAA7310 decoder, NPC SM5840 oversampling filter, and SAA7350 BitStream DAC wholly dominate its measured per-formance. Change one of these and you would most certainly witness some shift in its test results. As they stand, however, this entire family of Marantz CD players shares a com-mon 'fingerprint' of results and plots. The SM5840, for example, punctu-ates the 3D plot with sweeping Vs of stop-band noise while the DAC, with its differential output, adds traces of 3rd and 5th harmonic distortion.

Unlike Philips's earlier 4-times oversampling filter (still used in the SAA7321/7323 DACs), this 8-times upsampler produces a flatter fre-quency response with markedly less in-band rippling, improvements that are unaffected by exchanging the player's AC coupling capacitors. Numerically, there's little or no dif-ference in distortion between the CD-521I and CD-5211SE, though the latter is free of the 3rd harmonic that plagued the '521I's dithered - 70dB trace in the January review. Signifi-cant? Not really; these differences always occur between batches of DACs, so any changes to the power supply or coupling caps will have been purely incidental.

Nevertheless, the huge wave of ultrasonic re-quantization noise beyond 20kHz is most characteristic and indicative of SAA7350 noise-shapers being run at a low 11.3MHz (256x) clock frequency. If this DAC was tied to a 16.9MHz clock (384x) as in current players from Sherwood, TEAC and Aiwa, and DACs from Mission, Deltec and Forte, then this 'wall' of noise would drop by some 20-30dB. Perhaps, then, we would witness both subjective and objective improvements, rather than audible upgrades with scant correlation! +

o

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60 106 634 FREQUENCY (Mr I

Fig I. Maranta CD-5211SE: frequency response, digital-in (upper) and analogue-in (lower trace)

FREQUENCY (kHz )

Fig 2. Martine CD-521ISE: Spurious output to 100kHz, I kHz tone at - 70dB, dithered

» OUTPUT FREQUENCY (KFRI

Fig 3. Marantz CD-5211SE: spurious output

resulting from 0.20kHz swept tone (digital-in)

Test results three& CD-521ISE

2OI 1b Mel 0.05 0.95 0.02 108.3 107.2 87.1

Channel balance (dB) Channel separation KIM 111D vs Level dB) OdB - 30d8 -60dB -80dB Dithered, - 9058 Dithered. - 100dB Dithered, - 110d8 Resolmtion at - 80dB - 80dB - 80dB -100ot Peak output level. Relative output level Output impedance lit Norse modulation CCIR IMD Suppressioo of stop-band IMD De-emphasis accuracy

Signal-to-noise Ratio ( it-wtd)

Digital output Crystal chick accuracy Track access time (99) Typical retail price nc VAT)

-100.1 -99.0 -70.5 -80.4 -76.7 -47.7 -48.1 -44.4 - 1.8.7 -24.2 -24.9 + 1.30 -16.2 -15.5 +8.50

-11.1 -7 93

+004 +0.03 +0.70 +0.18 +165 + 1.17 +2.10 +3.7D

2 243%2.231Y +1.0d8 202ohm

-4 04B -96 Mt 60 5d8

+0 0148 0 0048 -0 01dB

102 as 102 81:113 102 ldB Coaxial

+11 3pom 3.2se-s £3d0

`UR toe

Supplier: Maranta Hi-Fi (UK) Ltd, Kings bridge House, Padbury Oaks, 575-581 Bath Road, Longford, Middlesex UB7 OEH. Tel: (0753) 680868; Fax: (0753) 680428

111-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 51

Downsized electrostatic

panels in a hybrid design:

can it really work?

by MARTIN COLLOMS

ARTIN OGAN AERIU

This is an attractive package visually and capable of a pretty good sound when carefully driven

Kansas-based, Martin Logan has shown that it can sustain a range of products based on its

curvilinear electrostatic technology. Perhaps the most famous is the elegant CLS full-height, full-range design [HFNIRR Mar '93]. Several hybrid models have also emerged ranging from the flagship Monolith to the Sequel and Quest, and now the £2000 Aerius reviewed here. The hybrids use a smaller, narrow-

er electrostatic element, still linear in the vertical direction and curved to an arc section in the horizontal, yet married to a moving-coil bass enclo-sure. The latter section forms the pedestal base for the lower deck of the speaker. Refreshingly different in appearance, the Martin Logan hybrids have distinctive hardwood sections at the sides contrasting with their perforated, partially transpa-rent, satin black grilles. Weighing 551bs [ 121kg] the Aerius

stands 55.2 in [21.8cm] • high by a slim 101/2 in [4.1cm] wide and 131/2 in [5.3 cm] deep. Its bi-directional nature requires free-space mounting (at least lm from the rear wall) if an open and spacious soundfield is de-

sired. No stand is needed as it sits on small, integral domed metal feet. The specification looks good on

paper; for example, a 40Hz to 20kHz range is given, ± 3dB, with a tight ±2dB tolerance in the vital 300Hz to 20kHz range. Claimed to be capable of handling up to 200W of program-me per channel, the impedance is 4oluns nominal, and not less than 2oluns — a `difficult' load. The sensi-tivity is surprisingly high at 89.5dB for a 2.83V %ohm' watt, remember-ing that the lower 4ohm impedance gives it a 3dB advantage. Thus for a 4olun watt the claimed sensitivity is 86.5dB/W. While some valve ampli-fiers might attempt driving such a load, I feel that a load tolerant 100W/ ch solid-state amplifier would be a much safer bet.

TECHNOLOGY Bass and lower-mid frequencies are produced by the floor-positioned sea-led box enclosure, which is robustly built to minimize structural reso-nances. The 200mm pulp cone, steel framed driver operates up to the single crossover frequency of 500Hz, with 12dB/octave electrical rolloff.

Rolling in gently above 300Hz the electrostatic doublet handles the rest of the range. Sandwiched between the surface-insulated, perforated grille electrodes is a semi-rigid mylar diaphragm which operates at volta-ges up to 10kV. Some 20 angstroms thick, its conductive surface film is virtually transparent. Small reflect-ing panel elements are fixed at strate-gic points across the rear electrode to help shape the forward response, both in level and directivity. The spacing of the laterally directed clamp bars is also tailored to deliver the desired response. The electrosta-tic element is described as a curved line with 30° horizontal directivity and a 38M [ 15cm] line height.

SOUND QUALITY This speaker was tried initially with the ARC LS3B/V70 combination which, while very promising in the midrange, did not sound comfortable given higher level rock material, notably in the high treble. Ultimate-ly, the best results were obtained on tests with a Mosfet amplifier, ie, the Meridian 605 monoblocks, partnered with an Audio Synthesis Passion control unit. The Musical Fidelity A1000 also gave the speakers a good run for their money. CD sources included the Accuph-

ase DP7O-V and a Meridian 200 transport feeding the Sugden DAC.

Following experimentation with location and, more particularly, ver-tical orientation, listening began in earnest. In contrast to the implied specification I found the Aerius high-ly critical with regards to vertical dispersion. Severe changes in tonal quality, perspective, and focus occurred over a change of just a few degrees. This effect was so pro-nounced that it was hard to define what the speaker should sound like. The treble appeared broken while a midrange glare was evident around 1-3kHz which, after testing, was controlled using a position 5° below the median, but the listener height had to be just right as well. Having achieved a natural balance

of bass through the midrange it was clear that the speaker was lacking in air and sparkle in the upper treble. I was beginning to think twice about that ±2dB claimed specification! However, the Martin Logan hyb-

rid family sound was clearly in evi-dence, with the familiar crisp charac-ter, free of any `boxy' exclosure colorations. Furthermore, in this model the blend between the moving-coil woofer and the electros-tatic midrange was among the best yet. I was not aware of the join between the two: the bass line kept good pace with the crisp, quick midrange which itself had that char-

52 NI-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1893

LOUDSPEAKERS

acteristic lack of boxiness conferred by open panel design. The bass was well tuned, delivering quite respect-able in-room bass to 37Hz or so. The system worked hard at a 200W input and I feel that the 200W power handling claim is over ambitious.

Comfortably good standards were set for stereo focus, depth and detail. While the Quad 63 wins in the mid and treble, the Aerius benefited from a punchier, more dynamic bass. In-terestingly, the Quad is more sensi-tive for a given input, again suggest-ing that the Aerius specification was optimistic in this respect.

LAB REPORT Always of interest with electrostatics, the impedance of this model fell to a low of 2ohms at 20kHz, placing it well below the nominal value for a 4ohm rating. Conversely it lifted to a 4ohm rating by 8kHz, and the upper range value is not too harmful in view of the typical spectral content of music. In fact, over the rest of the frequency range the loading was nearer 6ohms and, as such, the 4ohm figure overall is a fair compromise.

System resonance was at 42Hz, a requirement for good bass extension, confirming the use of a heavy coned, low resonant frequency bass driver of moderate sensitivity. There is disagreement with the

manufacturer over the rated sensitiv-ity. Claimed to be 89.5dB/W, the 8ohm-based watt actually gave 5dB less than this, with the `4ohm watt' registering only 81.5dB. On subjec-tive comparison the speaker was also significantly quieter than on known 87dB reference examples. With a recommended 50W mini-

mum input ( 150W maximum) mod-erate peak sound levels of 101dB should be possible. Distortion was measured within the working range. The bass section was rated better than average for a moving-coil de-sign, while the electrostatic mid/ treble range was graced by very low distortion: 0.1% or better. This is a valued feature in push-pull designs using such large areas.

It was hard to define the best axis for measurement and the un-smoothed example shown [Fig 1] was just one of a series. When close to a normal sitting position for a person of average height, the upper range [800Hz to 8kHz] was okay, while the treble clearly rolled-off above 101(Hz, averaging —4dB by 201(Hz. A slight change in vertical axis resulted in major differences as the vertical over-lay graphs confirm [Fig 2]. A little higher and the 'glare' range peaked at 1.5kHz. Treble extension can be obtained, but at the expense of more severe irregularities of lower frequen-cies. The response showed that

numerous wave modes were present in the system due to geometry and the diaphragm thickness, clamping and termination. Perhaps the best illustration of this is seen in the two waterfall graphs [Figs 3, 4]. With the narrower dynamic range presentation [25dB] the response ripples carried through to a range of fairly short-lived decay resonance, but the main response did not decay like a well behaved electrostatic panel should. Moving on to the rather cluttered

50dB waterfall [Fig 4], it was hard to see where the impulse response really started. On the face of it the speaker was inferior to many other good, moving-coil models in respect of energy decay. The claim for good directivity on the horizontal plane was not met. The results for 30° and 45° off-axis showed more than 12dB of loss above 8kHz [Fig 5], and uniformity was poor. I think that this explains the dryness of the sound quality when driving the room acous-tic. This is distinctly different from the best axial output, and boundary conditions at the diaphragm edge may be limiting off-axis performance in both planes.

In the listening room the bass extended to 33Hz at quite good sound power levels (the overall max-imum loudness was around 101 to 102dB in a typical room). Spatial averaging had a remarkable effect in smoothing out little peaks and dips, and revealed a respectively uniform yet broad mid-band acoustic power output across 300Hz to 8kHz. It also showed the premature roll-off beyond 10kHz and some floor can-cellation in the 100-200Hz range.

CONCLUSION This is an attractive package visually and capable of a pretty good sound when carefully driven. Nonetheless this speaker is flawed. In practical terms, and despite the manufactur-er's claimed specification, it did not have either a very uniform or consis-tent frequency response. In addition it was relatively insensitive, especial-ly considering its difficult load rat-ing. Powerful, load tolerant ampli-fiers are therefore recommended for the best results. These findings do not indicate

recommendation given the price level although the Aerius is an in-teresting example which experienced dealers may be able to make work well. 'Worth considering' is the ver-dict for UK audiophiles, while the story may well be different in the States. There is always a price to pay when the electrostatic principle is exploited: some purchasers will find it worth paying in the case of the Aerius which demands to be seen and heard.

î

o Fig 1. Martin Logan Aerius: on-axis 1 m

response, best result

Fig 2. Martin Logan Aerius: 2m response

family with 3rd-octave weighting

, Fig 3. Martin Logan Aerius: MLSSA

cumulative spectral decay waterfall, 25B range.

0.1nu risetime

Fig 4. Martin Logan Aerius: MLSSA

cumulative spectral decay waterfall, SOB range,

0.2ms risetime

r)

• .1\1 )\1(.1

I MU .0 leg KM. 0

Fig 5. Martin Logan Aerius: MLSSA lateral

off-axis response family; 30° and 45°

Test results

Recommened amplifier power per channel Recommended placement Frequency response within 3dB 12m1 LF rolloH ,- 64:18r at lar Bass frequency extension

inomi Vottage sensitivity net 2.83V) at

Approximate maximum sound level L par at 2m Impedance drive characteristics • : Forward response uniformity Dimensions : Typical price per pair -

Martin Logan Aerius

Refreshingly different in appearance, the Martin Logan hybrids have distinctive hardwood sections at the sides contrasting with their perforated, partially transparent, satin black grilles

150W ter-standIng o tree-space

see text 40Hz 33Hz

84 5d11W

101084

2-4ohms - par

2180.410.530 £1998

supplier

Martin Logan Ltd PO Box 741, 2001

Delaware, Lawrence, Kansas 66044. Tel:

0101-913 749 0133

HI-FI NEWS 8 RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

The Talisman is never going to sound dull, but clarity and articulation are of a high order, and the system has considerable presence and vitality even when the overall volume level isn't high

The talented Ruark

Talisman MkII: a

thoroughbred speaker

deserving time to become

acquainted with

by ALVIN GOLD

.1. he Talisman has enjoyed a fair amount of success, but to a certain extent it was an un-

sophisticated design, with many fine elements that didn't quite come together in the final product. The £669 Talisman II seeks to address the residual inadequacies in a number of ways. The basic configuration of the

system remains intact. The 20-litre enclosure, which is floor-standing, is the same as before and continues to use a gently inclined front baffle which helps distribute and disperse mechanical resonances and internal reflections, in what would otherwise be a typically reflective and resonant, regular rectangular box. Similarly, the system remains a more or less conventional two-way box which, superficially at least, looks similar to the one that went before. Changes to the enclosure amount

to much more than just the addition of a cavity in the base for mass-loading. The structure is still based around what amounts to two open boxes, inverted one over the other, the areas of overlap at the sides providing mutual reinforcement. However, the system has been improved in various ways. The woodwork is now all MDF, and has been increased in thickness in some areas (the front panel primarily) and a new figure-of-eight bulkhead brace added. The base of the Midi is fitted with a fully finished plinth, capped from below by a steel plate which is tapped for carpet piercing spikes. Even the spikes have been improved. The front edges are now bevelled,

a change claimed to reduce diffrac-tion. My guess is that the real reason is cosmetic, since a half-rounded edge would have made a much more effective anti-diffraction measure. Either way, the new enclosure looks a lot better. Detailing is of a high order, and the black finish on the sides and rear helps reduce the impression of bulk. The veneer is real wood, which puts the enclosure on a different plane from the vinyl wrap that some manufacturers pro-duce even at this price level. The electrical system has also

changed. The bass unit has a felted

LARK TALISMAN

fibre cone on a cast magnesium chassis; the only change here being in the rubber roll surround, which is now convex rather than concave. The tweeter, however, has been replaced. The old Talisman used a metal dome tweeter, which we are now asked to accept had a phase shift problem, presumably due to an unsuppressed EHF resonance, though the best modern metal domes don't suffer badly from this kind of artefact. Be that as it may, the Talisman II has a 25nun doped fabric dome whose advantages include improved phase response: almost certainly at the cost of an in-band low-Q resonance in place of the metal domes' more enthusiastic higher frequency, high-Q variant, and better dispersion. The crossover has also been rede-

signed with the intention of reducing high-level compression and thereby improving effective dynamic range. Highlights of the Butterworth 7-element network include air-cored inductors and star earthing. The system is bi-wired, and fitted with high-grade brass terminals.

LAB REPORT The Fig 1 response plot was run at 2m which showed up nothing unto-

ward compared with the usual 1m plots, a distance that helps reduce spurious room interactions. Nominal impedance is 8oluns, but

in practice never falls below about 13oluns, making this an extremely easy system to drive, though sensitiv-ity suffers, the average 88dB/W/m figure being counteracted by the reduced output of amplifiers into higher impedance loads. The double hump at the low frequency end is characteristic of a vented system. There are a couple of small irregular-ities in the impedance plot [Fig 2], at 350Hz and 1.2kHz, both due to mechanical resonances, one of which may have been due to the leadout wires or resonances in the centre cap of the bass driver.

Approximately 2dB of the HF output rise in the frequency response plots is due to the inherent response of the B&K measuring set-up; but the system is still perceptibly bright, which was already apparent from the listening even after a protracted run-ning-in period. This apart, the speaker behaves well, though the smoothest and most neutral midband response is achieved off-axis rather than on. The 45° [Fig 3] plot gave the most impressive results, though high

54 NEWS & REJDOftD REVIEW MAY 1993

LOUDSPEAKERS

frequency output is well down on this axis. The low frequency response, measured separately in the nearfield [Fig 4] to reduce unwanted room reflections (the first room reflections were completely excluded from the time response prior to deriving the frequency plot using the MLSSA FFT programme), is very well extended. The bass begins to drop around 55Hz, impressive for a 20-litre enclosure, and falls thereafter at close to the theoretical 18dB/octave.

SOUND QUALITY During the early days of this analysis the tweeter was often intrusive, lend-ing the Ruark a rather %creamy' effect with close miked material. It was otherwise bass light and thin in tone, and it looked as if this was how matters would rest. Two things happened to change

the situation. One was a switch in amplifiers. The early warming-up had been done with a Pioneer A-400, an excellent design in many ways, but one which is rather — how can I put this? — too raw and wide open in its presentation to allow the Ruark to settle in comfortably. A clutch of high grade amplifiers then turned up including a Copland CTA-301/501 combination, an Audio Research D400 and an Audio Note Ongaku. Although they differ from each other in many ways, all three amplifiers (the ARC was used with the Copland pre-amp) showed that the Ruark had depths that were simply not apparent when driven by the Pioneer. Simul-taneously, the speaker seemed to bed in a little more, and some subtle repositioning of the speaker, in the way described below, also began to have an effect. Nobody in their right mind is

going to use an amplifier like the Ongaku or a big Audio Research to drive a pair of £700 speakers like the Talisman II, not because of the disparity in cost (the Audio Alchemy AE1 could very well figure in a system using the ARC, though the Ongaku is underpowered) but simply because the Talisman doesn't have enough design `stretch' to make the best of such a combination.

Nevertheless, the Talisman II eventually made good — very good. It took its time to come around, almost like a great ocean liner, but it did eventually acquire a more even voice, one where the bass had weight and depth that had not been apparent in the first instance, and where the treble calmed down to match. The Talisman is never going to

sound dull, but clarity and articula-tion are of a high order, and the system has considerable presence and vitality even when the overall volume level isn't high. One reason for this

may be the slightly 'dished' response shape apparent from the curves, which gives the speaker a recessed balance akin to the effect provided by a loudness network.

In contrast to this, the Talisman still tended to shout and even sound a little edgy and shrill when run at very high SPLs. The Talisman, then, remains an

enigmatic design in MkII guise, and difficult to sum up in a few pithy sentences. It has tremendous poten-tial for extracting detail and colour from the most unpromising prog-ramme material, and the system turns out to have bass ability of real class, with impressive extension yet superb tunefulness, pace and, above all, control. The midband is also of excellent quality and has very similar properties, but is sometimes domin-ated by the treble. The solution is a dual pronged

approach, which involves careful orientation, either with the speakers facing down the length of the room with minimal toe-in or, alternatively, used with considerable toe-in, so that the two speaker axes intersect well in front of the listening position. If you can see the outside panels when listening, you're on the right track. The other prerequisite, as suggested earlier, is more than usually careful choice of partnering equipment. Audiolab 8000 series and Musical Fidelity amplifiers, like the A1000, turned out to have just the right combination of transparency, warmth and grace that the Ruark required to keep it on the straight and narrow.

CONCLUSION The Ruark Talisman II is one of the smallest free-standing loudspeakers around, and is well enough turned out to qualify as furniture in its own right. It also looks distinctive: this is not just another up-ended rectangu-lar box. As a loudspeaker it is an exacting and often exciting design, but it is also a demanding one that is quite likely to reward careless set-up with an aggressive, edgy balance that will keep you on the edge of your seat for all the wrong reasons.

Set up appropriately, the Ruark turns out to be a thoroughbred. It may have been designed with ana-logue sources in mind. Certainly it added a touch of joie de vivre to records during the course of the test, but it also performed well with good CD players, only coming to grief with some less exacting middle-market models I had. Here is a talented design, then, aimed pri-marily at the enthusiast audience, but not one to make snap judgments about after a quick quarter-hour dem at your local dealer. +

Fig Ruark Talisman II: on-axis 2m response

Fig. 2. Ruark Talisman II: impedance plot (left scale, Mamie div)

MAI

\N‘

Fig. 3 Ruark Talisman IL Im response at 45°

Fig. 4. Ruark Talisman II: neaffield base response

It added a touch of joie de vivre to records during the course of the test, but it also perforrned well with good CD players, only coming to grief with some less exacting middle market models

Supplier: Ruark Acoustics Ltd, Anwood Lodge Industrial Estate, Arterial Road, Rayleigh, Essex SS6 7UA. Tel: (0268) 728890.

NI-F11 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 193 55

Bottom octaves on a

budget: the Wilmslow

Audio Micro Bass

subwoofer kit

by RICHARD McDONALD

SELF BUILD SUBWOOFER S

ub-bass speakers or subwoofers have always been looked down on by some of the audio elite as

being rather suspect for use in hi-fi systems. But they do have their place, particularly under circumstances that defy other solutions. First, they make it possible for a compact sys-tem with small speakers inhabiting a modest listening room to give a more robust and satisfying low-end per-formance, as such they promote domestic harmony by removing the need for audio wardrobes. Second, there are many well respected and fine speakers with a reputation for being bass shy that can benefit from a sub-bass speaker to help them plumb the depths. Third, the use of subwoofers is becoming more com-mon in home theatre, and it was to

this end that the review sample was put to use over Christmas. It proved itself when watching some of the post turkey offerings provided by the TV companies. (Indeed, concentrating on the audio side of television kept me sane while coming to terms with the new year Thames/Carlton switch, and while trying to find once-familiar pages on teletext!)

THE KIT The Micro Bass is the smallest of Wilmslow's range of sub-bass units, which consists of five passive and active units using a variety of manu-facturers' drive units. The Micro Bass employs two Peerless 220WR 200nun (Sin) bass units, quoted as capable of handling 100W. The design is of a very compact enclosure

(305 x 284 x 382mm) with a small internal infinite baffle enclosure, and a second reflexed box that is approxi-mately twice the size of the first with the two drive units mounted either side of the internal baffle in a push-pull configuration. The drive units are connected in anti-phase so as to make both speakers move in the same direction. The cabinet itself is made from

18rrun medite and all the edges are rebated and holes drilled to make construction as simple and foolproof as possible. Only one hole has to be drilled by the builder, this being the one in the baffle to pass the speaker wire through the crossover from the drive unit in the closed part of the cabinet. The reflex port is plastic and is supplied cut to length, and various other bits of hardware (nuts, bolts, sealing strip, etc) are provided, leav-ing the would-be constructor to find only the glue. Connection to the outside world is via eight high qual-ity, gold-plated binding posts; cable for internal wiring is also provided. The crossover is a simple first

order network to minimise phase shifts and consists of one 15mH ferrite cored inductor and one 150µF non-polarised electrolytic capacitor per channel, hard wired to the termi-nal posts. The rolloff at the top end of the Micro Bass's response is steeper than the crossover response as physical factors play a part in filtering and tuning. This was veri-fied by connecting up the speaker sans crossover. Wilmslow only provides a circuit

diagram of the crossover, but for my own benefit I drew up a layout diagram, which I've included at the end of the article as it could be of use to constructors.

CONSTRUCTION I started by screwing all the termi-nals into place and soldering the crossovers together [see diagram]. I also glued the inductors and capaci-

56 HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

LOUDSPEAKERS

tors in place using a silicon sealant (as used for baths and window fra-mes) liberally applied to the under-side of the components. The sealant remains flexible and provides a degree of mechanical isolation from cabinet vibrations. I found it neces-sary to mount the inductors towards the terminal posts nearest the centre of the cabinet as the reflex tube comes very close to them when the bottom is screwed into place. Next mount the speakers on the baffle with the four bolts and the gaskets provided in the kit.

After assembling the cabinet 'dry' to check the fit of the panels and to work out where the various support strips go, it can be glued together with Resin W or a similar PVA woodworking adhesive. Wilmslow's instructions are clear and describe the order of fixing the various bits together. They can be held in place with masking tape while the glue dries; it's advisable to run a fillet of glue along the inside of the joints to ensure that everything is airtight. When the glue is dry and the tape has been removed the plastic reflex tube can be fixed in place, using Evostick or a similar contact adhesive. When you're happy that everything is cor-rect, the sealing strip can be applied to the edges that contact the bottom of the cabinet and the baffle. The wiring is then soldered to the drive units and the base screwed into place, ensuring that the wiring is not touching anything inside the cabinet. As you can see from the photo-graphs, I've finished the speaker with a light oak veneer. (I won't go into finishing techniques as this has been covered in previous articles and is a matter of personal taste.)

Components and layout of crossover

220WR

Manufacturer's specification

Sensitivity Amp suitability Drive units Dimensions Retail price Iric VAT

' 89dB m system 20 to 100W

2 x Peerless 220WR 305 x284 x 382mm £125 plus carriage

THE MICRO BASS IN USE The Micro Bass is intended for use in systems with moderately sensitive speakers of about 86 to 89dB: Wilm-slow quotes the JBL Control 1, Wharfedale Diamonds, Mordaunt Short MS10s etc. I set the Micro Bass up with a borrowed pair of Diamonds in my main system, hav-ing first used the Diamonds for a couple of days to get used to them. My first impression was of a relaxed bottom end and a marked reduction in coloration across the whole mid band especially at higher listening levels. It just goes to show how much small speakers can suffer from cabi-net resonances — not that there's anything wrong with the Wharfe-dale's design, but by asking less of them in bass extension a more relaxed sound can be achieved.

Contrary to the idea that a sub-bass speaker can be placed anywhere in the listening room, I found that the results I got from the system varied greatly with placement. With the Micro Bass placed forward of the main speakers, the cancellation effects were very unpleasant. Although, this is not strictly neces-sary, I finally ended up with the unit between the speakers and against the rear wall. Moving the speaker for-ward a couple of feet didn't make much difference, apart from remov-ing a resonance at about 70Hz that I suspect was due to a room effect.

Obviously, the Micro Bass only has any effect when the music being played has low bass recorded. This may seem an obvious point, but it is surprising just how many recordings lack any kind of low bass information at all. Where present, the bass from the Micro Bass was usually well controlled and integrated with the rest of the performance. One track that shows that all is working is the heartbeat at the start of Pink Floyd's

Dark Side Of The Moon. I also have a recording of Widor's Toccata in F minor and Vierne's Carillon de West-minster that made the Diamond/ Micro Bass combination sound like a speaker system many times its size. The result achieved from this

speaker in the context of a quality hi-fi system were more than acceptable and gave the impression of listening to considerably larger speakers. As I said earlier, coloration was low, and in fact helped the Diamonds go louder with less stress. The bass is non-directional and didn't sound dis-jointed, but well integrated with the rest of the soundstage. I next tried out the Micro Bass as

part of the sound system for the family television. This consisted of a Panasonic TX28 TV and NVF 65 video (both Nicam), with a pair of LS3/5As and the sub-bass unit con-nected with QE Flat 200 cable. The TV sits fairly near the corner of the room and the bass speaker was posi-tioned right in the corner behind it (about two feet away from the TV to prevent magnetic fields affecting the picture quality). The Micro Bass is really too sensitive for the LS3/5As but as the TV has tone controls I was able to attenuate the bass output to match it with the rest of the set up. A little excess of bass was fun when watching some of the 'action adven-ture' films on offer, like the war scenes in Pink Floyd's (original) The Wall, and the arrival of the battle cruiser chasing the princess in the opening sequence of Star Wars. One thing that emerged was that

ITV and Channel 4 both use the audio part of the medium to add an extra touch of excitement, while good old Auntie seems to leave well alone. Maybe Radio Three's powers to be could take note of this when transmitting daytime classical music, or this year's Proms! 4-

Contrary to the idea that a sub-bass speaker can be placed anywhere in the listening room, I found that the results I got from the system varied greatly with placement

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H141 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 57

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Like the Audiolab DAC, which may also be used as a filtered digital interface ( in this instance crystal locked), the DTI certainly showed an ability to reduce jitter. Our present understanding of jitter relates to a loss of low level detail, weaker focus and a roughening of the upper mid and treble ranges

Audio Alchemy's Digital

Transmission Interface

(DTI) aims to solve the

jitter problem

by MARTIN COLLOMS

Audio Alchemy's first product was the well-received DDE or 'Digital Decoding Engine' [first

reviewed by Ken Kessler in July '90], an ultra-compact low-cost DIA converter with power supplied by a simple mains cord adaptor. You sim-ply fit and forget this device, while hopefully enjoying improved replay fidelity. From these quiet beginnings, there

has been an explosion of related units and accessories. First on the scene was the ClearStream digital audio data interconnect (£70). This product 'shapes' the DAC pulses and also breaks the ground connection between the transport and the decoder. The latter can degrade sound quality and be a cause of unwanted muting due to induced interference. It is this ground con-nection which the optical mode Tos-link seeks to avoid, but its own narrower-bandwidth characteristics often impose a detectable additional loss in fidelity. The ClearStream link seeks the best of both worlds in the search for optimum fidelity.

Last May we looked at another Audio Alchemy product, a three-box top-loading CD transport. Since then it seems that the number of boxes, cables and power supply units has gone on multiplying. A larger power pack called the Power Station One (£59) is available for all of the smaller Audio Alchemy units, and which provides audibly superior results while an even larger centralised power supply is also available. Before introducing the subject of this review, I must mention the auxiliary facility of the established Engine, namely its I2S digital output. This was designed to interface with an even better digital decoder using the Philips DAC7 chipset. This is the XDP or Enhanced Digital Processor (around £449), which may be driven in this advanced mode, where the data line clock and word selected are separated from the multiplexed audio data. DTI stands for Digital Trans-mission Interface and is a stage beyond the ClearStream connection, even if the two may optimally be used together. DTI is a high-performance

UDIO ALCHEMY DTI acquisition unit for digital audio lines, optical or wired inputs, which filters out a high proportion of jitter for the subsequent benefit of decod-ers connected to the DTI. With standard supply it costs £379.

Obviously, with this kind of device, you would wish to try out and assess the benefits before finally deciding to part with the cash. For example, a couple of bigger power supplies, a ClearStream, a DTI and an Engine would make up a stack of four boxes or more to form a com-plete decoder system at £ 1000 or so. Would you be better off buying a 'straight' decoder at this price? Two inputs, optical or digital, may

be selected for the DTI. The pre-sence of an input signal is shown, while another switch allows for abso-lute phase reversal. The unit is of low power consumption and is designed to be left permanently powered on. There is no on/off switch present in the system.

TECHNOLOGY Of similar build to the DDE, the DTI uses one cleanly designed dou-ble-sided printed circuit board with the absolute minimum of wires, those present barely 0.5in long. As with the DDE, the power pack is external. Selected by a logic switch, there is a choice of coaxial or optical (R x 176 Toslink) input. The chosen signal is conditioned before being fed to the high performance ADIC or digital receiver, the popular CS8412 made by Crystal. This typically attains recovered jitter levels around 150ps, orders of magnitude better than stan-dard receivers and achieved without the use of multiple voltage control-

lable quartz crystal oscillators for clock regeneration. With most of the jitter effectively

filtered out, the digital data is sent via a logic 'OR' for a choice of absolute phase inversion before appearing at the output side of this device. A small logic array reorganises the data and clock signals into the I'S format, a unique facility in the DTI which allows its direct connection to other Bitstream technology DACs and con-verters. The other output is the standard S/PDIF serial mode for routeing the now refreshed signal onwards. A Crystal CS8402 output transmitter performs this function, this output fed via the usual pulse transformer. A wired digital output is present, but no optical output. The internal power is delivered via three 7805 chip regulators with heavy decoupling. Build quality is high.

LISTENING TESTS A variety of units was assembled for test, plus various digital and optical cables including the ClearStream, low and high cost digital transports and decoders ranging from the Mic-romega Duo to the new unit from Orelle. The listening system com-prised ARC D400 and Krell KST100 power amplifiers and KS-P7B pre-amp, and the P&G 20K-ohm line controller plus Sonus Faber Electa Amator loudspeakers.

Like the Audiolab DAC, which may also be used as a filtered digital interface (in this instance crystal locked), the DTI certainly showed an ability to reduce jitter. Our present understanding of jitter relates to a loss of low-level detail, weaker focus, and a roughening of the upper mid

HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 59

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60 HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

DIGITAL AUDIO

and treble ranges, the degree depen-dent on the quality of the decoder and its conversion technology. This partly explains the sound-quality interactions observed between the different transports and decoders. As with the Audiolab [HFNIRR

April '92], insertion of the DTI produced an audibly purer, clearer sound with significantly greater transparency and ambience, better focus and definition, and sweeter, more linear mid and treble. Sound-stage perspectives were also pre-sented better. However, this is not the entire

story. For Bitstream and similar decoders, where rhythm and timing may be perfectly satisfactory but which do not set especially high standards, the DTI provides a certain improvement, typically 3-5 marks for a product presently delivering a score of 16-20 on my scale. A complication arose with a pro-

duct like the OreIle decoder. Like some US multi-bit decoders (such as the PS Audio Ultralink, or the English-made Audio Synthesis) these have been found in my listening tests to offer better than average rhythm. While the DTI does improve clarity with these decoders, as would be

The appearance in HFNIRR recently of 'Home Theatre' supplements reminds me that

nearly 20 years ago I suggested in an editorial that the Arts Council ought to reshape its approach to opera subsidies, with an eye to reaching larger audiences via the technological media. Outside Italy there has always been a tendency for opera patronage to be equated with social glitter, while in Britain the prestige associ-ated with a high-profile operatic establishment has attracted more public money per consumer than any other performing art.

But many came to love opera via a process of slow and impecunious discovery, mainly through records, radio and the occasional film, per-haps next by attending an amateur performance or seeing an isolated touring opera, but not venturing to book a cheap seat at a real opera house until well into adulthood. Such people (and their present-day equiva-lents) comprise a huge potential audi-ence remote from the glamour of expensive Covent Garden seats. Opera seen from the latter necessarily signifies a degree of privilege, but cameras and microphones can be positioned to simulate such a view-

expected, there was also a significant loss in rhythmic punch, sufficient to call the idea into question.

In any case, top grade decoders will already have superior low-jitter interfaces and one would expect the effect of the DTI to be less marked. In practice the DTI was found to improve the clarity of high grade decoders just as well; here, serious listening tests are a must. Improvements of a smaller order

were also heard with the ClearStream connector, though again the clean-up was accompanied by a small loss in rhythm and transient attack. As digital cables go it is a good one while its ability to suppress random digital muting with some decoder combina-tions should not be underestimated.

It produced no little amusement among the listeners to find that the superior power supply had a marked effect on the subjective performance of the DTI. Adding the One power unit could produce an increase of over 5% in sound quality scores, and this was consistent with several decoders. When subtle variations in power-pack performance are audible via the mechanism of a jitter reduc-tion unit in a digital audio path, we had better watch out!

point — for the less well off. This was the theme I pursued in

1974. It seemed obvious to me that the new media must in the end offset opera's perceived elitism by bringing it to a wide viewing and listening public at home. Indeed, it was clear by then that sound-only opera was already being thus transformed by stereo recordings. As for the com-plete art form, all the costly invest-ment which had served audiences of thousands should, I argued, serve millions, whether by making sub-sidies conditional upon granting free BBC film rights on each new produc-tion (as I advocated), or by the creation of some equivalent commer-cial scheme.

Colin Davis once suggested that ideally we should contrive to relay London's opera performances to pro-vincial cinema screens. But now vir-tually every home has its own cinema, satellite communications technology spans the world, opera videos abound, events at the ROH have been seen on giant open-air screens, and Channel Four even sports a 'Guide to Opera' based on Leeds rather than London. One upshot of all this is that

opera-goers are relieved of the polite

LAB TESTS Pulse shapes and risetimes were investigated with inconclusive results. For example, the squarest S/PDIF waveform at a decoder input did not necessarily produce the best sound or the lowest received jitter. Certain combinations of risetime and shape are important and differ for each decoder, as if some hidden internal compensation is taking place. What was confirmed using the 100MHz Hewlett Packard digital scope was that the DTI did success-fully reduce received jitter on the data clock from the usual 500 to 2000ps to around 100ps, similar to a crystal lock.

COMUSION Market success for a device such as this is hard to predict due to its specialist and specific applications — certainly they perform as advertised in Audio Alchemy's digital systems. But home trial is advised to assess the effect and perhaps to weigh the balance between clarity and rhythm. Ideally, jitter reduction techniques should already be built into a good quality decoder, and yet even with these the extra filtering given by the DTI was noticeable. -4t-

Supplier Path Premier, Unit 2, Desborough Industrial Park, High Wycombe, Bucks HP12 3BG. Tel: (0494) 441736

sidelines constraints that traditionally domin-ate our theatres, which may even-tually affect critical reactions in unex-pected ways. Not only can we now see and hear Kurt Weill's Street Scene from the Coliseum (BBC 2, Jan) or hear Verdi's Don Carlos from La Scala (Radio 3, Dec), but in response to such experiences domestic audi-ences might begin to shed the British reluctance to express disapproval of poor performances. Despite some excruciating vocal intonation during the London event, the audience applauded enthusiastically, whereas in Milan the Pavarotti-led cast was booed as much as it was cheered. We could even start to witness healthy negative reactions to the trendy mélange offered in some prestigious productions where, in one case, Carthaginian warriors were armed with automatic rifles. Opera scenarios are frequently

improbable enough without intro-ducing bowler hats, cigarettes and modern weapons to stories set in medieval or ancient times, a view which I was delighted to discover had the wholehearted support.of the emi-nent conductor engaged for one such production. But, alas, these days the producer is God. John Crabbe

HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIE1V MAY 1993 61

Ever wondered about the

mysteries of detection,

discrimination, MPX and

other radio tuner

terminology? This article

explains the basics . . .

by DAVE BERRIMAN

HI FT ON THE AIR

Hertz's early spark transmitter produced a broad spectrum of radio waves, what we now describe as interference. It was about as much use for selective communica-tions as using a shotgun to remove a single leaf from a tree!

• As many readers will know, Hertz's name, appropriately, has been immortalised as the term for frequency, the abbreviation Hz replacing the old 'cycles per second' or cls.

ince the first experiments by Heinrich Hertz*, which proved the existence of radio waves,

technology has developed the use of radio to a level which would have been unbelievable to those early pioneers. In Hertz's experiment, a powerful spark jumping across an air gap caused a smaller spark to jump across another, quite separate, gap a few feet away.

Hertz's early spark transmitter produced a broad spectrum of radio waves, what we now describe as interference (of the sort produced by electrical machinery and car engines, for instance, see Fig la). It was about as much use for selective communica-tions as using a shotgun to remove a single leaf from a tree! The breakthrough for radio com-

munications came with practical experimenters like Marconi, who married improved spark generators to tuned electrical circuits, which narrowed the range of frequencies which were transmitted (Fig lb) enabling more than one station to use the air waves simultaneously, while allowing the distant selection and reception of just one of them (see Fig 1c).

AMPLITUDE MODULATION The earliest transmissions could not transmit voices or music. They were known as continuous wave transmis-sions (see Figs lb and lc). The radio wave could only be turned on or off; the only method of conveying information was to do just that to the radio signal, ie, in Morse code (Fig 3).

Later, with the advent of the thermionic valve, it became possible

to construct powerful radio transmit-ters without the use of spark gener-ators. Valves were used to modulate (vary) the strength (or amplitude) of the radio wave to convey con-tinuously varying (analogue) wave-form of speech and music (as opposed to merely turning it on and off in bursts). This is amplitude modulation (Fig 4). It is a simple and elegant method still used for many radio transmissions.

In an AM receiver, a rectifying circuit or AM detector removes half of the alternating radio wave (say the bottom half) leaving a rectified radio wave (Fig 5). When the radio fre-quency half-wave pulses are filtered, their average value, which is the audio signal (plus some DC), remains. The DC is usually used to control the gain of earlier parts of the radio receiver, to compensate for changing reception conditions, which would otherwise cause fading of the signal. This is called Automatic Gain Control, or AGC for short.

Early AM sets used a small crystal of gallium with a whisker of wire in contact, known as the cat's whisker. Its use involved the laborious quest for a 'sweet spot' on the crystal where rectification was most effective. This was later replaced by the point-contact diode (essentially the same thing sealed in a miniature glass tube but using germanium or silicon), and more recently Shottky barrier diodes (which work well at very high speed).

DEFINING THE BANDWIDTH: SELECTIVITY Achieving the desired sharpness, or 'Q', of transmission or tuning has always presented problems. A high 'Q' would seemingly be what is desired because this would allow only a narrow band of frequencies and thus filter out extraneous signals more effectively (Fig 1c). This would be fine, so long as the radio transmis-sion contained only the radio-frequency 'carrier' wave and no mod-ulation (Fig lb). However, as soon as the radio wave is modulated, the range of transmitted frequencies is increased, either by Amplitude or Frequency Modulation. Amplitude Modulation produces extra signals, called sidebands, at frequencies of the carrier plus the modulating fre-quency and the carrier minus the modulation frequency (Fig 6). For instance, take a carrier fre-

quency of 600kHz. If this is ampli-tude modulated by a frequency of 4kHz, the result is the carrier at 600kHz and in addition, sidebands at 604kHz and 596kHz. If the complete band of frequencies between DC and 4kHz were present, the spectrum would show a multitude of sidebands ±4kHz from 600kHz.

AM SELECTIVITY The long, medium and short-wave AM bands are so crowded that it is not practical to transmit the full audio spectrum, so it is usually limited to around 5kHz, thus curtail-ing the sidebands and cramming in more transmissions. The tuned response of the receiver should be broad and flat, with steep sides, if the higher audio frequencies are not to be severely reduced in level (attenu-ated). A very sharply tuned filter will achieve the desired selectivity, but will result in a very dull sound. This, as much as the inherent 4kHz upper limit, is why many AM radios and the AM sections of some hi-fi tuners often sound dull and lacking in sparkle.

FREQUENCY MODULATION HI-11 tuners are much more advanced in their operation than the early AM radios. They use an alternative form of modulation known as Frequency Modulation (or FM), in which it is the frequency of the radio-frequency carrier which is varied in sympathy with the audio waveform at the trans-mitter; the amplitude stays constant. As shown in Fig 7, the carrier fre-quency deviates above and below its centre frequency in direct response to the modulating (audio) signal. The degree of Frequency Modulation is thus referred to as the deviation, the amount of increase and decrease in frequency to which the carrier is subjected. For hi-fi FM, the max-imum deviation, corresponding to the peaks of the audio signal, should be ±75kHz, but smaller modulating sig-nals produce smaller deviations. Note, the frequency of FM deviation is not the frequency of the audio signal, but is dependent on its level.

FM SIDEBANDS FM modulation produces a different pattern of sidebands from AM. With FM they spread out in pairs from the centre frequency, their frequencies and amplitudes depend both on the deviation and the audio signal fre-quency (see Fig 7). FM sidebands, perhaps surprisingly, extend beyond the maximum deviation of the radio frequency carrier wave. Away from the carrier they are of progressively lower level. For reception, it is not vital to include all the sidebands, but curtailing too many, or shifting their phase, will worsen the performance.

FM SELECTNITY Fortunately in the 87.5 to 108MHz VHF waveband used for UK FM radio, interference from other trans-missions is less of a problem than on the AM wavebands because the sig-nals don't usually travel so far as at the lower frequencies used for long

62 111-F1 NEWS 8. RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

TUNERS

ra E 4

=rocluency—u.

Fig la: sparks and electrical nuererence produce a broad spectrum of radio waves, which are of little use for communications

Tune - Al.

Fig ¡ b: a pure ( unnwdulated) sine-shaped radio wave contains only one frequency and this can be used for selective radio transmissions

13

12

Freb.ency

Trre

Fig lc: though three radio waves are present at the same time in this example, a single one can be selected by tuned circuits in the receiver

fo f Fig 2: the bandwidth of a tuned circuit is defined as the part of the response curve which is within -3dI3 of the peak. Thus in this diagram the bandwidth u simply fh-11 in Hz

Bandwidth

OdB

3dB

Frequency- a.

Dash

E

Tirria

Fig 3: turning the carrier wat on and off using Morse code was the earliest method of communicating using radio waves

Frequency

Dot Dot

E 4

Fig 4: Varying the amplitude of the radio wave in sympathy with the audio waveform is called amplitude modulation and is usually expressed

as a percentage of the carrier ware. If the peaks of the audio waveform reduce the RF carrier

momentarily to zero, the modulation is 100%

u

Unmodulated carr gr

ampltide

_ ModUlabon natal nude

7:1

Time

Fig 5: If the RF carrier is rectified in the receiver, the average value of the RF pulses is the original modulating wave. Some DC is also present and this can be used to regulate the gain of earlier stages in the radio w prevent signal fading or circuit overload

Modulating frequency m RF frequency f

Time — is.

Fig 6: amplitude modulation introduces sidebands at frequencies spaced above and below the carrier, at the carrier frequency, plus the modulating frequency and also at the carrier minus the modulating frequency

'rank pk

e Fn,wercy modulated RFcerner wove •

,I I

Ractfed R Fervelope

Average . model abon plus DC

-err c .rn

Frequency —I.

I I

MOCu Ott.; Sled

Tur¢

Fig 7: frequency modulation creates an infinu‘ number of pairs of sidebands which reduce in level away from the carrier, fc. The distribution of sidebands depends on the modulation index (the maximum deviation divided by the maximum modulation frequency). It is not necessary w receive all the sidebands to recover the modulation accurately, For a deviation of 75kIlz and audio modulation up w 15kHz, the bandwidth required is 2 x(75+ 15), which equates to 180kHz

125 103 75 50 75 0 25 50 75 ID* 1-

OIVIATIOPP OILO,OROZ

Fig 8: the FM detector provides an output which is dependent on the frequency from the I .F amplifier. Frequency modulation at audio frequencies therefore produces a corresponding audio output. If the tuner drifts off-station, the

centre frequency will shift from 10.7MHz, producing either a positive or negative DC. voltage. This is fed back w earlier stages to pull the tuner more accurately back on w the station

Sude bands Frecpanc›-o.

Inside the FM tuner, the ideal bandwidth will be wide enough to include all of the information contained within the radio signal. °aside this wanted range, the response should drop sharply to avoid the upper and lower sidebands of adjacert or alternate channe s from interfering with the wanted channel (called adjacent-channel or alternate-channel inzer'enence)

11141PIEWS11 RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993.

Aerial

Ftdenere e oScillator

(crystal)

100 MHz

DC control .

I cr.=

107M111 107mhz

1071-du FM Aucho.

Detectorkit— encode° stereo

D^

Fig 9: simplified block diagram of an FM tuner showing how the superheterodyne principle works. The local oscillator is tuned to 10 . 7HMz above the wanted RF signal. This is combined

with the tuned RF in the mixer w create sum and difference frequencies. The IF section selects the difference of 10.7MHz, amplifies and limits it and then FM demodulates it. The output is the original modulation applied prior to transmission. (In a stereo tuner this comprises both mono and encoded stereo information, which is fed to the stereo decoder, see stereo encoding and decoding)

Divider

From local _.errOjerommatte

osc,Ilotar

Register

CPU

PhaSe detector

Control keys

dB0

-10

20

-30

40

-53

60

70

Digital display

PLL filter

Tuning voltage to local oscillator and PP stage

Fig 10: a synthesised tuner works in exactly the

same way as a conventional superhet, except for the way the local oscillator frequency is derived. The output from a highly stable internal crystal oscillator is drvided down to a more manageable frequency and fed to a phase detector. The local oscillator frequency is also divided down in

frequency, but by a programmable divider which is under control of a Central Processor Unit (computer chip)which also controls a digital

readout for display of frequerky, etc. The output of the programmable divider is

some fraction of the desired local oscillator frequency and this is compared to the set fraction of the crystal oscillator by the phase detector.

This is followed by a phase-locked loop filter which produces a DC control voltage for feeding

to the local oscillator and RF stage. This seemingly complex system effectively locks the local oscillator very accurately to the desired frequency with the precision of the crystal oscillator, thus virtually eliminating drift and enabling tuning to be programmed very accurately

aniumninninuinnige munezamnii muninimi uneepumunii 1111M1111111•0111111

111U11111111Mallie 211111.1111111311 MI11111111•111111111•1•1111iimi

o Acote rout (m rrnvnIts)

Fig Il: as the radio-frequency input of a FM tuner is increased, the output increases as shown by curve A. Simultaneously, the noise drops as shown by curve B, which indicates the noise in mono. At some pre-determined threshold, the stereo decoder will switch on automatically. In our example this occurs at just over 10µV, above which the stereo noise decreases as shown by curve C

100 200

medium and short waves. In addi-tion, a phenomenon called capture effect locks an FM tuner on to the stronger of two signals, rejecting the weaker one even if it is on exactly the same frequency. The minimum ratio between the wanted and unwanted signals, for the larger one to domin-ate, is known as the capture ratio and is normally expressed in dB. The figure can be as low as 1 or 2dB in top tuners. Consequently, FM transmit-ters can operate at the same fre-quency as others, provided they are geographically distant.

This is fortunate because, with an FM deviation of ±75kHz, the total bandwidth taken up by the transmis-sion is in excess of 150kHz, — much greater than for AM radio. The total spacing between the so-called adja-cent channels is 200kHz.

In reality, however, station fre-quencies can be much closer, at 100kHz, or less. Geographic spacing and capture effect combine to avoid interference.

Inside the FM tuner, the ideal bandwidth will be wide enough to include all of the information con-tained within the radio signal. Out-side this wanted range, the response should drop sharply, to avoid the upper and lower sidebands of adja-cent or alternate channels from interfering with the wanted channel (called adjacent-channel or alternate-channel interference).

THE FM DISCRIMINATOR With FM the amplitude is not mod-ulated, so an AM radio would not respond to this signal properly. FM tuners include an FM detector, or discriminator, the output of which depends on the frequency of the radio frequency from the IF amplifier signal (see Fig 8). A by-product of the FM detector is

that, in addition to an audio output, it provides a DC voltage which is used to help tune the station precisely to the centre of the FM detector's most linear operating region, for minimal distortion (called Automatic Frequency Control, or AFC).

HOW RECEIVERS WORK Having got this far, this is a good place to retrace our steps and look again at just how radio receivers work. The early radios were little more than amplified crystal sets, with poor selectivity. Because they simply tuned into the radio frequency signal prior to detection and amplification, they were known as Tuned Radio Frequency radios. Their selectivity was often enhanced by feeding part of the radio-frequency output back to and in phase with the aerial input (a form of positive feedback called regeneration). If taken too far, the

radio would burst into uncontrolled oscillation (and effectively become a transmitter). Just below that point, however, the amplification was enhanced, the 'Q' increased and tun-ing sharpened to a significant degree.

FREQUENCY CONVERSION: THE SUPERHET A significant improvement over the early TRF receiver was the Super-heterodyne, or Superhet for short. The system is so effective that it is still in use today in just about every radio and hi-fi stereo FM tuner. The basics are simple. The radio

frequencies are selected by tuned circuits, just as for the TRF receiver, but the frequency of the incoming signal is then shifted to a new fre-quency, the Intermediate Frequency, or IF. This new signal can then be amplified by a large amount and to a very precisely defined bandwidth, by an IF amplifier. The bandwidth of the IF amplifier therefore effectively sets the bandwidth of the radio, or tuner, regardless of the frequency of the incoming radio frequency signal (see Fig 9, which shows the basic layout of an FM tuner). Finally, the signal is passed to an AM or FM detector, as appropriate, to re-create the audio signal for amplification. The shift in frequency, or conver-

sion as it is called, is carried out in the frequency changer, or mixer. This is effectively a circuit which accepts the tuned radio frequency input and also the output of an internal oscillator (known as the local oscillator). The wanted station is selected by

a tuning circuit in the radio fre-quency section. This part of the radio is designed to be as linear as possible to avoid intermodulation between powerful transmissions. Simultaneously, the local oscillator is tuned to a frequency slightly w one side of the wanted radio frequency signal. In FM tuners, the local oscil-lator is always 10.7MHz above the wanted radio frequency, while for AM radios and tuners it is usually around 450kHz above. The incoming radio frequency and

local oscillator signals mix together in a deliberately non-linear circuit (the mixer) to produce new frequen-cies at both the sum and the differ-ence of the two.

So, in an FM tuner tuned to an incoming station at 100MHz, the local oscillator would be tuned to 110.7MHz and the output of the mixer would be 210.7MHz (the sum) and 10.7MHz (the difference). The 210.7MHz is not required, but the 10.7MHz signal is the Intermediate Frequency, containing the sidebands (and hence wanted information) of the original but at a new, carefully

64 HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

TUNERS

defined range of frequencies. Unfor-tunately, there is another radio fre-quency which can produce an output of 10.7 MHz from the frequency changer and that is 121.4MHz in our example ( 121.4-110.7 = 10.7). This is the image frequency, which must be rejected in the RF stage. Manu-facturers' specifications often quote an image rejection figure.

SYNTHESIZED TUNING Many tuners have a digital display which is simply a digital readout of the local oscillator minus 10.7MHz to provide the frequency of the tuned station. These are therefore nothing more than ordinary tuners with a digital readout. A synthesizer tuner, on the other hand, effectively 'locks' the local oscillator to a very accu-rately set frequency derived from an internal crystal-controlled oscillator (see Fig 10). Automatic frequency control may still also be used to align the tuner even more precisely to the station. The benefits are very stable drift-free tuning.

STEREO MULTIPLEXING Stereo multiplexing is a very effec-tive way of squeezing two channels of information into one and is an exam-ple of encoding by time division multiplexing (or MXP). At the trans-mitter, an encoder is used which very rapidly switches between left and right channels of the audio input (Fig 12a). The frequency of switching is at 38kHz, well above the audio band, inaudible to the listener. To a normal mono tuner or radio, it is to all intents and purposes a mono signal, because though it is switched it contains both the left and right chan-nels. A mono tuner therefore proces-ses it as a mono signal.

For a stereo tuner to be able to recover the separate left and right channels, the tuner must switch the combined L+R signal to left and right channels at 38kHz and in exact step with the transmitter. Rather than transmit a 38kHz signal, which would take up valuable modulation space, a 19kHz signal, known as the pilot tone, is transmitted instead (see Fig 12b). This is recovered in the tuner and used to regenerate the 38kHz switching signal. Provided the original left and right signals contain no information above 19kHz, the stereo composite signal (Fig 13) will contain all the informa-tion in the original left and right channels.

PRE- AND DE-EMPHASIS Prior to stereo encoding for radio transmission, the high-frequency range is boosted slightly by 6dB per octave above about 3kHz. This pre-emphasis improves the signal-to-

noise ratio because, after decoding in the tuner, a corresponding de-emphasis is incorporated which cor-rects the frequency response to flat, while reducing noise in the process. The pre- and de-emphasis are equivalent to a resistor/capacitor filter having a time constant (resist-ance multiplied by capacitance) of 50µs (75s in the USA).

STEREO DECODERS Decoding involves recovering the 19kHz pilot tone, doubling it to generate 38kHz and locking an oscil-lator accurately to this frequency, switching to recover the original left and right channels (Fig 14). However, if signals above 53kHz,

such as pilot-tone harmonics from adjacent channels, enter the stereo decoder, they can cause 'birdie' interference (a kind of fluctuating high-frequency noise). To prevent this, a low-pass 53kHz filter is incor-porated prior to the stereo decoder. After decoding and amplification, de-emphasis restores the original flat frequency response and a low-pass MPX filter removes any pilot-tone or harmonics which could interfere with tape recorder operation. The exact method of re-creating

the 38kHz switching frequency varies from tuner to tuner, but often involves a phase-locked loop which compares the phase of the 38kHz oscillator to the doubled pilot-tone and locks the oscillator to it in phase and frequency: hence the term phase-locked-loop stereo decoder. A different way of looking at

stereo decoding is to consider the frequency domain instead of the time domain. While the baseband infor-mation, up to 15kHz, represents L+ R, the sub-carrier information from 23kHz to 53kHz represents L-R. If the 38kHz sub-carrier is re-inserted (after being regenerated from the 19kHz pilot tone), the 23kHz to 53kHz signal can be demodulated by an AM detector to recover L-R. This signal can then be added to and subtracted from L+R to produce 2L and 2R, which are the original Left and Right channels. It is possible to build decoders which work in exactly this fashion, as opposed to time-switching (Fig 15).

RDS A recent broadcasting innovation is the addition of RDS (Radio Data Sys-tem) signals on a modulated sub-carrier, providing station identifica-tion and other information. These signals are taken from the IF output, prior to the FM detector, for proces-sing by dedicated circuitry. +

The next 'Back to Basics' article will

appear in the August issue.

Inputs •

Output

38kHz

Crystal oscillator

Fig I2a: the left and right channels are time-division multiplexed by switching at 38kHz

Inputs (..».\ Output

38kHz

Crystal oscillator

Fig 12b: before transmission, the 38kHz is divided by 2 to create a 19kHz pilot tone, which is transmitted along with the multiplexed left and right channels

•

is

19k Hz

15 19 23 38 Freauencv in kH7

Fig 13: the spectrum of the stereo multiplexed signal looks like this. The base-band information

to 15kHz is the L+R, or mono information, whereas che 23 w 53kHz information is the L-R

signal. The 38kHz sub-carrier is suppressed so that the L-R signal can be transmitted at a slightly higher level for improved signal-w-noise

ratw

Bectrced emtch

53kHz .13.rdxi fitter

=-orn FM I aernodukitort

53

38kHz osalator locked to 3810-1c Ircrn 19kHr toot tone x2

P,Ot StenTO ArnplIfIcatt00 De-arl111,05,5 outçuts

filters

Fig 14: this form of stereo decoder works in the time domain. It takes the signal from the FM demodulator, (after signals above 53kHz have been filtered out to avoid birdies') and switches it at 38kHz to restore the separate left and right channels. De-emphasis restores the frequency response [allot and low-pass filters remove any 19kHz pilot tone, 38kHz or harmonics

53Mtz 'Bred fear

jxI-lArrefeer

Front FM 1>smoauloto.

Arnplder

L.R Adder

Ad 28

23- to 53-kHz Pres.?

tondPoss --. rioAtaclor 17-rilove'ler crcud

Fig IS: an alternative form of stereo decoder works in the frequency domain by selecting the 23kHz to 53kHz range, re-inserting the 38kHz sub-carrier and AM detecting the L-R signals. The L-R can then be added to (and subtracted

from) the L+R baseband signal to derive 2L and 2R signals — the original stereo channels

De- Not emexas tone

filters

RI-F1 NEWS 8, RECORD REVIEW MAY 19113 65

Ti

Tim de Paravicini

turbo-charges the legendary

Revox G36 valve

open-reel tape recorder

by KEN KESSLER

M'S RADICAL REVOX

you really want analogue? Then stop messing around: go for open-reel tape. It truly is the

only way. Or so I've just learned again, thanks to Tim de Paravicini. I've joined — after years of promising myself that I'd do it — the ranks of hot-rodded Revox G36 ownership. The G36 has featured a couple of

times in these pages because it is rightfully regarded as one of a hand-ful of semi-pro open-reel machines of legendary status and performance. Along with the Great Lost Crown machine, certain" other Revoxes, a couple of the later Sony, Technics and TEAC decks and the Tandberg 20A, the Revox is capable of feeding your pre-amp with signals so pure that it makes everything else sound so, so 'hi-fi'. But the G36s are vener-able valve devices, at best showing their age and at worst about ten inches from the scrapheap.

It might have been Max Towns-hend's demos at The Hi-Fi Show a

few years back or it might have been enlightened studio bods who first spread the word that EAR's Tim de Paravicini could be coaxed into turbo-charging a G36, turning it into a beast of the calibre of the machines used by the more fastidious audio-phile labels. It became one of the most desirable toys in the audio underground, with Tim's mods prog-ramme only adding to the frenzy which made G36s scarce during the Great Tube Revival of the early 1980s. And Tim, though known pri-marily for tube electronics rather than tape decks, had a track record to justify the G36 owner's trust. Did he not fashion the open-reel used by Kavi Alexander of Water Lily, the label with the finest sounds available? Has he not worked with Audio Quest and the Brothers Chesky? His amps for driving cutting heads are sought after by the cream of the world's LP makers. He is the most un-digital human being on earth. I had nothing to lose. I purchased my G36 from former

HFNIRR editor John Atkinson when he emigrated to the USA. After a few plays, it joined the other rarely-used collectables in Inv audio museum, carted out only when the need arose, like listening to the odd tapes that turned up in my travels. I forgot about it until the subject arose during one of Tim's visits, triggered in part by my telling Tim about the handful of pre-recorded open-reels sent to me by a friend in the USA. Pristine — some found still in their shrink wrap-

ping — print-through-free stereo 7ips copies of The Best of Aretha Franklin, The Best of the Mantas and Papas, The Best of Booker T and the MGs. A bunch of Beatles tapes. The Best of Roy Orbison — the Monument stuff! And Tim had the key to extracting even more from these precious spools. So off he went with my G36. Remember that Tim is a busy

(some would say manic) individual, and running EAR takes priority over his Revox revivals, so I didn't think about the time frame. Indeed, I can't even tell you how long my deck was in Huntingdon because I promptly forgot about it until Tim phoned one day to say that it was ready. He turned up with the 636 looking quite unlike it did when it left. It looked almost new. • Tim mentioned that the deck was in awful condition when he picked it up, but not beyond salvation. First, he stripped it 'down to almost the last nut and bolt'. He says full testing isn't often required, that a visual examination is usually sufficient. Tim then rebuilds all of the motors and the moving parts in the transport section, replacing the heads if neces-sary. Then come the electronics, which are virtually gutted.

At this stage, Tim consigns the mono speaker and amp to the dust-bin, converting what were volume and balance controls to left and right outputs. Everything is cleaned and tubes are replaced as required (which meant every tube in my unit). At the back (or top, if you use yours verti-cally), the mains output is swapped for an IEC socket, some minor bits are chucked away, and — best news of all if you've ever seen the pathetic phono sockets on an original 636 — he replaces the standard RCAs with gold-plated terminals rugged enough and far enough apart to accept what-ever plugs your cables wear. There are some other tweaks that

66 en toewsa RECORD REVIEW MAY 1593

Tim will not divulge; the above changes are fairly straightforward and probably within the capabilities of any normal solderhead. What these mystery manoeuvres include are the fine-tuning actions which convert the G36 - even a mint example - from a great open-reel into audio for the Gods. What Tim also attempts to do, if possible, is improve the external appearance to make it worthy of the work within. He cleaned up the control panel and chassis so well that I thought it was somebody else's unit, stopping only short of trying to repaint the 'Made In Switzerland' script or re-painting the Revox badge. We hooked it up and immediately

noticed a curious buzz when a certain part of the top-plate was touched. Before I could issue even the smallest groan of disappointment, Tim was down on all fours, disassembling the machine. Even with what little I know about electronics, I do know what a hassle tracing a dry joint or loose wire or wonky tube can be, but Tim didn't seem to mind. Off came the carry-case, the hubs, the knobs. To my horror, Tim did all this with the unit plugged in and live, prod-ding places which I wouldn't have touched unless clad in a scuba outfit. Maybe it's true what they say about Tim hooking up his neckbolts every night to the National Grid . . . Anyway, Tim found whatever had

shaken loose in the trip down from Cambridge, not surprising as he thinks that the roadworks on the Mll should be treated like a stage in the Baja Rally. The time of discover-ing the buzz, through the disassem-bly, rectification, reassembly and listening to music took exactly 19 minutes. Impressed? I wanted to ask where Tim bought his coffee.

Although Tim was slightly dis-appointed that I was the owner of the plebeian quarter-track, slow-speed (33/4 /71/2 ips) model instead of the 15ips/half-track killer, that didn't stop him from producing a gift in the form of a tape copied from his library. Suffice to say that I do not wish to cause Tim any trouble, so I cannot identify the artist. What Tim gave me was a copy only three generations from the actual master of two LPs which I have in both vinyl and CD form. It is music so familiar that your granny would know it. But granny never heard it sound like this.

Plugging the Revox into the all-Krell system, through Sonus Faber's wee Minima Amator, I heard 24-year-old recordings come to life in a way the original LPs and the gold-plated, remastered CDs couldn't even hint at. Despite pre-Dolby tape hiss - which vanished beneath the music - the sound was visceral, truly

holographic, natural-sounding. You want to hear a vocalist's breathing patterns? The sound of a mic so vivid you can identify the model? It's gotta be open reel tape. The single most impressive quality

of the tape which massacred the commercially available formats was the dynamic range. The meters were barely moving, and then - wham! Acoustic guitar in your room, in your face, every little resonance from the wooden body appearing and decaying just like the real thing! The sound spread around the centre-placed vocalist, to the sides and wa-a-ay behind, and not just the whole instruments but the sound of the studio in which he made his recordings. My worry was that Tim's gift

would be the only tape in my collec-tion which could provide such bliss. After all, it had the distinct advan-tage of being as close to the master as any tape was likely to get; surely my commercially available, pre-recorded tapes would sound less transparent, less open, less convincing? Yes and no. The various tapes I've

listed above always sounded better than the CDs or LPs, whether I played them on either my old Tand-bergs or the G36 pre- de Paravici-[Wing. What the hot-rodding did was lower the noise floor (even below that of my mint, solid-state 20A), while the dynamic range seemed a good few dB wider. While none of the com-mercial pre-recordeds matched the tape from Tim (were they duplicated at high speed or in real time? Was the tape of a lower grade?), they were audibly better than any editions or formats used in comparison. And, believe me, I have more than a few different methods of accessing the various Beatles, Aretha and Orbison recordings. Everything bar 8-track, from Mexican singles to Korean pirate LPs.

Nearly the most rewarding aspect of all was the return to hands-on hi-fi, something we've lost since CD turned most of us into button-pushing layabouts. Okay, so I've never stopped using LPs, but setting up a slab of vinyl is simplicity com-pared to threading tapes. All I could think of was the reason why I use old or manual cameras instead of the computer-driven plastic lumps which now proliferate. As any photography enthusiast will tell you, the slowness and care required of all-mechanical cameras forces you into taking your time, into thinking more about the shot you're about to take. So, too, with playing LPs or open-reel tapes. I'm not about to suggest that setting up a tape is some arcane skill requir-ing six months at night school, but it is infinitely more involving that slip-ping a CD onto a tray and pressing

'play'. But that's not the reason for scouring Exchange & Mart for a Revox G36.

It's the sound. It will dazzle you. And you will find yourself recording at gigs or off-air, because you just can't find that many pre-recorded open-reel tapes any more. My tape collection is tiny - 20 or so - but I shan't stop looking. What you should do, if you have a

G36, is write to Tim at EAR, Unit 11, Stukeley Meadows, Huntingdon, Cambs PE18 6ED - don't phone,

because it distracts him from what he should be doing. See if he has a blank page in his diary. Then beg him to consider hot-rodding your G36. Who knows? He may even do the business to other tube'd or 'special' open-reelers. (Oh, to have a Nagra for Tim to sprinkle with fairy dust!) But don't pressure him too much about deliv-ery times. Just trust him, because the wait is worth it. And if the bill he sends you is under £ 1000, it'll be the best deal you've ever made. 1/L

NM NEVIS Ai RECORD REVIEW NAY 1993 67

record reviews classical

93

94

94

es

95

100

96

95

96

96

96

97

97

97

97

98

98

98

99

ee

ee

160

lee

loo

Mlnisevui

EfflpMies 3 S NBCIToscanun

SYMPb«.1 3, 101,914 OLL Dresden StaaukapelletDams

Nam wk. — Varlabem,

easalellea

Jacoby

FILOILICK

Gambenia Faatantiqm

Oreh Reo a Romannquel

Gordate,

etnisms nub. solounIScontsh OperalMaucen

Semen."' 2 IWO. MENDELSSOHKKOSSINII

BR( drum

ROTTEN

Enrenelorra lenh, Boston

CHOPIN

Ballades etc

1.ubzen,

Recital

Donohoe

OIEREMWW4

Lady be Geed!

salmsulOrchIStent

O NLNIMIL9 MaN Ceamito MselleylPhilhlTortelser

HINDIMMI

Kaannenneik 1-7 ale

ComengebomulChatIly MANIA.

Symptom 3 etc Footle R Scottuhljaros

Symphony 4

teruheono Phtlhannonuo

otopolt

Rattle VP() Mo..,

Symphony 10 ICaoh0

I. rankjurt R.SOInbal

MENCIESSONN

Sponeuies 1115 liambeglFlor

M«ART

L. Fiala Oardinisra

LaloursiConLennu

Harnoncourt

M... 8257, Manes 8243 solotsulConcennes muss.,

Harnoncoun

PROKOPIEV

Symplunies 156 (Mtn GURU)

USSR).tioetlaner Lennundl

POIMnrtnnsks

Plane Sonatas 2, 6, 9

Rohrer

Mao the Terrible, Alexander

Rawly

soloistsILSO& Rostropent h

Plano Cancarb 4 Fleulser BostenvOunto

RAVEL

Left Hand Concert* Flenher BosteruOurum

ROT!

SPOILIMN E NorrkaputglSegerstans

The HFN/RR Ratings Sound quality and performance are separately graded as a summary of each review. In Rock/Pop/Jazz the numerical rating also reflects musical content. (A few releases are reviewed from master-tape copies, as stated.) An additional 'star' denotes outstanding quality.

Sound quality : Performance

Fine modem recording A 1 Very Good

Good, some minor reservation g 2 Good

Only moderately convincing C 3 Moderate

Poor sound D 4 Poor

Historical source, eg 78rpm H H Historical

INFORMATION Review headings show catalogue number and CD total playing

time, followed by a price coding (see 'Save on CD').

Reissues are shown as C) with the first UK publication date

= monophonic recording.

SCARIAITI

Keyboard moats.

100 l'ogorelu h

SCHUBERT

Selenium I. E

100 ( :manna,' I'M Samuel

SCROMNBMItO

Verldirte Nacht, Trio 09.45 93 71. Whir,/ ()1

Refloat et MellIsaarle, Variations, Op.31

101 ( ago S(1

R STRAUSS

Boonpools Gentilhonsine,

I/haematite 101 ( »feeds

VENETIAN VESPERS 102 ( rohneli Censor, .11 :r,sh

114)RSZOV/SKI

102 Live performances 1958-83

(classical cornposers)

MIDORI

102 Encore

AMERCAN VIRTUOSO

103 Concert Icarian composers) Alan f.'embrn.,

RCA LIGINDARY

NRIORAIIRS 103 Hu/ode/phi, Otokuniski

I'latogorsim eu

us itish musit RAIII00I

Pagan Symphony, Fillne etc

104 RI'( ) 1 land!,

BLISS

Morning Heroes etc

104 LIM etc k tbblete hue

POULOS Le Cabaret Paranbada

sympleadime 2 etc 104 1.1'0'Wordstoorth

NOWILLS 1.4th STEVENSI

aural mdu

105 FinaiSingers.Spirer

PARRY

Symphony 1, Concertstlick 105 /in/ /limier!

MAWSINOR/M Plano concertos

106 / cr. LP, Ram,

Symphony 1, Irish Rhapsody 2

106 / ,r, h 11,1,11,

WALTON

Violin Concerto, Henry V etc

106 R. ,,und FIcrlda Mr 1 udd

retie( tions IS BACH

Cantatas BWI/67, 108, 127

108 whiles/Monti )1 led. I lei. inn

MANIAS Symphonies etc

108 Mum, h1U)Kenn,

Plano Concerto 2 (with BEETHOVEN: Appaasiooatal

168 RtchterC Imago Lrotstiorf WM Sonatas

los Afai Ax

SARIT-SAMIS

Caned al tha Anamkt

CHAIIRKIVDUKISGAVEU

108 I SOI Henderson Sr,,,,,

Romande'Anseeme:

scuunirr De maim %lean

109 II aelhgertWerba

WIDMANN

Ma, Day .41.8.t

108 solossteConcentus musr, r,-

F! amm-owl VAUGHAN WIWIJA.5 I with

FOULDSI Plano Concerto

109 it, Inn r 11,01,

WALTON

Facade, Gloria, Coronation

marches 109 ,,,nn,s'CBSO& Chi»

DE POOR

aarinet concertos: MOZART.

SPOHIVWEBER

GLENN COULD

107 Bach, Beethoven, Brehm%

NIMMEIM KEMPFf

SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto'

LLSZT solo worts 109 kr,

RICHARD STOLITAULN

Bernstein, Copland, Congliano,

Uranus/a 10E auk LSOiLnghlon-Smuh etc

ANA RIDTANIOA

107 Pro Cannon. Antigua

MMIUCAN RHUMBA

107 jones, McMahon

rock/pop/jazz VIRGINS AMERY

III hall Be Well

IIIM Ail PA/RS

118 PlavEng WW1 A Ihtlerent Sex

aliT ULMER & PALL

DESMOND

117 [17,7

RARCLAY MAUI NARVUT 118 Barclays ames HaruestiOnce

AgainlAnd Other Short Stariest

Baby James Homes,

BEAMING MOPES

Ill If 605 were 90s

LUIGI SOWIR'S BRASS

IGIRASY

117 TutlIghi Dream,

Mx08 CROOKS

Ill 'Round Mukught

MAIMS CROWN

Ill Universal Jaynes

SNOW »OWN 118 For The Real Feeltng

!IC BURDON

118 Crtnohng Ktng Snake

DINA CA11.041

112 So Close ▪ INJIMIM

118 Sntgles As & Rs

SAIMARA DINNEBLEIN

117 Solo

DINOSAUR .19

112 Where Been

LOOM, DONIGIUI

113 Pullin' On The Stale

EASTI7

112 Walihronstino

mu FRISEU 117 /1,i7,,..4 Lade Fault

KENNY

112 Iireathle"

O 95 09810W

115 Body, Mini/ and Soul

SUM MARRO

118 The Best Of

LIONINDY HOPKINS

118 Hot Many More Years 1 Got

118 You're Gonna Miss Me Ltve

1971) 1141 1140t11911111 «ONO

UNID

118 Hard Rope And Silken Twine 118 Luse In Concert

MCKIM LAD

118 It's jack The Lad

118 The Old Stralght Track

118 Rough Diamonds

WINDY MAUS

115 Wendy Tames

LOVE

118 Comes In Colours

LYING» DuTNYDu

112 The Last Rebel

IOU MONO

117 Impressions of. jtnoeev Gsaffre

MNIN MANN

118 Ages of Mann • RUUNIGLSDORFF

117 Dodging Bullets

109188MATAU.

118 Turnmg Pant

CODES MATINS!»

118 .4 Man Lee Cent MOTT GO ROOMS

118 Mon The HoopledrIced Shadows

DAVID MAY A/40 MIUORD «AVIS

117 Real deal

NAKED CITY

117 Grand Gutgnol

OUSE MOM

19101111190ALES 119 Olhe And The bisghtmgales

OMAR AM TN. NOWIMRS

113 Count of Lsdu

0100111AL WINO MOOR

119 Rork The Blues

YAMS« PAIUUMS

115 Vanessa Paradts

• APSTh 117 Promenade Wuh The Duke

POOH STICKS 113 Million Seller

OUICKSUVIR MRISM40411

MIMICS

119 Happy Troth 119 just For Lore

SURLY DAN

119 Sun Mountatn GO TIM

111 Dusk TIN 11100418

113 Archaeology

Us 119 War

VARIOUS 113 B(3I Of Mountam Stage

Volt I & 11 119 Blue Monday

119 Capitol Country Music Class. —

Cowboy Music

119 Capitol Sings Jerome Kent

119 Capitol Sings Rodgers And Han

113 Chess Blues

119 Dedtcated To The One I Love

113 independent 20

113 People Get Ready

119 Smashie And Niceb, Present

Lees Rod! 115 Stairways To Heaven

MDR VIIKMEI

119 Rebel Heon

API« WILLIAMS

119 The Best Of

LUCRIDA WIELIAMS

115 Sweet Old World

68 HI-F1 NEWS !I RECORD REVEG MAY 1993

•

musk

Ten years of CD — 76 Highlights on silver 89 Silver Treasury 90 RCA 'Living Stereo'

Opinion

73 Reflecting on silver

interview 69 l'an Pascal Tortelier

71 music news

record of the month 93 Schoenberg

chamber works

classical 93 'Authentic' Berlioz;

Toscanini new to CD; Mahler & Prokofiev

104 british music

reflections 101 Glenn Gould Edition;

Richard Stoltzman

rock/pop/jazz Ill Three versions

of The The; Kenny G's breathless saxophone; jazz roundup

reissues 118 Reviews by Ken Kessler

120 books

finale 130 Milt Jackson — founder

of the MYQ by David Kay

phew: Katie Vandyck C hant

loi

YAN PASCAL Oià TORTELIE R

ee4 by ROBERT COWAN

inlet

e t,*

When it comes to editing, I really am impossible— I am forever attending to even the smallest detail

Stroll into Yan Pascal Tortelier's Kensington apartment and you are immediately greeted with

reams of printed music. Discs, however, are far less in evidence (there are, incidentally, far more LPs than CDs). The morning I arrived for our interview, a crisp new score of Górecki's Scontri lay open on the living room floor, fresh from Pascal's careful scrutiny. We touched on the Górecki phenomenon, and the still-rocketing popularity of his Third Symphony. 'Oh yes, I know about that,' smiled Pascal quizzically, 'but I can't see this piece making the charts! It's certainly well devised, but very tough, gritty — difficult, not at all the sort of thing lovers of the Third Symphony will expect. But we do have an idea in the making for a Górecki project, and it might involve the orchestra, the BBC Philharmo-nic, television and perhaps some commercial recordings.' But that's as far as it goes for the moment. A Nadia Boulanger pupil and

much travelled musician (he has been a violinist for decades), Pascal took up his post as Principal Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra last year. He made his operatic debut in 1978 (in Cosi at Toulouse) and for three years achieved considerable success as Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Ulster

music news

Orchestra. His Chandos discogra-phy, both with these orchestras and the Philharmonia, is impressive: synoptic, carefully planned over-views of the complete orchestral works by Ravel and Debussy (imagi-natively coupled together on nine separate CDs), as well as Poulenc, Respighi, Saint-Saëns and, latterly, Gershwin and Hindemith. As for surveying the repertoire

field for unusual material, Pascal would rather read than listen. He's an inveterate score reader, but spends relatively little time by his CD player.

'I don't listen very much', he admits. 'When it comes to editing, though, I really am Impossible — I am forever attending to even the smallest detail. I feel the music very strongly, and am never happy until what I hear from the loudspeakers resembles, at least to some significant degree, the interpretation I originally had in my head.' If the magic formula doesn't work, and the results are too far from his initial vision, then Pascal becomes disheartened and frustrated. But for-tunately > the majority of his studio ventures have worked well. He is, however, aware that record-

ings aren't always a boon. The dis-turbing rumour that some conduc-tors learn their performances (even music) from records also worries him. For example, Pascal never lis-tens to other versions of works that he's about to record. 'You digest

11141 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 69

interview something from one conductor, something from another; and I find that rather superficial. It is, in a sense, the bad side of recorded com-munication, and, in the end, every-thing begins to sound the sanie. Having said that, I am aware that records have the extraordinary power to spread the gospel of music to a wider public.'

But isn't he overwhelmed by the immense presence of — to take a work that he is currently rediscovering — eighty alternative recordings of the Eroica Symphony? 'I'm not over-whelmed by them,' he says, `I just don't know them! I have only one, and it is beautiful: the Concert-gebouw Orchestra conducted by Pierre Monteux.' [Philips, ?Lk.] It seems that for Pascal, making music is a four-way dialogue between the music, the players, the audience and himself. But then he views himself more a 'live performer' than a record-ing artist. 'Some musicians are simply not as

happy in front of a microphone as they are on stage; but I know that there are others — and I'm not naming names here — who feel more comfort-able in the studio.' His own attitude sits somewhere between those two extremes: he's happy to record, but would like to bring an air of concert-style spontaneity to the sessions.

RAVEL TRIO Of recent projects, the one that he is naturally most keen on is his orches-tration of Ravel's Piano Trio. `For years I'd played the chamber work with my father and my sister; we performed it countless times. And as a result of this, the idea of the orchestration came to me quite spon-taneously — I felt the orchestral col-ours so deeply that it seemed to me they just had to be written down. The instrumental options were obvious from the start, although it took me over a thousand hours to put the score together.' The scherzo and finale were, by

dint of their greater complexity, the most difficult to accomplish, but for the Passacaille: 'It had to be strings, that is where the true nature of the music lies, at least for me: the shape and texture of the movement demands them, until. . .' And at that point, Pascal whisked me into the next room, where, in flurry of enthusiasm reminiscent of his father, he hurriedly referred to the actual recording to pick up where his description had left off: 'Here, the music calls for winds — towards this climax, little by little the brass come in, and the percussion' [the textures swell with inexorable power]. And he re-enacted that marvellous moment where the music crescendos to a

shattering full climax, reminiscent now of Daphnis et Chloé, now Pelléas, now — certainly to my ears — Parstfal.

Pascal describes his transcription as 'the most important thing that I have ever done in my life'. He is due to give its London premiere (with the BBC Philharmonic) at the Proms on July 17th. It is a deeply personal transformation, but then Pascal is wise to the subjective standpoints of audiences and critics. 'This is a very subjective business,' he says, 'for us as well as for you, the critics, and for the audiences. But for me, all music has to have a long gestation period. I need months, sometimes years, to fully absorb a new score. For critics, perhaps it's easier — you don't need so much time to spend on scores, but I cannot rush things.'

DUTILLEUX Of those composers Pascal is cur-rently exploring, two spring readily to mind, each totally different from the other: Dutilleux and Hindemith. 'I cannot understand why Dutilleux isn't more established in this coun-try,' he confesses. 'I find that he has written some of the best music of the past decade. His symphonies [which Pascal has now recorded for Chan-dos] are wonderful; their textures and colours incorporate elements of Ravel, Debussy and, most of all, Roussel. Dutilleux himself has on many occasions paid tribute to Rous-sel's influence. I have performed Dutilleux's music with various orchestras, and always the players have been fascinated by his work. They love playing him — but they hate playing Hindemith!' Poor Hindemith: destined it

seems, at least for many British listeners, to share Reger's fate of relative obscurity. Why do two such eminently approachable composers continue to defy local approval? Pas-cal laughed. `With Reger I always think that people view his music like they view his name — it sounds always the same, no matter if it's written backwards or forwards!' Mention of Reger and Hindemith,

and of the latter's Cello Concerto in particular, rekindled treasured memories of Pascal's father Paul, whose mono Supraphon recording of the work with Karel Ancerl and the Czech Philharmonic was for many years the only one available. `That was in fact the reason I wanted to do it. I originally planned to record the work with him, and he was very excited by the idea. I remember to this day phoning him about it: "wouldn't it be wonderful if we could do the Hindemith Concerto together?". He could never under-stand why it never achieved the popularity of other compositions for

cello and orchestra, especially con-sidering its obvious quality. And neither can I. In fact, I consider it to be — along with the Shostakovich First Concerto — one of the very finest cello concertos written this century. Anyway, we decided to do it, but then [here Pascal's expression momentarily fell to inexpressible sad-ness] ... but then, the rest you know.'

Still, the new recording with Raphael Wallfisch (and coupled with Hindemith's equally appealing The Four Temperaments) is a fine one, and provides moving testimony of Pas-cal's love for the piece. The first of Pascal's Hindemith CDs coupled the E-flat Symphony with the Nobilis-sima Visione [both were reviewed last month — Mus Ed], and the third will be a pairing of the Sinfonia Serena with the Harmonie die Welt Sym-phony. Then there'll be the Dutil-leux, and next? That depends. . . 'Maybe some obvious American

music, and some less obvious French music?' And what is 'obvious' Amer-ican music? 'Well,' he confided, with more than a glint of humour in his eyes, 'let's say that Gershwin is an obvious American composer, and Florent Schmitt a less obvious French one!' The Schmitt connection immediately suggested that irresisti-ble but arch-decadent tone-poem Tragédie de Salomé: 'That certainly, and the Psalm 47 as well. I'd like to do both'. The recently-issued Gershwin disc

with Howard Shelley and Philharmo-nia was a great success, and Pascal would like to continue with more Gershwin: 'a compilation consisting of the I Got Rhythm Variations (omit-ted from the present selection because of space limitations), various orchestral pieces, and perhaps some of the overtures . . . '. And he talks about the idea of 'attacking Berlioz', but then nods his head at the very thought of the project's vast propor-tions . . . maybe too vast and ambi-tious for the moment, maybe not. 4-

Pascal describes his transcription of the Ravel Trio as 'the most important thing that I have ever done in my life'. He is due to give its London premiere at the Proms on July 17th

70 HI-FI NEWS 8 RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

music news BEETHOVEN PREMIERE he synthesis of a first movement for eethoven's conjectured Tenth Sym-lony brought the name of Barry ooper very much into the limelight, hile his splendid Beethoven Compen-urn has become an indispensable tference work almost overnight. Dr ooper has now reconstructed the zyboard part of Beethoven's Fourth iano Concerto, as annotated and layed by the composer at his only ublic performance in December es, and differing from the pub-shed score of four months earlier. eethoven's changes for that occa-on have never previously been :ciphered, but now all is clear, and a February 24th the revised version as performed at the Royal Northern ollege of Music, with Clark Runde11 mducting the University SO and )avid Fanning at the piano. Not .rictly a world premiere, but after a op of 185 years just about as near to first performance as one could hope ) get. The differences don't concern the

rchestra, and involve neither the iiddle movement nor the main adenza. However (to quote Dr :ooper), 'although most of the hanges are of small details, they ffect about 130 bars altogether and re highly significant . . . being more riginal, irregular, decorative and irtuosic than the standard version, nd using a wider keyboard com-ass'. Before the performance David 'aiming discussed and played some f the more substantial passages in Id and new versions, so that we mould know what to listen out for. kit he warned that it is extremely ifficult for a soloist who has been laying a concerto for years suddenly 3 switch into digressions encompas-ing many more notes! Yet he seemed 3 manage excellently both in the xcerpts and the concerto proper without a score), and I felt that while here is undoubtedly an element of heer virtuosic bravado in the amend-tents, Beethoven did add real subst-nce and interest to his Op.58. During the concert interval I asked

tarry Cooper about a possible ecording. Nothing has been rranged yet, but a CD of the con-erto which included both the stan-lard and revised versions of (i) and iü) with the same soloist should be of ;reat interest. Is there a record xecutive out there willing to give it a Ty? In the meantime Dr Cooper ontinues his researches (Music Dept .f Manchester Universsity), which he topes will lead next to a book about leethoven's folk-song settings: these tave never been fully scrutinized, nd are often wrongly dated or other-vise saddled with false information.

John Crabbe

GABRIELI CONSORT/LINDSAY QT There is an opportunity for those within reach of Beverley, Humber-side, to attend a performance of Purcell's Fairy Queen, to be given on May 8 by the Gabrieli Consort & Players, directed by Paul McCreesh. Booking details: (0482) 867430. On the same day, the tenth Sheffield Chamber Music Festival begins. A series of eight programmes of English music will be presented by the Lind-say Quartet; they also discuss music from Purcell to Britten, and play works by those composers on 16th May. Tel (0742) 769922.

BLAU« Several of EMI's recordings of the City of Birmingham SO under Rat-tle's predecessor. Louis Frémaux, have enjoyed cult status among audiophiles in the US. Transferred to CD as part of the Klavier catalogue they are now available here from Quantum Audio (list prices £ 12.99 reissues, £ 13.99 new material). JMH will review some of these discs next month, but of immediate interest, perhaps, is news that 'England's' — as Klavier has it — CBSO/Frémaux Saint-Saens 'Organ Symphony', a 'Studio Two' production much prized in analogue form but for some reason technically a disappointment when digitally remastered by EMI, is listed by Klavier [KCD-11010 — with Berlioz fillers] and the transfer does full justice to the original work of Mottley/Eltham. A black mark, though, for the absence of track or index points within the symphony. Dare I also say that three of the old Turnabout recordings from St Louis/ Slatkin and Minnesota/Scrow-aczewski can be had on 180gm vinyl from Reference/Quantum at £36.00 per LP? Cutting is by Doug Sax, master tapes by Marc Aubort.

DUTTON IABS Of very different appeal are the first three CDs to come via Dutton Labor-atories. Using Cedar 2 and the Meri-dian DSP601, Michael Dutton has transferred from shellac: Beecham in Rossini (and other) overtures; Sto-

kowski conducting Petrouchka and the Firebird Suite; Leslie Heward/ Hallé Orch, with Eileen Joyce, in Moeran's Symphony in G-minor and Ireland's Piano Concerto. To be re-viewed next month.

ST PAUL CO The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra under Hugh Wolff (familiar from their Teldec recordings of Haydn, Dvorak, Copland, Ravel etc) visit the UK together for the first time, May 13-16: Brighton/Dome, London/ Barbican, Bristol/Colston and Birm-ingham/Symphony Halls will host different programmes, all with James Galway (Mozart K313). The Brighton concert gives Festival visi-tors a chance to hear Schnittke's Moz-Art à la Haydn 'live'. These artists then travel to Germany, Pra-gue and Vienna. The Wolff/LSO recording of Panufnik's Cello Con-certo, with Rostropovich, is now out on NMC DOIOS.

KARABIN GOLD In the shops mid-April: 20 Karajan digital recordings remixed for both CD and DCC, with what DG calls 'Original-Image Bit-Processing'. Günter Hermanns, Karajan's prin-cipal engineer for nearly 30 years, has worked on this (mainly Berlin) series. He explains that the technique of using presence and main spaced mics meant there were time-delay discre-pancies which can be corrected with today's advanced facilities, restoring the natural depth of the orchestral image. Karajan's original wish for a warmly blended yet transparent sound is said to be better realised on these 'Gold' remixes. An excerpts CD [not commercially available] has 'before and after' tracks which cer-tainly show greater separation and less muddle; the immediate reaction is that the level has increased. The differences one hears suggest a com-plete remixing from multi-track, now giving a brighter, more separated balance — this is most striking with choral material. With the Alpine Symphony, superiority of one or other mix is more debatable; and on one track page-turning and studio noises evident on the 'Gold', virtually absent on the original, cannot simply be ascribed to time-delay correction subtleties. The first treated releases include the fmal Beethoven sym-phony cycle, Strauss, Tchaikovsky (VP0 Syms. 4-6), Hoist, Mozart (C-minor Mass), Dvorak (VPO 'New World'), Grieg, Sibelius, Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saens and Mussorgsky; ie, the repertoire is mainly popular and not always in Karajan's finest reaclings — inevitable, as only DDD productions are involved; Karajan was then in his 70s.

Changes made by Beethoven to his score of the Fourth Paino Concerto have been deciphered for a 1993 'premiere'

M/MMI.19-- AVM _

I4 J

Top left: The Lindsay Quartet appears at the May

Sheffield Festival. Above: piano manuscript by

Beethoven

KARA‘JAN

GOLD 1- Fl NEWS á RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 71

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Hill NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

opinion

REFLECTING ON SILVER

W. Art

hur 'nth

After ten years, has

the compact disc

image begun to tarnish?

by CHRISTOPHER BREUNIG

It is just ten years since the first reviews of compact discs appeared in HFNIRR. The long-awaited

carrier attracted all kinds of prophe-cies, uncritical acclaim or bitter rejection. The principal objection was that the catalogue would be populist, thus narrowing music appreciation. In fact, the opposite has happened: an explosion of mate-rial from pre-classical to contempor-ary means we can hear music never covered before.

Additionally, a relatively small facet of recording in the LP era, the transfer of historic performances, has become a major aspect — especially when the copyright laws allow any-one to produce copies from the gol-den period of 78s. An industry of transferring broadcast tapes to CD, often regardless of royalty ethics, has also given us greater access to artists

who made few commercial record-ings — Michelangeli, Richter, Celibi-dache, Mitropoulos. (The most attractively packaged CDs of all, the Intaglio, cover some fascinating 'live' material: our first Intaglio review appears this month.)

Briefly and quickly, a gloom and doom prediction that CDs would self-destruct surfaced. It is true that certain labelling inks will etch into the materials, and one company, BMG Classics, freely admits there was a potential problem with its Caruso Edition. (There is a stockpile of replacement discs available with different formula inking.) Compact discs are of course sub-

ject to damage, but some apparent faults prove merely to be small adher-ing particles which can be washed away in a warm solution of Fairy Liquid — rinse, gently mop dry with

kitchen paper. The only treatment I would endorse is Finyl, which slightly improves sound quality — a good investment [and available through our Accessories Club]. Adhesive damping rings/labels are anathema: but on a budget transport the Mk.3 Sicomin disc will 'pay for itself' in sonic benefits.

ENIGMATIC VARIATIONS

All else is gaslight', declared Karajan at the dawn of digital recording. The very basis of compact disc, digital technology has represented, too, a huge step for producers, who can now engineer inaudible edits beyond the limitations of analogue tape. Innumerable stories circulate about X's recording of Y, where Z edits occur within thirty seconds of the start of the piece! Hearing music sourced live, one often intuits that

Herbert von

Karajan and

Sony's Akio Morito at the launch of compact disc

11141 NEWS 11 RECORD REVIEW MAY 11193 73

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opinion something 'not quite right' has hap-pened: a cut to a different perform-ance, or a subsequent patch-in maybe; yet only the editor's log-book would reveal the secret. To Karajan's dictum might be

added the qualification 'but not all bulbs shine equally brightly'. In other words, CD transfers of seemingly identical material can vary almost as significantly as re-cuts of analogue LPs. The apparent straight shift of material to EMI's 'British Composer' series, for example, is too often accompanied by altered and inferior sound. Remixing also occurs in Sony's reissues of recordings formerly available on CBS discs. [See also Music News: 'Karajan Gold'.] Featured this month, RCA's `Living Stereo' series illustrates what superb results can be achieved from original (as opposed to later generation) mas-ter-tapes; the Toscanini 'Collection' is an outstandingly consistent BMG series too (whereas EMI's updates of historic performances, not to men-tion the disastrous Philips 'Legen-dary Classics', have suffered from over-zealous computerization).

NO EXCUSES The re-marketing of old productions is tagged in the trade 'secondary exploitation', and many collectors now feel deeply cynical over the record companies' customer exploita-tion. When PolyGram's Maurice Oberstein can be reported as saying he looked at the cost of books and thought he should immediately put up CD prices, when something scarcely a year old reappears on a label £5 cheaper, or when mid-priced programmes are withdrawn and promptly topped up with another 20m of music, is it any wonder collectors find the pricing aspect of the silver revolution appalling? (This was one prophecy that did come true: that feverish recycling at diminishing price-levels would happen, spiralling unsaleable performances to final deletion.)

Unquestionably, the claim to superiority of CD over vinyl is its music-to-noise ratio — that, and con-venience. Often when listening to slow, quiet passages, ruminative piano pieces say, one thinks of how clicks, surface swish or rumble, and end of side deterioration made listen-ing to LP a slightly fraught experi-ence. Yet presentation on compact disc is still inexcusably inconsistent and inadequate. We get works broken across discs for the simple convenience of unit pricing or equal timings: cg, the packaging of Tchaikovsky's Symphonies 4-6 should be 3CDs special-priced, not two; no-one at Philips should have sanctioned the release of the Arrau

Beethoven concertos boxed with No.3 broken, or Pickwick the Morris Mahler 8 reissue with Part 2 trailing off on CD1.

Except on Denon, indexing is hopelessly under-used: how many times in Mahler on DG or Sony does one try to access the next movement with 'track', only to find we are at some arbitrary sub-point within the same movement? More frustrating are those instances where whole works are on a single track: the Dutoit/Montréal Daphnis et Chloé [Decca] is one example, Ma's Boston Don Quixote [Sony] another. Index-ing could also be used — although this implies a degree of interventionism/ interaction on the part of the listener — to programme in or out certain repeats. (Thus, Sawallisch's new Beethoven Seventh might create a different impression!)

A BAD CASE I don't know who invented the 'jewel case', or how long it took. I do know it has taken the whole decade for someone to solve the problem of case vulnerability, because only last month we received samples from a US company which you could actually bend in half without snap-ping! Prohibitively expensive no doubt; but this leads to a further grumble. Before tax and profits, a retailer pays under 40p for replace-ment cases, complete with inner tray. London megastores virtually double this; and the most reasonable deal is offered by WH Smith, where 5-packs cost £2.75. A materials scientist wrote to Gra-

mophone in 1983 pointing out pre-cisely how fatigue was heedlessly programmed into the elements of the standard case: the lugs, ribbing, and formulation all militated against resistance to breakage. Daily we receive CDs posted for review with cracks, breakage; little pieces of shale fall out of the jiffy-bag. A recent innovation is the normal

thickness 2CD jewel-case, where the tray folds out and has a two-sided boss. It is more difficult to release the discs, but the saving in storage space is a boon. Hamionia Mundi have this year addressed the problem of hard to read booklet texts (when interna-tional marketing requires four text settings in different languages). They have issued CDs in a book format. But, inevitably, this solution creates a fresh problem, for no-one wants a higgledy-piggledy library run with rogue formats. By and large, documentation is

fairly well thought out. The lid cleats force the use of ultra-thin paper in some cases; but contrast, say, the noble efforts of EMI when the Bar-birolli Falstaff first appeared on LP

in 1964 (stop-watch timings were given for each musical episode) with their new Jeffrey Tate CD (track codings are fed into the descriptive text — the novice can familiarise himself with this great score with remote key). The Virgin Classics Don Quixote gives an exemplary analysis related to index points.

WEIRD! Finally, a reminder of some of the more hilarious devices we have seen. There was the cylindrical accessory for relaxing the tray claws: you had to invert the case and let the CD drop onto the cylinder; with your third hand . . . Just as redundant (in my

opinion) was Technics' motorized cleaner. Then, to defeat the playing time limit we had double-sided discs, or monos with different material in. each channel. The importer even had player/pre-amp leads made up, since you had to play the disc twice, feeding signals L then R to both speakers. A bizarre reminder of this technique surfaced on Sony Classical as recently as 1992, when a talk on Beethoven 5 by Leonard Bernstein was overlapped in stages, French, Italian, German and American! Am I the party-pooper here? We

have come a long way — I can remember the convictions of one audio journalist who found the only tolerable way of listening to music encoded on CD was first to make a cassette copy of it (he is perfectly happy with those self-same CDs today). I, too, have settled down to a matched system where digital and analogue replay offer the same degree of pleasure. I haven't sold off my analogue duplicates, but I wonder will I play more than a few minutes from them in future. The reviewer is ever aware that he

is part of the selling chain, part of the industry which robs the planet for a First World cultural artefact. ['Let them eat polycarbonates'?] Recyling plants for CDs have just started up . . . one only hopes they will be cost-effective. 4-

An open and shut case . . . halves

storage space for 2CD sets

Except on Denon, indexing is hopelessly under-used. More frustrating are those instances where whole works are on a single track

a-WHEW aRECORD REVIEW MAY 1883 75

From a decade of

recordings on compact

disc, an edited selection

of the very best . . .

from the Renaissance

period to the 20th-

century minimalism

111ARTOK: Six String Quartets Emerson Qt

423 657-2 (2CDs, 149m 05s)

There have been several presti-gious recordings of these Quartets over the years and one is tempted to find something revelatory in each new interpretation only to be even more beguiled by the next. Bearing this fallibility in mind I approached this set with reserve, despite the knowledge that the Emerson Quartet has a disting-uished record of service to modern string quartet literature, especially American. They have been involved with the Bartok Quartets since 1979 and this recording is the distillation of that study, and an example of remarkable tech-nical virtuosity and interpretative insight.

Listeners are often put off Bar-

CDs are full price except•

Sir Adrian Boult and the LPO recording for Lyrita at the fine Kings-way Hall (sadly no longer in use). Right: George Benjamin. Bottom: Leonard Bernstein —Candide was his last major project

HIGHLIGHTS ON SILVER

tok's Quartets by the uncomprom-ising nature of some of the writ-ing, particularly in 3 and 4; and certain performers seem to go out of their way to accentuate this aspect of the music. The Emer-sons have integrated these rebarbative characteristics into the fabric of the music, and all six Quartets — but particularly the two middle ones — emerge as incisive, dramatic, yet perfectly compre-hensible and at times almost romantic works. The Third, though often the most difficult, assumes a reflective tone accentu-ated by the violent rhythmic interjections that punctuate its ruminative Magyar melanchly, while the formidable technical dif-ficulties of the Fourth are recog-nisable as integral to the language and structure of the work. For once it is possible to see the six Quartets as an evolving sequence, not just a series of unconnected leaps from experiment to experi-ment. Through recording of excep-

tional clarity and immediacy, one may also appreciate the wonderful transparency of Bartok's writing achieved through meticulous attention to phrasing, dynamics, and even timing. Few performers actually match Bartok's timings. The Emersons are consistently slower than the scores suggest, but few will complain about that, since their phrasing adheres faithfully to that indicated by the composer, and dynanucs are as subtly shaded as anyone could wish for. The Emersons have drawn attention too to something often missed,

namely that Bartok's melodic lines run across all four voices and the ear must be able to follow them; the players listen closely to one another and the music breathes naturally and brilliantly in con-sequence. [A*:1*-] Kenneth Dommett

Middle Period Quartets Tokyo Qt RCA RD 60462 (3CDs, 160m 15s)

To these 'middle period' works the Tokyo restore some of the cultivation and softer outlined ele-gance of the disbanded Quartetto Italiano. The sound quality helps; but RCA engaged Joanna Nick-renz and Marc Aubort for these Princeton University NJ sessions, so that's not surprising. The recordings place the strings

in an ambient setting which allows a blend and an appreciation of the space both in front of and behind the group. Without obvious close mics, instrumental separation and articulation become the full responsibility of the performers. Dynamic range is as one would experience it in a concert — eg the cellist's pizzicati crescendi, piano to forte in op. 59:3 (ii), or the drop to pp from the big chords which open Op. 59.2. A good example of the expressive variety is afforded by the closing fugue from that quartet and the opening Allegro con brio from Op.95. In the Rasoumovsky they aim for a sound which is 'not too controlled' — the booklet notes incorporate the views of the quartet — and achieve

a kind of (almost) roughness which is quite different from their dry, severe attack in the F-minor. Here, in Op.95 (i), the contrast with lyrical writing — akin to that in the Piano Sonata Op.109 (i) — is very subtly characterised. The Tokyo create marvellous atmos-pheres of mystery in slow intro-ductions; take the ppp before the final page Allegro in Op.95 — how faithfully they adhere to the mark-ings, sempre p. leggieramente. There is a lovely account of the

Moho adagio of Op.59:2 — 'a trans-figured type of slow movement' — and thrilling pacing and forward thrust in its opening movement; a different kind of energy permeates the Presto (iii) from the 'Harp'.

For the first, and most expan-sive Rasoumovsky, Beethoven wrote a slow movement which with its constantly changing sub-division of the beat, varied in the voices, must present the most extreme difficulties in coordina-tion. At the same time the players must control the overall shape and emotional expression; for the first violinist there is then the closing cadenza-like lead into the finale, with a downward scale part for each of his colleagues to time precisely. Here, the playing is exact and unsentimental. There is a calculated reserve at the begin-ning of the futale (it has a long way to go), where once more Beeth-oven expects his material to be set out sempre p. Appropriately, CD1 is entirely given over to this work, one of Schubertian proportions, and surely here the Tokyo Quartet measures up to anything the

76 HI-Fl NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

music Busch might have done in the 'golden age'? A stimulating and enduring group of performances. IA:11 Christopher Breunig

BENJAMIN: At First Light A Mind of Winter D Ringed by the Flat Horizon* Penelope Walmsley-Clark (sop)/ London SinfoniettalBenjaminl *BBC SO/Elder Nimbus NI 5075 (48m 55s)

Congratulations to Nimbus for getting this commercially 'iffy' product onto CD, but I predict this will become a collector's item, since the three works recorded here represent the first flowering of George Benjamin's prodigious talent. It is certainly humbling, after listening to the astonishing Ringed by the Flat Horizon, to note that the composer was only twenty when he wrote it. The 19-minute orchestral piece — a tone-poem in all but name — reveals a palette for instrumental colour which Ravel might have envied, and a tough-ness of musical thought which Berg would have admired. Yet the music does not sound derivative. It is unlike Britten or Tippett, certainly. Perhaps more surpri-singly, there are no echoes of more recent masters: Peter Maxwell Davies or Harrison Birtwistle. The two later pieces, At First

Light, inspired by Turner's irridescent `Norham Castle: Sun-rise', and the setting of Wallace Steven's 'The Snowman', A Mind of Winter, are even more fasti-diously imagined music: here is the French influence, the Mes-saienic spirituality of the writing revealing a composer struggling with his means of expression. The performances are of a very high quality indeed, particularly that of Ringed, and the digital sound penetrates Benjamin's orchestral textures with laser efficiency. An indispensable disc which deserves investigation by the inquisitive collector, and not merely by con-temporary specialists. [A*:1*] Hugh Canning

BERLIOZ: Symphonie Fantastique Loruh ,ei :lasstcal PI/Norrington EMI CDC 749 5412 (53m 11s)

This Fantastic Symphony is the first to offer a 'period' perform- tzi.l ance. It follows the score's tempo markings meticulously, employs early 19th-century instruments and modes of playing, and lays out the orchestra in an 1830's fashion. Even the Abbey Road studio is appropriate, since Berlioz's Paris performances were given in smal-ler auditoria than are now custom-ary. Indeed, EMI's production team have managed to use a some-times difficult acoustic to perfec-tion, accommodating Roger Nor-rington's open orchestral texture and extensive dynamics most impressively.

Regarding dynamics, Norring-ton doesn't go quite so near to inaudibility as Abbado or Baren-boim at ppp, but is gloriously unrestrained at climaxes. On speeds, taking for reference the averaged timings of those other CD versions which include both repeats, Norrington is 2m shorter overall, with individual move- t ments timed at —9%, — 5%, t, —16%, + 11% and +8% respec-tively. This tallies with his notes in the booket: Reveries & Passions not exaggeratedly slow; Country Scene (iii) a straightforward ada-gio, not a dirge; March to the Scaffold just that, not a frantic dash; and the Witches Sabbath a controlled orgiastic dance until its final frenzy. As for other aspects, the bells in (v) achieve correct pitches at the expense of a some-what dinner-going-like timbre; ophicleides replace tubas to pro-vide a more appropriately gruff Dies irae, and brass/woodwind in general are more assertive and 'interesting' than in modern orchestras. The performance reveals endless subtleties of phras-ing, tone-colour and instrumental repartee, and while I'm not sure that Norrington allows quite enough Romantic fervour into the picture, there's no gainsaying this issue's great qualities. [A*: 1/11 John Crabbe

BERNSTEIN: Candide SoloistsILSO& Ch/Bernstein 99 429 734-2 (2CDs, 111m 47s)

Unravelling the peimutations of score and libretto that Bernstein's Candide have undergone since its inception in 1954 (perhaps even earlier, since Lilian Hellmann is thought to have suggested it to Bernstein in 1950) would tax the ingenuity of Hercule Poirot him-self. The fmgers that have dipped into book, lyrics and music, the passions aroused by frustration and failure (Hellmann latterly refused even to mention the work) would have brought a smile to the thin lips of Voltaire and gladdened the heart of Agatha Christie. Andrew Porter, in his notes to the

present, presumably definitive version, deftly unfolds the story and, not before time, challenges the idea that the 73 performances on Broadway constituted a 'disas-ter'. What was disastrous were the efforts of well-wishers to revive

the piece by mauling it about, a process to which Bernstein to his credit lent no hand.

This version, compiled by the composer with the help of John Wells and recorded in 1989, ought to settle the textual arguments once and for all and consign to the margin all rival versions, the New York City Opera recording under Mauceri being the most recent. Here we have the full text restored and assigned to the proper charac-ters, and the music sparkles with an effervescence we associate with the young Bernstein. Under the stimulus of the often scabrous text (where else is one to find a jaunty song about syphilis?) the ailing composer seems to have recovered his youth; and his cast, led by Jerry Hadley and June Anderson (Candide and Cunegonde) and splendidly supported by Bern-stien's old friend Adolph Green, a lugubrious Pangloss, and Chrism Ludwig's old Lady (admittedly experiencing some difficulty with the language) crystallize his inten-tions in a way that must have made him wish his 'operetta' had hit the boards of the Met instead of those of the Martin Beck Theater way back in 1956. There, his 73 per-formances would have been a triumph, and who knows what might have happened? [A:11 Kenneth Dommett

BRAHMS: Piano Concerto 2 Alfred Brendel (pno)IBPOIAbbado Men 432 975-2 (49m 09s)

For the pianist who says 'I play better when I'm plastered', Brahms's B-flat Concerto must be quite a test for his Elastoplast. It was rumoured that Alfred Brendel had decided to exclude the work from his repertoire (though doubt-

less for other reasons!), but in 1990 he performed the work in London, under both Masur and Abbado — going on to make this new recording at the Berlin Schauspielhaus. As with his earlier version with

Haitink, the Herculean character of those two opening movements is foremost, and for once is carried over into the finale, the end sounding more of a piece thereby. As in the earlier Concertgebouw reading, too, the opening section is presented as a slow introduc-tion, Abbado then urging the orchestra forward from bar 29 as he did in his VP0 accompaniment for Pollini [DG 1971: if anything, with even more powerfully expressive drive here. Brendel's opening solo passage is highly flexible in pulse (as it is in the Andante), yet purposeful.

In the booklet note, the second movement is aptly described as a 'dialogue' and here the sense of the soloist taking up ideas from the orchestra, passing comment upon them, brings light and shade to this D-minor Allegro appassionata.

Georg Faust is the cellist in a fine artist on this evidence. The return to Tempo I, when the solo cello returns, creates an opportun-ity for the Berlin Philharmonic to show a chamber-music sensitivity; although at the very end [Piu Adagio] Brendel's slightly asser-tive manner reminds one that his role takes him outside the orches-tra — just as, during the strings' haziest ppp dokiss. [58-70] Brendel is slightly apart in his questing articulateness above the stave. The finale brings one especially

delightful orchestral detail: when the piano swings from its new carefree theme (at 97) into triplet swirls, the flute/oboe imitation [2m 03s] has a quite magical radiance — as if these voices simply had to join in! The East Berlin hall — the

Philharmonie has been under-going refurbishment — has a lively acoustic. Braluns's textures are notoriously difficult to clarify, but

11141 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY IWO 77

detail is good and the pianoforte balance generally excellent; however, strings tend to muddy occasionally and change perspec-tive as the levels increase. Nor has the piano a fully consistent pre-sence: compare the slight veiling at the start of (ii) with other movements. But it would require conscious effort to give considera-tion to such technical matters. 1A/11:11 Christopher Breunig

BRUCKNER: Symphony 3 in d (version of 1877) VPOIllartink Philips 422 411-2 (61m 41s)

In the quarter-century since Ber-nard Haitink recorded this sym-phony with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bruckner's cause has prospered. No longer is there a battle to be won, and no living conductor deserves as much credit as Haitink for this happy state of affairs. The Third Symphony is still less popular than most of the others, but this new recording could well alter that: it is beauti-fully played, magisterially con-ducted, and recorded with splen-did directness of impact. The Vienna Philharmonic play with a compelling combination of refine-ment, ardour and beautifully blended sonority. The recording is natural, full-toned, precise in detail: the full range of Bruckner's dynamic markings from ppp to fff is comfortably accommodated, with uncramped textures and no artificial highlighting. Though Haitink still introduces more marked variations in tempo than Bruckner indicated, with crescendo being equated with accelerando, his feeling for structure as well as aesthetic qualities is not in doubt. In the first two movements he now favours a somewhat broader basic tempo, adding around two minutes to the playing time of each; the last two movements are very much as before, though with greater confidence in the handling of the disparate elements of the finale.

In none of the four interesting booklet-essays is there any explanation of two oddities. The da capo of the scherzo leads into a sizeable and bold coda that is not contained in any of my six variant versions of the published score, nor on any of the fifteen record-ings on my shelves. And the tempo for the slow movement appears as a very unlikely Andante, Bewegt, feierlich, quasi Adagio. These are matters for the specialist. The Third has the most complex history of revisions of all the symphonies, but most Bruck-nerians would probably rate the revision of 1876-7 (edited by Fritz Oeser for the Brucknerverlag) as the finest. We are unlikely to get a more exciting, moving and satis-fying account of it than this. [A*:1*/1] Peter Branscombe

BRUCKNER: Symphony 7 VPOIKarajan DG 429 226-2 (66m 15s)

'His last recording', it says on the leaflet, below an impressive photo-graph of the old magician, arms outstretched as he conducts. The recording was made in the Musikverein in April 1990. It is magisterial, quite beautifully played, in a recording of warmth, clarity and spaciousness that moves easily between the most delicate ppp and the awe-inspiring clangour of the climaxes. Karajan recorded Bruckner's Seventh twice before, both times with the BPO. It is fascinating rather than truly instructive to compare the three versions — the differences in approach are not strongly marked. Over the years his Allegro moderato for the first movement has quick-ened somewhat, the Adagio margi-nally broadened; in the last two movements the changes are slight (Karajan did not return to the rather fast Scherzo, and distinctly slow Trio, of the first recording). This last version is grandly elo-quent, with firm outlines and affectionate detail. The rhythmic tensions are keen, the orchestral colours now bleak, now almost glassy — violins around R in (i)— at other times warm and consolatory. 'Edition: Robert Haas', one reads on case and insert; but at letter W in the Adagio, timpani, cymbals and triangle ring out, proclaiming Nowak after all. No matter, a worthy last testament. [A*:1*/1] Peter Branscombe

CORNYSII: Stabat Mater Tallis Scholars/Peter Phillips Rimed CDGIM 014 (65m 03s)

The Tallis Scholars and Peter Phillips can always be relied upon to give us performances which are not only dazzling in terms of vocal quality and technique, but also perfectly adapted to the idioms of their highly unusual programmes of the captivating in our musical heritage. William Comysh was an early

English example of the 'Renaiss-ance Artist' and, predictably, employed an extensive range of musical styles. Since this record-ing includes all his accessible sacred music as well as a selection of secular compositions, it affords a most informative view of his work and current trends. Conse-quently, though, a great variety of moods are demanded. These are duly created with the same sup-reme confidence that sails through the typical juicy false relations, giving them complete harmonic credibility, and sustains glittering top notes with a purity that makes it hard to believe that the upper parts are sung by sopranos, not trebles. A lovely clarity is created in

'Adieu, courage' by the separation of each crystal-clear part, still superbly blended, of course, within the unusually wide range which Cornysh often favoured. More generally characteristic are the long rambling melismas in the Stabat Mazer, interwoven with care and intricacy, the `13oppy' rhythms, and the exciting metrical I changes. In contrast with this rhythmic vitality (negotiated with precision and fluidity), pieces like 'Ah, Robin' and 'Adieu, Adieu, my hearte's lust' are completely simple and direct. Nevertheless, they are quite hypnotic, and are spun out in beautiful, shining lines.

Since the recorded quality of this release is as sparkling as its performance, and its programme introduces more fascinating trea-sures from our sadly underex-plored musical past, it is definitely not to be missed, either by enthu-siasts or, indeed, anyone seeking an approachable introduction to the riches of English choral his-tory. [A*:11 Helena Stoward

MUSSY: 12 Etudes (1915) Mitsuko Uchida (pno) PIKIps 422 412-2 (47m 12s)

This recording is a triumph for all concerned. Mitsuko Uchida may stress Debussy's volubility and hyper-activity in these miraculous Etudes, but she is no less sensitive to their stylized languor and melancholy. All these perform-ances are of an astonishing crystal-line virtuosity and poetic verve and they have been recorded with a no less imposing fullness and clarity. A piano sound of such vividness and fidelity would have been unimaginable a remarkably short time ago. [This is a Bit-stream encoded CD.] Mitsuko Uchida's performances are of novel rather classic status. Her razor-sharp articulacy combines with the quick-silver responses of a born virtuoso to make something truly breathtaking, truly viviamente of Pour les huit doigts. She is decide and rythmé with a vengeance in Pour les accords and formidably aim la forza at the close of Pour les tierces. Yet such electrifying nervous energy and command also allow her a total liberation from the text, a degree of fantasy and freedom at the very heart of these pieces; something achieved by few other pianists in music which alternates trenchancy and elusiveness with such bewildering rapidity. Pour les six-tes opens truly mezzo voce, dolce sostenuto, and the poco meno mosso pp subito of Pour les octaves is arrestingly bold and original. Miss Uchida's pedalling is also a marvel of acuteness and imagination. Lis-ten to the lento moho rubato of Pour les accords and you will hear each key chord or suspension frac-

tionally blurred and then clarified to create the most rarified sense of colour and atmosphere. This recording is, quite simply, in a class of its own. [A*:11 Bryce Morrison

ELGAR: Enigma Variations Cockaigne U Froissart LPO/S/arkIn RCA RD 60073 (63m 50s)

Slatkin's Enigma is dark but never heavy, its serious point made with the most delicate of brushstrokes. In short, he prefers tempi that are often very slow indeed, but — unlike his younger compatriot Andrew Litton in his altogether less flexible Variations on Virgin Classics — he has the experience both to relate the more sombre variations convincingly to their lighter counterparts, and to bring out all the gentle miracles of the scoring at such speeds. What guides him through these poten-tially dangerous waters is his understanding of Elgarian intro-spection, and though he suggested in interview that even the pro-ducer, Andrew Keener, wasn't entirely sure of the way he saw it, I don't think his integrity is in doubt for a moment. How tenderly, for example, the inner strings inflect the atmosphere, lift-ing the theme at its heart just when it needs it (with superbly judged rubato, as ever from this conductor), or colouring the steady progress of 'Nimrod' in what is, more than ever, the soul of the work: again, slow and abso-lutely pianissimo at its onset, but always moving imperceptibly for-wards. The symmetry of the surround-

ing variations becomes more appa-rent, with a genuine melancholy for RPA, not quite dispelled by delicate laughter, now mirrored by the cellos of BGN, and the most refined of shades for graceful ladies Ysobel, WN and Dorabella. Woodwind contributions are of

78 11141NEWS&RECORMVIEW MAY 1993

music the highest order, with bassoons and first oboe making you wonder afresh at the telling use Elgar makes of them.

After this, we understand more, perhaps, about the slightly desper-ate confidence of EDU's last stand - Slatkin takes the hint of a crescendo in the trombone chords, Fig. 62, to give his brass extra snap, and the last-minute fade before the final gesture is war-ranted by the score. Cockaigne is straightforward, another vigorous tribute to the ripe Abbey Road Recording. The London Philhar-monic has never sounded heal-thier. [A*:11 David Nice

ELGAR: Cello Concerto/BLOCII:Iona Steven I sserlis (vIc)ILSOIHickox Virgin Classics TC790 7352 (50m 56s)

Bloch's Schelomo (Solomon) was prompted in 1915 by the cellist Alexander Barjansky. Bloch con-fumed, in the 1940s, his greater preoccupation with structural forms: there was no conscious programme in mind. Yet the writ-ing sets cello as a voice of reason against the colourful, emotional orchestral writing - and given his broad concerns, and the linking of contemporary conflicts and the Biblical past, it is difficult not to liken the soloist's role to that of prophet, or Cantor.

But for a record producer, Sche-lomo poses a question of taste, of balance. Productions like the Ros-tropovich/Bemstein (EMI), or the wonderful Navarra/Ancerl place the soloist very forward. Yet here, Andrew Keener and Mike Hatch - in a quite marvellous-sounding piece of work - have realized a far subtler and more musical solution. For, without 'solo' presence, Isserlis's predominantly quiet voice speaks the more tellingly; the concentration of the listener is helped by the natural balance, the ear is more able to accommodate the huge orchestral climaxes with their Straussian opulence and sweep. The more you listen to this recording, the more economic in construction the work seems. Under Hickox, there is some

magnificent and committed play-ing, a nice transparency of texture: each rehearing is rewarded by some incidental detail beautifully played - solo oboe, or horns. Yet this is clearly Isserlis's record: it's another performance which shows his rare sensitivity and musi-cianship. End to end one marvels at the musicial thinking, from that restrained, sad, finely expressive beginning, with its sense of a gradual development to the very end, where the tone is so dark in its spent-ness. Commentators invariably write

of Elgar's elegiac mood of despair in the Cello Concerto (composed three years after the Bloch). I don't find that so in this fresh,

equipoised reading. Some will find Steven Isserlis's Elgar understated - but not undercharacterized. He does play well below the Noveno score's if markings at the last section, from 70, largamente. And I do wonder at the winds vs. cello pitching at 71. The finale transi-tion into the Poco plu lento (66) is beautifully done, and there are no slides or licentious accentuations anywhere. What is readily appa-rent is the admirable differentia-tion between the sound-worlds of the two composers. I like Hickox's moustache-twirling splashes of Elgarian brass; and the LSO winds finally come into their own at 53. In the Allegro molto (ii) Isserlis's bowing is feather-light, the rhythms springy. At the very beginning of the Concerto there are wonderfully seamless transi- "a tions (at the Moderato ) between 1 Isserlis, violas to cellos, then to u violins: and something similar at Fig.8. One after 7 brings a simple eloquence, at the soloist's espres-sivo - and I love the way he % despatches the finale's downwards accelerating motifs, three after 47, Figs. 48,62 - a sort of 'Oh, no!' to introspection at those points. The slow movement itself is kept utterly simple, and there's a lot of wit and boldness in the finale. [A*:11 Christopher Breunig

_§

o

HAYDN: Die Jahreszetten Bonney1RollejohnsonISchmide Monteverdi ChIEBSIGardiner DG Archly 431 818-2 (2CDs, 137m 24s)

When I hear a performance of The Seasons as ardent and powerful as this, I think even The Creation doesn't surpass it. John Eliot Gar-diner's helpful 'Note on the Per-forming Edition used in this Recording' indicates not only that he and his colleagues strove to reconstruct the first private per-formances of the oratorio, but that they went back to the earliest authentic sources - and have even included the original orchestral introductions to 'Autumn' and 'Winter', relegating the familiar shortened ones with their recita-tives to an appendix. But these are dry points to make about a lively, affectionate account of one of the

most heart-warming of the grand choral masterpieces. The rhyth-mic élan and sure feeling for pace are matched by revelatory detail - tinte after time the woodwind writing emerges with splendid clarity from the string textures; the horns sustain, or rasp proudly

in the hunting chorus; trumpets, trombones and timpani ring out tellingly. And the choral singing is a joy - precise, colourful, and admirably set off by the contribu-tions of the soloists: Barbara Bon-ney pure-voiced (Haydn's spirited lass to the life), Anthony Schmidt stylish and imaginative in their vocal shadings. From the quietest of orchestral musings to full-bodied choral outbursts the recording is natural and spacious. (A*:11 Peter Branscombe

JANACEK: Sonata 1.X.1905. ' On an Overgrown Path, Bks 1 & 2 A Recollection ,J in the Mist Rudolf I- irkusny (Imo) RCA RD 60147 (70m 30s)

Firkusny's performances of Janacek's piano music continue to haunt the memory. There are some variations as to content between this new collection and the 1972 recital on DG: in the earlier one he included the atypical Zdenka variations ( 1880), but has put in their place the brief A Recollection (Janacek's last com-pleted composition which, it may be argued, is a worthier candi-date). Comparisons suggest that in general Firkusny has tightened up his interpretation; with very few exceptions - the first movement of the Sonata, Pio mosso in Book 2 of the 'Path', and the second move-ment of 'In the Mist' - the tempi are faster than before, and there is a greater emphasis on Janacek's outward irrascibility, and a stron-ger sense of the composer's out-rage against Fate, which infuses so much of this music. The feeling for the tragedy and grief which permeate many of the pieces, par-ticularly those in the 'Overgrown

Esa-Pekka Salonen. Left: Mitsuko Uchida. Centre:John Shirley-Quirk

Path', is in no way diminished though. Perhaps it would be impertinent in the case of so authoritative an interpreter to refer to such differences as there are between the two recordings as a `maturing'; they are better described as a reassessment of music with which he has been intimately associated all his life. The sound of the new recording is all one could hope for, a natural piano tone that presents the music clearly and unequivocally. [A:11 Kenneth Dominen

LUTOSLAWSKI: Symphony 3 , Les Espaces du Sommeil john Shirley-Quirk (bar)/LAPO/ Salonen Sony Classical see footnote

There are surprising, uncharacter-istically 'romantic' infiltrations here: the broad Bartokian melody which rises Phoenix-like from the second part; the sudden dissipa-tion of sound just prior to the final vivo where piano and harp, sound-ing gently from the depths, are joined by distant horn like the commencement of some long-lost Bruckner coda. Where did these notes come from, one wonders, and will Lutoslawski ever write a showier, more commercial, or theatrical piece? The form - from elusive, fragmented detail to fully constituted vision - is easily grasp-able on first hearing. Nor will you forget, once heard, the last dozen or so bars: a furious clatter of tuned percussion burning its path through slicing chords from the rest of the orchestra. I'm not in the least surprised by the success of this Symphony (more a Concerto for Orchestra). It works - bril-liantly.

WI NMI S RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 79

Salonen's achievement is con-siderable. His orchestra has clearly been well-versed in the score and the outcome is both technically secure and warmly spontaneous. It's a real performance, no careful paste-up job, and CBS have done their level best with the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion. I'd like to have heard more of piano and xylophone, and the overall cast is still on the dry side, but it is texturally very clear — several notches up on previous efforts from this venue. The coupling is one of those

self-evident masterpieces: Lutos-lawski's quite ravishing setting of Robert Desnos' poem 'Sleep's Spaces', where perceptions of the conscious and unconscious mind are conveyed through vaporous ever-changing orchestral shapes and a vocal line of remarkable diversity. I like the tensions achieved here, between dream-like and realistic elements, and the way in which Shirley-Quirk has pointed them. [A/A*:1] Edward Seckerson

Messiaen's Turangahla Symphony (Philharmonia) was added to the 2CD set — CD 42271, 124m 39s.

MAbILER: SPIP1100y Connell/Wiens/Lou/Schmid:/ DenizelVersalle1Hynninen1Sotinl Tiffin School Boys' ChILPO & ChlTennstech DM CDS 747 6258 (2CDs, 82m 35s)

`Acceride Lumen sensibus'. From that unforgettable moment, hurled out in awesome unison by full ensemble at the start of the Part I development, Mahler's — and Tennstedt's — paths are clear. There are no real question marks, no shadows; just open textures and life-enhancing affirmation.

Tennstedt is at his most uninhi-bitedly intense in the long E-flat-minor Adagio which opens Part II: the LPO violins and cellos giving all they have. Mahler's craggy wilderness is a terrain that this conductor has trodden many times before: those wild, leaping string figures, convulsive bass lines and dark woodwinds which accom-pany Pater Proftmdus's 'from the depths' are all vintage Tennstedt, very much of this earth. And where flutes and oboes sound their joyful mock-baroque march, where Mahler speaks of heaven, lusty boys' voices and the shimmer of high violins, piccolos and man-dolin dominating the texture, the sparkle, the unbridled exuberence of this realisation are intoxicating. Tennstedt believes wholeheartedly in the uncomplicated late-romanticism of this music; even a passage as corny as that for violins, harp, and harmonium (when the Mater Gloriosa floats into view) will draw tears. And like Bernstein el he makes no attempts to subdue c;

80 MAY 1893

the celestially 'cinematic' effects. After this, the final pages can only be overwhelming — and are. The choral singing, here and

throughout, is magnificent. Walthamstow Assembly Hall has plainly necessitated smaller num-bers, but for the purposes of recording I don't think that this was such a bad idea. The overall impression is still pretty huge, though in Part I, I do have reservations. The opening page (thunderous Westminster Cathed-ral organ!) presents a rather reces-sed orchestral image, strings being the biggest casualty, much of the writing passing for very little. The soloists too — all goodish consider-ing Mahler's impossible demands — are very much an integrated part of the instrumental texture. (Quite clearly Tennstedt's wish.) They don't really take on individual character and body until Part II — and that for me is a pity, the more so since Elizabeth Connell and Edith Wiens sing and blend with so much subtlety and beauty tone. Even so, there is much to com-

mend in James Mallinson's pro-duction: generally, I think, a more honest and consistent overall view than in his more obviously spec-tacular but tricksy Solti/Decca. The huge development climax of Part I certainly accumulates tremendous power, Tennstedt bravely opening out the tempo for what has to be the most thrilling recapitulation of the opening Veni, Creator Spiritus yet committed to disc. The energy of this great arch of a movement contrasts most hauntingly with its quiet plain-chant distillations. How memor-ably Tennstedt lingers over that ethereal passage for solo flute, high strings, then soloists and solo horn, just prior to the onslaught of the development. Few have communicated so

great a love for the piece, few have made it work so convincingly. [A/B:1*] Edward Seckerson

MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concertos Viktoria Mullova (vIn)/ASMI Marriner Philips 432 077-2 (49m 36s)

There's a very slight glassiness of tone or nervy attack in the first minute or so, but quickly the E-minor performance settles into one of the most appealing on records. This is partly because Sir Neville is so attuned to Viktoria Mullova's essentially cantabile style (listen to the subtlety of expressive phrasing in the opening measures, before the warlike orchestral tuttis). The central sec-tion of the Andante fades with exquisitie tenderness; as Mullova resumes her silvery thread of melody she seems to have all the time in the world for measured inflections and refmement. Has that middle section, with its osti-nato, or near-trill figuration, ever sounded so blissfully secure? The listener might well pause before

to reflect on such wondrous quality. But, if the finale's Vivace swings along with capriciousness and elegance, that is nothing in comparison with the correspond-ing movement in the concerto completed when Mendelssohn was only 13. Simply marked Allegro, this is a Paganini-like piece com-bining infectious dance rhythms, gypsy cadenzas, and darting orchestral sections covered in a myriad embroidery of rapid nota-tions for the soloist's mercurial fmgers and bow. According to Philips, Mullova learned the work especially for the recording; her accomplishment is breathtaking. The sensitivity she brings to the young composer's innocent Andante covers its teenage uncer-tainties with seeming total accept-ance. (Never on this record do you feel that Viktoria Mullova plays a note with self-regard.) If only she played in London more often! [A:1*] Christopher Breunig

Klaus Tennstedt — 'uninhibitedly intense' in Mahler 8

MESSIAEN: Catalogue d'Oiseaux — 4-6 P, t, ? 11111 pn,, Unicorn-Kanchana DKP (CD) 9075 (70m)

Birds sing of course, and so do angels. And for all their natural-ness, there is something other-worldly about Messiaen's bird-calls. Feathered they may be, but in many senses they are more like metaphors for the diversity and abundance of God's creation. Mes-siaen the ornithologist cannot easily be separated from Messiaen the devout Catholic; and it takes an artist of the highest calibre to expolit fruitfully their unique symbiotic relationship.

Peter Hill comes to these pieces with a profound knowledge of their context in the composer's output and a considerable insight into their structural principles. He refuses to succumb to the tempta-tion of treating them as a series of piecemeal mosaics and, instead, sets about convincing us that, beneath their eposodic surface, there is a profound unifying musical logic. Hill has a technique that is little short of miraculous and a sense of line and phrasing which is in places genuinely revelatory; the results are a piano recording that would surely com-pare with anything that has appeared for a long time. Yes, the music is challenging and, yes the timespans can be long. But doub-ters could do no better than to sample the magical opening of Book 5, L̀'Alouette Calandrelk' with its haunting stillness and exquisitely articulated birdsong descants. If only all modern music received this degree of musi-cianship and commitment, then the avant-garde would not be the ghetto that it is. [This CD is from a wholly remarkable series — Mus Ed.] There is no better tribute to the

recording than to say it matches

music the quality and sensitivity of the playing. It is rich and full without losing clarity, and handles the huge climaxes and brilliant pas-sage-work with ease. [A*:11 Simon Cargill

MOZART: Concerto for two pianos, K365 D for three pianos, 1(242 Lodron' D Fantasia K608 lam Busoni) Andante & Variations 1(501 Murray Perahia, Radu Lupu (przos)IECO Sony Classical CD 44915 (62m 08s)

Those who attended the Barbican concert performances of these con-certos in June '88 — that for Countess Lodron and her daugh-ters adapted by the composer for two soloists — will have been eagerly looking out for this record-ing. Like the prize-winning Mozart/Schubert coupling by Perahia and Lupu [CD 39511], it was done partly at The Maltings. K608, Busoni's arrangement of a contrapuntal piece for mechanical organ, and K501 (four hands) were produced at Abbey Road.

At the Barbican, the two open grands were on the stage centre-line, Perahia directing the ECO, Lupu facing him at the back. This arrangement is repeated here, except that some lateral separation is allowed for the two pianos (they seem more forward in the Con-certo in F). I would guess that occasional 'help' is given, but the staging is highly involving — weightier and with more depth information than on the Philips Mozart Edition CDs with Brendel/ Cooper/ASM. I am reminded of another famed

collaboration in K365: that of a youthful Daniel Barenboim with Valdimir Ashkenazy. Their filmed performance considerably pre-dated the 1975 Decca LP, contract complications deferring such a sound recording. When it came, the magic was lost. That certainly doesn't apply

here. Even the slighter F-major Concerto sparkles as never before, whilst the E-flat similarly surpas-ses most other recordings, in its orchestral radiance as well as in keyboard interplay ranging from audacious brilliance to limpidly matched cantabiles. The sense of diversity united with these two pianists is miraculous! The Fantasia comprises two

outer movements with fugues, sharing common introductory and closing material, enclosing a thoughful Andante, a song in duet form. Busoni was by no means first to be fascinated by the ori-ginal, and the booklet note quotes a Mozart pupil, Ingnaz von Seyf-ried, who had prepared an orches-tration: 'At the shocking excursion into F-sharp minor the listener's blood runs cold and he feels the earth trembling . . . the soul flees its shell of clay. The conclusion

points the way to the next world!' Nowadays, we do not hear the music thus, but it's hardly an exaggeration to say that Perahia and Lupu give a reading itself justifying the cost of the CD. The Variations have the refreshing simplicity of spring water. [AJA*:11 Christopher Breunig

MOZART: Idomeneo McN arriOtterlMartinpehol Rolfe johnsonlRobson1Winsladel HauptmannlMonteverdiChIEBSI Gardiner Archly 431 674-2 (3CDs, 210m 33s)

This magnificient recording, by-product of the QEH concert per-formances in June 1990, immediately becomes the clear all-round recommendation. The ear-lier sets conducted by Pritchard, Davis, Schmidt-Isserstedt and &jinn all have sterling qualitities, and Hamoncourt's idiosyncratic version will remain essential for anyone wanting all the music, including the numbers written for the private revival in Vienna in 1786. Under John Eliot Gardiner's thrilling direction, the complete score for the original Munich pro-duction of 1781 is as authentically recreated as expert knowledge can allow. CD programming permits the listener to select and insert from the appendix material at the end of CDs 2 and 3 the alternative versions that Mozart wrote, and rejected, for several scenes. This is no mere scholarly exercise, as any-one who has studied the three settings of the Oracle's pronounce-ments will know. None of these considerations would count for much if this were not an outstan-dingly musical, vividly projected and superbly recorded perform-ance. The recitatives, so often a dull, dutiful element in a Mozart opera, are brought to life and convey a tension and a poignancy that help link a sequence of num-bers into a climatic whole. In Act I, I thought one or two numbers were driven a shade too hard, but tempos seem almost without exception absolutely right, with natural phrasing and articulation, and a careful, thus expressive, control of dynamics. The choral scenes are rendered with impress-ive fervour, and the arias and ensembles are beautifully sung and finely characterized. Though one will continue to cherish the contributions to earlier sets of Jurinac and Rinaldi, Moser and Richard Lewis, Gardiner has easily the finest cast of any record-ing. And the playing of the EBS — delicate yet powerful, precise and superbly expressive — is irresisti-ble. Apart from one or two just noticeable edits, the recording is crisp, rounded and expertly balanced, and the booklet contains all one could hope for. [A:11 Peter Branscombe

MOZART. CONCERTOS FOR TWO & THREE PIANOS Andante and variations for four hands in G major, K.501 Fantasia in F minor, K.608

Enesh Clamber Orchestra

MOZART: Die 2auberflóte jolZiesakIL.eitnerlHeilmannl ZedniklferausIMollIVienna State Opera ChIVPOISolti Decca 433 210-2 (2CDs, 151m 44s)

Die Zauberfene and Salzburg have a special relationship for Sir Georg Solti: in 1937 he played Papageno's glockenspiel there under Toscanini; he conducted the opera there for the second centenary of Mozart's birth; and in summer 1991 he was invited back to conduct it for the second centenary of Mozart's death — with some of the singers he chose for this recording ( 1990), which was made in the Konzerthaus, Vienna. A very fine cast has been assem-bled, and the recording has great presence, with the production (by Michael Haas) suggesting move-ment and space in an unobtrusive manner. I did miss the lion's interruption of Papageno's guz-zling in Act II, and I could have done without the willow warblers and songthrush that start singing with Tarnino's flute in the first finale. In all other respects this is a thoroughly perceptive perform-ance, with dialogue sensibly reduced and well-spoken (though a volume setting that allows whis-pered asides to be caught does startle in musical climaxes). By comparison with Solti's 1969

recording the timings for almost every number are shorter, yet hardly ever did I feel that the music was being rushed. Just occasionally ensemble suffers, as in 'En mâdchen oiler Weibchen', at a change of tempo or time-signature. But this is a happy performance, with fine teamwork — the Ladies and the Boys (Sângerknaben) are both well-balanced and distinctive trios, and the inhabitants of the Temple (despite needless confusion over the roles of Orator and First and

Second Priests) are a strong team, under Kurt Moll's sonorous and majestic leadership. Sund Jo is an outstanding Queen, fiery, elo-quent and precise, Heinz Zednik a credible, musical Monostatos. The Tamino of Uwe Heilmann is ardent, fresh-toned; Ruth Ziesak's %mina is highly promising but at this stage more cautious than radiant (I wished she could have let the aria flow). Lotte Leitner is a characterful Papagena, Michael Kraus an endearingly Viennese Papageno whose solo music would have benefited from greater relaxation from Solti. The State Opera Chorus and the VPO achieve the miracle of making this music sound as though it were as new and exciting to them as it is life-enhancing. [A:112] Peter Branscombe

PANUFNIK: Symphony 9 'Sinfonia della Speranza' D Piano Concerto Ewa Poblocka (pno)/ L.() Panufnik Conifer CDCF 206 (64m 59s)

It is fitting that one of the last things Sir Andrzej Panufnik should do is to leave us with a message of Hope: the subject of his Ninth Symphony. Both works here are constructed according to complex self-imposed musical (and aesthetic) disciplines — upon intervallic relationships, and what Panufnik calls 'lyrical geometry'. The essential point about this music is that it is immediate, individual and powerfully expressive. Take the second movement of

the Piano Concerto, Moho tran-quillo, a forlorn landscape with brushes of cymbal and triangle, high sustained fte/strings in alternation and pedalled slow-moving piano part, written out in four separate 'voices': it is the

111-F1 NEWS d RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 81

moving eloquence, painful in its restrained economy, which counts — you just don't have to worry about the palindromic forms, the minor second/major second ger-minal basis. In this score Panuf-nik's 'search for a true balance between intellect and emotion' bears fruit. The attacca is brutally hard,

then (iii) develops as a soloist/ orchestra pursuit, with a pervasive percussion motif — the recording balance for this battery is quite deliberate. A contrasting slower section, where Poblocka's ppp pos-sibile is acutely sensitive over a gradual string crescendo, has a magical watery, or shimmering, atmosphere. After a quasi-cadenza the Tempo I bring a thrilling resolution. The duration is that of a Mozart piano concerto; the scale and scope, though, are Brahmsian in impact, the technical demands considerable. The young Polish pianist is completely assured, the LSO players tackling the spiky accompaniment with comparable authority. Like Beethoven, Panufnik

received his commission for a Ninth Symphony from the Royal Philharmonic Society ( 1986, revd. 1990). A continuous work, it falls into readily perceived sections — 'arcs' the composer called them. One obvious contrast comes between the radiance of the string writing as the opening section develops, and in dark-hued wind scoring with metallic brushes of harpsichord tone. Slow-moving passages for both winds and strings — and these are beautifully played by the LSO — have pricks of colour from harpsichord; the precise balance here typifies meti-culous care taken by Panufnik in

consultation with his producer/ engineer Tryggvye Tryggvason. At the physical centre of Sinfo-

nia della Speranza lie its negative emotions; these are treated much as Vaughan Williams, in his scher-zos, depicted the forces of evil. However, even if occasionally the work also recalls Hindemith (brassy textures), Sibelius (inexor-able slow momentum), no-one could fail to appreciate Panufnik's essential independence. At the emotional heart of the symphony lies an extended section of the most exquisite writing for strings, quiet, barely perceptibly moving. This implies a marvellous imaginative sense and spirituality. The coupling was sponsored by

Technics Hi-Fi. [AJA*:11 Christopher Breunig

PROKORIV: Alexander Nevsky D Scythian Suite Linda Finnie (m-sop)ISNO& Chi Pirvi Chandra CHAN 8584 (59m 52s)

Listening to this has been a little like running some Technicolor, super-Panavision, Dolby stereo remake of Eisenstein's 1938 black-and-white classic through one's head. Such is Járvi's graphic and wonderfully evocative sense of the visual and cinematic. From bar one he is creating space and atmos-phere for himself: in and around the aching opening phrases, in and around the bare unisons for oboe and bass clarinet, the plaintive solos for oboe and cor anglais. Simple repeated figures on muted violas and divided violins rustle like grass gently blowing on the devastated Russian Steppes. Once again, of course, Jârvi is hand-somely served in his epic

endeavours by some quite spec-tacular Chandos engineering: the sheer breadth and depth of field is remarkable even by their stan-dards. You can imagine what this does for the 'Crusaders in Pskov' with its grinding bass drum, deep rasping trombones and the grim-faced plainchant of the choirs; to say nothing, of course, of the celebrated 'Battle on the Ice'. From the still, uneasy chill of the opening page right through to the riotous clash of major and minor tonalities at the climax, I've never heard it bettered. Jârvi takes a liberty or two with Prokofiev's written instructions in the matter of tempi. For instance, he builds his accelerando slowly, very slowly, from the eerie advance of the enemy's horses, ignoring at least one important tempo change on the way. But who's counting? The blood-curdling screams of the invading army will shake the foundations of your living-room while Jârvi, more than anyone since the early Previa [EMI], gives unparalleled breadth to the cli-mactic ice-cracking. The SNO brass in particular,

deliver the goods with lethal effi-ciency. Good earthy work from the chorus too and Linda Finnie sounds uncannily idiomatic in her poignant lament on `The Field of the Dead'. [A*:11 Edward Seckerson

PURCELL: The Fairy Queen Les Arts Florissants/Christie Rannonia Nandi WM 901308-09 (2CDs, 128m 42s)

When William Christie directed a reconstruction of Purcell's masque The Fairy Queen, at the prestigious Aix-en-Provence Festival, critics everywhere doffed their best 17th-century feathered caps in amaze-ment and respect. And rightly so, for the semi-opera has rarely been staged in its ambitious entirety (Purcell's music only rounded off each act of the spoken play) since the days when 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' was so familiar that the public would scarcely have noticed that in order to accommodate all the new over-tures, entr'actes, symphonies, airs and dances, the actual drama had to be truncated to the point of incoherence. More to the point, though, Les

Arts Florissants produced the work with such concern for the vivid kaleidoscope of moods in which its music burgeons, and scrupulous technique, that its suc-cess was inevitable. That this

'recording brings us only the musical part of the whole lavish spectacle brings home quite what

5-' an undertaking it was. Each of the many facets of this

-Fe music reflects the tastes of post-Reformation England. Most

-3' obvious is the marvellous depic-

tion of the supernatural and alle-gorical characters; the poignant lines of 'Winter's' air droop dejectedly, while the dances for Fairies and Green Men bowl along, lyrical and envigorating. More unique are treasures like the 'Entrance of Sleep' with its utter simplicity and pervasive calm, warmed by the rich bass of Jerome Correas, the bumbling love-duet for two haymakers, complete with a rustic theorbo and squelchy sound-effects, and the sheer vari-ety in Purcell's writing, whether martial or pastoral, enchanted or comical, frenzied or superbly lyrical. With an impressive line-up of

soloists (Lynne Dawson's 'Hark! the echoing air a triumph sings' is pure vocal gold) supported with assurance and flair by chorus and period ensemble, not to mention the sympathetic acoustics, this is certainly a classic recording of an undisputed masterpiece. [A*:11 Helena Steward

RACHMAN INOV: Piano Concerto 3 Vladimir Ashkenazy (pno)I ConcengebouwIHaitink Decca 417239-2 (43m 28s)

Here, of course, Ashkenazy plays not only the complete score but the big chordal candenza in (i) — for which there is a simpler option. Uniquely, he has now four recordings, surpassing Horowitz (Horowitz and Gieseking the com-poser considered finer executants than himself); this one follows the superb version with Ormandy on RCA, which was made in the wake of an electrifying 1975 NY concert performance. No doubts that Ashkenazy has

refined yet again his conception of the score — the piano playing as such is just fabulous. How could this artist have devoted so much time to conducting yet keep so astonishing a technique to deal with this, for some, insurmount-ably difficult work?

Askenazy's version with Previn and the LSO was rather more introspective in manner than here; under Haitnik's baton the music seems to flow forward, unstopp-able — and how it sings! For me, a key passage is the chord sequence introduced by a timpani roll, (iii) Fig. 59: here Ashkenazy's eloqu-ence surpasses anything he has done at this point before; and in (i) ten bars before Fig. 21 I love the 'innocence' with which he restates the opening theme, after the com-plexities of the big cadenza. The Intermezzo builds to a highly poignant climax before the music plunges into the swirling melodic stream of the finale. With Concertos 2 and 4 I rather

thought the Concertgebouw hero of the enterprise — time and again the ear was startled by the inven-tiveness of Rachmaninov's orches-

82 NI•Fl NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1193

music al scoring. As Edward Seckerson iggested, that was a coupling rst and foremost for those con-erned with the music (rather than ianistic dash). This Third seems Lore balanced, more richly satis-ring, with the piano playing tech-ically overwhelming yet never rojected by the engineers in an nmusical way. The Decca recording is quite iperb, with glimpses of the Con-trtgebouw's 'Great Hall' acous-c, and an extended LF that is ecidedly impressive in the final ages of VA*:1*1 Christopher Breunig

tEICH: ifferent Trains ' Electric ounterpoint :rows Qt etcI Pat Metheny (gtr) lonesuch 79176-2 (41m 47s)

teich straightaway packs us into a ast, rattling carriage, driving long the tracks to a furious osti-ato and the manic beating of a iarning bell. The violent immediacy intensifies further to he breathy scream of a (digitally-ampled) train siren; throughout he piece those sirens scream for is, for Reich and for the Holo-aust victims whose muted, muf-led voices dictate thematic pat-erns for Different Trains' deathly entrai section. Minutes into the vork's opening section (`America • Before the war'), we hear the irst speech sample 'from Chicago o New York', the voice being that if Virginia, Reich's childhood :overriness. Strings mimic and toy vith the words' approximate nota-ion, always to a consistent pulse; hen we have the next speech ragment, and the process is repe-ted: voice, strings, trains, driving Lithe — a tightly-knit montage Lased on eleven fragments, larkening only when we unex-Lectedly hit the work's second ection 'Europe During the War'. ;uddenly, the pulse sags, the acited New York train becomes a ickly, wailing European siren, the olocaust victims' voices are

eflected in sad, East European adences and when the movement :xpires around 'Flames going up o the sky — it was smoking', we're eft merely with an exhausted warseness that dies to a short, neaningful pause. 'After the War' breaks the

nalevolent spell with chirpy frag-nents announced initially by the juartet alone. Reich dispenses vith his trains for a short while — )3T now, their presence has proved ilmost too traumatic — but the flaerican engines soon re-visit the core as a consolatory symbol of lappier times past. Different rrairu' final section is a moving iynthesis of personal (Governess, 'unman Porter) and historical Holocaust victims) encounters, et to music that initially re-enacts eme of the opening's exhilaration

but calms to something eloquently quiet-spoken, almost wistful. Reich ushers out his masterpiece around a fragment of tragic irony that's best left for the reader to discover for himself.

Prior to hearing I wondered whether anyone could possibly forge a convincing piece of art out of Holocaust imagery: Reich has answered my question in the affirmative with a statement of great power and beauty. Electric Counterpoint is lighter, brighter — and slighter! Pat Metheney plays eleventh guitar in harmony with ten (and two electric-bass parts) that he pre-recorded. Again, the work subscribes to the classic fast-slow-fast pattern; the counterpoint itself is beautifully written, the pulse is hypnotic and the work's closing three minutes could poten-tially thrill a very wide and varied audience. [A*:11 Roben Cowan

SCHUBERT: Die schione Müllerin Peter Schreier (ten)/ Andras Schiff

(Pno) Decca 430 4142 (62m 55s)

After the intense and deeply rewarding Schwanengesang that these artists recorded in the Mozartsaal Vienna in August 1989, it is almost more than one dared hope that they also put Die schane Müllerin onto CD in the same month. Again this is a treasurable experience: two mag-nificent musicians at the height of their powers (the passing years hardly touch Schreier's distinctive timbre except at the extremities), recorded with a telling combina-tion of directness and warmth. Schiff s 1345sendorfer has all the clarity one could wish for, yet never the stridency of certain other pianos. As on the earlier issue he accompanies with innate understanding, yet he brings many an individual touch to the piano line. Schreier's ability to blend verbal and musical phrases into a seamless whole is so natural that one almost takes it for granted; yet few other singers approach it. The cycle is so per-suasively paced and shaped that it would be wrong for the reviewer to try and isolate highlights, just as it would be a mistake for the listener to think he could without loss merely dip into this superb cumulative musical experience. [A*:1*] Peter Branscombe

SCHUBERT: String Quintet Lindsay Qt/Cummings (vie) ASV CD DCA 537 (57m 43s)

Here is a reading of the great C-major Quintet to rank with the finest of all. No question here but that the Lindsay Quartet with Douglas Cummings are following inner compulsion rather than

fashion in making this recording. Their commitment is as much apparent in the broad scope as in the careful feeling for detail of their performance. The CD has great impact: some

listeners may find that they are close enough to smell the resin, as it were. Certainly the dynamic range is unusually wide, yet impressively natural in effect, and the venue (not identified) has a pleasing resonance without being cavernous. The music is presented with

intensity and poise in equal mea-sure; tempi are well-chosen, the pulse quickens or slows as Schubert's inspiration suggests. This is a performance on the grandest scale, with the heavenly Adagio taken very slowly (though well sustained). There is beauty, and pathos too; yet there is also a vibrancy of attack in the scherzo, and a proper desire not to make the trio's Andante too Sostenuto. I have enjoyed this issue greatly, and shall often return to it. [A:1] Peter Branscombe

SCHUBERT: Sonata in B-flat, 1)960 Drei Klavierstucke, 1)946 Allegretto in c, D915 Imogen Cooper (pno) Otbvo OTR C88821 (67m 25s)

The poise and subtle gravity of Imogen Cooper's playing through-out her Schubert cycle is an unalloyed and continuing joy. And here, in the great B-flat Sonata she achieves a profound, deeply unset-tling sense of elegy, a view accom-plished with rare pianistic cunning and finesse. How often does the pianissimo trill at bar 9 sound so distant and ominous, and how frequently do you hear the development launched with such an infinitely poignant question? Miss Cooper's pedalling, too, results from an innate sense of where to colour harmony and point rhythm, and she can cast a

gentle opalescent haze round he sonority or make it 'dry out' t superb dramatic effect. For th Andante she finds a desolatioi almost beyond utterance, and he way with Schubert's forte pian markings in the Scherzo's secon, episode casts a mysterious resc nance across an outwardl buoyant and optimistic surface Again, the finale's opening j octave is struck with a keen sens of colour and suitability, and he tremulous way with the principt theme at once captures the music' fitful and uncertain progressior Only a rhythmic looseness at bai 75 and 77 (and in their subsequer repetition) mars the enviabl lucidity and rich poetic concentrt tion of this reading.

In the Klavierstücke Miss Coot er's interplay of voices is no lei subtle. The central storm of 2 alive with menace yet with a magi touch of understatement, and tu return to the main subject conic like some serene benediction. Tb Third has perhaps been moi fleeting and mercurial in °the

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hands, yet this performance h; delicate as well as sturdy insight Finally, in the C-minor Allegra Miss Cooper achieves an uncanr sense of dialogue, of two spear voices conversing in hushe undertones. The recording of ti pianist's silver-toned Yamaha very special instrument, this) beautifully natural — Henry Woe Hall — and the entire presentatic admirable. [A:1*1 Bryce Morris:

SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony 8 National SOIRostropovich Teldec 9031-74719-2 (63m 31s)

One might have predicted Rostr povich's unique conjuring atmosphere as strings sink in numbed misery, but the gri opening gauntlet of cellos ai

11-F1 NEWS á RECORD REVIEW MAY 1983

Rostropvich& Shostakovich

basses is truly remarkable here, coming as it does from an Amer-ican orchestra which hasn't in the past had the weight or the rawness for Shostakovich. Rostropovich has clearly worked long and hard to take these players right to the edge. In the machine-like impas-sivity of this most relentless third movement, violas cut ruthlessly against woodwind screams, and the brass go flat out on the return-ing toccata. The Khachaturian touch of the mass-produced galop that follows get a wrily 'pop' treatment from the trumpeter. Rostropovich also stretches out the Passacaglia to (rightfully) unbearable limits, though with masterly control — by the time the horn enters to relive the pitiless thought-patterns of strings, the tears are ready to well up. But there is warmth, too, especially from collective cellos in outer movements, and the suggestion that the finale is a kind of concerto for orchestra doesn't undercut the tension of a second storm ready to break. It's achieved with a very slow sequence of tempi, and it truly pays off when the brass makes its entry felt. Nor did Rostropovich's rapid treatment of the limping waltz subject in the first movement disturb me, since again the feeling for its proper pathos so obviously remains. Though there's a suggestion

that dynamics can't quite be hand-led at the full fff climaxes of (i), (iii) and (y) — or is it the orchestra? — this seems a small price to pay for natural sound which gives space to Rostropovich's vision, fit to stand between Rozhdestvensky and Járvi at the top of the list. [A:11 David Nice

SHOSTAKOVICH: 24 Preludes & Fugues Tatiana Nikolayeva (pno) Hyped« CM 66441/3 (3CDs, 165m 53s)

Playing from The 48, Nikolayeva was prizewinner at the Leipzig Bicentennial Bach Competition, to which Shostakovich was principal Soviet delegate. Returned to Mos-cow, he began composing his own counterpart in October 1950, according to Nikolayeva instruct-ing her to telephone each day to discuss the project. He would play to her each piece as it was finished.

It is therefore something of a feather in Hyperion's cap to have an artist so close to the composer

and his music, and of such distinc-tion, for this significant project. Op.87 has never been generously represented on records: these are essentially 'private' works, com-pleted at a difficult time, politi-cally. From the very first bars of the C-major Nikolayeva declares their frequent intimacy. Happily, those who have

Sviatoslav Richter's (or the com-poser's) part recordings will find that these pieces certainly allow for contrasted approaches — Niko-layeva is brighter, if you like more strictly 'classical', in the Prelude in E-minor, where Richter at a subdued dynamic scale reminds us of the deserted snowscapes in the symphonies. In the F-major's Adagio (prelude) Nikolayeva is more 'open' in manner, broader in expressive strokes: equally as con-vincing as Richter's poetic intro-version. The Allegretto (A-flat prelude) is quicker, sunnier on Hyperion, where the fugue emerges beautifully, its vigour tautly controlled yet with warmer modulations of pace. Here it is Richter whose strict-tempo, light delivery in the 4-part fugue tends to a drier, wholly abstract realisa-tion. There is no question of one or

the other sounding more idioma-tic, or `definitive'. As it is, Tatiana Nikolayeva banishes any notions of this music as aridly intellectual. At its most formal, this music nevertheless touches on emotions, moods dear to this composer which we recognize from the more familiar orchestral works. The B-flat minor is one example

of Shostakovich at his most imaginative: a set of four varia-tions (prelude) is followed by a fugue subject of almost falteringly delicate character, its theme alter-nating long held and differently subdivided notes. To marvellous effect, the C-minor is the only p/f where each starts with the same note-sequence. These CDs have a splendid

introduction and detailed com-mentary by Robert Matthew-Walker; composition dates for each p/f are noted, together with their theme notations. Every pre-lude or fugue is accessible separ-ately, and the sound, which has quite strong ambience — the Lon-don location is not declared — reproduces quite a ringing pre-sence, though clarity is not blur-red even when chording is full. [A(B):1*/11 Christopher Breunig

SIBELIUS: Symphonies 4 & 6 CB.S() Rattle EMI CDM 764 1212 (67m 24s) •

We have here two of the most illuminating Sibelius perform-ances ever committed to disc. A sweeping statement? I think not. Rattle's compels you to think again; he makes you listen. Har-monically, texturally, there isn't a single bar, a single note, that doesn't speak.

Rattle doesn't 'toy' with the 6th. The argument may be concise, the scale compact, the scoring res-trained (by comparison with the symphonies on either side of it); but the spirit is big, make no mistake, and Rattle leaves us in no doubt of that. He doesn't under-mine this music, 'fence it in', so to speak. His first movement, indeed his whole account, is wonderfully free and uninhibited of phrase, bold of sonority. The recording has to be the finest yet from this source: in balance, depth of field, tonal range. Exemplary.

Sample the opening bars of the Fourth: the plunge into unfathom-able depths, 'hard like destiny' (Sibelius's words, not mine) with tolling bass line and solo cello in mourning. Here is intellectual rigour in

perfect accord with expressive spontaneity. No-one exhibits a surer grasp of the symphony's architecture than Rattle; yet each moment is new, unpredictable, and most importantly — dangerous. He knows not to over-rationalize the piece; he respects its secrets, secrets inherent in each solitary wind solo. The flute at the open-ing of the great Largo, for inst-ance. How atmospherically he attends these strange, elemental pages: not of this world, and yet very much of this world at one and the same time. The gradual emergence of

Wagnerian horns over a hazy hori-zon is most beautifully managed, and as the CBSO violins reach out for the climax, one genuinely experiences a sense of something tangible, something hopeful hav-ing at last been achieved from so many disparate and inconclusive elements. Rattle's achievement cannot be overstated. [A*:19 Edward Seckerson

SMETANA: Ma Vlast Czech POIKubelik Same« 11 1208-2 (77m 45s)

This disc was not reviewed at the time of issue, since Koch's initial stocks were immediately exhausted. It preserves the his-toric occasion of Kubelik's return to his homeland to conduct a nationalistic work closely associ-ated with him, at Prague's 1990 Spring Festival. (His earlier recordings were Chicago SO/

Mercury, VPO/Decca, Boston SO/ DG and Bavarian RSO/Orfeo.) Kubelik's 41 year exile ended in a performance which raised hopes for music-lovers too, for he had been unable to conduct at all for some while. Live recordings of Mozart 38/Dvorak 9 followed [Denon], but the Smetana Hall production here seems slightly superior — or is it merely that the blended scoring of Ma Vlast is less compromised? The playing is out-standingly dedicated, and under Kubelik, for whom there's no question of glossing over the more naively dramatic writing, cg in 'Tabor' (although his stresses in the 'Vltava' theme are unusual), everything evolves unhurriedly, with a sense of natural authority. [C113:11 Christopher Breunig

TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony 6111 Marche Slave Russian National Orchl Pletnev Virgin Classics 759 6615 2 (53m 29s)

This marks the recording debut of the Russian National Orchestra, the first entirely independent orchestra in the Soviet Union. They gave their first concert in November 1990 and have already toured in Europe, Japan, and the USA. This disc was in fact made in London, one of the first orches-tral recordings to be produced in the newly restored large hall at Blackheath. It is also the recorded conducting debut of Mikhail Plet-nev, already known as a charisma-tic pianist — and to judge by the results here he's already an equally magnetic conductor. This was one of those discs where reviewing was soon forgotten as listening prog-ressed, and as the symphony's coda died away I quietly closed the score and thought 'wow!' This is great performance of

Tchaikovsky's greatest symphony, given by a quite phenomenal orchestra. Forget any worries you may have about the quality of instrumental sound — no wobbly horns or 'frying bacon' clarinets here. Each individual section has character in abundance, but there's nothing to get in the way of the overall power of Pletnev's interpretation. This is by no means as wayward as some of his piano performances have been, but it shares their concentration and refinement of detail; though the sheer power of this band at full tilt has even the Floating Earth recording team working hard. Don't forget that the printed dynamics for this symphony range from pppppp (just before the shat-tering chord that begins the first movement's development section — a real seat-belt job here) to ffff, and Pletnev revels in the extremes — a mere fortissimo has something in reserve, though you're not necessarily aware of it at the time. The nearest to an eccentric tempo

84 111-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

music is the hell-for-leather third move-ment, but again the orchestra is so technically able, and Pletnev's control is so complete, that it doesn't seem in any way rushed, and it builds to a climax at once exciting and terrifying.

Unless you are completely aller-gic to Tchaikovsky's special blend of glitter and paranoia then you should have this record in your collection, however many others may be there already! [A*/A:11 Mark Lowther

Phil

ip McCarthy

David Hill - fanner Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral.

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: A Londcn Symphony CI Taille Fantasia Ll'OlHaitink EMI CDC 749 3942 (65m 51s)

The clouds of war really do seem to gather over Haitink's daybreak. This is a darker, more 'serious' reading of the score than any in my experience. Barbirolli has the warmer heart and the abundantly chirpy Cockney spirit in (i) and

Haitink, it has to be said, is a little too 'Dutch', a little stiff of limb with VW's raucous syncopa • dons. But, as the full orchestra rudely cries tuna forza in the wake of Big Ben's early morning chimes, it is Haitink who really begins to sweep aside the mists of time, and tap the darker elements - the elements of foreboding inhe-rent in this fine score (dated, significantly, 1913). There is tremendous gravity in the cli-maxes, an under-pull of dishar-mony and genuine poignancy in the passage for solo strings at the heart of (i). The opening of (ii) - hazy, still, chilly - conveys so much more than just that Novem-ber afternoon in Bloomsbury Square. The middle section, with its jingle of passing hansom cabs, is as refined in atmosphere and

sonority as we've ever heard it, while 'the tune' has great breadth and nobility - definitely more Big Ben than Ben-Hur. So too, the finale's 'hunger march' grinding inexorably forward to a thrilling climax (though what a pity the crucial tam-tam crash fails to come through). The coda is tinged with deep regret.

All this is quite marvellously attended to by an LPO on crack-ing form, their long and proud tradition in this music evident in

every bar. Fine too, is the Talks Fantasia - suitably elevated, Haitink displaying a wonderfully refined sence of line and dyna-mics. If I'm really truthful, I expected more of the climax - a greater sense of polyphony piled upon polyphony. The recording (Abbey Road) is broad, deep and handsome, reminding me of EMI's paliniest days gone by. [A*:11 Edward Seckerson

VAUGHAN 11/1 LLIAMS: Lark Ascending Tanis Fantasia D Symphony 6 in e Tasmin Little (v1n)IBBC SO/Davis Tad« 9031-73127-2 (62m 14s)

This St Augustine's Kilburn pro-duction (by Christopher Palmer) introduced Teldec's 'British Line' - rivalling the classic NP0/13oult coupling [EMI] of the Symphony/ Lark Ascending. Tasmin Little's account of the solo part makes it difficult to prefer either Hugh Bean's with Boult or lona Brown's, on the earlier ASM recording for Argo. Andrew Dav-is's tempi here, and throughout the CD, I find more than persua-sive, and his is a reading with an unusual depth of feeling and quo-tient of pathos. Little herself, wonderfully certain in technique,

hovers and rides on summer air currents, responds to every breath of movement and, for a time, changes from bird to human-being to join in perfect accord with the gently observed folk dances. There's a sense of loss as her postlude fades away.

Davis conducts an impressive performance of the Sixth too; the empty landscapes of the final Epi-logue may make us think today of nuclear desolation, although in 1948 not everyone had considered what had been truly unleashed at Hiroshima. Davis never lets our attention wander over its 9m 36s pianissimo span, and the menace in is frighteningly immediate. I also listened to this ardent

Tanis Fantasy with fresh interest: here the BBC strings are glowing and rich (Tony Faullmer's magic again), and give a fluent and varied performance. Palmer writes a quite brilliant programme note. [A* :1/19 Christopher Breunig

VAUGHAN WIWAMSs Symphony 5 Flos Campi - smite Christopher Balmer (v1a)IRLPO& Ch/Handley EMI CD-EMX 9512 (62m) •

From earthly love to spiritual longing. The coupling works like a dream. Indeed, in Vernon Hand-ley's capable hands, one eases almost imperceptively from the final moderato tranquillo of the sensuous, dusky Flos Campi (beautifully done - exceptionally sensitive viola playing from Christopher Balmer) to the still, shadowy opening bars of the sym-phony. And how magically they are sounded here: far-off horns, mysterious violins gently setting the movement in motion. Motion is a key element in any

Handley performance. Readings like this move even in stillness. His tempi are somehow always the right tempi - unhurried, free-flowing, possessed of an express-ive ease which comes only from long and intimate communion with the piece (and, of course, good honest musical instinct). So much is achieved in the dynamics: I have noted down a dramatic sforzando in the trumpets, like a flash of anxiety at the first unset-tling climax of (i); then, of course, there's the Scherzo with its myriad contrasts - fierce, fleeting appari-tions played here against a texture so light it's almost intangible. And the glorius meditative calm of the Romanza (amply, lovingly phrased) whose closing pages come as close as any I've heard to the perfect rapture and intimacy of Sir John Barbirolli's incomparable Philharmonia recording. The RLPO play their hearts out for Handley, and the warm, nicely ambient recording has created an ideal environment for a very spe-cial performance. [A:11 Edward Seckerson

VICTORIA: Motet & Mass 'D Magnum Mysterium' Li Motet & Mass liscendens Christus in Altune Westminster Cath Ch/Hill Hyperion CM 66190 (52m 56s)

Magnificent! Westminster Choir's superb, award-winning series of Victoria motets and masses adds lustre and invaluable music to the catalogue. The astonishing harmo-nic daring of the Spanish compos-er's intricate part-writing is graphically laid out for the listener by David Hill's reedy choristers - the tonal blend has all the charac-ter of an early organ with the advantage of exceptional diction - yet the performances sound in no way studied or analytical.

Hill treats the texts dramati-cally, colouring the music of both masses with a broad palette of dynamic and expressive gestures which rise naturally from the spir-itual intensity of the music. The acoustic of Westminster

Cathedral, too, has been admir-ably caught by Mark Brown and Anthony Howell. This great music really needs the echoing reverber-ance of a great church. [A:11 Hugh Canning

WALTON: Symphonies 1 & 2* LPOILSO*IMackerras EMI MERU 2206 (74m 03s)

Producer Andrew Keener and engineer Mike Hatch return to Watford Town Hall - the venue used for their superb Virgin Clas-sics Elgar/Bloch disc - and score another technical triumph.

Mackerras's direction through-out has great purpose and his readings are full of insight. For instance, the tense opening move-ment of 1 has to my ears never sounded more Sibelian than it does here, and the LPO relish every aspect of Walton's scoring, be it the strings with their relent-less ostinati, the sneer of stopped horns, or the woodwind's angular cries. Mackerras doesn't feel the need to signpost the structural climactic moments quite so much as say, Slatkin, and as a consequ-ence the movement has more sym-phonic power and an invincible inevitability. The Scherzo is not as headlong as Slatkin's and Macker-ras is thus able to uncover more detail: eg the cellos' and bassoons' initial entry at Fig. 45 is marked mf, then pp; and the trombones' interjections between Figs. 58 and 59 are also different. However, no one has yet surpassed Previn's 1966 RCA performance for the `Malizia' which Walton pre-scribes. There is some truly elo-quent wind playing from the LPO's principals in and from the maestoso introduction to the exultant coda, the tension in (iv) is never allowed to slacken. The Fugue is played with tremendous

HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW 11193 85

swagger, and if the nostalgic trum-pet solo towards the end isn't quite wistful enough, the strings' sighing accompaniment beneath it certainly is.

If anything, Mackerras's achievement in Symphony 2 is even finer. By this time ( 1960) Walton had gained complete mas-tery of the orchestra, and this work's wonderfully transparent scoring is heard to full advantage in this new account. The LSO's playing is every bit as dazzling as the Clevelanders' was in 1965 under Sze11. The athletic pages of (i) are invested with great rhyth-mic drive, and the Stravinskian chords in the coda are punched home with terrific dan. At the same time the orchestra play with great tenderness in the Lento assai slow movement, and that same virtue is nowhere more evident than during the Lento variation in the Finale where, in utter contrast with the feverish activity which surrounds it, time really does seem to stand still (gorgeous horn solo). The riotous scherzando conclusion is performed with great gusto by one and all, and left this listener quite exhilarated. [A*:11 Andrew Aclienbach

WALTON: Portsmouth Point O Capriccio Burlesco The First Shoot ( arr. Palmeri Scapino D Prelude for Orchestra Granada' [-I Prologo e Fantasia J Johannesburg Festival Overture CI Music for Children LPOIThomson Chandos CHAN 8968 (69m 56s)

Benefiting from a resplendently alert LPO response, under Bryden Thomson's enthusiastic lead, and a typically far-ranging Chandos 'spectacular', this is a hugely diverting compendium. Of the more familiar works, all three concert overtures sparkle with good humour and marvellous poise in ideal equilibrium — and how good it is to hear, in particu-lar, the underrated Johannesburg Festival Overture given with such heart-warming commitment and dash. The undemandingly relaxed

Music for Children makes a delight-ful showing — I thought Michael Kennedy's description of this charming score (quoted in Christ-opher Palmer's usual exemplary notes) as Walton's 'Wand of Youth' perfectly apt. It's per-formed here with an alternative final `Galop' (in a new orchestra-tion by Palmer) as a roistering appendix. Palmer's tart arrange-ment of the 1935 ballet The First Shoot conveys extremely well the teasingly sly, post-Façadian mock-ery of Walton's inspiration.

It was in 1961 that Walton was commissioned by Granada Televi-sion to supply some signature music, amongst which was included this rousingly effective

Prelude — a close cousin of those similarly stirring pageants Crown Imperial and Orb and Sceptre, and the sort of high-class formula-piece Walton could apparently churn out at will. In its surpri-singly rugged way the gritty intent of the Prologo e Fantasia (1982 — and Walton's very last work) seems to hint at the possible emergence of a new-found sim-plicity and starkness of utterance, whereas by contrast the Capriccio Burlesco from fourteen years ear-lier is an exuberant, slickly-conceived orchestral tapestry, scored with all the composer's customary assurance and breath-taking sophistication.

Pure enjoyment from start to finish. [A/A*:1/1*] Andrew Achenbach

CABARET CLASSICS: 2 Songs by Satie, Schoenberg, Weill & Zemlinsky hit folin Constable (pno) Unicorn-Kanchana DKP (CD) 9055 (57m 18s)

The talented Miss Gomez does not trifle with these 'songs of the night'. Here characterisation, her feeling for and sensitivity to word-colour is spot-on: smoky, sour, edgy, sexy, insinuating — you name it. Take the sordid tale of 'Marie Galante' — a play by Jac-ques Deval for which Kurt Weill composed songs and incidental music in 1934. For the opening song, 'Bordeaux Girls', Gomez hints a sinister, unsettling sneer in the voice. It's bold and thoroughly uninhibited, like so much of the best in this collection. In 'The King of Aquitaine', the climactic punch-line is beautifully achieved: 'The King of Aquitaine will take me by the hand. Tough luck for the Queen, tomorrow' — the final word 'demain', a sensual, finely controlled half-shade from the preceding climax. I love, too, the defiant delivery of 'I'm waiting for a ship'. In the opening stanza, you hear the sigh of release, not to say relief in her voice. What else? Well, there's a

bizarre Hugo Salus poem involv-ing a bald head and a black cat among the Schoenberg Cabaret Songs; the Zemlinskys are terse and atmospheric, and actually quite surprising — I particularly liked 'Misery', a keening, deca-dent blues which pre-dates Zem-linksy's departure for the USA; and of course there are the three delicious Eric Satie numbers from his days as pianist at the celebrated Paris nightspot Le Chat Noir. Gomez shrugs off The Diva of the Empire' with irresistible charm, while the outrageous 'Let's get on with it Chochotte' is everything that the title suggests — and more. John Constable's presence at the

keyboard speaks for itself; the recording is just fine. IA:!] Edward Seckerson

COE WINDS: KROMMER: Octet-Partita Op. 57/ JANACEK: Mladi/SEIBER: Serenade/ HUMMEL: Octet-Partita in E-flat/ DVORAK: 3 Slavonic Dances COE Wind Soloists ASV CO( 812 (75m 18s)

This is absolute delight. Not just for lovers of wind music, for the programme has been sensibly thought out and cleverly arranged to extract the maximum savour from a juxtaposition of old and new music, none of it hackneyed or over-recorded. The quality of this ensemble has been admirably demonstrated in several previous recordings, so there need be no doubt that the standard of per-formance is of the highest. Here is wind playing of great subtlety,

Jill Gomez: 'Songs of the night'. Right: Vienna's New Year celebrations

especially in Janacek's quirky but endearing sextet, and of immacu-late intonation. Actually the Janacek performance is one of the best, if not the best currently available — full of the atmosphere of warm countrysides and happy memories. Seiber's rarely heard but strikingly individual Serenade for a sextet of clarinets, horns and bassoons is another pleasure, while the ICronuner and Hummel works are played with sparkle and whole-hearted enthusiasm. To round off with an arrangement of three of the most popular of Dvor-ak's Slavonic Dances may break the mould a little, but they are so infectiously done that only the most curmudgeonly would com-plain. 1A*:1*] Kenneth Dominen

BARRY DOUGLAS MUSSORGSKY: Pictures at an Exhibition/LISZT: Dante Sonata/ WAGNER (arr. Liszt): Tristan & 'snide — Liebes-tod Barry Douglas (pno) RCA RD 85931 (58m 59s)

Douglas's first recital disc for RCA, if by no means 'definitive' in the two major works, is full of considered, deeply felt, and musi-cianly things. The Wagner `Liebestod' is

perhaps most impressive of all.

Douglas juggles and balances the characters of both composers: the grandeur of Wagner tinged with Liszt's gloomier bias. Control of dynamics and timing of the melo-dic line is quite masterly, and so is the interweaving of subsidiary strands as Douglas begins to voice the music, after Liszt's bald intro-duction, or after the last of the tremolandi, when it is as though a spirit had passed over, like some isolated puff of black cloud driven in a grey sky.

In the Dame Sonata Douglas has a natural way with Liszt's declamatory figures and symmet-ries: an easy confidence with the music, it seems. The arpeggios near the opening are very beauti-ful, and in the quiet passages concentration is always held. I

thought the first climax was given just too much 'time' for its aesthe-tic, rather than virtuosic, demands; and with several hear-ings I still find the high-register tremolandi before the apotheosis matter of fact. Does the coda really come off as the summation of the piece?

In Pictures the bright, quick step of the first Promenade arouses keen expectations, 2 is elegant and refined in manner, in 3 he doesn't emulate Richter's extraordinary fast tempo; in 4 Douglas suggests, in his measured tread, a rapt absorption still in something just seen. I like his characterisation of these links, and I see Douglas claims them as the key to the work, rather than the Pictures themselves. Some things here may not wear

too well. The rubato in the 'Unhatched Chicks' and 'Limoges Market', or the episodic treatment of 'Tuileries', and the oddly accented two chords at the begin-ing of 'Baba Yaga' suggest contri-vance when set against the poetry of 'Catacombs' — Douglas marvel-lously effective in this near-static piece — and the 'Old Castle', where the mournful song is like an echo in the valleys of memory, rather than actual. His `Gnomus', too, is vividly suggestive, grimacing and misshapen.

86 HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

music But Douglas is disappointing in prosaic description of the two

ews and he rather misses the avagery of 'Baba Yaga' and the aonumentalism of the 'Great ;ate' - good though he is in the iymn-like processional interlude. )ouglas does manage the final ieroration with considerable rnmediacy and concentration. The recorded sound encompas-

es the wide dynamic range of hese pieces very effectively; the Piano image is rather wide and I vould have liked a slightly diffe-ent presentation of the image, in his Henry Wood Hall production • the sound seems to cut off harply around the edges. But it is lways comfortable to listen to this Iamburg Steinway and a nice ense of the instrument set a fair listance away can be secured. A:1*/2] Christopher Breunig

HE PILGRIMAGE TO ;ANTIAGO

London Consort/ Pickett liseau Lyre 433 149/150-2 2Clls , 126m 20s)

iantiago de Compostela in North-= Spain, the resting place of the emains of St James the Apostle, vas a major place of pilgrimage rom the turn of the millenium, aid also housed one of the most mportant collections of early viedkval music in Europe, the 3odex Caliztinus. The manuscript :ontains a vast number of chants Ind polyphonic settings, collected iround 1130, and is the source of nuch of this programme of 12th ind 13-century accompanied and maccompanied vocal music. The pilgrims' routes across

'erance were often risky, and many old tales of adventures from vhich they were rescued by the niraculous intervention of the irirgin • Mary. The Cantigas de >ancat, dating from around 1250, et many of these stories to music is marching songs, love songs, aments, or as Latin conductas. There is a great variety of

nstrumental and vocal scoring, nusical form, length and poetic piality in the 22 pieces or groups if pieces on these two discs. The ;honest is a delightful 'sol-fa' :xercise lasting less than a minute, nit there are several longer items ncluding a series of seven songs 35, the Galician itinerant juglar (the >panish equivalent of the French soubadours and jongleurs whose nusic was, not surprisingly, :losely related). Philip Pickett ¡escribes these intense, poignant niniatures as 'among the most 3assionate and moving pieces we lave ever performed, and the :umulative effect of the cycle itterly devastating'. The indolence of the pilgrims'

tot trek is encapsulated in A iladre de Deus, with the character-stic tbilat (Moroccan clay drum) nibbling away with an incessant

NEWS & RECORD REVIEW

rhythm beneath Catherine Bott's strong soprano solo. Her superb breath control deals well with the challenging lines of De grad'a Santa Maria too, a work on a large scale with full chorus and accom-paniment including lutes, a harp part that weaves a delicate filligree round the soloist, fiddles, recor-der, tambourine and drums. A quite different fabric is woven in Dum pater familias, a purely _a instrumental piece featuring orga-nistrum (a drone string instru-ment), zither and psaltery e amongst other fascinating and unfamiliar sounds.

This is an authoritative prog- e ramme of the music associated k with one of the liveliest centres of musical activity in this period. Performance and instrumentation have been authentically recon-structed from the sketchy manu-scripts, and the recorded quality is clear throughout. [A:1] Helena Stoward

RICHARD STOLTZMA/1: CORIGLIANO: Clarinet Concerto D CORAND: Clarinet Concerto I: BERNSTEIN: Prelude, Fugue & Rifts Richard Stoltzman clt)ILSOI Leighton Smith RCA - See 'Reflections'

John Corigliano's Concerto dates from 1977. It received a standing ovation when Stanley Drucker played it with the NYPO under Bernstein, in December that year. It is ferociously difficult and calls for the widest repertoire of effects, and prodigious feats at both extremes of the register. It is no mere bag of tricks though. The two outer movements, which indulge the orchestra almost as much as the soloist, have an ele-ment of the theatrical about them, but the core of the work lies in the middle movement, a deeply felt and radiant Elegy featuring a solo violin as well as the clarinet, a memorial to the composer's father, John Corigliano Sm, for many years Concertmaster of the NYPO, and a man strongly opposed to his son's choice of career. It is something of a relief to turn to Copland's more restful, though no less demanding Con-certo after the dramatics of Corig-liano's Antiphonal Toccata finale (which is based on a theme from Gabrieli's Sonata pian e forte). Alongside these two, Bemstein's jazzola now sounds thin and unsustaining, though Stoltzman's playing throughout is little short of miraculous. This performance of the Copland comes very close to the ideal and the C,origliano is a tour de force. Stoltzman's control, phrasing, and tone colouring are quite magical - especially in the slow first section of the Copland - and the LSO under Lawrence Leighton Smith's positive direc-tion give him eloquent support. [A:11 Kenneth Dommett

MAY 1,93

1992 NEW YEAR'S CCHICERT: Musk by Nicolai & the Szraass family VPOWIr rirr r Sony Classical CD 48376 75m 15s)

1992 was a ubilee year for the Vienna Philharmonic. Aptly, Car-los Kleiber's programme began with the Merry Wives overture by Nicolai - once chief conductor at the Royal Court Opera. His 'Philharmonic Academy' concert on March 28, 1842, is regarded as setting the birthdate of the Vienna Philharmonic. These live performances

marked Klelber's second New Year Day Concert. In finding the 1989 programme a little unyield-ing, chilly even, I was in some-thing of a minority. This time, I watched most of the televised relays; the playing was equally precise and the conductor's true manner was plain for all to see. You could not call so charismatic a figure as Kleiber 'self-effacing', yet for much of the time he made the minimum of interventions, just now and again gently conjur-ing some nuance with a flick of the stick. At other times, though, his huge sweeping gestures - quite extraordinary motions - choreog-raphed the galvanic intensity of the music. [Whilst Sony have the rights to this Unitel sound record-ing, the VHS and Laserdisc coun-terparts come from Philips.]

Nicolai's overture also sets the general tone: emerging from a misty haze it suggests nostalgia, then there's teasing preparation for the `tune' - which Kleiber treats in a sophisticated, undulat-ing way. Indeed the rubati, the hesitations, whilst they showed Kleiber playing like cat-and-mice on orchestra and audience, might make straight listening from time to time perplexing. (On the other hand, what could be more beguil-ing than 'Thousand and one Nights'? Could anyone make more of i:?) The Vienna string playing is marvellously silky - but I don't find endearing the sour hooter notes intoned (by the conductor, to judge from the cover photo) in

87

the reprise section of 'Pleasure Train'. Musically, `New Pizzicato Polka' is a particular delight: an utterly charming miniaturization of that most famous Pizzicato Polka from Johann Jnr/Josef. A delicious scamper through Trusch-Tratsch (yet nothing blurred) is another highlight, with even grad-ing of dynamics almost a miracle. [A:11 Christopher Breunig

CAMPRA: Messe de Requiem La Chapelle RoyailHerreweghe Ilarmeela Ulundi HPAC 901251 (43m 25s)

To early 18th-century France the ceremonial funeral (the Pompe Funebre) was an extremely impor-tant - and highly theatrical - affair, so it is hardly summing that Campra's Mass is a large-scale work, rightly reflecting the importance of the occasion. All his talents as a composer for the theatre are used to elicit the utmost pathos (in the true sense of the word) from the text, and much of the music is powerfully emo-tional. The spirit of Charpentier is behind much, and the passages offering hope and salvation are set to music of lilting melodiousness. All of which is marvellously put over by Herreweghe and his forces - as splendidly musical as ever. They manage to strike the right attitude unfailingly, and they are serviced by a recording of the highest standard.. If Campra is unknown to you, this is the one to start with. [A*:1*] Roger Bowen

by CHRISTOPHER BREUNIG

he following listing of cur-rent CDs, all at midprice, comprises recordings which

give enormous satisfaction. Since they weren't selected by committee, they reflect my biases, in spite of an attempt at objectivity. It's a sort of basic library yet at the highest-octane performance level. They catch each artist at a technical or intellectual peak, in repertoire to which he or she brought special insights. Much of the material is historical, some is of 'demon-

stration' quality. Only a tech-nical grading is indicated, since all performances may be assumed to be [11.

SARTO*: Concerto for Orchesra Music for strings, percussion and celesta Chicago St in r

RCA GO 60175

Authentic Hungarian Bartok, with the orchestra Reiner raised to its highest level. [BIC]

JS BACH: Goldberg Variations (i/enn (jouit! 'ni Sony Classical CD 52629

Titis is Gould's later Goldberg set, reviewed in 'Reflections' this month. Gould's overall conception overcomes his passing eccentricities — every col-lection should have at kas: something by Glenn Gould. [A]

SILVER TREASURY rs.

BEETHOVEN: Symphony 3 ' Eroica' O Leonora Ovts. 2,3 I 'halharmonialKlemperer EMI CON 763 8552

This is Klemperer at his most com-pelling; it was one of his first record-ings when invited by Walter Legge to conduct the Philharmonia. The digital transfer is superb. [B]

Symphonies 5 & 7 Philhannonial Klemperer EMI CON 763 8682

Sound quality doesn't reach the level of the 195.5 Eroicu, but these are very much companion performances, and superior to the subsequent stereo remakes. ('Subsequent' because

EMI made and issued a parallel stereo tape of this Seventh.) [C]

Plano Concertos 1-5 O Rondos Op. 51 Wilhelm Kempff (pno)1BPOlvan Kempen De 435 744-2 g (3CDs)

Kempff al his most sharp-witted and rewarding. The stereo cycle with Leitner is very good, but the mono is the one to have. Kempff played his own highly individual cadenzas, not Beethoven's. [C]

Piano Sonatas — Pathétique, Wald-stein, Appassionata Claudio Arrau (pi° Philips 432 041-2

An illustrative example of Arrau's weighty, profoundly considered read-ings of Beethoven. [B]

BERG: 3 Orchestral Pieces, Op.6 Lulu — orchestral suite/SCHOENBERG: 5 Orchestral Pieces, Op.16/WEBERN: 5 Orchestral Pieces, Op.10 l'ilarczyk (sop)/LS( Dorat' Philips 432 006-2

The Mercury technique at its most impressive. Dorati makes the Second Viennese school accessible. [Al

BERLIOZ: Symphonie Fantastique 11'0 Ilaztink Decca 417 757-2

Understated for some tastes, Haitink's reading is beautifully real-ised by the Decca team. Hear also Beecham's French Nat Radio Orch Fantastique on EMI CDM 764 0322. [A]

BERNSTERI: West Side Story — Symphonic Dances Candide Overture ( with GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue, An American in Paris) NYPIBernst,zn Sony Classical CD 47529

Exuberant, vintage NY/Bernstein, generously recoupled in the `Royal Edition'. [B/C]

BRAN/AS: Symphony 2 Tragic Overture Haydn Variations NBC SO/Toscanini RCA CD 60258 (i;e

RC reviews a previously unreleased and exciting Toscanini Second this month! [ H]

Violin Concerto (with MOZART: Sinfonia Concertante, K364) David Otsttakh ( vin), French NROI Klemperer EMI CON 764 6322

The Mozart coupling is of secondary interest to one of the most compelling Brahms concerto partnerships. [B]

Piano Concerto 2 (with Beethoven Piano Sonata Op.57) Sviatoslav Richter (pno)IChicago SOILeinsdarf RCA 07863 56518 2

See 'Reflections' review.

BRUCKNER: Symphony 'Romantic' VP0113ólim Decca 426 036-2

Just reissued at midprice. A classic Bruckner Fourth, once lavishly cut on four LP sides. [A*1

CHOPIN: Etudes Vladimir Ashkenazy (pno) SAGA SD 9002

The young Ashkenazy, before his unending stream of Decca records as pianist and conductor. [H]

COPLAND: Appalachian Spring' Billy the Kid

Rodeo (Four Dance Episodes) Fanfare for the Common Man Nil' Bernstein Sony Classical CD 47543

More vintage Bernstein, recording the works of a close musical friend (whose own conducting hadn't the same flair). [B]

DEBUSSY: La Mer L'après-midi d'un faune (with RAVEL: Daphnis et Chloé — Suite 2, Bolero) BPOIKarajan De 427 250-2

Karajan's finest programme of French orchestral masterpieces. [A]

Preludes Books 1 & 2 Walter Gieseking (pua) DAI CON 761 0042

The German pianist with a special affinity for Debussy. [H]

DVORAK: Symphony 8 (wIth Sibelius Symphony 2) RPOIBeecham EfAl CDM 763 3992 g

Festival Hall performances taped by the BBC. Inimitable! [CH]

Symphony 9 'New World' D Scherzo Capriccioso Wild Dove LI Carnival Ovt L I Serenade for Strings BPOIliav RSOIECOIKubelik DG 413 147-2 (2CDs)

A marvellous collection by the Czech conductor whose political convictions left him severed from his homeland until the collapse of European com-munism. [B]

ELGAR: Symphony 1 Cockaigne Overture PhilhartrionialBarbirolli EMI COD 764 5112 Enigma Variations 0 Falstaff Halléd?arbirolli EMI CDM 769 1852

Two CDs from our greatest Elga-rian; a key figure for several yearn in the postwar Cheltenham festivals which promoted new works. [B]

HAYDN: Symphonies 93-104 'London' LP( )ilochum DG 437 201-2 (4CDs)

Just reissued on CD, an even more attractive cycle than the Concert-gebouw1Davis Philips set. [A]

HOIST: The Planets /./'() ( ieoffrey Mitchell Ch/Bou!: EMI CDfA 769 0452

Boidt first caused the Planets w shine. He made several fine record-ings — this one was sponsored by KEF. [A]

88 HI-F1 NEWS RECORD REVIEW MAY1993

music LISZT: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (with BEETHOVEN: Cello Sonata Op.5:2*) Sviatoslav Richter (pno)ILSOi Kondrashinl* Rostropovich (v1c) Philips 434 163-2

Richter in superb partnership with Kondrashin; recordings were made at the time of equally sensational Albert Hall concert performances. [C]

MAHLER: Symphony 1 FI Lieder dues fahrenden Gesellen Dietrich her-Dieskau (bar)/ Bavarian RSOIKubelik DG 429 157-2

Kubelik's fine DG Mahler cycle is unjustly overshadowed. [B/A]

SYINgunY 5 VPOIBernstein DG 431 037-2

One of the best, least controversial performances in Bernstein's 'live' DG cycle. Forms part of a midpriced Edition of mixed composers [A]

MENDELSSOHN: Violin Concerto in e ( with BRUCH: Violin Concerto in g, and pieces by Kreisler, Sarasate) Cho-Liang Lin (v1n)1Philharnionial Tilson Thomas/Chicago SOISlatkin Sony Classical CD 44902

Lin is disappointed that promoters ask for either the Bruch or Mendels-sohn when he comes to London. Now his record company has recoupled these Iwo favourites! [A]

MOZART: Symphonies 35, 36, 38-41 (with rehearsal") (1, dumb hi .\( ) Ird/to. Sony Classical CD 46511 (3CDs)*(g

A controversial choice, yet made for the warmth and affection that radi-ates from every bar. The antithesis of what Norrington and Harnoncourt do to Mozart. The 'Linz' rehearsal is a famous commercial release, but the actual performance here isn't the one we hear prepared! [B/Ill

Piano Concertos K414, 449, 453, 459, 466, 595: Double Concerto K365; Rondos Rudolf Serkin (pno)lvarious Sony Classical CD 47207 (3CDs)

Part

No collection is complete without a sampling of this great teacher and pianist. [C/D]

Le noue di Figaro SiepilGueden1PoellIdella Casal Danco etc1VPOIKleiber Decca 417 315-2 (3CDs)

One of Decca's first stereo opera productions, and the classic perform-ance to which Mozart enthusiasts gravitate. [H]

PROKOFIEV: Symphonies 1 & 5 BPOIKarajan DG 437 253-2

Works which Karajan recorded but once, but in some ways an unsurpas-sed Fifth. [B]

PUCCINI: Tosca Price/di StefanolTaddeilVP01 Karajan Decca 421 670-2 (2CDs)

Sumptuous playing by the Vienna Philharmonie, and Leontyne Price too. Far better than Karajan's DG Tosca, from Berlin. [A]

RACHMANINOV; Piano Concerto 2 LJ Paganini Rhapsody uitu luatchenllSOlSoltilLPOl

Moult Decca 417 880-2

Old recordings, but brilliant playing from Katchen — who sadly died from cancer at 42. [B/C]

RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G D Gaspard de la Nuit J Sonatine Martha Argerzch (pno)IBPOI Abbado DG 419 062-2

The scintillating, infuriating kla-viertiger'... if only she would record more often. (B/A]

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Scheherazade (with DEBUSSY: La Mer) Chicago SOI Rein, RCA GD 60875

Powerful music-making at Chicago. Beecham or (now) Temirkanov are first choices, but theirs are full-price Scheherazades. [A]

SCHUBERT: Symphonies 3, 5 & 6 RPOIBeecham EMI CDM 769 7502

Who would guess these recordings are patched from different dates and venues? [C]

SCHUMANN: Symphonies 1 & 4110verture, scherzo & finale Dresden StuatskapellelSawallisch EMI CDM 769 4712

Solid Dresden virtues here. [A/B]

Piano Concerto ( with MOZART: Piano Concerto K467) Dom Lipatti ( pno P hilharmonial Karajan EMI CDH 769 7922

Legge told how Karajan wanted to rephrase almost everything when they came to rehearse the Schumann, but Lipatti said no! K467 is from a Lucerne Festival performance. [H]

SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony 5 liste RACHMANINOV: The Rock) LSOIPrevin RCA GD 86801

The Walton 1 and Shostakovich 5 are high points in Previn's early career in classical recording. [A]

Symphony 10 BPOIKarajan DG 429 716-2 Leningrad P01 Mravinsky Erato 2292-45753-2

The reported editing fault in the CD transfer of Karajan's earlier Tenth has now been rectified. Mravinsky's live recording is a powerful alterna-tive. [B]

R STRAUSS: Don Guizot. D Also sprach Zarathustra Fournier1VPOIKrauss Decca 425974-2 €1)

Historic recordings from a master of Straussian opulence. Pierre Fournier is the refined Quixote cellist. [H]

Also sprach Zarathustra D [In Heldenleben (:hu-a,) SO Reiner RCA 09026 61494 2

These mighty performances, dating from 1954, have never sounded so resplendent as in jack Pfeiffer's 'Living Stereo' remastering. [B]

J STRAUSS etc: VPO recordings 1929-91 DG 435 335-2 (2CDs) part Q)

A survey of different musical masters of the Strauss family idiom. [H/A*]

STRAVINSKY: Firebird — complete ballet ( with shorter pieces) LSOIDorati Philips 432 012-2

The best of Mercury. [Al

Le Sacre du Printemps Pet-rouchka LPOIHaitink Pldlips 434 147-2

Excellent Philips recordings, satis-fying in every way. [A/A*]

TCHAJKOVSKY: Symphony 6 ' Pathétique' Leningrad I ttravinsky Dito 2292-45796-2

This live Sixth is electrifying. It replaces Markevitch's on my short-list, now deleted although available in the full cycle. [B]

Nutcracker — complete ballet LSO/Pre-vin CfP CFPD 4706 (2CDs)

As recommendable as any full-priced Nutcracker. [A]

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Symphonies 2 & 8 I I allélBarbindli EMI COM 764 1972

Inimitable Barbirolli readings. The composer dedicated his Eighth to 'glorious John'. (A Mercury team made the recording, for Pye.) [A]

VERDI: Requiem (with Four Sacred Pieces) Soloists/St Hedwig's Ch/ Berlin RSOI Fricsay DG 429 076-2 (2CDs) i4

A reminder of a wonderfully commit-ted artist; a live performance of the Requiem. [B/C]

Falstaff Soloists/NBC/Toscanini RCA CID 60251 (2CDs) 81

One of the greatest of Verdi perform-ances — `a miracle'. [H]

VIVALDI: The Four Seasons (;uion Kremer vin)/LSO/Abbado DG 431 172-2

Which to choose? Kremer's shows especial imagination and intelli-gence; a spirited account. [A]

WALTON: Symphony 1 ( with VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Wasps Ovt.) I SOIPrevin RCA GD 87830

Previn's LSO recording is still emerging unscathed from each new challenging Walton 1 comparison. [A/A*]

DINU IJPATTI IS BACH: Partita 1 and transcriptions/MOZART: Piano sonata in a, K310/SCARLATTI: Sonatas Kk9, 330/SCHUBERT: Impromptus D899:2 & 3 EMI CDH 769 8002 in

VLADIMIR HOROWITZ LISZT: Piano Sonata/ RACHMANINOV: Piano Concerto 3/ Music by Beethoven, Chopin, Scarlatti, Schumann, Stravinsky and others 17a dtmzr Horowitz (pno)ILSOI Couie EMI CHS 763 5382 (3CDs) (8 recorded 1930-1951

HEIFETZ Violin Concertos by Glazunov, Sibelius & Tchaikovsky jascha Heifetz (vin)ILPOI BarbirollilBeecham EMI CDH 764 0302 QI

Three examples of outstanding collected recordings from the past.

Photo shows Colin Davis with the LSO & Chorus recording at Westminster Cathedral in 1971.

HI- F1 NEWS á RECORD REVIEW MAY 1893 89

Some of the material has already appeared on compact disc, but is here sourced from original masters; for example, the 1954 Strauss Zarathustra is from a newly discovered master-tape

1 .w o gold speaker units face each

other across an undulation of lettering: LIVING STEREO was

one of several legends dating from the first days of stereo LPs. Philips had its HI-FI-STEREO, Mercury LIVING PRESENCE, and CBS/ American Columbia the arrowed STEREO logo. All of these were intended to indicate something extra-special — a similar thing has happe-ned with the CD: 'High Definition', 'BitStream' etc (what happened to Philips's BitStream?) — yet each com-pany's engineers were merely doing their best with the technology of the day. It was only later that gimmickry made an entrance, with RCA's 'Dynagroove' cutting or Decca's 'Phase-4' productions, each devised to accommodate the inadequacies of mass marketed, lo-fi reproducers. Even before stereo, RCA sleeves

carried the quasi-scientific banner 'New Orthophonic' high fidelity recording. A similar line features on this new series of 10 midpriced CDs from RCA (there will be more in future), which are the counterpart to Philips's Mercury label. In each case the old LP artwork is carried for-ward, but original programmes are supplemented to make competitive timings. The discs have full red labels, like the old analogue LPs. Some of the material has already appeared on compact disc, but is here sourced from original masters; for example, in the case of the 1954 Strauss Zarathustra, only recently published again by RCA, the 'Living Stereo' is from a newly discovered master-tape. John [Jack] Pfeiffer is in charge of this reissue edition. The Boston/Munch examples show

the differences: The 'Papillon' La

e RCA ilk 'LIVING

STEREO' by CHRISTOPHER BREUNIG

Mer was transferred to recreate an agreeable quality, but the newer ver-sion has more body, and vibrancy. (Some may even prefer the lighter, thinner alternative, which reflects a more 'modern' taste.) Saint-Saens's Third Symphony — much prized in favoured LP 'cuts' by US audiophiles — is also on 'Gold Seal'. Comparing track 4, the changes are even more marked: the organ has more solidity and power; the trumpets are cleaner as they cut through; and the pianos, if still relatively insubstantial, have a more correct tonal quality.

'The Reiner Sound' programme of Rachmaninov/Ravel (increased in scope on CD with Liszt/Weber) was licensed to Chesky for LP; here the battle is closer-fought. Analoguists should hear the two on a quality-matched system; points would prob-ably be awarded equally. Is the hall ambience truer in the aftermath of the big crescendo in `Malaguena' on vinyl or CD? The sound is, to my ears, more liquid on CD, with the cymbals and castanets cleaner, faster in attack/decay. The tape isn't entirely free of distortion, and both carriers expose this. The LP offers a blander, less solid and more dis-tanced overall soundstage, on my own system; but the CD, if more 'claustrophobic', is more 'RCA Vic-tor' as we knew it. Sensible collectors will forgo the clicks and vinyl path noise — even on Chesky. Note that 'Living Stereo' CDs are midpriced, below half the cost of the import LP.

There's a history of 'Living Stereo' in each booklet; experiments began in February 1954 at Boston Sym-

phony Hall, then at Chicago's Orchestra Hall. Two and three-track recorders were used, and the digital mastering involved restoring old tubed Ampex 15ips recorders and fatigued tapes; but computer noise reduction was wholly avoided in this series. A full listing is given below, the material ranging from pops to classical mainstays in RCA's cata-logue. (The Morton Gould, Virgil Fox and Leontyne Price recordings may all be new to the UK.)

'The Reiner Sound' now includes Reiner in a classical/romantic piece (Weber), which makes you wish there was a greater purely classical repertory available. In Totentanz Janis is given a titanic send-off, and he displays a Horowitzian virtuosity. An essential collection, although the Ravel isn't quite idiomatic.

[A/A*:1*/1] Fox was a popular and flamboyant player (he later made some LP prog-rammes for Capitol); the instrument is an Aeolian-Skinner 5-manual organ at a NY church, which he exploits to full — and ghastly! — effect. The engineering is good, with an enveloping ambience. Fox was cer-tainly a virtuoso, but his musical taste will be beyond the pale for most. [A:3] Gould's high-spirited 'star spangled' collection should bring a smile, and have your feet tapping. Besides the favourites there is Gould's own imaginative Parade (percussion only). Plenty of stereo separation and hall ambience here (NY Manhattan Center). Some less than perfect intonation qualifies the rating.

[A/B:1*/2] A fan of Reiner's later Zarathustra [fair enough on 'Papillon', but RCA's

90 1141 MEWS aRECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

reviews LP was rather better] in spite of the acclaim for this very first stereo taping, I hadn't realised before that Ein Heldenleben was actually recorded the same week! For reasons stated, these fabulous Strauss per-formances now sound better than ever, and the sonic gap between Zarathustra '63 and '54 closes . . .

[A/C:11 Reiner's CSO Brahms must have sounded gorgeous in the hall. Heifetz at times slithers gelatinously over the notes, but elsewhere his playing is lofty and precise, and phrases match spontaneously, as if in chamber music, to create sheer poetry. Heifetz's aplomb in the Tchaikovsky is just as compelling; his old record-ing on EMI Références may be swee-ter, simpler in expression (less soph-isticated), but the RCA is utterly seductive and at times technically phenomenal. [B/C:1 */2] The most disappointing sound of all comes in the three NY Rubinstein recordings: blurry and dim in those with Toscanini's former orchestra, spiky and hard in the Liszt. Having set so high a standard, I think Pfeif-fer (whose original productions these are) should have routed these reissues onto RCA's 'Gold Seal' historic series. Musically too, they are rather hard-bitten. [C/D:2] Arthur Fiedler was with the Boston Pops for 50 years; these quite spec-tacular recordings show what an acute ear and musicianship he had. The tapes capture the partnership at a peak. Only the ( 1958) Chabrier España falls below top rating; some other star-worthy material — Coq d'or, William Tell, Marche slave — is even earlier. [A*/A:1*] The three concerto discs are of very familiar recordings. It's interesting to have the Walton* played by the dedicatee: the recording was made just days after the premiere. The transfer is greatly superior to the LP, although rather dry. I confess it forces a change of mind: I was rather disparaging when I made some com-parisons for my Harrell/Rattle review. The Dvorak coupling (gener-ous) is freely romantic, with sweep and presence. [A/B:2/1(*H)] Leontyne Price's song recital was taped in 1959, four years after her NY debut, by which time she had already been snatched up by Kara-jan. Her 1961 Met debut excited a 42 minute ovation. It's a glorious voice, and engineered with great presence (peaks distort though). There is a special freshness about this collec-tion, whatever one might say of the lack of maturity, of articulation of the French and German, or even of technique. Taken from the original, the annotation is a model of its kind: complete texts are provided. [A/C:H]

THE REINER SOUND LISZT: Totentanz/RACHMANINOV: Isle of the Dead/RAVEL: Rapsodie espagnole E] Pavane/WEBER (orch. BERLIOZ): Invitation to the Dance Chicago SO/ Reiner 09026 61250 2 (68m I6s) recorded 1956-59

YURCHL FOX ENCORES Music by JS Bach, Handel, Purcell, Widor etc Virgil Fox (org) 09026 61251 2 (47m 20s) recorded 1955

BRASS 24 PERCUSSION Music by Sousa, Gould, Bagley, Goldman, Emmett, Meacham, Trad. Symphonic Band/Morton Gould 09026 61255 2 ( 66m 26s)reconzled 1956, '59

R STRAUSS: En Heldenleben n Also sprach Zarathustra Chicago S( )1 Reiner 09026 61494 2 (75m 35s) recorded 1954

BRAHRIS: Violin Concerto/TCHAIKOVSKY: Violin Concerto Iascha Heifetz (v1n)1Chicago SO/Reiner 09026 61495 2 (64m ¡6:) recorded 1955, '57

FRANCK: Symphonic Variations/LISZT: Piano Concerto 1 */SAINT-SAENS: Piano Concerto 2 Artur Rubinstein (pno)ISym of the Airl *RCA Victor OrchlWallenstein 09026 61496 2 (54m 19s) recorded * 1956, '58

HI-FI FIEDLER Music by Chabrier, Liszt, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rossini, Tchaikovsky Boston Pops, Fiedler 09026 61497 2 ( 69m 39s) recorded 1956-60

DVORIUC: Cello Concerto/WALTON: Cello Concerto Gregor Piatigorsky ( vlc)IBoston SOI Munch 09026 61498 2 (7Im 33s) recorded 1960,57

iLEONTYNE PRICE Songs by Faure, Poulenc, Strauss & Wolf with David Garvey (pm) 09026 61499 2 (40m 29s) recorded 1959

DEBUSSY: La Mer/IBERT: Escales/SAINT-SAENS: Symphony 3 'Organ' Boston SO/Munch 09026 61500 2 ( 73m /Os, recorded 1956-59

Right: jack

Pfeiffer, reissue

edition producer. (Top to bottom)

Leontyne Price, Charles Munch, Gregor Piatigorsky

and Arthur Fiedler

Munch's La Mer never received the commendations of Ansermet's or Karajan's two earlier recordings, yet a great sense of authority is con-veyed. His Saint-Saens Third was a classic, and the Ibert makes a shim-mering and rhythmic showcase for the Bostonians. [KB:1/11

1141 KIES & RECORD REV« MAY1993 91

back issues service HIFI N EWS

July 1992 Features: Sound of DCC, Room acoustics; Pioneer Legato Link Reviews: Up-market tuners; Pioneer DA T; YBE integrated; Castle Chester Music: Franki Valli; Sir Charles Mackerras

December 1992 Features:36-page Home Theatre supplement; The Hi-Fi Show Reviews: Mark Levinson No.30; Philips CD950; Adcom amps Music: Handley's Vaughan Williams 3 & 4

&pod 1992 Features: Chicago CES; CD-Interactive player assessed. Reviews: AMC. Jadis and Yoshino valves; Rogers P24; CD personals Music: Philip Glass; British be-bop

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92 11141 NEWS II RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

classical

Arnold

Schoenberg's self-

portrait shows his rigorous twelve-

tone compositional

methods applied equally to his painting

RECORD OF THE MONTH

SCHOENBERG: Verklârte Nacht, Op.4 String Trio. Op 45 l'rampler (v1a)IMa (vIc)1 uilhard Qt

Sooty Classical CO 47690 (48m 12s) •

Schoenberg's first and last mature string chamber worts make a useful and illuminating coupling. Sextet and Trio bolls demand the kinl of intimate, concentrated ensemble work which suits a great string qua det, plus and minus the appropriate instruments.

1 Ile works themselves span halt The acoustic, for one thing, is a century of musical development, richer, giving a more natural and and light-years of linguistic trans- unified ensemble sound, rather formation. yet any truly commit- than the neon-cruel exposure of ted performance will underline the solo lines which DG (and the consistency of the artistic personal- LaSalle) seem to favour. With this ity that produced both, reading the goes a more realistic sense of youthful ardour of the early work balance. Compare the violin-cello into the spiritual intensity of the exchanges early in the second half later Trio. of Verklârte Nacht (a little into The Juilliards (aided here in track 4 on both discs): certainly the

Verklârte Nacht by Walter Tram- cello is the dominant voice here, pier and Yo-Yo Ma) aren't the first but the Juilliards produce a real to essay this coupling, and come dialogue, whereas on DG the cel-up against immediate competition lo's prominence is almost grotes-from the LaSalle Quartet's 1984 que. But ultimately it's the recording on DG's '20th Century exquisite sense of shape and span, Classics', which I used for com- the sheer Innigkeit that the Juil-parison throughout. Theirs are liard bring to this work's long, impressive performances yet the soaring periods, which tilts the Juilliard's are vastly preferable. balance; the LaSalle are equally

dramatic, but colder by compari-son, and more externalized in expression. And thus it goes in the move

from the moonlight of Verkliirte Nacht to the imaginative world of the Trio, that 'night that never gets dark for lightning' [Thomas Mann]. I reviewed the LaSalles' high-pressure clinical reading else-where, on its first appearance, and commented that I still preferred what I called the 'gruff and scratch' Juilliards in their 1967 LP performance. Two-thirds of their personnel have changed in the interim, but the gruffness remains to humanize this most esoterically challenging of trios. The LaSalles understand it as a work of frayed nerves — which it is — but the Juilliards, helped by a recording of superior depth and resonance, give it muscle and, above all, breath: infallibly discovering the warmth and tenderness that coexist along-side the Angst and angularity — the very human complexity that makes this one of the half-dozen greatest works of the century, in any medium. A superb disc. [A*:11 Calton MacDonald

BEETHOVEN: Symphonies 3 & 5 NBC/Toscanini

Music & Arts CD-753 (72m 07s) (typ recordings from 1945 •

These two performances are intense to the point of discomfort, both in their unrelenting drive and their fer-vent execution. However, not all the tension is born of the music. Both broadcasts celebrate Allied wartime victories and were scheduled outside of the normal run of NBC concerts: the 5th on VE Day (8th May 1945), the Eroica on VJ Day ( 1st September of the same year). Yet their fighting spirit is totally consistent with other Toscanini versions of the same works: the swiftness, clarity, singing lines, dynamic inflexions and rhyth-mic attack are common to at least half-a-dozen alternative Toscanini readings of each symphony. Still, the excitement of the moment sometimes catches the NBC players off their guard. At the end of the Eroica's first movement, the timpanist punctuates his chords off the beat (bars 682-4: track 1, from 13m 31s). Then, after a particularly forceful trio (minimally scarred by minor horn fluffs), the lightning-swift Scherzo is somewhat rattled by some loose ensemble (track 3, from 3m 47s). The Fifth has no first movement

exposition repeat (most of Toscani-ni's unofficial recordings of the piece are without it), and impatience occa-sionally leads to poor articulation. Both here and in the Eroica, odd tempo fluctuations may prove dis-concerting for listeners more used to Toscanini's later, more classically-conceived readings, yet their express-ive effectiveness confirms the con-ductor's ability to re-think scores that he'd played literally dozens of times.

So, how do these rather tubbily-recorded thrillers compare with their better-known Toscanini rivals? For the Eroica Symphony, I'd ulti-

mately plump for the cleaner-sounding live 1939 reading in RCA's mid-price `Toscanini Collection', a similar statement but better pre-pared, better played and less inclined to jump the starting posts. For the Fifth, I'd opt either for the 1939 (studio) version, also in the 'Collec-tion', or one of the two Pearl versions with the New York Philharmonic (1931 & 1933). But if you've never heard a Toscanini Beethoven record-ing before, and you fancy having two of the Maestro's most feted inter-pretations on a single CD, then you can rest assured that, comparisons aside, this particular pair is pretty stunning. [H:1/2] Robert Cowan

HI41 NEWS & RECORD REVEW MAY 1993 93

lerneeir3 SyMphODy

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From Philips: a marvellous new Eroica recording from Sir Colin Davis, and Berlioz's Fantastique as the composer might have heard it. But will the dry Paris acoustic worry listeners today?

BEETHOVEN: Symphony 3 'Eroica' D Egmont Overture Dresden StaatskapellelDams

Philips 434 120-2 (64m 39s) •

While countless conductors seem determined to undress the classics in the hope of us not having 'seen it all before', Sir Colin Davis defies fashion and offers us a fine per-formance of a great symphony that isn't obsessed with locating the parts (if you'll forgive the extended metaphor) that others haven't reached. But then, Sir Colin has never been one for textual novelty. It appears that, for him, the man-ifest score is so rich in incident, so supremely active, that it allows by virtue of its purely musical charac-ter any number of subtler inter-pretative computations. And so he proves with this Eroica — a broad, loving and above all intelligent reading, that reminds us not so much of past masters (although plenty do come to mind), as of the Eroica's perennial contempor-aneity, its ability to stir and inspire.

Everything about this perform-ance spells naturalness. The first movement (with exposition repeat) has a relatively easy-going gait, yet when pivotal climaxes arrive, they hit home with unprecedented force: like all really effective Eroicas, this one neutralizes fami-liarity and allows us to be shocked by, for example, the grinding dis-sonances that dominate the

BEETHOVEN: Variations on 'Rule Britannia', Wo0.79 E Andante Favori, Wo0.57 H Variations & Fugue, Op.35 'Eroica' E Variations on 'God Save the King', Wo0.78 [] Variations on am Original Theme (Ruins of Athens), Op.76 Bagatelles, Op.119 I ngru j acob_v (pno)

IMP MCD 54 (74m 41s) •

Ingrid Jacoby comes to the record catalogue with prizes and plaudits a-plenty. She is undoubtedly a talented pianist whose incisive finger-work, skilful pedalling and good command of tonal nuance combine to produce thoughtful, well-characterised performances of the smaller variations; and if the simplic-ity and innocence of some of the Bagatelles evade her, these wondrous

development's central eruption (starting from around 8m 39s). Dialogue, too, is very much a part of its design. When winds and strings intertwine (as they so often do in this score) neither are obscured, although the woodwinds themselves are sometimes less than clear in full tutti passages. The strings, though, have immense presence, the basses particularly: it's a real boon to hear the harmo-nic complexion of Beethoven's low string writing projected with such clarity. The Marcia funèbre cries with all

the considerable power of its inbuilt rhetoric, but never exceeds that limit: Davis terraces its central sequence of climaxes with a keen ear for musical structure, and resists the temptation to overplay the drama. Likewise, in the variegated colours of the last two movements — the scherzo all mercurial gaiety, the finale a vivid sampling of the composer's orches-tral palette thus-far developed — he happily allows his players the free-dom to shine. Then there's the breadth of the writing that pre-cedes the Coda, its majestic bear-ing, and a true summation prior to the flurry of excitement that brings the work to a close. All this is accommodated with aristocractic ease, and makes us feel (with little true justification) that this is the way the Eroica should always be played. And if a weighty and imposing Egmont Overture tem-porarily extends the illusion of definitiveness, then that's no bad thing in itself — as I suggested at the outset, Davis eschews novelty and, in terms of musical priority, throws the ball securely back into Beethoven's court, which is where it should always remain. [A*:1] Robert Cowan

cameos are mostly delineated with conviction. Cameo is hardly the word for the

Troica' Variations, and Jacoby, though not unaware of their inter-pretative requirements, has difficulty in fulfilling them completely. Some of the variations, eg, numbers 5 to 8 and 11, are finely played but others are cautious and effortful, the Fugue particularly so. Suspect tuning is evident in a number of places throughout the disc, perhaps empha-sised by engineering that, despite some minor changes of perspective between pieces, is of very good qual-ity. So indeed is the artistic impulse behind the Andante Favori where line and contour are sensitively judged. This is Jacoby at her most persua-sive; but a long road still lies ahead. [A:1/2/3] Nalen Anthoni

BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique Orch Révolutionnaire et Romantique/ Gardiner

Philips 434 402-2 (53m 19s) •

Until now, Roger Norrington's EMI version of the Fantastic has been the only one to offer authentic instru-ments, with an 1830's Paris layout and re-thought timings etc, so I've been eager to discover how John Eliot Gardiner would fare with a similar recipe. In one respect he's more thoroughgoing, since his venue is the Conservatoire hall used for the first performance. But, alas, in 2-channel stereo its acoustic is so dry and small-scale that the music's impact is seriously impaired at cli-maxes, while there's virtually no framing ambience to beguile the ear at gentler moments. Moreover, the rather circumscribed soundstage aris-ing from the dead acoustic is not helped by a far from full-width orchestral image — albeit comprising a very clear picture, with offstage effects given due reverberance. However, it must be said that Nor-rington's recording generally imparts more life and character to individual instruments, while his LCP team seem to be having greater fun than Gardiner's more ornately named but 'cooler' band. So, sonically rather disappointing — apart from the splen-didly managed church bells in (N), dubbed in to provide the correct pitches plus octave underpinning as scored. Both authenticists include the

repeats in (i) (iv) and take the same overall time, but Gardiner abjures Norrington's pastoral briskness in (iii) and funereal marching pace in (iv), going instead for an excep-tionally fast-moving (i), which, allowing for the repeat, is almost the shortest on record. The violins are spatially divided, as

also are the two harp groups in the Ball (where the optional cornet appears), while ophicleides and a serpent join the fray to coarsen the texture where Berlioz originally desired. The lower dynamic mark-ings are mostly well served and the performance as a whole is carefully polished, if not very elegantly poised or especially exciting. To be fair, in places there are instrumental details which stand out more than in the EMI version (eg, the enthusiastic-sounding piccolo right at the work's end), but the reverse applies for most of the time and I have no hesitation in preferring Norrington — not least in order avoid the auditorium which the composer had to put up with. My rating gives the benefit of various doubts. [B:2] John Crabbe

94 H141NEWS&RECORDREVIEW MAY 1993

classical BLITZSTEIN: Regina Soloists/Scottish Opera Orch& Chi Mauceri

Decca 433 812-2 (2CDs, 152m 24s) •

Impressions of Blitzstein's highly effective 1949 opera remain much the same as at the time of the Scottish Opera production: a first act that follows music-theatre tenets to perfection but which can strike as grey and angular in its snapshots of Alabamian moneygrubbers and mis-fits; a second which begins to turn the screw through a brilliant sequ-ence of party pastiches; and a third which really does deliver the prom-ised punches, and rounds out its characters in a series of eloquent set-pieces. I'm struck for the first time on listening to the recording by Blitzstein's real purpose in framing the newly-rich brigade's pretensions with `free' dixieland jazz and negro spirituals, and by his subtle man-ipulation of his orchestra — fromlush Jerome Kern waltzes to Prokofiev galops and the serious stuff of Hinde-mith-Weill brass writing — to suggest cramped emotions or bare tragedy.

Regina, of course, is cruel queen of the proceedings — a turn of the century Poppea (or simply Alexis Carrington before her time, if you prefer) who gets to run the gamut of musical styles. Katherine Ciesinski, cast on Decca to restore Blitzstein's original mezzo intentions, powerfully outlines the character's sinuous femi-ninity, her shocking directness to the invalid husband she despises, and her exhilarating battle of wills with her still more grasping brothers in Act 3. The waltzing dismissal of an old beau is a touch cavernous, the placement a little too far back, but elsewhere Ciesinski has power and commitment (plus a formidable unaccompanied top C to round off the party). But the real heart belongs to faded-aristocrat Birdie's big aria in act Three; Sheri Greenawald phrases the short melo-dic ideas with memorable intensity and I've replayed this [CD2, track 10] several times already — start here or with the preceding lyrical inter-lude of the Rain Quartet if you need winning over. Ramey's good Giddens is strong and true, none better to play the role; and if 17 year old Zan proves too strenuous up top for the miscast Angelina Reaux, she does at least play the role with increasing conviction. Faultless characterisa-tions elsewhere for the greedy Hub-bards and the sympathetic servants, southern accents mostly convincing, and lustrous orchestral playing (wonderful first trumpet) captured in the usual Decca quality sound-packaging. [A:1*/1] David Nice

BRAHMS: Symphony 2/ROSSINI: Semiramide — Overtu re/MENDELSSOHN: A Midsummer Night's Dream — Nocturne & Scherzo BBC SO/Toscanini

lasbment 58T 1015 (58m 41s) recordings from 1938, 1935 •

Etudes Op.10 LI 3 Waltzes Op.64 Ballades 1 & 4 D Scherzo 4 Peter Donohoe (pno)

There are two very distinct aspects to Toscanini's Brahms. The first, effec-tively exemplified in the present recording, is an ardent, sweeping lyricism set within a rock-solid structural framework, rather like a supercharged Boult but with a bel canto line. The second concerns internal balancing, textural clarity and executant precision, and on all three counts this June 1938 live BBC concert of the Second Symphony must ultimately yield to the superior-ity of Toscanini's February 1952 recording with the NBC Symphony Orchestra [mid-priced RCA]. Most of the trouble lies, I fear,

with the sound. Not that any inade-quacies stem from lack of effort on Testament's part; on the contrary, immense care has been taken to match source material from London and New York, and audio restoration never compromises essential textural information. But in attempting to avoid overloading, HMV's original engineers appear to have limited the impact of key climaxes, while notor-iously difficult side joins have led to one or two instances where Toscani-ni's timing is minutely distorted — 4m 14s into the slow movement pro-vides an instructive example. But turn to the RCA disc, and relative sonic hygiene is restored; passion may be at a lower ebb, and the NBC strings don't surge as enthusiastically as the Londoners did fourteen years earlier, but the spirit remains and there is more than sufficient clean air around the notes. Toscanini's athle-tic, essentially classical interpretation is evident on both versions, but the full might of his vision is far better focused by RCA. The 1935 Mendelssohn and Ros- I

sini items are less cloudy, and more engaging as performances: the Mid-

summer Night's Dream Scherzo fizzes with irrepressible élan, the Nocturne (with Aubrey Brain as horn soloist) is surely the most poetic of Toscanini's surviving renditions of the piece, and Semiramide — which is, incidentally, half a minute faster than the feted 1936 New York recording [RCA and Pearl] — has a wit, precision and excitement that only Toscanini could command in this repertoire. Here the sound, too, is more accommodating of detail. [H:2/1] Robert Cowan

CHOPIN: Ballades 1-4 7 Barcarolle El Fantasy Op.49 L Berceuse Alexei Lubimov (pito)

Erato 2292-45990-2 (63m lis) •

DAI CDC 7544162 (71m 40s) •

Lubimov, a keyboard player equally at home in contemporary and early music, employs an 1837 Erard for his Chopin programme. Donohoe's, more akin to a balanced concert recital, is played on an unspecified modern grand — its treble registers don't exactly give pleasure, but recording must be warmly com-mended.

In good condition (a suspicion of jangle occurs at the beginning of the

Peter Donohoe: A Chopin recital of

outstanding quality. Above: Arturo Toscanini—

two new CDs of

historic material,

previously

unreleased

1141 NEWS& RECORD RESEW MAY 1993 95

Second Ballade), the Erard has a cold, hollow ring and a shallow lower treble; decay is rapid. If you followed Lubirnov's Mozart cycle on various fortepianos, with its elaborate use of ornament and somewhat selfcon-scious phrasing, his Chopin will not surprise: it is technically competent but stilted. Everything seems pre-conceived — 'now, what can I do with this piece?' — and unspontaneous. The overall effect struck me as pro-saic, fractured (Chopin needs a sense of underlying tension to hold together its diverse paragraphs), and quite lacking in allure. Donohoe's sensibilities and

keyboard articulacy are of an altogether different (and exceptional) order. There's a superlative ease with colour, dynamics and overall shap-ing, a masculine style and integrity which call to mind Gilels's Chopin. Forget EMI's silly marketing strategy for Donohoe, and the dis-appointing Brahms CD — here he attends exhilaratingly to perhaps an unexpected area of repertoire, bring-ing together the fruits of study, practice and sensitivity. Lubimov [A:3/2], Donohoe [A(*):11. Christopher Breunig

GERSHWIN: Lady, Be Good! Teeter1MorrtsonlPizzarellil AlexanderlMaguirelOrch Stern

Dektra-Nonesuch 7559-79308-2 (70m 14s) •

John Mauceri states a preference for the 'majestic' Gershwin of the 1930s over the twenties flapper, which may be (though I doubt it) a reason why he isn't in charge of the third in Elektra-Nonesuch's faultlessly researched and presented series. Still, under Eric Stern this inspired 1924 piece of fluff goes with a swing, a touch relentlessly after the first number ('Hang on to me': fun and games with the notes of the common chord — brilliant) up until the respite of John Pizzarelli's contribution. Researcher/restorer Tommy Krasker acknowledges that Pizzarelli's deli-cious ukulele-accompanied crooning isn't idiomatic by 1920s standards, but the venture would be blander without it. Lara Teeter and Ann Morrison make a sweet and funny brother and sister — Morrison has a cleaner cut than the original, Fred Astaire's sibling Adele — though the really distinctive voice, that of the romantic Michael Maguire, doesn't make its appearance until late in the proceedings, reprising. The choruses are routine, since

George and Ira didn't know their G & S like Cole Porter did, but all the other numbers charm, and the sound

-e

of the twenties is faithfully recap-tured in the restored orchestrations: two-piano insouciance, saxophones, wa-wa trumpet etc. The sound is beyond reproach, indulging in none of the echo-around-the-voice non-sense that sets a blemish on Philips's Hollywood Bowl issues (Mauceri's 'The Gershwins in Hollywood' was a casualty in that respect). A tonic, then, but don't forget that four of the best numbers, including 'Fascinating Rhythm', are available in 1926 recordings sung by Fred and Adele (funny foghorn in 'I'd Rather Char-leston') with George elaborating on the piano [Saville/Conifer]. It makes a fascinating complement to 'the works' as recorded here. [A:1] David Nice

GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue D Second Rhapsody 0 Piano Concerto in F Howard Shelley (pno)1 PhilharnumialYan Pascal Tortelier

Chandos CHAN 9092 (64m 21s) •

These are three vital chapters in the history of Gershwin's piano/orchestra development that no-one seems to have put together on a single disc before. Shelley opts for the grand manner — powerful left hand, Rach-

Gershwin's Lady be Good! goes with a swing in Stern's new recording — the sound of the 1920s

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maninov-like bravura in the cadenzas — backed up by proud, almost majes-tic treatment of the big tunes from Tortelier and the Philharrnonia. It can be too much at one sitting, especially given the hothouse setting for McBride's arrangement of the vertiginous Second Rhapsody; fairer representatives here are Tilson Tho-mas in the original Gershwin orches-tration [Sony] or Wayne Marshall with Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl in the shorter blueprint for the film Delicious [Philips]. But Shelley makes the best of all cases for the quasi-improvisational progress of the Piano Concerto: his grace-noted jauntiness to snap out of the blues (languidly trumpeted — no credit given) sounds like a spur-of-the-moment decision, and the preface to aristocratic Philharmonia strings for what is surely the greatest of all Gershwin's hyper-romantic melodies has real magic, too. The outer move-ments always move, and inappropri-ate acoustics never blur orchestral articulation (attack on the repeated single note at the start of the Concer-to's finale is especially fuie). If you have faith in the underlying gravity of Gershwin's inspiration, don't hesi-tate. [A/B: 1(*)/2] David Nice

HINDEMITH: Kammermusik 1-7 1: Ifkine Kammerrnusik BrautigamlHarrellIKulkal Kashkashianl Blumelvan Doeselaarl Concertgebouw1Chailly

Decca 433 816-2 (2CDs, 138m 04s) •

This is a treasury, nothing less, and its biggest surprise is the capacity to hold the listener in thrall at a single — or, perhaps wiser, a double — sitting. Fireworks blaze in the minute-long manifesto of the 1921 Kammermusik for 12 solo instruments, though there's breathing space in the elegiac slow movement. In tandem with the Wind Quintet Op.24:2, a generous bonus which reveals Chailly and Decca as no cutters of corners, it gives the Concertgebouw woodwind a chance to sign in before the big solo concertos; and they have never sounded so good (listen to clarinettist Piet Honingh, a master of tone-colour, on track 3). Hindemith has turned a little greyer by the time of the last two concertos in the series, though it's quite an experience to hear organ participating with militant brass and woodwind in the outer movements of No.7, and here is strange glory indeed for the final curtain.

In between, the other soloists catch all the colours of the rainbow — almost paradoxically, given Hinde-mith's self-imposed harmonic and

96 NI-FINE» &AMMO KNEW MAY 1993

classical

neoclassical restrictions. The slow movements are really sung — Harrell and Kulka outstanding in this respect — and the (never formulaic) shift from grim determination to various species of humour in 2, 4, 5 and 6 is perfectly manoeuvred. While Harrell's forthright, often

high-pitched declamation makes the Cello Concerto the most immediately appealing, I suggest you try the Violin Concerto if you need to be hooked: Kulka's moto perpetuo filig-ree set against circus-ring piccolos in the last movement, Shostakovich Sixth-style, is haunting. Hindemith's wit certainly sets the piece apart from the Weill concerto of the previous year, though that was another fas-cination of the set — to look sideways at other products of the 1920s; com-mon links with Bartok (in the tocca-tas of the Piano Concerto), Stra-vinsky and company are many. But Hindemith remains his own man, and more likeable than ever thanks to the passionate advocacy of Chailly and his team. The recording brings together the

bloom of Concertgebouw surround-ings and the tight, focused sound these ensembles need; the viola and its frail cousin, the viola d'amore, never need to fight too hard against tougher instruments, though I won-der how they'd fare in concert. [A:11 David Nice

Gustav Mahler — new symphonic

recordings. Left:

George& Ira

Gershwin at the keyboard with

Fred Astaire

MAHLER: Symphony 3 Kindertotenlieder Linda Finnie (mez-sop)IRoyal Scottish Orch& Ch etcljdrvi

Chandos CHAN 9117/8 (2CDs, 123m 37s) •

Like Rattle, Jârvi takes risks at the soft end of Mahler's dynamic spec-trum, geared more to the concert hall than the recording studio. Most of them work here: I've never heard summer march more stealthily over the distant horizon, recognisably whistling a tune that's properly sprung and sung, and these are flow-ers liable to be blown away by the lightest of breezes; only the minuet tempo is helpfully robust. Whether or not you'll find the finale too slow, given the extreme inwardness of the string playing, will depend on how you view the sanctity of the subject-matter; once on to the distinctive entries of oboe and horns, I was hooked. And what sounds there are on route to divine affirmation: every climax packs a punch, and the col-ouring of horns and cellos [Fig 28 — CD2, track 3: 20m 12s] on the last lap has rarely gone so convincingly to the heart.

Across the span of the first move-ment supporting figures chip in to the overwhelming impact established by resplendent RSO brass: sit-up-and-listen details include the looming string trills and tremolos, finely-honed percussion flourishes and woodwind chords beneath the fear-some trombone (atmospherically laid to rest in his last reprise). The engineers keep their usual

respectful distance to let Neeme Jârvi work on the respective moods of midnight meditation and bell song. But someone should have noticed the missing clarinet entry in the midst of so much forest activity (third move-ment — two after Fig. 5, a clear gap in the textures at 2m Ois: CD1/track 2); and the posthorn serenader, though ominously announced by forceful trumpeter, unnerves with suspect intonation up top. Jârvi seems keen to have him characterised as a brus-que, if distant, human intruder on the scene, rather than the usual consummate poet. Conductor and orchestra are

perhaps a little too free for the singer's sake in Kindertotenlieder, but the attention is rightly on Linda Finnie — surely the most expressive British mezzo since Dame Janet (and the Bakerish touches in first and third songs are true to Mahler's instructions, too). Her ever-sensitive balance between luminous introspec-tion and pathos at full force keeps the classical aspect of these hyper-romantic elegies always in sight. [A:1 (1/2] David Nice

MAHLER: Symphony 10 led. Cooke) Frankfurt RSOlInbal

Denon CO-75129 (70m 49s) •

So Inbal has finally turned his atten-tion to Deryck Cooke's masterly completion of Mahler's last sympho-nic thoughts — a welcome appendage to a cycle which, at its clear-headed best (in Symphonies 3, 5 and 7 especially), offered considerable satisfaction. Rarely do Inbal and his fine Frankfurt players miscalculate, apart from a couple of ill-executed portamenti: at 19m 49s in (i); and far more crucially, the whole work's final intake of breath at 20m 55s in (v) — an emotionally devastating ges-ture, which Mahler marked in his short score `Almschi', the pet-name for his wife, Alma. I suppose Inbal's simple, flowing

dedication works well enough in the two great outer movements which flank Mahler's giant symmetrical structure, if without ever really tug-ging at the heartstrings in the epic Rattle manner. Come the work's middle portion, though, and I miss, for all the admirable crispness and poise of the ensemble, the more variegated textural diversity and sheer emotional pungency of Rattle's passionate conception. I sense, too, some slackening in tension during these three movements; indeed, Inbal's conducting of 'Purga-torio', struck me as disappointingly literal.

So, whilst I salute the Israeli maes-tro's championing of this astonishing creation, it's not quite the over-whelming experience any traversal of this extraordinary music should pro-vide. As is their wont, Denon's indexing is copious in the extreme, and the sound, too, is often excitingly natural. But with Rattle's memorable Bournemouth SO reading for EMI also now available on a single CD [CDC 754 4062], there's really no contest. [A:2] Andretv Achenbach

MAHLER: Symphony 4 Edita Gruberova (sop)/ PhilharmonialSinopoli

De 437 527-2 (58m 03s) •

Kathleen Battle (sop)/VPO/Maazel

Sony Classical CD 39072 (60m .57s) ® 1984 •

Hear DG's new Mailler Fourth for the throat-catching singing of Edita Gruberova in the finale, if for nothing elese. Here, the harp's triplet figures, misterioso, sound like the tap of a drum — ravishing playing in the string melody from Fig. 12 too.

NSW NEWS & RECORD RESEW MAY 1993 97

Piccolo and sleigh-bell interjections scream in frenzy at Sinopoli's very quick tempo (Fig. 3 etc); markings are taken to extremes, violent in contrast (scherzo too). Microphone balances tend to isolate the voice, incidentally, rather as the leader's mis-tuned instrument, 'like a street fiddle', gets cutting prominence in

The problem with (i) is that Sino-poli's obsessive preoccupation with exposing and manipulating detail conceals any overall conception he may have of what the music is about. The natural gait of the music is lost. It's like exclaiming over a pointillist painting when your only view of it is closeup and through a magnifying lens. The same X-ray exposure is given to (iii); one or two false gate-ways loom, darkly swathed in mist as if this were Lord of the Rings coun-try, and the final climax is brashly vulgarized — like other crudely loud brass focuses earlier.

Maazel's Fourth was the most widely praised performance in his complete VPO cycle (of the critics, only William Mann dissented: he thought there was nothing special about it). It is far more equable than Sinopoli's; the Vienna Philharmonic — much abused for their London visit in February — plays with almost smug intimacy. The slow movement is undeniably very beautiful, but else-where the archness (not least in the soprano's solos) is cloying. Sinopoli's Fourth may infuriate, but it does have freshness. And, by the way, the playing of the Philharmonia on this occasion is superb. Sinop° [A/A*:1*/4], Maazel [A/B:1(?)]. Christopher Breunig

MENDELSSOHN: Symphonies 1 & 5 Bamberg SO/Flor

RCA 09026 60391 2 (58m 24s) •

Well prepared performances which tend to drift into blandness, eg 5(iii) or 1 (iii) which could be stronger in character: more vigorous, less sugared. (This Menuetto, with its translucent nocturnal trio, seems to elude nearly all conductors on records, Dohnanyi being more suc-cessful than most.) The orchestra is not in the first rank— the fmal Allegro con brio of Op.11 is not impressive, although final fugal sections are neat — and poor sound works against Flor's efforts. In the 'Reformation' one becomes used to the over-blended reverberant quality, yet strings have a disappointing graini-ness. The First Symphony is dread-fully woolly; the acoustic creates the blurry illusion of too large an orches-tra for the work, and at under an hour there was certainly room to include the reorchestrated Octet scherzo substituted for (iii) by Men-delssohn, for his first London con-cert (and to be found as an option on both Louis Lane's old Cleveland LP version and on Abbado's LSO/DG CD). [C:2/31 Christopher Breunig

MOZART: La Finta Giardiniera GruberovalUpshawlMargicmol BacellilHeilmannlMoserlScharingerl Concentus musicus Wienl Harnoncourt

Teldec 9031-72309-2 (3CDs, 194m 09s) •

La finta giardiniera has emerged strongly from the shadows that used to surround it, and there are now four recordings to choose from — two in the Philips CME, conducted in the authentic German version by Schmidt-Isserstedt and in the Italian original by Hager; and more recently Cambreling recorded it live in Brus-sels, with a noisy audience and various cuts and tinkerings to be set against mainly good singing. Har-noncourt's too is a live recording — made at the Konzerthaus, Vienna, in June 1991 — but we are spared much disturbance: no applause, limited bangings and rusdings. Sonically we get off to a bad start, with a noisy switch-on before the overture, and thin, rattly orchestral tone as well as dolefully heavy accents in the Andante grazioso. Thereafter things improve greatly, and one can concen-trate on the performance of what, were it by anyone else than the 18-year-old Wolfgang, one would consider an absolute masterpiece. Few listeners will regret Hamon-

court's heavy pruning of the some-times very long recitative scenes, though he can be criticised for their ponderous gait and, in the accompag-nati, the pregnant pauses that inter-rupt the flow between voice and orchestra. In other respects this is a warm, committed account, with lovely playing from the period instru-ments of the expert — and here quite large — Concentus musicus, especially from the winds (sparingly yet tel-lingly used by Mozart). As the mar-chioness masquerading as lady gardener, Edita Gruberova is in vari-able form — often poignant, sweet-toned and strong, yet unaccountably below form in the glorious turtle-dove aria at the start of CD2. Uwe Heilmann is always reliable, and at times much more than that, in the music of her once and future beloved. The rest of the cast is of the same high order, and Dawn Upshaw as Serpetta bids fair to out-sing everyone. This is a very enjoyable issue; at times — in the dramatic minor-key numbers and the dreamy, rapturous ones — it is much more than that. [B/C:1*/2] Peter Branscombe

MOZART: Missa in C, K257 'Credo' Litaniae de venerabili earls Sacramento, 1(243 Blasi/Magnus/van der Walt/Miles/ Arnold Schoenberg ChlConcentus musicus Wien/Harnoncourt

Takla 9031-72304-2 (6/m 28s) •

A few months in 1776 separate these striking and impressive church com-positions. If the Mass marks a turn-ing-point in Mozart's setting of the Ordinary, with its elaborate Credo standing out from the bright com-pactness of the other movements, the Litany is the work of memorable eloquence and imaginative insight from this period. Especially in the Tanis vivus', which looks forward to La clemenza di Tito and the Requiem, and the glorious 'clulcissimum con-vivium', Mozart reaches the heights. Nikolaus Harnoncourt and his famil-iar forces are in powerful form in both works, and the acoustic (Parish Church, Stainz) in just what is required: spacious yet not over-resonant; the image is firm, neither too close nor distant. The soloists are a fine team. Angela Maria Blasi has a neat trill and firm low notes, but she fails to fill out fermatas. Choral singing and orchestral playing are first-rate, and Harnoncourt brings out the drama as well as the peaceful beauties of the music, especially in the Litany. The leaflet lives up to the good old standards of Concentus musicus documentation. [A:1] Peter Branscombe

98 11141 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1983

classical PROKOFIEV: Symphonies 1 & 6/GLINKA: Overture — Ruslan & Ludmilla Leningrad POI Mramnskyl* USSR State OrchlSvetlanov

Intaglio INC/ 7321 (56m 16s) live recordings * 1%8,1971 Koch •

With umpteen modern versions to choose from, it might seem silly to see a recommendation for this grubbily taped Classical, but Svetla-nov's performance is chock-full of interest — worth having for the croaky song of the bassoon in (i) alone. Inner movements are grand and broad, with fascinating yet not eccentric highlighting of inner voices, and the finale goes like lightning. (Sound character changes — is the source here the same, I wonder?) But you'll want this disc more for Mravinsky's utterly nasty, quite electrifying and starkly explicit Sixth: the shock of the opening bars made me jump. Mravinsky, who premiered the sym-phony in 1947, clarifies the cryptic structure in a honed and highly personal reading. The CD begins with the rapier thrust of his Glinka overture. Solti's LSO version [Decca] was once criticised for break-neck speed, but here is a Soviet interpreter we think of as aristocratic as well as autocractic, pursuing a similar virtuosic end. All three recordings are from the Royal Albert Hall (je, the Prokofiev 6 isn't that once issued on an MK LP), and they appear to be (g, possibly ambience enhanced but with no discernible stereo information. Buy before UK stocks of this import run out. [CJD:1*(H)] Christopher Breunig

PROKOFIEV: Piano Sonatas 2, 6 & 9* Sviatoslav Richter (pub)

%se PR 250 015 (67m 11s) 014) live recordings from * 1956, '65 •

These Prague recordings, from Czech Radio sources, sample distinct phases in Prokofiev's writing — his last, Ninth Sonata was composed for Richter (a decade before this record-ing was made). A Melodiya alternative with marginally longer timings, yet paradoxically a more mercurial reading, was once imported here from the Chant du Monde LP catalogue. Richter also, as it were, set the Sixth on the map in 1939. In this Czech recording, 6(i) is starkly confronted: turbulent, angu-lar, and with textures like broken glass. The likeable Sonata 2 (a dis-covery for me — but also available in Decca's new Richter series), was derived from unpublished material conceived for student works; it dates from 1912. In each of these works a first-movt. theme is briefly reintro-

IV: 12!%,.:‹ •

- • _

duced in the finale. The Second has a 1 toccata finale recalling the headlong e, manners of Prokofiev's First Piano t Concerto, a percussive Scherzo, and an Andante which has a theme laze that of Mussorgsky's 'Old Castle' in Piaures, in strange metamorphosis — same key of G-sharp-minor, too. Richter's final Vivace is utterly thrilling! With Richter still active, yet near-

ing his eighties, it is important to hear recordings made at such a peak. He seizes upon his compatriot's music, tosses off its technical difficul-ties, and infuses these recital per-formances with his unique blend of demonic passion and lulled, dreamy remoteness — nevertheless, the sense of authority is all-pervasive. A washy sound characteristic envelopes all three works; the oldest tape is prone to pitch waver and is more distantly balanced. There is no discernible stereo information here, and I take all these tapes to be mono. [C:1/1*], Sonata 9 [C/D:11.

Christopher Breunig

PROKOFIEV: Ivan the Terrible ( Michael Lankester version) D Alexander Nevsky PlummerlSinyayskayal Zajickel LetferkusILSO& ChlRostropovich

Sony Classical CO 48387 (2CDs, 134m 49s) •

Atrocities are committed here to the greater glory, or the greater infamy, of Lankester. His work on /van certainly isn't an 'edition' in the sense of Christopher Palmer's well thought-out performing version for Járvi, only a twisting of Stasevich's oratorio around a cliché-ridden text that very often bears no resemblance to the events of the Eisenstein film. Like Stasevich, he ignores the crucial Part Two plot involving the imbecilic pretender Vladimir and his assassina-tion in the Uspensky Cathedral, the blackest of musical climaxes to the film (as Palmer so rightly acknow-ledged); but where Stasevich kept the

narration to a minimum, Lankester's speaker not only plays the greater part but declaims over whole stretches of music that were written to accompany only visual images, not the spoken word. In concert, the two-toned Plummer rode roughshod over the most poignant moment of Prokofiev's score: the unaccompa-nied humming chorus on the great 'Tartar steppes' theme that ought to answer the grim melodrama of Ivan's sickness. And although it's here, at least, Sony throw away the musical coup by dividing it between the two CDs, which is rather like applauding the March in Tchaikovsky's Pathéti-que Symphony.

So what of the actual music-making? Rostropovich prefers his hell- fire and patriotism rather broad (there were more idiosyncratic tempi here than in the rest of his 1992 Prokofiev series), and the fine engineering is much to be praised in assisting the shrill Tartar woodwind against Russian brass in the battle sequence. 'Ocean-Sea', ineptly placed in Lankester's sequence, needs a more expansive mezzo than the tight-vibratoed Sinyayskaya (there's a clear edit to help her with

`Yes, that's me!'

Rostropovich,

recording for Sony.

(The upper picture shows him with

Prokofiev at the keyboard.) Left:

Giuseppe Sinopoli

Michael Lankester's text for Ivan relates badly to both plot and Prokofiev's imagery. Nevsky at full pelt: a pity Rostropovich's Sony version is not available on its own

HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 99

Rott's curious symphony, foreshadowing Mahler: an assured new alternative to a 1989 Hyperion recording

the long phrasing); Zajick in the Nevsky lament is preferable. Nevsky gives us the Rostropovich

approach at full pelt: dynamic extremes again well handled by the engineers (pianissimos certainly dis-tant: don't adjust your levels), all orchestral colours telling nicely, with more saxophone than I've ever noted in the score), and a perfectly paced 'Battle on the Ice'. A pity Sony didn't leave it at a single CD, say, with Seven, they are Seven and the surpri-singly poignant melody of Hail to Stalin. For /van, though, either Muti or Jârvi will do; this is for Plununer-manes only. [Plummer's mates surely? — Mus Ed.] [A:1, Nevsky [A:1]. David Nice

RAVEL: Piano Concerto in D/PROKOFIEV: Piano Concerto 4/BINTTEN: Diversions, Op.21 Leon Fleisher (pno)1Bosten SOI Ozawa

Sony Classical CD 47188 (67m 43s) •

This disc marks the return to the studio of Leon Fleisher, 65 this year, noted for his recordings of Brahms, Beethoven etc under Sze11, whose pianistic career was curtailed in the mid- 1960s when his right arm became incapacitated by carpal tun-nel syndrome. He spent several frus-trating years seeking a medical solu-tion (even microsurgery) but now has to concentrate on left-hand keyboard repertory, and on conducting. Fleisher has long taught and directed master classes; in 1986 he became Artistic Director at Tanglewood.

Aptly, all three works here were written for Paul Wittgenstein (injured in World War I), although he rejected the Prokofiev and com-plained about the Ravel. Britten's theme, variations and finale, Diver-sions (1940), was liked by Wittgen-stein but has never been a gra-mophone favourite: I can only recall the Katchen Decca (g, now on CD with Prince of the Pagodas. It is a work of very mixed quality, in places trite indeed: the Burlesque, Varn. 8, for example, is impossibly banal, and the following Toccata I hardly more than that. The final Tarantella,

however, scintillates under Fleisher's control and the Boston percussionists bring down the curtain with aplomb.

Prokofiev's score — finally pre-miered by another wounded musi-cian in 1956 — is far more substantial. Sony's spacious recording exposes the highly articulate solo playing and, whatever Ozawa's reputed failings in Berlin, his Prokofiev on home ground is very convincing. (But it would be interesting to have on CD the Browning/Leinsdorf Prokofiev cycle, which RCA recorded with this orchestra.) The Ravel is similarly impressive — what an extraordinary work this is, with its orchestral intro-duction curiously suggestive of Strauss's Alpine Symphony [heard 16 years before], a massive Lisztian cadenza with quasi-oriental spicing, as much as Basque, and big orches-tral gestures which, alas, lead us nowhere; the final pages bring a blaze of jazz-Spanish fusion. The close kinship with Ravel's G-major Con-certo is there too, but not to be grasped at once. Ravel intended that the work should sound as if two hands were used: Fleisher has cer-tainly mastered that illusion. If the bass had been deeper, Sony's produc-tion — this is another Super Bit Mapping exercise — would have earned a star too. [A:1], Ravel [11.

Christopher Breunig

ROTF: Symphony in E Norrkoping SO1S egerstam

WS CD-583 (64m 07s) •

Hans Ron was a student of Bruck-ner's; after various rejections he suf-fered a breakdown, succumbed to tuberculosis and died aged 26. When performed and recorded [Hyperion] by the Cincinnatti Philharmonia in 1989, his large-scale Symphony caused a stir for the way in which it not only anticipated but perhaps had then influenced Mahler: above all in the scherzo, unmistakably pre-echoing Mahler's First, but also in the slow movement (Mahler 3, final Adagio) and in an audacious, leng-thy, and starkly scored finale intro-duction (Mahler 8, Part II). Influ-enced or not, Mahler had studied Rott's score in 1900, and spoken extravagantly of it. It's an ambitious and absorbing work which the late Deryck Cooke would have found fascinating, and, under Leif Seger-stam, it receives a magnificently assured performance. What a pity Rott spoiled his finale with a mis-placed homage to Braluns's First — the texture becomes overloaded, and the inspiration fails his preface. (At the time, Vienna was split by pro-Brahms and pro-Wagner factions,

each of which saw Rott's work as leaning to the opposition: hence his failure to secure performance or pub-lication.) Yet this is a work of true originality, an impressive BIS cata-logue entry. [A:11 Christopher Breunig

SCARLATIT: 15 Keyboard Sonatas ¡vo Pogorelich (pno)

DC 435 855-2 (60m) •

'No one better could be imagined as the interpreter of Domenico Scarlat-ti's sonatas' — that sort of booklet claim goes against the grain with the British collector, who will already be thinking of Horowitz, Michelangeli and Lipatti, even before stripping the wrapper from DG's jewel-case. In fact, Pogorelich offers direct com-parisons in five or so works popular with pianists: Kk9, 20, 87, 159 and 380. With this last he concludes his selection in triumph, albeit in an icy-clear way. Sharp in definition, flawless in proportion, this is a memorable reading. Elsewhere, though, Pogorelich can sound some-what ruthless and hard (Kk20), self-consciously measured (Kk8: a minor-key work — can it be an Allegro? — better suited to harpsichord, eg, Ruzickova/Orfeo), or virtuosic beyond belief (Kk135, with even, brilliant trills and subsidiary infill tossed off with nonchalance). DG's Hanover recording is stunningly explicit, but this is a distillation to savour in single measures rather than imbibe at one sitting. [A*:1*/2] Christopher Breunig

SCHUBERT: Symphony in E '1825' C oh innati Philharmonia Orchl Samuel

Centaur CRC 2139 (60m 09s) •

If this discovery is genuine — and ifs come no bigger — the work would certainly date from c.1825, for it is a mongrel cross of the 'Unfinished' (1822) and No.9, the 'Great' C-major (1825-7). Gerard Samuel's booklet note correctly says that Schubert worked on 'a symphony' in Gastein in 1825, but goes on to say that this E-major is that symphony, and that confusion with the Ninth is impossi-ble because the latter was 'created in 1828'. Certainly its autograph bears the date 'March 1828' but Clive Brown [booklet with Abbado's DG version], Brian Newbould [Schubert and the Symphony, Toccata Press — see book reviews] and others agree that this is completion, not 'creation' date, and that work began in 1825. In 1966 Maurice JE Brown wrote: 'That March 1828 says all there is to say about the composition of the Sym-

100 P11-11 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 5993

classical phony cannot be accepted'. Whence, then, the 'new' E-major? How odd that, with intensive research into Schubert's symphonies, drafts and sketches, Newbould missed a com-plete, fully-scored, hour-long Sym-phony. Schubert's totally different E-major Symphony of 1821 was never orchestrated, perhaps because he found the key orchestrally uncon-genial (he preferred C and D). Strange that he should return for E-major later... We hear in the 'Great' many

echoes of other works — Symphonies 3, 4 and 6, Octet, String Quartet D112, Piano Trio 2, even Winterreise — but none mars the sweep of the symphony. On the other hand, recol-lections of No.8 intrude embarra-singly in this E-major (i), and a Rosamunde-Saint-Saëns amalgam has neither place nor purpose in an untypically diffuse movement. In (ii), Scherzo, borrowings from 9(iii) are so shamefully obvious that one thinks: if this is a hoax, it's a double bluff! In borrowings from 9(ü) are gauche, and a hideously untypical violin solo leads to progressively fus-sier variations. The Ninth is tempor-arily left in peace at the start of (iv) — here, the D-minor Quartet is heavily raided — but an insipid shadow of 9(iv), second subject, eventually appears. The performance is competent

enough, but Samuel explains that he 'gentles' the Trio's tempo even though Schubert [sic] didn't require it. Admission of a crime doesn't excuse it! The recording sometimes displays strange hissing overtones on woodwind. A lone timpani stroke in (i) is beautifully focused, but where in Schubert would one find this effect? Where, indeed, before Ber-wald? This Symphony was written by someone who well knows Schubert's music. All composers make mistakes but I don't think it was Schubert who made this one. [B:2] Robert Dearling

SCHOENBERG: Pelleas und Melisande, Op.5 Variations for Orchestra, Op.31 Chzcago SOIBoult.:

Erato 2292-45827-2 (60m 08s) •

Pierre Boulez has conducted the Schoenberg Op.31 Variations so often it has practically become a party-piece for him. All to the good: this is music that needs the widest and most frequent possible exposure. Boulez has already recorded one excellent account (with the BBC SO, for CBS in 1978); this new one is in my judgement even better — served by a more natural balance, while still scru-pulously observing the varying prom-inence the composer assigns to indi-

2

.2

vidual melodic strands, and benefit-ing from maturer reflection — notice-able in such details as the more natural flow of the finale with its fluctuating tempi and composed-in hesitations, and the generally warmer and more expressive shaping of countless phrases once considered abstract and angular.

Indeed, though I still retain a healthy respect for Karajan's DG version (and the classic early Ros-baud, once available on Wergo), I believe this to be the nearest to an ideal recording of Schoenberg's orchestral masterpiece I've yet encountered. Far from its reputation as an abrasive, unsmiling endurance-test of orchestral modernity, in this performance one can hear how the composer's by-now absolute mastery of the 12-note method combines with his profound innate traditionalism to produce a work as iridescent as Debussy, as contrapuntally dextrous as Bach, as rich in feeling as Brahms. On the other hand, Schoenberg's

youthful, sprawling, and at times undeniably over-elaborated tone-poem isn't a work one has ever associated with Boulez. The general consensus is to treat Pelleas as an extreme example of late-Romantic sumptuousness — this is Karajan's approach, certainly, and very gorgeously inflated it is; but Boulez characteristically goes for the leaner and more progressive aspects of the score; and in this impressively dramatic performance he brings out its darker, haunted side most effec-tively, disclosing in the process hitherto unsuspected kinships of tex-ture and atmosphere with the Debussy Pelléas (of which he has, of course, his own idiosyncratic inter-pretation). There are a few spots in some of the noisier climaxes — not least the big one around 24 minutes in — where Boulez seems uncon-

vinced by what he's conducting, allowing the orchestra to function on automatic pilot with some surpri-singly stolid tempi. But mostly this is a rendering of imagination and dis-tinction. Op.5 [A*:1/2], Op. 31 [11.

Calum MacDonald

R STRAUSS: Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme suite, Op.60 CI Divertimento, Op.86 (after Couperin) Orpheus CO

DG 435 871-2 (68m 26s) •

It's hard to understand why Strauss's Bourgeois Gentilhomme isn't more popular. The music — lively, grace-ful, and witty by turns — is splendidly orchestrated and vastly entertaining. The Orpheus play it with scintillating virtuosity, outshining their modern rivals for sheer vibrancy and bril-liance. Theirs is a racy account, full of fun yet sensuously phrased — try track 11 (The Fencing Master) to sample just one of many delights. The 1941 Divertimento is based on keyboard works by Couperin and not to be confused with the earlier ( 1923) suite also based on his music. It's deliciously anachronistic, dressed in plush colours and with a subtle har-mony that gives the music an ambiva-lent flavour — not quite 18th-century, but not 20th-century either. Diver-timento is beautifully orchestrated, with some delicate scoring (try track 6) juxtaposed with beefier textures. The Orpheus CO take care to keep everything transparent — one could hardly imagine it better played. The recording is bright but not too

forward, with good balances and plenty of detail. The harpischord in Op.86 is nice and clear, whilst there are some impressive brass and low strings in Op.60. [A:1/1*] James M Hughes

Pierre Boulez offers a fresh viewpoint on Schoenberg's sumptuous and elaborate tone-poem Pelleas et Melisande. The coupling surpasses the earlier CBS Op.31 Variations

The concluctorless Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, NY.

Above left: pianist Leon Fleisher plays works for left

hand with the Boston Symphony

HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 'o'

VENETIAN VESPERS: Music by Banchieri, Cavalli, Gabrieli, Grandi, Marini, Monteverdi & Rigatti Gabrieli Consort & I'layers1 McCreesh

Archly 437 552-2 (2CDs, 95m 35s) #

The magnificence and wealth of St Mark's, Venice commanded a unique and privileged musical culture of its own right through the 17th-century. Employing as many as sixty full-time musicians and singers in its heyday, its composers had unparalleled resources with which to respond to the challenges of the St Mark's liturgy, the layout of the great build-ing, and the importance of pleasing the Doge who attended services on major feast days. This carefully con-structed programme records Vespers by Monteverdi, Grandi, Cavalli, Marini, Banchieri and Gabrieli which were originally written for one such occasion, and offers us a veritable musical feast mixing splendour and piety, pomp and poignancy. Everywhere both director and

musicians display great musical flair. Charles Daniels and Peter Harvey, for instance, bring the most exquisite, heartfelt anguish to Rigat-ti's motet 'Salve Regina', supported with great delicacy by two chittaroni and a double harp, with a breaktak-ing sense of ensemble. As ever, McCreesh has dealt

authoritatively with the many unknowns involved in performing music of this period. To reproduce the peculiar tone arising from the St Mark's practice of having mixed cas-trati and naturali male voices on the top part, he has used a combination of male falsettists and female sopra-nos. The result is unusual, oozing with authenticity and eminently suited to the spacious acoustics of Brinkbum Priory where the record-ing, Technics sponsored, was made. Marks off only for the ridiculously short second disc. [This set is at special price for an initial period —Mus Ed.] [A:1] Helena S toward

Below: Paul

McCreesh. Right: 'Venetian Vespers' was recorded at

Brinkworth Priory by Technics. The

subsequent Arch iv release marks a

new signing for the Gabrieli Consort

A feast of Venetian compositions for Vespers, 'oozing with authenticity'

Hanya Chi

ale Ar

c hm

HORSZOWSKI: CPE BACH: Fantasia 2 in C ' /15 I3ACH: Partita in c — Sarabande/ BEETHOVEN: Piano sonata in A-flat, 00.110* Diabelli Variations/ CHOPIN: Fantasia in f, Op.49 Polonaise in c, Op.40:L Nouvelle Etude in f/MOZART: Variations on Gluck's ' Unser Bummer, K455 V SCHUBERT: Sonata in c, Op. posth* Mieczyslaw Horsmwski (pno)

Pearl GUAM CDS 9979(2CDs, 154m 40s) live recordings 1958-83*@ •

These performances, given in various European and United States recital halls, take us up to Horszowski's 91st year and supplement the meagre number of studio recordings we have. (There are CD transfers of Vox material distributed by Albany, and of course the more recent Elektra-Nonesuch recordings. But the wide range of his musical interests is scarcely reflected on disc — central to his repertoire, however, are the Diabelli Variations, here in a 1982 Buffalo realisation.) Pearl's docu-mentation includes insights gleaned in interview and useful biographical information.

Recorded sound is variable, at times poor, and regrettably the same must be said of Horszowski's per-formances. The playing draws a cer-tain sympathy, for Horszowski seems a man entirely without aggression — not passion though (the Chopin Fan-tasy especially). But the gulf here between realisation and lofty intent is surely too great for the non-partisan collector. Idiosyncratic and fallible articulation/rhythm characterize (weaken?) both Beethoven's and Schubert's sonatas; the Mozart varia-tions are charmingly phrased, again with a highly personal approach to dynamic shadings. There's a solid exposition of the Diabelli, clear in detailed concept, utterly absorbed

102

and dedicated; yet frailty mistrans-lates a work whose effect requires reflexes in peak condition as well as intellectual mastery. [C/D:2/4] Christopher Breunig

ENCORE: M idori (v1n)IRobert McDonald (pno)

Sony Classical CD 52501 (74m 50s) •

There is some exquisite violin play-ing here, and the programme has unexpected repertoire — Bartok Dances (Sz56:2 has a graceful qual-ity, the harmonics of No.4 are etched with innocence), Shostakovich Pre-ludes (a haunting Op.34:10 trans-cription), Szymanowsld's 'Fontaine d'Aréthuse' from Mythes — besides lollipops from Dvorak, Elgar, Kreis-ler, Sarasate and Ysaye. Midori is most admirable in wistful or confid-ing lines, where she spins a fine thread; intonation though is occa-sionally questionable (this may be exaggerated by recording coloration). Her work is gradually becoming more interesting and individual — the two Elgar pieces give hopes for a fine Concerto one day. (She will need to find the right conductor if she stays with Sony.)

Robert McDonald never seems fazed by her caprices and the unani-mous timing in Kreisler's Miniature Viennese March is remarkable. But it is a shame she is almost engulfed by his piano's fortes! I thought at first that pianist or producer was guilty of 'kick-starting' [tracks 2, 5, 7, 15, 22] with piano loud, then fading dis-creetly as interest moved towards the fiddle part, as if devised to get the listener involved. But I think the Princeton University hall was just too lively. Sony's recording also coarsens Midori's tone in forte. I'd have to put this disc aside on sonic grounds. 'Super Bit Mapping' or not. [C:1/21 Christopher Breunig

lu-n IEWS& RE00111111111EVI MAY IOW

classical AMERICAN VIRTUOSO: Music by Beach, Gottschalk, Mac Dowell and others Alan l• einherg (p110)

Argo 436 121-2 (74m 41s) •

Saint-Saens put his finger on the craziness of keyboard virtuosi in 'Pianists' (Carnival of the Animals), and the very first item on this disc, MacDowell's Concert Etude Op.36, reflects their glorious madness. Even more, the Lisztian Hexentanz by the same composer puts fingers to the test, whilst Louis Gottschalk's Man-chega metamorphoses accompani-ment figurations sounding like a mechanical player at the wrong speed, to melodic shapes which then transform back into nonsense. His elaborated 'Home Sweet Home' is full of bizarre effects: celeste imita-tions and the theme divided up by rests. Teresa Carreño's Corbeille de fleurs — she studied with Gottschalk and in turn taught MacDowell — crosses Chopin's with the Viennese waltz. Amy Beach is represented here by four pieces, A Hermit Thrush at Eve the most gloriously romantic, with the sounds of birdsong; her Tyrolean Valse-Fantasie is like Liszt without the diablerie. Feinberg ends his recital with the purely joyous Gershwin transcription 'Clap yo' Hands'. He weaves into his prog-ramme (supported by an excellet booklet note, and recorded 'purist fashion' with just a crossed-pair of Schoeps) Grainger arrangements from Dowland, Fauré and Gershwin, and 'County Derry' — all notated, as Feinberg observes, with incredible complexity and sophistication. Fein-berg's seemingly tireless articulation of the near-impossible reminded me of Cziffra or Wild at their most prodigious. Whilst producer Chris Hazell and engineer Jonathan Stokes have given audiophiles a piano CD to test the resolution of their systems, the real pleasure of this disc is that it encapsulates the aromatic essence of a bygone and distinctive era. [A*:11 Christopher Breunig

Stokowski and Le Sacre du Printemps, and Strauss's preferred Don Quixote interpreter

Alan Feinberg's second programme

for Argo: American piano music for the virtuoso . . .

MALMO CONCERT ROSENBERG: Marionettes 0v/BIZET: Carmen Suite 1/LARSSON: Dagens stunder/GLINKA: Ruslan & Ludmilla 0%4/SATIE: Two Gymnopedies/ SHOSTAKOVICH: Festive Ov/ SVENDSEN: Romance*/ALFVEN: Herdmaiden's Dance Anton Kontra (yin)* IMalmii SOI DePreist

BIS CD-570 (78m) •

This attractive collection is clearly intended as a showcase for the Malmo orchestra and its conductor James DePreist. It has no generic title and contains few surprises,

though Rosenberg's pleasant little overture is unlikely to be widely known (it was once recorded by Erhling with the LSO). Larsson's six-movement suite, Hours of the day, taken from one of his many radio commissions, is the only genuine novelty. Three of its six movements were filched to make up the popular Pastoral Suite. The other three are apparently new to record. The orchestra is not the most subtle (the Satie-Debussy pieces have sounded more ethereal) but has many real virtues, not least enthusiasm and a sense of purpose. [A:1] Kenneth Dommett

RCA LEGENDARY PERFORMERS

STRAVINSKY: Petrouchka D Le Sacre du Printemps Philadelphia/Stokowski 09026 61394 2 (68m I8s)

(g recordings from 1929-30,1937 BRAWAS:Double Concerto*/ R STRAUSS: Don Quixote *Nathan Milstein (vIn)1Gregor Piatigorsky (vk)/*Robin Hood Dell OrchlReinerlBoston SOI Munch 09026 61485 2 (70m 47s)

M recordings from * 1951, 1953

It is Disney's classic, Fantasia, which links in our minds Leopold Stokowski and Le Sacre. Stra-vinsky wrote scathingly of his stu-dio experiences (the score was cut for the film, and was 'execrable' — he found the imagery 'imbecilic'). Yet Stokowski had conducted the American concert and ballet pre-mieres. He never made a modern recording of it, although in the 1950s he did two versions of music from Petrouchka (one for Capitol, a concert suite with the Berlin Philharmonic, with bloated sound difficult to reconcile with Stokow-ski's preoccupation with the sub-ject, was reissued by CFP). Oddly, the sense of orchestral colour and transparency emerge more strongly from this historic 78rpm set. Stokowski impels the opening tableau, and even in 'Petrouchka's room' he concentrates on brilliance and drama. My impression from 'The Moor's Room' and 'Pet-rouchka's Death' is that Stokowski saw the characters only as puppets —note the swagger of the puppet-master: he's no more flesh and blood — yet the reading is charis-matic in luminosity (eg, the swirl after the 'Peasant and Bear"). Le Sacre is also remarkably

translucent; timing is more flexible than pertains today — the acceler-ando into 'Dances of the Adoles-cents' thus jars — bubt the pagan

HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

abandon of the final 'Sacrificial Dance', with its modifying pleas from the elders, is powerful in spite of a calculated holding back of tempo. Just listen to the grunt-ing, slavering of low percussion from 2m 36s. Interestingly, both these Philadelphia projects were broken over a period of several months. [H:H/1(*)] On the Piatigorsky disc we hear,

in exceptionally clear sound (albeit with some fizz to upper strings and an 'electronic' smear at the highest dynamic levels), apparently the composer's 'official' Don Quixote. The big, strong-bowed 'Knight's vigil' and sumptuous-toned 'Death' suggest that the composer liked a confident, masculine inter-pretation — not so 'Quixotic' or pathetic a characterisation as Tor-telier's, perhaps (whose first recording, conducted by Beecham, was released two years before Strauss died). Munch was here caught on a sympathetic day (he encourages some bold accents in the Boston performance, not to say rushes of headlong tempi) and this recording is to be savoured for Piatigorsky's extravagant deploy-ment of the Stradivarius. There is, I should mention, a motor-like faint hum on the tape, which one has to learn to discount.

In the coupling, the sound from Philadelphia's Music Academy is much more dated, with varied balances and on my system the image seems more narrow. However, under Reiner, the per-formance by these two close friends sweeps forward exultantly — Piatigorsky and Nathan Milstein (who, sadly, died recently) were both Russian émigrés. A version where the violinist's fine, silvery tone is beautifully complemented by the cello's richness. [B(C):1] [11:1]

Christopher Breunig

103

G8tanford Symphony No. 1 in B hat major Irish Rhapsody No. 2 r. Lament for the Son of Osstan"

Bantock on Hyperion: 'another Tony Faulkner special if ever I heard one. And just look at that total timing'

Symphony No.1 Concert st lack

BRITISH MUSIC

MORAL

reviews by Andrew Achenbach

BA NTOCK: Pagan Symphony Fifine at the Fair Two Heroic Ballads

RPOIHandley

Hyperion CDA 66630 (79m 38s) •

Hyperion's previous Bantock confec-tion [HFNIRR, June, '91] proved such a surprising hit that a follow-up release was always on the cards. Most enjoyable it is, too, offering, as it does, yet more evidence of Bantock's formidable orchestral mastery and some truly spectacular sounds from the RPO under Vernon Handley. The Pagan Symphony from 1927

undeniably demonstrates a greater thematic unity and sense of purpose than its Hebridean predecessor, and though it still sounds altogether too sectional for its own good, it makes for a gloriously decadent, late-Romantic wallow. Bantock's extrava-gant tone-poem Fifine at the Fair will perhaps be familiar to some through Beecham's classic EMI recording from 1949 (now pristinely remastered on CDM 763 4052). Handley plays the score absolutely complete, restor-ing a number of cuts which Beecham introduced on that earlier account. Yet, for all the passionate advocacy of both conductors, I continue to find Fifine a frustratingly diffuse crea-ture. Its most memorable feature — a gorgeously sinuous clarinet cadenza

depicting the seductress heroine of Browning's poem — is superbly per-formed here by Roy Jowitt, who proves himself in every way a match for Beecham's Jack Brymer. Inciden-tally, the second of the Two Heroic Ballads of 1944, `Kistunufs Galley', incorporates a full-throated horn melody which Bantoc•k had already used to equally powerful effect in his Hebridean Symphony some 31 years previously.

All this material is treated to sound of truly sumptuous, demonstration-worthy naturalness — another Tony Faulkner 'special' if ever I heard one. And just look at that total timing, too! [A*:1]

BLISS: Morning Heroes E Prayer of St Francis of Assisi E Investiture Antiphonal Fanfare Brian Blessed (narr)lEast London, Harlow& Hens ChsILPOI Kibblewhite

Cala CACD 1010 (64m 40s) • -2

Dedicated to the memory of his younger brother Kennard (a victim of The Great War) 'and all other comrades killed in battle', Bliss's Morning Heroes is a deeply-felt saluta-tion to heroism in time of conflict from a man who himself experienced the horrors of the trenches. Drawn from literary sources as

timeless and varied as Homer, Li-Tai-Po, Walt Whitman and Wilfred Owen, it is a work whose therapeutic importance for the grieving composer cannot be overstated. And yet, although the profound sincerity of Bliss's cathartic vision is absolutely not in doubt, on a purely personal note I have always found disconcert-ing traces of convention, even com-placency about the finished product. However, many others (and that most assuredly includes Giles Easter-brook, the passionate and perceptive annotator for this Cala CD) do not share my stubborn misgivings, and they, like myself, will welcome a new digital recording of this ambitious utterance.

Michael Kibblewhite presides over a strong account, securing some decent playing from the LPO and a full-blooded, disciplined response from his massed choirs (he is, in fact, the chorus-master of all three!). In the two sections for orator and orchestra (for me by far the most dramatically potent in the entire work), Brian Blessed's more overtly theatrical manner contrasts with the altogether more dignified, dispas-sionate John Westbrook on the ear-lier Groves recording for EMI.

Elsewhere, LPO brass show off their impressive mettle in the Fanfare composed for the Investiture of the

Prince of Wales in 1969, whilst Kib-blewhite's assembled choral forces eloquently intone the Prayer of St Francis of Assisi — a most beautiful setting from 1972. The spacious sur-roundings of All Hallows Church, Gospel Oak provide the perfect set-ting for Tim Handley's impressively focused production, although Bliss's lovingly-woven orchestral tapestry is in some respects even clearer on Groves's 1974 taping. [A:1]

•a:

FOULDS: Le Cabaret — Overture Pasquinade Symphonique 2 E April-England Hellas — A Suite of Ancient Greece Three Mantras LPO/ Wordsworth

Lyrita SRCD 212 (61m 07s) •

Now here's the stuff of real adven-ture! This exciting release showcases a remarkable, questing musical per-sonality. John Foulds ( 1880-1939) was for many years known (if he was known at all, that is) primarily as a composer of light music: the opening item, the jaunty, very Gallic overture Le Cabaret, is a first-rate example; but his more serious output clearly reveals a restless, intrepid explorer. Subsequent tenures in Paris and India (where he died of cholera), as well as a passionate, fruitful immer-sion in Eastern culture, helped further cultivate his highly spiced, headily colourful musical perso-nality.

Lyrita have, of course, already given us Foulds's audacious Dynamic triptych [see 'Reflections'] and now follow it up with this superb record-ing of the even more extraordinary Three Mantras. Dating from 1931, these were originally the preludes from an abandoned opera, Avatara. The opening of (i), 'Mantra of Activ-ity' (a veritable cascade of notes, leading to some vertiginous horn-writing), could hardly fail to grab anyone's attention. This movement

HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1983

british music

generates tremendous momentum, and is propelled to its breathless conclusion by a wild accelerando. By way of startling contrast, an ecstatic serenity permeates (ii), 'Mantra of Bliss' (Foulds's magical use of a wordless female chorus here inevit-ably brings with it echoes of Hoist's 'Neptune'). The tonality of the con-cluding 'Mantra of Will' strictly adheres to an exotic seven-note mode, whilst increasingly revelling in rhythmic savagery — a remarkable, almost frenzied creation. The remaining three offerings,

too, prove extremely compelling: the incantatory, oddly resonant Hellas: A Suite of Ancient Greece; April-England, a luminously-scored idyll

with a rapturously decorative central section; and, not least, the fragrant Pasquinade Symphonique 2 — an extraordinarily evocative essay with a deeply affecting poignancy all of its own.

Barry Wordsworth's terrific Con-stant Lambert anthology for Argo was one of my most-played CDs from last year, and here, too, I'm much impressed by his lucid, sensitive direction. What's more, considering the often hair-raising demands of much of this music, the LPO per-form near miracles of precision throughout. As we have come to expect from Lyrita over the years, this umnissable collection is com-plemented by sound of exemplary sheen and clarity (truly demonstra-tion-worthy in the myriad complex-ities of that wild final Mantra), and Calum MacDonald's highly informed and enthusiastic booklet-notes are a loy to read. Do try and hear!

[A*:11

HOWELLS: Mass in the Dorian Mcde1_, Salve Regina 0 salutaris Hostia E Sweetest of sweets Come, my soul

Antiphon Nunc dimittis EJ Regina caelis/STEVENS: Mass for Double Choir i'inzt Singers/Spicer

Chandos CHAN 9021 (70m 32s) •

Premier recordings abound on this beautifully-engineered CD, amongst them the radiant Mass in the Dorian

Mode written by the 19-year-old Her-bert Howells in 1912 for Richard Terry and his Westminster Cathedral Choir. Conceived in the spirit of Byrd and Tallis, it consciously echoes the free-flowing polyphonic style of those 16th-century English masters; indeed, one can only marvel at the RCM student's consummate virtuos-ity within his chosen idiom — a remarkable achievement. There are four other Terry-inspired pieces here, all from the period 1913-5: The brief 0 salutaris Hostia (which draws on the hymn-tune 'Rex gloriose'); Nunc dimittis for double choir; and two of the Four Anthems of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 'Regina cadi' and the ravishing 'Salve Regina'. Paul Spicer and his superb group also give us three late settings from 1977: George Herbert's Sweetest of Sweets and Anti-phon Met all the world in every corner sing'); and John Newton's Come, My Soul. Altogether more progressive in their harmonic lan-guage, they provide further proof that Howell's enviable fluency remained intact right to the very end of his career.

It's good to see more recordings of music by Bernard Stevens appearing (I remember being particularly impressed by his powerful Second Symphony — HFN/RR, April '90). This Mass for Double Choir dates from 1939, though in fact the manu-script was not found until after the composer's death in 1983. Clarity and restraint are the keynotes in Stevens's truncated setting (the 'Credo' is omitted), and these perfor-mers clearly relish the tasteful refine-ment of the writing. A stimulating collection, then, graced by exemplary annotations from Patrick Russill.

[A:1]

PARRY: Symphony 1 Li Concertshick in g DV /Burners

Chandos CHAN 9062 (52m Sis) •

Dating from 1881, Parry's First Sym-phony already exhibits all the warm-hearted tunefulness and sheer gener-osity of spirit so characteristic of this fine composer, nowhere more so than in the opening Allegro con fuoco's charmer of a second subject, whose gentle, very English dignity is truly echt Parry. Annotator Bernard Benoliel rightly cites the major influ-ence of Schumann (and the latter's Rhenish in particular) on Parry's symphonic manner. I can also hear strong echoes of Dvorák — and what sounds uncannily like a direct quota-tion from that Czech master's Sixth Symphony at the close of (i)'s exposi-tion. Truth to tell, for all its at times ramshackle design and over-ambitious proportions — at nearly

Top left: Michael

Kibblewhite.

Below: Sir Arthur

Bliss. Facing

page: Brian Blessed battles his

way to the recording studio . . . (Next page: music from

Walton's Henry V

suite!)

Lyrita's unmissable collection is complemented by sound of exemplary sheen and clarity

HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 105

british music

Aaron Rosand: a really fine artist ignored by the major record companies, yet whose musicianship and stylish perception are second to none

Vernon Handley: 'first-rate, as ever'

in Stanford

43m, Parry's material hardly justifies the extended duration — I derived far more pleasure from the present sym-phony than its successor of 1887, the so-called Cambridge. The ten-minute Concenstück of

1877 inhabits a more resolutely Ger-manic landscape, but it's a sturdily conceived, often impressive creation for all that, and a valuable postscript to the main offering here. Suffice to report, Matthias Bamert secures con-sistently sympathetic (if not always ideally concentrated) playing from the LPO, and the Chandos produc-tion is a typically ripe-toned affair. All told, this forms another interest-ing instalment to what has been a most welcome series. Incidentally, readers may like to know that Chan-dos have now also repackaged all five Parry Symphonies plus the Sympho-nic variations as a handsomely pre-sented, full-price 3CD set. [A:1/2]

RAWSTI4ORNE: Piano Concertos 1 & 2 Li Concerto for Two Pianos* Geoffrey Tozer& *Tamara-Anna Cislowski (pnos)ILPOIBamert

Chandos CHAN 9125 (62m 43s) •

Resourceful, impeccably crafted music of strong character. Alan Raw-sthome wrote his First Concerto, originally scored for piano, strings and percussion, in 1939. The com-poser subsequently revised the piece for full orchestral backing some three years later: the version recorded here. It's a work of undoubted subst-ance and considerable facility, boast-ing a central Chaconne of grave beauty, and permeated by a tangy, constantly probing harmonic sense — Hindemith with an English accent is about the nearest description I can think of.

If anything, the Second Concerto of 1951 leaves an even stronger impression; indeed, this piece has all

.2

.1

the potential for wide appeal, con-taining more than a sprinkling of grateful melody in the outer move-ments and a third movement Adagio semplice of limpid, bitter-sweet charm. By contrast, the darker-hued Concerto for Two Pianos (completed in 1968, three years before the com-poser's death) wears a rather more inscrutable demeanour. Concision and restraint are the key-notes at this late stage in Ftawsthorne's career. Again, one cannot fail to be impressed by the sheer workmanship on show — try the last movement Theme and Variations, a fme speci-men of this composer's ever-fertile powers of invention.

Performances are past praise in their sensitivity and commitment: Geoffrey Tozer displays both exquisite taste and exemplary dash, ably abetted by Tamara-Anna Cis-lowski in the Two-piano Concerto; and full marks to Matthias Bamert for obtaining such beautifully turned, enthusiastic accomplish-ments from a notably alert-sounding LPO — no trace of routine here! Technically, too, this is a real treat: Goldsmith's College provides the airy setting for an immaculately balanced production, with solo instrument(s) set in perfect relief against the orchestra. As I've already said, the Second Concerto especially strikes me as an immensely likeable piece, so why not give this enterprising, super-bly engineered CD a try? [A*:11

STANFORD: Symphony 1 El Irish Rhapsody 2 Ulster OrchlHandley

Chandos CHAN 9049 (6/m 49s) •

In 1876 the Alexandra Palace (at the time North London's premier con-cert venue) organised a competition for a new symphony. Fresh from his studies on the continent with Reinecke and others, the 23-year-old Stanford duly entered, his effort win-ning him the second prize of £5! At just over three-quarters of an hour, it makes for quite a haul, but by no means an unpleasant or fruitless one. As you would expect, there are strong echoes of Mendelssohn and Schumann; of Schubert also (the Scherzo, for instance, is marked 'In Lândler tempo'). Yet a commendable amount of the composer's own perso-nality keeps breaking to the surface: the atmospheric slow movement breathes a distinctly Celtic air, and the finale possesses authentic Stan-fordian bounce and good humour. Hardly a major find, perhaps, but a thoroughly amiable one, and a praise-worthy achievement for such a com-parative fledgling. The Second Irish Rhapsody was

completed in February 1903, follow-

ing a commission by the great Dutch conductor Willem Mengelberg. It bears the subtitle 'The Lament for the Son of Ossian' and is in effect an extended processional of no mean eloquence and (unusually for this composer) emotional pungency. First-rate work, as ever, from the Ulster Orchestra under Vernon Handley — I trust the conclusion of this excellent Stanford series doesn't spell the disappearance of this fine partnership on record — backed up by a vividly spacious recording. [A:1]

WALTON: Violin Concerto CI Henry V — Suite D 'Spitfire' Prelude & Fugue El Capriccio Butlesco Aaron Rosand (vin)IFlonda POI Judd

Harmonia Murrell HAIU 907070 (59m 42s) •

How nice it is to encounter that accomplished fiddler Aaron Rosand once again — here's an example of a really fine artist ignored by the major record companies, yet whose musi-cianship and stylish perceptions are second to none. The Walton Con-certo finds him completely at home; his technique is rock-steady, intona-tion wonderfully true, and tone-quality always agreeably mellifluous. Interpretatively speaking, Heifetz is clearly the guiding light behind Rosand's mobile, colloquial traversal, and James Judd's quick-witted yet affectionate accompani-ment matches his conception like a glove. Granted, Harmonia Mundi's sonics are far from exemplary, with an unfortunate tendency to glare within a slightly cramped acoustic, but this does little to hinder full appreciation of what remains a dis-tinctly idiomatic account. Judd directs similarly athletic, bra-

cingly lean-textured accounts of all the fill-ups — indeed, this unbuttoned account of the sparky Capriccio Bur-lesco in particular comes close to matching the composer's own superb rendition with the LSO on Lyrita. The Florida Philharmonic are a relatively new orchestra (founded in 1986), but it's clear they can already boast a most impressive roster of promising instrumentalists, some of whom, I'm sure, will be knocking on the door of the 'Big Five' before too long (their principal trumpet is a star in the making — witness the opening movement of the Henry V Suite). Judd's wholly beguiling rubato allied to some ravishing string-tone in 'Touch her soft lips, and part' would melt anyone's heart, I'm sure — again, though, if only the acoustic were more accommodating . . . Despite technical reservations, then, a thor-oughly enjoyable collection. [B:1/1*]

106 HI-F1 NEWS II RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

reflections GLENN GOULD The second sequence of remastered Gould recordings on mid-priced Sony Classical is nearly all material formerly on CD (thereby allowing one to test the high claims made for 'Super-Bit Mapping' tech-niques). But there is one work new to the catalogues: a com-plete Beethoven 'Pastoral' in Liszt's transcription; it comes from a 1968 CBC radio tape. Glenn Gould professed a loathing for Liszt's music, especially the transcriptions, yet at one time he planned to set down the Beethoven cycle in its entirety. A Fifth was issued; but regrettably he broke off sessions for the Sixth, completing only its first-movt ( subsequently released on the 'Silver Jubilee' LP). With different voicings and use of light staccato, the CBC version offers fascinating comparisons [CD 52637, 55m 27s]. Gould employs slow, Celibidache-like tempi here; unlike Katsaris's Teldec performances, the Lisztian side is played down — Gould as it were bypasses transcri-ber, to realize his own vision of the Sixth. Controversial — what else? [B:2] Gould disliked — or affected

to dislike — 'piano playing'. (This term of disparagement he extended to certain types of work, eg Braluns's sonatas and variations were 'pianists' music — ugh!'.) That was the one quality which alienated him against his own brilliant debut recording, Bach's

phot

o: Don HunsieinISony Cla

ssic

al

Goldberg Variations. Hav-ing, as he described it, 'disco-vered slowness', he took nearly 13m longer over his 1981 digital version. One of CBS's very first compact discs, this was transferred as a single track with 32 index points, at a time when few machines had the requisite facility; now we have track access throughout [CD 52619, 51m 15s]. Further, the sound is now more focused, clarifying both balance and instrumental character. The reading is of course uniquely personal; one senses the logic and discipline of the 'single pulse' concept, to make the set of variations an organic whole. [A:1*]

Goldbergs were almost his last piano recording. However, in 1982 he com-pleted a second Brahms prog-ramme for CBS: the Ballades Op.10 and Rhapsodies Op.79. The Edition couples these with ten Intermezzi from 1960 (Opp.76:6 & 7; 116:4; 117:1-3; 118:1, 2 & 6; and 119:1). Prior to 1982, Gould had neither sight-read nor heard the Ballades performed com-plete; but his seemingly casual approach to preparation is surely distorted in the booklet note. (Be warned, the lengthy 'self-interview' with this set [CD 52651, 2CDs, 84m 42s] is a clever pastiche, albeit based on known facts.) The sound here isn't like that on the Goldbergs: a different stu-dio was used, and the tone-

quality is softer, yet apt for Brahms. I find Gould's account of the Ballades highly attractive, for all its manner-isms. Remastering hasn't changed the shallowness of the older Brahms tapes. The readings are in part slow, heavy — although after Pogorelich's recent foray, they no longer startle. There's also magnificent darkness in Op.118:6, an exquisite aura about Op.117:2, but a sloppy rhythmic freedom to Op.118:2 which brings the second disc to a sentimental-ized conclusion. [A/C:2/1] JS Bach's Two-Part Inven-

tions and Three-Part Sinfonias (BWV772-801) date from 1964. On LP, the sound had a certain notoriety, and this must be ascribed to Gould's tinkering with a prewar, much travelled Steinway for which he had developed an obsession. The genesis of the recording (wherein Gould adopts a pairing sequence of keys at variance with those in the manuscripts), its abortive sessions and the many hours of painstaking post-production work involved are described in the notes [CD 525%, 50m 04s]. The pianist himself blithely wrote of the project 'stay tuned in — we're fixing it'! The 20-bit master-ing improves over earlier CD and (even more so) LP ver-sions; the sound is cleaner in focus and more rounded in sonority. With plenty of vocal accompaniements, Gould's highly individual presentation varies from the drily mecha-nical to a withdrawn, slow cantabile (eg the G-minor, BWV797). Yet there's an air of inquisitiveness, a new-minted discovery in this music. [B:1] Christopher Breunig

ARS BRITANNICA: Old Hall Manuscript Madrigals and Lute Songs Pro Cantione AntiqualTurner Teldec 2292-46004-2 (2CDs, l32m ¡8s) C) 1980 •

Pro Cantione Antigua have gone from strength to strength, and are now one of the world's lead-ing all-male early music ensem-bles. They have made an unusual success of bringing together a number of soloists and learning to work as a cohe-sive group; their sense of ensem-ble is faultless yet is woven from the purest solo threads. The programme draws on

music from Britain's musical heyday — the 15th and early 16th-centuries — reconstructing pieces from the Old Hall Manu-script. This compendium of numerous genres of sacred music is probably the most important surviving source from this magnificent period. Several of its greatest treasures, includ-ing music by Dunstable, John Cooke and Lionel Power, are recorded here. The original recordings have been rearranged comfortably on two discs, the second of which is devoted to madrigals and lute songs of the later English masters: Tomkins, Wilbye, Wheelks, Morley and Dowland. It was a rigorously produced set and worthy of remastering, with its beautifully rendered acoustics sounding all the better on CD. [A:11 Helena Stoward

JAMAICAN RHUMBA: Works for two pianos by Benjamin & Grainger Jones, McMahon (pnos) Pianissimo PP 11192

1983 • C) (48m I3s)

Delicious West Indian pastiches from Arthur Benjamin, followed by Grainger's Lincolnshire Posy and [sub-indexed] his Porgy and Bess Fantasy: this programme is hardly less charming and relaxing than a decade ago, when I praised the original Oriana LP. The instruments are a Steinway and a Beesendorfer — full marks to Pianissimo for identifying each player in L/R channels (often a source of frustration: take the Rachmaninov Suites on Teldec, is Argerich on the left or Rabinovitch?). The early digital recording is soft in focus within the resonant acoustic of Cardiff University's concert hall. [B:1] Christopher Breunig

MAY1993 107

RICHARD STOLIZMAN BERNSTEIN: Prelude, Fugue & Riffs/CORIGLIANO: Clarinet Concerto/COPLAND: Clarinet Concerto/STRAVINSKY: Ebony Concerto* Richard Stoltzman (chi* dir)1 LSOILeighton-Smithl *Woody Herman's Thundering Herd RCA 09026 61360 2 (65m 44s)

0 1989 except * •

The Stravinsky — a revealing, jazzy performance, intimate in scale, and recorded in a pop-studio like ambience, NY 1987 — has been added to a programme rightly starred by KD on its original release [HFlii;RR May 1989, artist interview also]. I would have starred the outstanding Saks/ Faulkner Walthamstow pro.-duction too. Had there not been a very slight degradation in sound quality ( inexplic-able) on the new transfer, this would have been reissue of the month'. Well, perhaps it still is: Stcdrzman's playing is simply incredible, and the LSO gets well into the Amer-ican idiom. The Copland is a fine piece which might even convert those with antipathies towards his music; and the elegaic middle movement of the Corigliano (its first is a seething, bubbling cauldron of sounds) should attract an even greater audience now, in the wake of Tavener and Gorecki. [A:1*], Stravinsky [B:1]

Christopher Breunig

JS BACH: Cantatas BVVV 67, 108 & 127 Soloists/Munich Bach Chi Munich State Op Orchl Richter feldec 9031-77614-2 i'61m 05s) C). 1959, 1960 •

The age of these recordings is suggested more by the sound quality than by the style of the music-making. String tone is thin and glassy, not always fully in focus, and balance is imper-fect between the soloists. Peter Pears is poised, incisive and elegant in the tenor numbers,

and Keith Engen is not far behind him in the bass arias. The women are less happy: Antonia Fahberg is a safe but unexciting soprano, and Lilian Benningsen is an over-fruity contralto. The choir and the members of the State Opera Orchestra are sound, and three fine cantatas, none of them very generously represented in the current catalogue, are attrac-tively presented, if a little dully, by Karl Richter [C:2] Peter Branscombe

BRAHMS: Symphonies 1-4 II Haydn Variations Munich POI Kemp: Acanta 44 2094-2 (4CDs, 172m 06s) C) 1976 •

Shoddy presentation from Pilz: the same fizzy photo on flimsy box and each insert card (blank on the reverse); no annotation, production credits or overall timings. With two CDs at under 40m, this could easily have been a 3CD set avoiding side-breaks, the performances first appeared on four not very inspiringly cut LPs from BASF/Acanta. Digital mastering, however, brings no increase in definition — fortes tend to blur. Perhaps Testament could license Kempe's EMI recordings, made with superior orchestras (BPO/RPO), once on CD boxed with Krips's [!] Haydn Variations. Incidentally, EMI have just reissued Kempe's fine 1955 €1) German Requiem — Grummer/Fischer-Dieskau/St Hedwig's Ch/BPO. With first-movement repeats

ignored, even in Three, these are solid, well-crafted perform-ances; but Kempe's flexibly paced, warm view of Brahms is compromised by his second-rate orchestra. [B:2] Christopher Breunig

BRAHMS: Piano Concerto 2/ BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata in f, Op.57 Sviatoslav Richter (pno)I Chicago SOILeinsdorf RCA 07863 56518 2 (71m 21s) Recorded 1960 •

It was lam, I had known these recordings since their first LP pressings, and I had the 'Papil-lon' CD on my shelves. Yet I couldn't go off to bed until I'd heard half the Brahms once more .. . How well it stands up, both in the burning intensity of Richter's playing, suggestive of a live event, and in Leins-dorf's understanding part-

nership — Robert LaMarchina is the sensitive cellist in (iii). Claudia Cassidy's 1960 note has been brutally butchered for a 16-line reprint here. Richter's Appassionata is

idiosyncratic: he builds an auda-cious first movement, at one moment deliberating at extraor-dinary lengths over the founda-tion details, then with bouts of intermittent frenzied activity he invents a structure barely cap-able of self-support; the finale slashes like winter rain on the cheeks. Incidentally, it would be good to have on CD his Carnegie Hall recital version from the same year [CBS], together with Opp. 2:3, 14:1, 26 and 54. [B:1*][C:2]

Christopher Breunig

BRAHMS: Cello Sonatas Opp.38 & 99 Yo-Yo Ma (v1c)1Emanuel Ax (pub) RCA 09026 61355 2 (56m 52s) (1) 1985 •

Why do embossed tray liners look so crude? This CD bears a gold/blue spine-legend 'Master Collection' — the cover looks as if it were shot at Mme Tus-saud's! In any case, I suspect this reissue comes too late: these artists have re-recorded the two Brahms Cello Sonatas, adding a transcription of the Violin Sonata Op.108. Their Sony disc [CD 48191] shows a fractional shift to quicker tempi, and in Op.38(i) the exposition repeat is omitted. But on RCA this open-ing movement is too slow, too lacking in tension, especially when the following Allegretto is leisurely in manner. More suc-cessful is their contrapuntal finale and the much later Sonata in F-major. Ma is highly elo-quent in the espressivo of the Adagio affetuoso: more sponta-neous than on Sony, I think. Acceptable engineering, though the piano dominates — Sony's sound is clearer. Op.38 [B:3/2], Op.99 [ 1/1*].

Christopher Breunig

MOZART: Clarinet Concerto/ SPOHR: Clarinet Concerto 1 in c/ WEBER: Clarinet Concerto 2 Gervase de Peyer (c11)/LSO/ Maagl Davis Decca 433 727-2 (71m 57s) C) 1960-61 •

A reminder of the superlative technique of the LSO's one-time principal clarinettist (many households will still have his

earlier Mozart, under Anthony Collins). Apart from some gruff-ness to string tone, there's little to betray 33 years old tapes in the Mozart (Kingsway). A closer, tighter acoustic character denotes the Decca West Hamp-stead studios for Spohr and Weber — with Colin Davis, these accompaniments are more lively and pointed than the solid Maag's. An excellent `Serenata' reissue, properly documented and annotated. [A/B:1/1*1 Christopher Breunig

RAVEL: Bolero Rapsodie espagnoleiCHABRIER: Espana/ DUKAS: Sorcerer's Apprentice/ SAINT-SAENS: Carnival of the Animals* Suisse RomandelAnsermal *LSOIHenderson Decca 433 613-2 (68m 15s) C) 1958-65 A

Two halves, as it were, of former Decca 'Weekend' CD program-mes with classic Ansermet mate-rial replacing a keyboard 'besti-ary' or — seen the other way — a witty, virtuosic Carnival con-ducted by the American Skitch Henderson in place of Anser-met's El Amor Brujo, plus the Dukas. As I've said before, the Saint-Saens original had a uni-que narration by Beatrice Lillie and a chorus of animals from London Zoo: why not reinstate it all? Pianists here are Julius Katchen, Gary Graffmann — at 30s, 'Wild Asses' indeed! (Some poor edits obtrude in `Pianists'.) The eloquent 'Swan' is former principal cellist Kenneth Heath. Excellent value. [B/C:1] Christopher Breunig

108 HI-FI NEWS 8. RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

reflections Below: Josef Krips

Left: Julius Katcken Bottom: Sir William Walton (seen at a recording session

for Lyrita)

SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto Papillons Arabeske/

LISZT: Petrarch sonnets 47, 104, 123 Wilhelm Kempff (pno)ILSOI Krips Decca 433 404-2 (68m 57s)

recordings from 1951, 1953

Cortot, Lipatti, Kempff: the most poetic versions of the con-certo aren't modern recordings (of those my choice would be Brendel's). Kempffs playing may not be as determinedly fast as the little boy's in Madame Sousatzka [Channel 4, January], but it is both virile and imagina-tive. How tenderly, how deli-cately he introduces the Inter-mezzo (and how fine the shad-ings of strings under Krips here). In the 1950s Kempff was at an artistic peak — these Schu-

mann performances are more delightfully engaging than any of his DG remakes. In Papillons and the Arabeske his manner is free, improvisatory — not techni-cally faultless yet highly attuned to Schumann's fantasy. The few Liszt pieces Kempff

recorded were inward-looking rather than flamboyant. In these sonnets he communes raptly: the playing has a private, reflec-tive stillness.

Last on 'Eclipse', all this material is here restored to mono. Strings are very pinched and `whistly', but the solo part in the concerto is clear yet with-out too forward a balance. This CD will only attract a selective audience, but gratitude is due to Decca for it. [H:H] Christopher Breunig

SCHUBERT: Die schiine Müllerin Ernst Haefliger (ten)/E rik Werba (pno) Sony Classical CD 48287 (61 m 315) recorded 1967 •

It was only after I had started listening to this recording that I was startled to notice the caption to the large photograph in the leaflet: 'Andreas Haefliger' — an absurd misprint [The pianist Andreas, who does record for Sony, is Haefliger's son. — Mus Ed], for the voice is immediately recognizable. It is not, however and alas, at its characteristic best. Haefliger was 48 when the recording was made, and is not helped by the closeness of the microphone placement, which also produces occasionally jar-ring jangles from Erik Werba's

piano. There is intensity of delivery and perceptive articula-tion of the words, though mono-tony of timbre and uneven legato detract from one's plea-sure at the intelligence of both artists. Incidentally, I could trace no earlier release of this recording, though I know two others by Haefliger of this cycle, with Bonneau and Dallier as the accompanists. Interesting, but not compelling. [B/C:2] Peter Branscombe

TELFAIANN: The Day of Judgement D Uno Alexander (sop)I Landwehr-Herrman (sop)/Canne-Meijer (con)IEquiluz (ten)/van Egmond (bass)/ Hamburg Monteverdi ChIConcentus musicusl Harnoncourt Teldec 9031-77621-2 (2CDs, 121m 37s) C) 1966, '91 •

In April 1991 I praised this recording of ¡no — a cantata for solo soprano with orchestra — preferring it by a small margin to Barbara Schlick's version with Reinhard Gübel, on account of Roberta Alexander's less 'operatic' approach. It was coupled then with Handel's Apollo e Dafne, but this recou-piing with Der Tag des Gerichts displays the excellent con-sistency of Harnoncourt's recordings over the years. The overture to The Day of

judgement is spectacular and exciting (bearing a passing resemblance to Bach's Branden-burg Concerto 2). It must have been very striking when first released to listeners unused to the immediacy of period strings and oboes, the power and dry-ness of the old timpani or the attack of the natural trumpets. The choruses are sung with vigour, and the whole work, despite its serious subject, is full of joyful episodes. The analogue recording is bright and reveal-ing. We know that research has advanced apace recently but it is difficult to see how the style of this performance could be improved upon. Telemann subtitled the work

'A poem for singing in Four Contemplations' and each is far from subdued — especially in the characterisation of the male voices in such roles as ' Disbelief' and 'The Mocker'. The choruses of the fourth Contemplation have exceptional power — espe-cially in the Messiah-like 'Praise him you choirs of seraphs' and the final 'The right hand of God

is raised'. 1 wish that all ana-logue recordings of the mid-1960s had such exciting sound. Even granting a touch of over-brilliance, this is comparable technically to many a recent digital recording. [A:1] Antony Hodgson

VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: Piano Concerto/FOULDS: Dynamic Triptych Howard Shelley (pno)IRPOI Handley Lyrita SRCD 211 (57m 05s) C) 1984 •

A superb pairing, truly one of the pinnacles of the Lyrita legacy. Fine as Shelley's Chan-dos remake of the craggy VW Concerto was, it never quite recaptured the fearless abandon and electric tension of the pre-sent account with an inspired Handley and the RPO. John Foulds's colourful concertante offering from 1929 — complete with crazy quarter-tone slides in its oddly Bartókian middle movement 'Dynamic Timbre' — makes fascinatingly eventful, off-the-beaten-track listening (I understand there is more mate-rial by this intriguing figure already in the Lyrita pipeline). As on the original LP, sonics are quite stupendous throughout. Incidentally, aficionados may like to know that the CD insert now reveals a `ElDD' source for all of this material. [A*:11 Andrew Achenbach

WALTON: Façade — Suites 1 & 2 D Gloria E Marches — Orb & Sceptre, Crown Imperial D Te Deum RobothamIRolfeJohnson/Cook! Worcester Cath ChorICBSO & Chl Frémaux EMI CDfA 764 2012 (67m 02s) C) 1977 •

Brilliant, but tiring sound in the jazzy Façade music — the engineers just about avoid jum-ble in the Bedworth Civic Cen-tre, but all the other works were done in the more sympathetic acoustic of the old Town Hall. However, not without precedent in the ' British Composers' series, the transfer is inferior to the original: eg, compare the disagreeably coloured choral sound in Gloria with that on CDC 747 5122, firmer and cleaner throughout. A fine Waltonian, Frémaux recorded the uncut version of the Crown Imperial Coronation March. [A/C:1/11 Christopher Breunig

HI-F1 NEWS & RECORD MEW MAY 1993 109

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Nagaoka LP inner sleeves: 50, £7.25 D; 100, £13.50 El; 500, £62.50 0 PVC heavy-duty LP outer sleeves: 50, £ 15 1=1; 100, £27 0; 500, £ 120. C I2in poly bags for LPs: 50, £5 D; 100, £9 D; 500, £40 D HFNIRR 001 Fluxdumper: black-ash box £22.95 0 HFNIRR 004 Blackhead: m-c step-up transformer; £60.95 O HFNIRR 005 Spikes: timber D steel D, inc fixing kit, set of 8, £10.25 D HFNIRR 006 Flutterbuster: 331/3rpm. 220/240V only, OK for most synchronous t/t (specify type); black-ash case £81.95 D HFNIRR 007 Carrydisc: 14 CDs in a 40mm travel pack! £12.25 D HFNIRR 009 Headcase: headphone amplifier. 40mW Class A unit allows use of headphones; black-ash case; 220/240V-only £81.95 D HFNIRR 010 News Stand: 19in/430mm housing, 36in high, complete with 5 shelves (3 adjustable) black finish £142.95 HFNIRR 011 Mushcrusher: 220/240V mains filter. 5A rating £25.95 D HFNIRR 012 Software Storage System: satin black timber (Medite). stackable, supplied in kit form. LP unit ( 120 capacity) £55 D CD/cassette unit (40/25) £35 D singles unit (200) £40 D HFNIRR014 Stylus Cleaner: ultrasonic cleaner; £19.95 D HFNIRR 015 Test CD II: 99 tracks, 75mins. £ 12.25 D HFNIRR 016 Software Storage: 4-high CD storage unit £70 D HFNIRR 017 WallNut II: wall mounting two-level turntable support complete with two shelves; finish, black £59.95 D Cobra Indoor FM antenna: indoor aerial, built-in amplifier £49.95 0 Audioquest vacuum tube dampers: set of 412.25 D Audioquest damping sheet: sorbothane, 6 x6in self-adhesive £12.25 D Good Sound: Laura Dearborn's paperback £ 11.25 HFNIRR self-build loudspeakers: details available for DCI & Bassett Audiophile records: Cantate Domino £7.95 D Jazz At The Pawnshop (2LP) £ 15.95 D Casino Royale CD £10.95 0; J Boyk Stereo Miking CD £12.25 D Pictures At An Exhibition (Boyk) £13.95 LP D £13.95 CD D Good Vibes At The Pawnshop Jazz Club £8.95 LP D Jazz at The Pawnshop II £8.95 LP D £ 13.95 CD 12 Reissues James Taylor 2LP D CD 0; Hopkins 2LP D CD III; Lomax 2LP O CD D; Preston 2LP D CD C. ? 2LP £8.45, CD £10.95 Alphason Tonearm Lifter: Yes, it really does! £14.25 D CD Feet: Audioquest Sorbothane. Pack of 4 £25.95 Decca record cleaning brush: £9.95 D CD Jewel Cases (packs of 10): standard, Sin complete £6.50 D; Sin, outer £5 D; slimline 5in £6.50 0; double jewel case, complete (each) £ 1.75 D. Sin clear protective sleeve (pack of 5) 75p D Calotherm: CD cleaner cloth £2.25 D Hi-Tech Lenscloth £ 1.60 0 Kontak two-bottle cleaning kit: £19.95 D Tweek £ 16.95 D Audio Anthology, Vols 1,2,3 (each) £ 17.25 D; Loudspeaker Design Cookbook, £ 16.25 0; Killer Car Stereo, £ 16.25 Finyl: Starter pack, 100 discs, £15.25 D; Finyl, 200 discs £25.95 13 Isopod: ceramic feet. Set of 3 D £25.95 Insert Audio banana plugs (per pair) £3.95 D The Audio Glossary: J Gordon Holt's paperback £9.95 D High Performance Loudspeakers Vol 4: Martin Colloms £28.50 TDK Digital Noise Absorber £8.95 El Moth record cleaning machine, kit £ 180 D complete £333 Duo Tech Cable Enhanler, £ 175 D HFNIRR Spring Cleaning Kit £48.20 D Audioquest Works of Art £7.95 D Chesky Best of . . . £11.95 D Apple 'Phase 2' (state titles) - LPs £8.95 El CDs £10.95 D First Base £49.95 D ART Graphite Dampers: Set of 3, £49.95 D set of 4 £59.95 D Harmonix RSII Foils: 8 per pack £17.95

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STOP THE HOP

Worn CDs respond well to

a little Bundee

treatment . . .

Vague stirrings in the Kessler RAM sector suggest that I played with the Bundee CD3 CD Repair Protection System or something very much like it some years back. And those saine

stirrings suggest that I filed it away immediately to a minor directory for the simple reason that there weren't enough reasons to want it. I mean, CDs face so few risks compared with LPs that only a berserker, a toddler or a Sun reader could damage a disc enough to baffle the correction circuitry built into every player. When the latest version of the kit arrived, I thought, 'Not again'.

Then I remembered that we are about to celebrate the format's 10th anniversary, and that the passage of time and the insidious pricing have created a market for used discs. And I also remembered that only the week before, I'd purchased four or five second-hand CDs. Even though all of them played perfectly, they were cosmetically challenged. But I did have some discs which wouldn't play because of scratches, and I am enough of a fetishist to want my CDs to wear a perfect shine, so I decided to investigate the kit's ability to salvage the skippers and tart up the tatty. The kit comes with three fluids and a pack of four cloths. I don't

know if it's mandatory, by I allocated one cloth each to the three Huids, keeping the fourth for final polishing. Fluid No 1 is the cleaner used to prepare the disc for restoration; Fluid No 2 is the repairer which fills the surface scratches; and Fluid No 3 creates a protective coating for future peace of mind. You simply apply a few drops, rub it in radially, finally removing the residue; this procedure is used for each of the fluids.

Regarding the most important claim, that of eliminating skip-ping, I have to confess to utter amazement. On discs with minor scratches, the kit did manage salvation. It would not work with deep grooves which cut into the substrate, but worked on four of the five CDs I tried, which had suffered less fatal crazing. Not surprisingly, this related to the calibre of the player, because I have a few discs which work perfectly on my newer machines but which cause problems with older or cheaper players. The use of the Bundee fluids must therefore, by my faulty deduction, relieve error correction circuitry of much of the burden. Which in turn should mean that the player is not working quite so hard, leading to the suggestion that the discs not only play through without skipping: they also sound 'better'.

As for the cosmetic claims, yes, the Bundee treatment does have the same effect that a full valeting service had on my aged Audi.

Again, it depends on the size of the scratches, but the full three-part treatment does deal admirably with the minor surface scratches which produce a dull, hazy effect.

I'm not going to suggest that this kit works miracles; neither did I find that it improved the sound of brand-new CDs as will Finyl or ART's CD oil. But for good old rejuvenation, this kit is a peace-of-mind-restoring bargain. So why was it named after the klutz from ITV's Married With Children? 4- Ken Kessler

110 HI-FI NEWS & RECORD 9£VIEVI MAY 1993

rock/pop/jazz IRGINIA ASTLEY .L SHALL BE WELL

iport: Nippon Columbia/Happy illey COCY-9661 (37m 53s)

's been some while since nger/pianist Astley's last bum but here she returns in )od form. Not with a blare of wnpets — that's not Virginia's yle. Hers is a small world, led with a frail beauty that's sentially English. But, while taming a degree of vulnerabil-y that makes her approach so )pealing, she now exudes a net confidence. There are no .t singles on this mainly vocal Tering, but Astley, supported y guitarist Anthony Coote and string quartet, sings of lost

ive and tugs at heartstrings ith such poignancy on com-ositions like 'My Smallest riend', a song about raising her nall daughter, that it's impos-ble not to be moved. %:1/2] Fred Dellar

PAUTIROL PEOPLE 60'S WERE 90'S

astle Communications SS CD 200 (44m 53s) •

magine having not only the run f Jimi Hendrix's catalogue but lso permission from its curator, dan Douglas, to slice and splice iherever you wish. No, it's no seam. For Beautiful People it's reality. A group of Dis and

ausicians, they've sampled ocals, guitar, segments of peech and even crowd noises rom over 30 Hendrix record-ngs and superglued them to a oundtrack fashioned for the cid-house generation. And, mprobable as it seems, the ploy requently works. There are noments of inevitable predicta-nifty and tape joins that seem as nept as the spelling on the CD >ooklet, but for provoking ;asps of amazement from know-ng friends, it's a winner. A/B:1/2] Fred Dellar

ELKIE BROOKS ROUND MIDNIGHT

astle Communications TVCD 113 (49m 52s) •

Although this 16-track set of standards distances Elide even further from her rock/R&B roots, it should come as no surprise. With greater claims to Vegas-cred than her erstwhile colleague Robert Palmer, Elide let us know as far back as 'Pearl's A Singer' that she really wishes she was Julie London.

And she does it well, with far more chutzpah and panache than most rockers-turned-croonettes. Her taste runs the gamut, from Monk to Van Heusen, and you never feel you're listening to a pretender. Conversely, I don't want to be around when some sniffy purist like, well, our Editor, hears her version of the title track. [A:1] Ken Kessler

JAMES BROWN UNIVERSAL JAMES

Scotti Brothers 514329-2 (54m 07s) •

Sad really, given Brown's posi-tion in the pantheon of rock-'n'roll heroes that he's now sim-ply regurgitating his past, and trying to disguise it as some-thing new by tagging on ele-ments of rap and hip-hop. Is this really the Godfather of Soul who brought us ' It's A Man's World' and 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag'? Is this 'The Sex Machine', the man more responsible than anybody else for the invention of funk? Sure, he still sounds like the hardest workin' man in showbusiness, but all that work doesn't seem to be taking him anywhere. And, when James Brown starts to sound like a third rate Kool and the Gang, as he does on 'Just Do It', you begin to realise it is time to move along sharpish.

Johnny Black [A:3]

THE THE AND ALL THAT THAT IMPLIES . . . THE THE DUSK

Epic 472468-2 (41m 04s) •

If this CD had featured just one golden age cover, I'd have sworn it was the new Bryan Ferry album. Then again, it might've slipped out of the oldies pile, say, a John Cale-circa-'76 release. But it isn't. Dusk might just be the most musical thing Matt Johnson's ever recorded. But it's off kilter enough to remind us that we're talking indic roots and all that that implies. Maybe the change is partly because Johnson is sharing the load with a band that is in full sync. Maybe it has to do with Johnny Marr, who gets better and better the further he gets away from that curse called Morrissey. And maybe it has to do with Johnson passing 30, because the mate- . 4̀ rial is, schizophrenically, both e post-punk and wistful/ romantic. I loved it to pieces. [A:1] Ken Kessler

Not the most charismatic of vocalists, though his confid-ing whisper-to-a-monstrous-moan approach has decorated records that have rarely been less than engaging, Matt Johnson is up and baring his soul with only his second album in the past seven years. Has the wait been worth while? Most defiitely yes, but you want reasons. Well, the most compelling inducement to buy has to be the quality of Johnson's support squad, built around a fulcrum of Johnny Marr (guitar), james Eller (bass), and DC Collard (keyboards). They colour each page in The The's perso-nal book of revelations with a wit and verve of their own, helping Miserable Man to sound positively joyous even when the Tarot cards are not in his favour. The result is a melodic collection of songs to dwell on and dissect. John-son's honesty shines through, the singer reflecting 'Every-body knows what's wrong with this world, But I don't ever know what's going on in myself.' And this is ref-reshing, in light of a rock multitude who know exactly

how to put the world to rights and spout their stuff in the most mediocre of ditties. Darkly dangerous, it's true, but easy to take nevertheless. [A:11 Fred Dellar

Well I'm not so sure. I mean, yes, it's a good album but, for me, Matt Johnson has yet to fulfil his initial promise. His integrity and intelligence are not in doubt but, on his early albums, he successfully com-bined poppy tunefulness with dark lyrical imagery. That unlikely brew gave his work a unique edginess and a spine-tingling ambience which isn't there now that he's just another prophet of doom. But what do I know? Vox maga-zine awarded it a healthy 7 out of 10; The Independent calls it 'almost commensurate with his hype'; The Sunday Times rates it 'far more stylish than anything since The The's 1984 masterpiece, Soul Min-ing'; Sky reckons it 'may be the closest The The ever get to a pop record'; and Q awards four generous stars while dubbing it 'the second-best The The record to date.' [B:1] Johnny Black

1141 NEWS & RECORS) REVIEW MAY 111•3 II I

Dina Carroll: So

Close, so subtle; below, Dinosaur jr: making

musical gnmge

DINA C/UtROLL SO CLOSE

MAI 540 034)2 (53m 44s) •

With three UK Top 25 singles included (`Special Kind Of Love', 'Ain't No Man' and the title song) this almost pans out as a greatest hits and it's obvious that several others too will even-tually become the toast of Radio One. `This Time', for instance, is the kind of song Whitney

Wotsit would vocally oversell, the big exit-stage-left-to-mucho-applause number. Carroll is, thankfully, a mite more subtle and has obviously never checked out Shirley Bassey. So she's to be admired and comes deserving of recognition in the stream-lined soul stakes. What else? Well, Wotsit's mum provided the backup vocal arrangements on `Heaven Sent', the Blues Brothers' horns are in there, as is the harmonica of Judd Lander, a UK A&R man who once fashioned those engaging

licks on Culture Club's 'Karma Chameleon'. Also . .. but no, let's just say that Dina Carroll is a singer of talent, that the songs are of marketable quality if not memorable, and the word 'immaculate' springs to mind in terms of production. Which is all you need to know. Isn't it? [A:1] Fred Dellar

DINOSAUR JR WHERE YOU BEEN

Blanco Y Negro 4509-91627-2 (48m I Is) •

I shan't dwell on this, because I know KK hates this outfit with all the venom he can muster [which is a lot! — Ed] but I'd sooner have this than 99% of all known grunge bands who claim them as an influence. As I hear it, there's an underlying musi-cality in J Mascis and his cohorts, however distorted and trashy their sound, that gets overlooked. Their early preoc-cupation with The Cure has now been almost totally swamped by a hard-rockin' Neil Young fixa-tion of frightening intensity, except that Mascis' lyrics and his vocal delivery retain a Robert-Smithian vulnerability for which I'm a sucker. Grunge with a marsh-mallow heart. [A*:2] Johnny Black

EAST 17 WALTHAMSTO1Y

London 828 373)2 (61m I6s) •

They dance better than EMF, but then who doesn't? Evermov-ing legs in banks do not a band make. They rap a lot, the differ-ence being that East 17 provide their mini-rants in Cockney accents. Then so does The Sha-men's Mr C. We're talking teen Brit-rave: the intro that holds you momentarily until the drum machine moves inevitably into gear, the difference often purely a matter of BPM (beats per minute). Not that East 17 are entirely predictable: `Gold' is not too far removed from some-thing New Order might have shoved in our direction, while `I Disagree' is neatly quirky, a dislikes listing clad in sounds that Yello at their most minimal-ist might have dreamed up. So there is intelligence at work, but some of the sloganising is a bit yawn-provoking and the suspi-cion remains that when East 17 chant War's Gotta Stop', they could just as easily be counting this month's share of royalties. [A:1/2] Fred Dell«

KENNY G BREATHLESS

Arista 07822 18646-2 (76m Ils) •

Kenny G's honey-toned sax-ophone rippled briefly across the consciousness of the Great British Public in 1987 with his minor hit `Songbird'. In Amer-ica, however, his undemanding suburban boudoir mood music has assured regular Top 10 album placings, and its promin-ence in the Whitney Houston film The Bodyguard has nudged this newie into the US Top 3. Realising that over an hour of wall-to-wall all-day-thumb-sucker saxophonic pleasantness might induce a state not unlike hypnosis in much of his audi-ence, Kenny has wisely inclu-ded two vocal cuts, using the talents of Peabo Bryson and Aaron Neville, to shake listeners back to something resembling reality. Immaculately played and impeccably recorded, but the title Breathless, might be more accurately rendered as 'The Shallow Breathing of Anaesthesia'. [A:1*] Johnny Black

LYNYRD SKYNYRD WE UST REBEL

East West (advance tape, 50m approx ) •

Considering that Skynyrd has more surviving original mem-bers than the Rolling Stones, and that one replacement is a blood relative of the late Ronnie Van Zant, can we assess this without reference to the dear departed? Not. This second album from the reformed Southern boogie band is so retro that even the press release allu-des to `a song in the tradition of past Skynyrd epics such as 'Free Bird'? The Last Rebel stops just short of remaking `Sweet Home Alabama', but there's an obvious yearning for the days of the Capricorn label, stupid cow-boy hats and a peanut farmer in the White House; no bad thing if you like moonshine boogie and rolling piano. But what possessed them, always distinc-tive enough to stand out from the Southern crowd, to name their latest 'epic' Born To Run'? If they hope to revive Southern chic (possible, I sup-pose, with another Good 01' Boy as President), then a nod to a New Jersey asshole is the last thing Skynyrd should offer. [A/11:2] Ken Kessler

112 HI-FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 111113

rock/pop/jazz OMAR AND THE HOWLERS COURTS OF LULU

Provogue PRD 70452 (45m 56s) •

Omar & the Howlers owe less to rock and country than they do to the blues. This latest studio set reaffirms Omar's affinity for Texas blues throughout its 13 tracks, even though the CD's title pays homage to a Missis-sippi juke joint. But then it gets confusing: there's some straight uptown boogie, some pure rockabilly/rock'n'roll, some Fif-ties Fenderising and an opening track that sounds like the Roll-ing Stones' The Last Time' after an accident with a Peter-bilt. The real link to previous releases, the key to the Omar feel, is his voice, so gravelly it makes Captain Beefheart sound like Kylie. Great party music. [A/B:1/2] Ken Kessler

THE POOH STICKS MILLION SELLER

Zoo/BAIG 72445-11043-2 (35m I6s) •

Short and sweet. How could it be otherwise with titles like 'Sugar Mello', 'Sugar Baby' and 'Jelly On A Plate'? Yes, it's the return of our old friend Perfect Pop. This time around, Swansea is the supplier, the Poohs taking their name from the greatest sport ever invented by AA Milne. Where their music comes from is evident from copious sleevenotes which declare 'We'd recommend any-thing by The Raspberries'. A good sign as far as Perfect Pop is concerned. You get tunes with which you can singalong instantly, harmonies that'll have you looking up your old albums by Spanky, Harpers Bizarre and

BOXING YOUR EARS My optimism has not been misplaced: the record com-panies really are learning how to produce worthy box sets. And, as the giant acts enjoyed the first round of Reissue Fever, the 'lesser' artists are now being covered. I mean, who'd have thought we'd ever see a definitive Lonnie Done-gan package?

Puttin' On The Style (Sequel NXT CD 233 4) is an intelligent three-CD set con-taining an unbelievable 77 tracks, more than enough to satisfy any skiffle-head. Wisely, the compilers have split the work into distinct categories, better to show that Donegan did more than stick a lump of Wrigley's on his headboard each evening. Disc 1 contains the skiffle hits which inspired even the Bea-tles; Disc 2 the novelties and Disc 3 the evidence that Lon-nie could handle ballads. It's a masterful set containing a fact-filled booklet, dealing admirably with an important, hitherto overlooked chapter in British rock history. Of equal worth is the

Troggs' Archaeology 1966-/976 (Fontana 514 423-2 E. Ostensibly a two-disc history of the band, it contains 52 tracks, pre-`Wild Thing' to mid-Seventies comeback drivel. In between? Some of the dumbest, grungiest, most wonderful radio fodder of the era, plus a booklet to treasure.

But I said this is `ostensibly' a two-disc package. To my blessed surprise, the review copy arrived with a third disc, 11 minutes' worth of the wonderful `Trogg's Tapes', the no-holds-barred, fly-on-the-wall studio chatter which inspired Spinal Tap and others. But act quickly: this may be a limited bonus. Oh, and beware certain London shops and famous multiples asking £40 for this set. Then ask yourself why the EC com-mission just decided not to investigate CD pricing . . .

Last up, another hard to fault Blues extravaganza. The four-CD Chess Blues (MCA/ Chess CHD4-9340 4) shows the depth and breadth of the Chess vaults. A stunning 101 tracks from 1947-67, includ-ing 46 `rarities', 19 of which are previously unreleased, just in case you're a Chess know-it-all who thinks he or she can pass this by. The 64-page booklet offers infor-mation on artists including Billy Boy Arnold, Otis Spann, Hound Dog Taylor, Elmore James, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Lowell Fulson, Albert King, Little Milton, Johnny Shines and other giants of the genre. With nice transfers plus a well chosen mix of artists and material, this stands proudly along-side . . . no, head and shoul-ders above any blues box you care to name. Ken Kessler

The Association, lotsa well-strummed guitar and all things nice. The downside is that lead singer Hut (Hue Pooh?) lacks vocal charisma and the lyrics are sometimes untidy. But if you're looking for a land where the skies are always blue and leaves never fall from the trees, Million Seller is the ideal soundtrack to your search. [A:1] Fred Dellar

VARIOUS BEST OF MOUNTAIN STAGE VOLS 1911

This Way Up (44m 49s; 45m 28s) •

If you need a reason to move to the USA, check out this pair of CDs distilled from Mountain Stage, a two-hour live radio programme broadcast to over 100 stations. Here's just a sam-pling of the 23 artists repre-sented: Dr John, Dan Hicks, NRBQ, Clive Gregson and Christine Collister, Richard Thompson, Buckwheat Zydeco, Delbert McClinton, REM, John Prine. Notice a common thread? Despite the variety of genres covered, these artists all make music. Okay, so you can blanket the disc with the AOR epithet, but these are the performers who keep the anti-synth/rap/ crap audience from offing them-selves. These are positively gorgeous CDs, full of great per-formances. And I don't even like Billy Bragg. [A:1111 Ken Kessler

VARIOUS INDEPENDENT 20

Beeclnvood (TT016CD) (78m 05s) •

The great tragedy of today's music industry is not the predic-tability of major label releases, but the self-delusion and self-

regulation that has caused indic music to become as stereotyped and fashion conscious as main-stream rock. I'm long enough in the tooth to remember when receiving a review record on an unfamiliar label meant a) I didn't know what to expect and b) I was often pleasantly surpri-sed. It might be bossa-nova string quartets or broadway reg-gae or electronic raga punk, but it was almost sure to be some-thing the majors wouldn't touch with a shrink-wrapped barge pole. Now Indic has become a generic term for anything recorded way up in the red that can't be danced to and wishes it was the Velvet Underground or Big Star or Nirvana or, more usually, all three at once. OK. Gripe over. This is a fair sam-pling of currently namedrop-worthy indic bands from Sugar to Spiritualized, Pulp, Pave-ment, Suede and Belly. If you like any one of them, you won't be offended by the others. And that's what I call a tragedy. [B:2] Johnny Black

VARIOUS PEOPLE GET READY

Shanachie SHACD 09004 (44m 05s) •

Subtitled 'A Tribute To Curtis Mayfield', this loving collection of 11 covers was recorded in late 1992 to help defray the costs of Mayfield's medical bills follow-ing a stage accident which left him paralysed. To further test his mettle, the fates torched his home. To the rescue comes Sha-nachie, a label already estab-lished as caring enough to dig deeply. Using a dynamite studio band featuring Steve Cropper, the label attracted Vernon Reid, Huey Lewis & the News, Delbert McClinton, Don C,ovay, Bunny Wailer and other

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114 141-11 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

rock/pop/jazz fans of the Man, to perform their Mayfield faves with feel-ing. To hear Wailer singing 'Keep On Moving', Kim Wilson with 'Gypsy Woman' or Jerry Butler with 'Choice of Colours' makes most other cover collec-tions seem slightly daft. This is more like magic. And half the royalties go to Curtis. [A:1] Ken Kessler

VARIOUS STAIRWAYS TO HEAVEN

Vertigo 514 552-2 (73m 44s) •

Like the Beautiful People album reviewed above, this is one to cherish not for the music itself, but for its built-in jaw-drop potential. The concept, tailor-made for the Wayne and Garth generation, is a set of 22 cover versions of Led Zep's 'classic' 'Stairway To Heaven'. Rolf Harris's version has already charted, so you get the idea, but to Rolf you can add reggae, psychedelic, jazz, orchestral and 18 equally bizarre treatments. It's fun, but the joke wears thin after a while. Imagine, however, a dance party at which you play, for example, two Beatles cuts, and follow up with what sounds like 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand', then watch as your guests crack up when they real-ise it's actually a Beatlesque version of 'Stairway'. Big fun, huh? Unfortunately, I've always considered the original 'Stair-way' to be such an overblown ragbag of witless clichés that it rendered parody totally unnecessary. [Ooch! — Ed] [A:1/2] Johnny Black

LUCINDA WILLIAMS SWEET OLD WORLD

Elektra 3705-61351-2 (45m 27s) •

Country rocker Lucinda, bless her soul, looks like a lady who's been around, soaked up life like a sponge and neither knows nor cares how to get her music on the radio. This is, by my count anyway, only her third album in a decade and, like its predeces-sors, it's probably destined to be a lost jewel. There's so much heartache in Lucinda's voice, so much truth in her direct and simple lyrics, that it's lump in the throat time almost from start to finish, and that's often too much to take in a world where we're weaned on pop platitudes and sickly sweet ballads where true love conquers all. In Lucin-da's world, true love is a mighty

shield, but it can't be every-where at once, and reality keeps sneaking round the edges. Here is a wonderful album that will reduce even the hard of heart to whimpering jellies, and leave them feeling much better for it. [A:11 Johnny Black

DEBBIE GIBSON BODY, MIND, SOUL

East West (advance tape, 48m approx) •

WENDY JAMES WENDY JAMES

MCA D 10800 (38m approx) •

VANESSA PARADIS VANESSA PARADIS

Remark Records/Polydor 513 9542 (37m 39s) •

Three former nubiles, all undo-ing their pasts? Maybe, maybe not. More like reviving others'. The squeaky-clean Gibson, who once shifted a lot of records, has issued a retro album, con-sciously or unconsciously. You want late Seventies disco, you got it. So lame, so passé . . . at least when Kylie did it she was hip to the joke. Wendy James, who doesn't know whether she wants to be Madonna, Wendy 0 Williams, Siouxsie or Cher, finally learned that Transvision Vamp wasn't going to provide her with immortality, so she enlisted the help of Elvis Cos-tello. And EC, circa 1993, isn't exactly the writer I'd call on to salvage my career if I were in James's situation. But he rose to the occasion, with material suit-able for her all-but-non-existent

tt I

Lucinda

Williams: hear

the heartache

•

vocal talents. So what you get is an intelligent Transvision Vamp album. And it says more about Costello than it does about james, namely that he can still rock. Imagine what this would be like if she'd called on the Brodsky Quartet instead? Which leaves us with Mlle Para-dis, who also turned to a sea-soned pro to assist with her first English language release. And this paedophile's fantasy is one sharp lady: she latched onto

Wendy James: in

search of immortality?

Lenny Kravitz. Forget `Joe Le Taxi' — all that remains of that novelty is the Minnie Mouse voice. Lenny fed her some ter-rific material and produced it with sympathy; it's all at once cool, sexy, paisley and charming. So she's not just a pretty face. But I'm docking his disc a star because of Kravitz's self-indul-gence in the last track. Even if it is tongue-in-cheek. [A:2/3]; [B:2]; [A:1] respectively

Ken Kessler

H141 wsa RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 115

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rock/pop/jazz BILL FRISELL HAVE A LITTLE FAITH

Elektra Nonesuch 7559-79301 (60m 56s) •

One ot the handful of great guitarists recording today, Frisell gives as much attention to his ensemble music as to his fretboard. Some hold this against him but, to arrange Cop-land, Ives and Sousa for small electric combo (accordion, clar-inet, bass and drums) takes dar-ing and wit. In the late 1970s Omette Coleman declared the electric guitar could be used orchestrally: Frisen takes him at his word. Muddy Waters' I Can't Be Satisfied' becomes a harmolodic hoedown; John Hiatt's 'Have A Little Faith In Me' a delicate tone poem; Madonna's 'Live To Tell' a hymn into which the guitar bursts like the very devil. Frisell's pastel period on ECM was obviously an appren-ticeship: he has now emerged as a postmodern re-composer/ bandleader of the first water. Though producer Wayne Hor-vitz lets both guitar and Don Byron's chilling clarinet soar to the ether, it never effaces the sense of reality in Joey Baron's drums: the clarity is never over-bearing. Defiantly intelligent, asking what constitutes musical genre, it's also a lot of fun. Kind of what jazz was meant to be from the beginning. [A:11 Ben Watson

MICHEL PETRUCCl/MI PROMENADE WITH DUKE

Blue Note 0777 7 80590 28 (47m 50s) •

Born in 1962, pianist Petruc-ciani is celebrated for his teenage association with expatriate jazz-men Kenny Clarke and Clark Terry in Paris. Here he plays unaccompanied on Duke Elling-ton war-horses (`Caravan', 'Take The A-Train', 'C-Jam Blues' etc). His attack is ripplingly confident, but he doesn't explore the varieties of mood these tunes are capable of, tend-ing towards Debussyesque blues, romantic but samey. The 'state-of-the-art' reproduction of the Steinway is suitably glassy and hard, but wearing, even over the mean running time. [A:3] Ben Watson

DAVID MURRAY & MILFORD GRAVES REAL DEAL

DIW 867 (Import) (63m 54s) #

Current contender for world's best tenor in a swashbuckling duet with the pioneer of free tempo drumming. Excellent drum sound, still rare on a digital recording, allows Graves to exploit his genius for percus-sive colour: his responses to Murray's bass clarinet are parti-cularly inventive. Diehard noisemakers like Peter Brotz-mann will say it ain't Albert Ayler (and it ain't) — but a

beautiful record nevertheless. Murray's consistency on his cur-rent flood of releases is asto-nishing — shades of Coltrane in 1956. If you've wondered about the avant-garde but never dip-ped, start here. Nice to see sleevenotes in English and Japanese: informative stuff. [A*:11 Ben Watson

CHET BAKER 8. PAUL DESMOND TOGETHER (THE COMPLETE STUDIO RECORDINGS)

Epic 472984 (56m 30s) •

In the 1970s, jazz was overcast by marketing strategies, but one patch of sunlight (besides the Loft Scene) was the late-night, easy-listening sound of Creed Taylor. Usually associated with the funky side of things (Grover

Washington Jnr, Yusef Lateef), here he took two of the most famous players of the West Coast 'cool' school and came up with some nicely swinging, unobtrusive music. Chet Baker's trumpet is Miles-without-the-angst, while altoist Paul Desmond has a trick of slowing down the pace as he starts a solo, pulling more weight than you'd expect. Ron Carter (bass), Kenny Barron (electric piano — now sounding evocative, even classic, rather than gimmicky) and Steve Gadd (drums), are their usual, impeccable selves. A well programmed collection of unambitious sounds and a pleasant reminder that, in terms of warmth, the 1970s still have something to teach the digital 1990s. [B:2] Ben Watson

JAZZ ROUND-UP Last year's tour by a re-formed Jimmy Guiffre Trio has sparked interest in his folksy, intimate, 'chamber' jazz. European trombone whizz Albert Mangelsdorff sounds ill at ease on his attempt, as if he'd rather be doing something else, all flurry and no core (Dodging Bullets, Black Saint 120108 •): a lapse for an otherwise high-quality label. Multi-instrumentalist Joe McPhee (soprano, trombone) fares much better on Impress-ions Of Jimmy Guiffre (CELP C21 lb) with longterm part-ners André Jaume (tenor) and Raymond Boni (guitar). Sweet rather than saccharine, they develop an impressive momentum. The trio's Guif-fre covers and (what sound like) free improvisations have some of the fizz of John Zom's News For Lulu project. Zorn's band Naked City play on Grand Guignol (Avan 002 *), basically 1987's Tor-ture Garden plus deathmetal arrangements of Debussy, Scriabin, Ives and Messiaen. This might seem to resemble Frisell's current direction, but Zorn is altogether more violent: overt genre-splatter rather than subversive insinuation. After six years, 'Torture Garden' still sounds heart-stopping; the new tracks are even more scary. If that isn't enough, it's dressed up with 'shocking' medical

pictures (yee-urgh!) and a lit-de lecture about the 'darker side of human nature' (thanks, John).

It was also six years ago that Lester Bowie's Brass Fan-tasy did a world tour and recorded for Virgin's Venture label (Twilight Dreams, CDV E 2 They were fun back then, but now sound too camp to bother with — Larry Williams' Personality' is toe-curlingly bad. Sound is pun-chy but thin: Bowie's one-dimensional arrangements don't help. The line-up (Bob Stewart, tuba; Stanton Davis, trumpet etc) is second-to-none, but there is never the sense of risk that makes this kind of music come alive. Whatever happened to the Dirty Dozen Brass Band? Barbara Dennerlein — the

Hammond organ sensation from Munich — must have parted company- with Enja, as her latest is on her own label (Solo, Bebab 250986 4)). The recording is a little diffuse: a shame because Dennerlein's sense of Hammond power is second to none. There's real excitement as she experiments with new voicings and pedals the bass at virtuosic tempi. She exploits the surreal chur-chiness Dave Stewart used when he was with Egg and indulges the emotive, blues-drenched sound the Ham-mond is famous for. This is a special album. Ben Watson

HI- F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 117

WU All PAIRS PLAYING WITH A DIFFERENT SEX

RPM RPM107 (71m 44s)

Another gem from RPM, a label intent on doing the honourable thing with reissues. In this case, it's the whole of the Au Pairs' first LP, plus non-album singles tracks and liner notes you'll actually read. Nice to see this thorough approach applied to the Au Pairs' post-punk/pre-gloom, political/activist indie clamour. More melodic, more technoid and certainly more competent than the pure punk which preceded it. [A/B:1/2]

BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST/ONCE AGAIN

BG0 BGOCT/152 (80m 08s) •

AND OTHER SHORT STORIES/ BABY JAMES HARVEST

BG0 BGOCD160 (77m 22s) •

BJH's first four, from 1970-72, on two CDs. And is it not time for a reassessment of this band, better loved in Germany than in its homeland? For a group which unashamedly favoured the crisp pop of the Beatles to the progressive dreck of the era, they took a lot of stick while their contemporary American Britbeat revivalists garnered only acclaim. This is stunning pop music with a touch of gran-deur — or what made ELO wealthy. [A:1] [A/B:1/2]. [A:1] [A/B:1/2]

SHIRLEY BROWN FOR THE REAL FEELING

Sfax/Ace CDSXE 082 (36m 56s) •

Another lost gem from the Stax vaults, Brown's 1979 release for the label and a worthy effort from the singer who provided us with the sensational Woman To Woman. Though not quite as powerful as that debut LP, this disc reinforced her image as one tough-yet-sensitive singer, Mil-lie Jackson with restraint. For the soul connoisseur. [A/B:1]

ERIC BURDON CRAWLING KING SNAKE

Thunderbolt/Magnum CDTB 017 (38m S3s) •

Post-Animals, non-War, circa-early 1980s solo stuff, showing that Burdon could still cut it as a blues belter. Indeed, he sounds more comfortable here than he ever did with flower power, pro-

test, funk or any of the other genres which deflected him from the path. The originals on this disc don't have the kick of the covers — compare Burdon's 'No More Elmore' to his version of Elmore's 'It Hurts Me Too' — but overall it's as good as any Britblues of the day. [B:2]

DEEP PURPLE SINGLES As & Bs

EMI COP 0777 7 81009 2 8 (77m 08s) •

The 1971 compilation of the same name expanded by eight tracks up to 20, to include mate-rial released up to 1976. Despite the flood of Purple packages over the past two years, this adds enough rarities to entice headbangers of an historical bent, while the accompanying booklet is a standard setter. Great, protean HM. [A/B:1/2]

SLIM HARPO THE BEST OF

Ace CDCHM 410 (47m 25s) •

Eighteen tracks from one of the most influential yet underrated bluesmen of all. As his name suggests, Harpo was a harmo-nica player and one of the very finest. His effect on the Rolling Stones' early sound was as great as Chuck Berry's; listen to his version of 'I'm A King Bee' to hear where Jagger learned to buzz. Marvellous material, veer-ing from the scary to the sexy to the rocking. [B/H:1]

LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS HOW MANY MORE YEARS I GOT

Ace CDCH 409 (75m 37s) •

YOU'RE GONNA MISS ME (LIVE 1971)

Ethel EDCD 357 (36m I2s) •

One of the few bluesmen able to match John Lee Hooker in por-traying the bleak, the dark or the sinister, Hopkins was always something of an acquired taste. But there's no telling what for-tunes would have been his had he lived long enough to enjoy the patronage of those who revived John Lee's career. The Ace set contains 19 studio tracks from sessions recorded in 1%2, the previously unreleased live set a decade later. With a decent band in the studio, Hopkins still managed to sound like he was on his own. On the live set, he'd have been better off that way. [A:1]: [C:2]

THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND HARD ROPE AND SILKEN TWINE

Edsel EDCD 368 (44m 11s) •

LIVE IN CONCERT

Windsong WINCD029(62m 35s) •

Two in one month — kaftan wearers must be shaking their bells with glee. Edsel has unear-thed the ISB's last release for Island, from 1974. It features a couple of live tracks and 20 minutes' worth of Mike Heron's 'Ithkos', which tells you about attention spans 20 years ago. Windsong's live set predates the

above; it was recorded in 1971-2 in London and captures the band during a peak of sorts.

[A:1/2] [A/B:1]

JACK THE LAD IT'S JACK THE LAD

Virgin CASCD 1085 (.51m 47s) •

THE OLD snug« TRACK Virgin CASCD 1094 (45m 49s) •

ROUGH DIAMONDS

Virgin CASCD 1110 (40m 05s) •

Three Jack the Lads, each with bonus tracks, for Lindisfarne completists and other fanciers of finger-in-the-ear British folk music. Livelier,jauntier and less po'faced than most other practi-tioners of the genre, ideal for retro-minded students who can't get to grips with psychedelia.

[A /11:2] [A/B:1/2] [A:21/2]

LOVE COMES IN COLOURS

Raven/Topic RVCD-29 (74m 55s) •

Again, this Aussie label has come up with an ideal collection to embarrass the artists' own label. Twenty-four well chosen tracks, including a rare single and an interview with Arthur Lee, tell the story of one of the most fondly remembered West Coast bands of the 1960s.

[A/B:1/11

MANFRED MANN AGES OF MANN

Polygram TV 514 326-2

(61m 50s) •

TV-advertised, 22-track 'best of' from one of the more distinctive bands of the First Wave. Only the Zombies attempted to mix as much jazz and R&B into straight

pop in the early 1960s as did the

Paul Jones-led version of this outfit, and the group was one of the first non-folkie acts to cover Dylan. Too closely associated with the ephemeral nature of the mod era — Ready Steady Go! and all that — but far more than '54321'. A superb hits-only col-lection. [A/B:1]

JOHN MAYALL TURNING POINT

BG011110CD145 (47m 20s)

The title is apt, for this key release (from '69) finds the God-father of British Blues changing direction and leaving behind his dependence on wanderlust-driven guitar heroes. The change meant an increase in jazz content, a fascination with Cali-fornia and (for better or worse) the recording of all-original material. Not an the ideal pur-chase for those who want more Bluesbreakers; rather, it's for fans who worked their way through the Decca titles in chro-nological order. [A/B:2]

CURTIS MAYFIELD A MAN LIKE CURTIS

Music Club MUSCD

007 (70m 48s)

In the same month as the Mayfield tribute CD, a delicious 16 track best-of. Okay, so it's not quite up to the calibre of the recent US 'definitive', but, hey — this costs under £6. Some of Mayfield's finest post- 1970 tracks, including `Superfly', 'Move On Up' and `Pusherman'. Great urban soul and possibly the best set yet from this pioneering budget label. [A/B:1]

MOTT THE HOOPLE MOTT THE HOOPLE/MAD SHADOWS

Edsel EDCD361 (73m 53s) •

What a double-hitter! Mott's first two on one disc! This is simply perfect 'cusp' music, Mott linking the heaviness of the late 1960s with the glam of the early 1970s, a band which illustrates the transition better than any other. The eponymous debut included enough covers to reveal the band's roots; by the time they reached Mad Sha-dows, it was all original material of an incredibly high standard. Essential for lovers of uniquely British rock, especially in the limited edition pic-disc format of the first `few thousand' copies. [A/B:1/2] [A/B:1]

118 HI-F1 NEWS & RECORD RENEW MAY UM

reissues OLLIE AND THE NIGHTINGALES XLIE AND THE NIGHTINGALES

Stax/Ace CDSXE068 (31m 25s) •

Who knows what treasures lurk in the Stax archives? Ace do. Like the Shirley Brown release above, this is another over-looked masterpiece. 011ie & the Nightingales did as a five-piece what Sam & Dave did as a duo: kick-ass soul of limitless power and intensity. The funk edge confirms the release date, 1970, but this has more in common with Sixties soul than the post-Sly/pre-Clinton era. [A:11

ORIGINAL KILUNG FLOOR ROCK THE BLUES

See For Miles SEECD 355 (49m 30s)

Part of See For Miles's 'Great British Blues' mini-label, this late Sixties rarity is a perfect example of a band just a year or so too late to enjoy the momen-tum of a genre in full swing. By the time this mildly progressive release hit the racks, the other British bluesers had moved on to metal. [B:1/2]

QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE HAPPY TRAILS

BG0 BGOCD151 (50m 26s)

JUST FOR LOVE

BG0 BGOCD141 (39m 37s)

Quicksilver was one of the bet-ter San Francisco originals, less likely to lose itself in mindless psychedefia than most, though it's hard to ignore the anarchic nature of a mini-'symphony' based on Bo Diddley riffs. Happy Trails is something of a Left Coast classic despite the preoccupation with Diddley; the live tracks provide a great taste of how bad certain music can be if you have no drugs to tune it.

[A:2] [B:1/2]

STEELY DAN SUN MOUNTAIN

Magnum CDTB 139 (53m 46s) •

Another volume of pre-fame Steely Dan rarities, 17 tracks (eight previously unreleased) including early versions of later greats such as 'Any Major Dude Will Tell You' and 'Brooklyn'. Although fairly rough-sounding in places (good demo quality) there's enough here to suggest

that any A&R man worth his weight in vinyl should have signed Becker and Fagen on the spot. [B/C:1/2]

U2 WAR

Mobile Fidelity Ultradisc II UDCD 571 (42m 45s)

The disc that put this dire band on the map, gold-plating over base metal. Bombastic, self-important rock not worthy of special attention. Instead of this pretentious, wailing turkey, find the Henry Rollins interview recently aired on The Word. It'll tell you all you need to know about U2. [A:2/3]

VARIOUS BLUE MONDAY

Stax/Ace CDSXE 080 (49m 20s) •

Lest you thought Stax only issued soul recordings, here's a dozen blues numbers from Albert King, Little Milton, Lit-tle Sonny and Freddie Robinson to show another side. Primarily uptown blues, it's distanced from, say, classic Chess Blues by a good decade in style and recording technique. [A/B:1/2]

VARIOUS CAPITOL COUNTRY MUSIC CLASSICS — COWBOY MUSIC

EMI CDP 0777 7 80677 2 6 (75m 44s) •

No disguises here: this set is pure tobacco-chewin', red-eye drinkin' yahoo material, maybe even too far West for the Opry. Twenty-seven tracks from the ancient to the recent, with Tex Ritter, Glen Campbell, Tennes-see Ernie Ford, Ferlin Husky, Wanda Jackson and others sing-ing the kind of songs that just wouldn't seem right if warbled by Billy Ray Cyrus. [A/B/H:1/2]

VARIOUS CAPITOL SINGS JEROME KERN

EMI CDP 0777 7 99569 2 1 (70m 31s) •

CAPITOL SINGS RODGERS AND HART

EMI CDP 0777 7 98478 22 k73m 06s) •

The cream of EMI's artists sing standards: how can you go wrong? Peggy Lee with 'I Won't Dance' and 'The Lady Is A Tramp', Nat King Cole singing 'This Can't Be Love', Mel Tonne and 'Blue Moon' — for

those with an insatiable appetite for class. Buy it for young 'uns who think Harry Connick is an innovator. [A/B/H:1/2]

VARIOUS DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE

Music Club MCCD 087 (51m 42s)

Twenty vintage smash smooch-ers at a budget price, including Ritchie Valens"Donna', the Everly Brothers' Devoted To You' and 'All I Have To Do Is Dream', the Crests' Sixteen Candles' and others. Seduction material for Teds. [A/13/H:1]

VARIOUS SMASHIE AND NICEY PRESENT LET'S ROCK!

EMI 0777 7 80675 2 8 (76m 56s) •

Don't let the leering face of the terminally unfunny Harry Enfield deter you. Aside from a couple of interludes in the form of his naff deejay persona, this is a surprisingly good collection of rock anthems, with all-time hits from Boston, Bad Company, Status Quo, Argent, Deep Pur-ple, Whitesnake and the like. Perfect in a car but programme past the Enfield waffle. [A:1]

GENE VINCENT REBEL HEART

Magnum CDMF 087 (69m 35s) •

This 28 tracker assembles mate-rial from earlier Magnum sets, starting with two tracks from 1956. The rest of the material is the sound of a man screaming for a comeback — painful, as most of his later work was iffy to say the least. But this collection has been assembled with care, allowing non-Teds to bypass most of the dross. As a result, it's more satisfying than a com-pletist, warts'n'all, academic box set. Real rock'n'roll from an originator. [B/H:1/2]

ANDY VALLIAAU; THE BEST OF

Dino DINCD 50 (67m 37s) •

Twenty-two tracks, nearly every one a hit. Some bouncy, some so shmaltzy that you wanna go out and kick a puppy just on princi-ple. But there's no denying the man can croon. 'Moon River', 'Feelings', a lame 'Misty', 'The Way We Were' — all finger-down-the-throat stuff, with sonics that'll make you weep.

[A***:1/2/3]

mashie and rÀ Ipresent

ANDY WII I I AMS

HI- 11 NEWS 8. RECORD wins, MAY 1983 119

Newbould has missed the most amazing of all musical coincidences

The thumbed state of reference copies in record shops says it all for Penguin

4

Kid-B(31u

A Life Remembered

Momnirx

SCHUBERT AND THE SYMPHONY — A NEW PERSPECTIVE, by Brian Newbould 317pp Toccata Press £25

I believe it was Denis Vaughan who started it in 1966. Since then many experts have examined Schubert sym-phony texts, and now Brian New-bould attempts a definitive book on the subject. Doubtless this is not the final word: experts, being experts, will disagree, just as Newbould dis-agrees with the findings of Stefano Mollo which were written into Abba-do's DG set in 1988. Strangely, Mol-l's two huge textual departures in Symphony 9 are not discussed. Can Newbould, with all his intensive research, be unaware of them? Newbould's analyses of all the sym-

phonies is exhaustive. He certainly lets me hear new things in works I thought I had known for years, but this is not altogether a good thing. Schubert's debts to Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven are diligently, even tiresomely, rooted out, showing up young Franz for using musical lan-guage of the time. Everyone did it: Win did it shamelessly, Pleyel repe-atedly and Vaiihal imaginatively; Beethoven himself was not above leaning on others. Schubert deserves, but does not receive from Newbould, credit for borrowing then hiding it so well. Admittedly, he does give credit when talking of Symphony 3 (i): `one can know this movement, and know it well over many years, without . . . identifying any affinities with Mozart's G-minor Symphony'. Yet, with all his delving, Newbould has missed the most amazing of all musi-cal coincidences, first pointed out by Antony Hodgson in Joseph Haydn — The Symphonies p151 [Tantivy, 1976]: compare Schubert 2 (i), bars 126-133, with Haydn's 90 (iv), bars 126-133. 1 Yes, the very same bar numbers! z Schubert's idiosyncratic employ-e Li ment of keys is admirably outlined â and analysed, though even Newbould „ finds difficulty in following some of

Schubert's harmonic reasoning. He deals openly with both fact and con-jecture in discussing the sketched Tenth which he has completed, but at least one question he leaves unanswered: after discussing Schu-bert's extraordinary change from Allegro maestoso to Andante for the development of (i), and having earlier

followed the amazing new uses of tonality in the exposition, he announces that Schubert would not have used four trombones even at a point of four-part harmony that the composer clearly marked `tromboni'. Why not, when everything else was so new? Newbould is greatly exercised by

the key of the Eighth, even suggesting that it is the first B-minor symphony of all time. Well, it wasn't. The problem in 1822, and before, was that no B horn crook appeared to exist at the time, and Schubert's D horns are precluded from contributing effec-tively when the music is in its home key. Florian Gassman (in 1769) and Carl Hoeckh (in c.1760) both wrote B-major symphones which serendipi-tously support Newbould's point by omitting horns altogether. A sym-phony of unknown date by Carlo Ordonez includes horns, but until more is known of this work we cannot tell how Ordonez solved the problem. This book is both valuable and

overdue in that it clears up long-standing problems, but it cannot decide upon a level of acceptance. Assuming the reader will accept 'flat-tened median' without turning a hair, Newbould (or was it a pub-lisher's editor?) finds it necessary to explain the meanings of augmentation and diminution. There are several misprints, and a footnote seems to have migrated from p206 to p167. On the whole, though, production is good, the numerous musical examples admirably clear, and there are five useful appendices. The first, listing all 13 symphonies chronologically, should be studied by all who record Schubert's symphonies.

Roben Deaning

COMPACT DISCS AND CASSETTES by Ivan March, Edward Greenfield and Robert Layton 134›,1,11 Penguin Books tls

THE GOOD CD GUIDE 119931 — various contributors 927pp General Gramophone Publications (in association with Quad Elearoacoustics) £14.95

The weight and proportions of these books mean that neither of them sits comfortably on the lap (the narrow format of the Gramophone/Quad is particularly tiring in the hand). The Penguin typeface is more comfortable to read, and since the style of the three authors has now somehow merged into one, theirs is the friend-lier volume. I know the Penguin guide has come in for severe criticism this year, but by now surely every seasoned collector knows that its wri-ters lean over backwards to be accommodating, dip into their super-latives like Smarties and pin the three-star Purple heart on whole armies of CDs. At least the coding system is intelli-

gible. But — oh dear! — the Gramopho-ne's 'musical stave' codings have become pretentiously rococo . . . Take Krips's 'Great C-major', which

gets the full treatment. What does it all mean? Three blobs, timing, ADD coding, date, pound sign, minim-with-p, fermata with encircled B, triangle! So that would be three-star performance, full price. [Wrong.] B? Hnun. Black triangle? Ahh, that's caveat emploi-, buyer beware. Histori-cal. I get it: as old as the pyramids! But why not H? (B-fermata signifies 'basic collection', by the way.) And since CDs aren't normally transferred from LP, why quote old analogue catalogue numbers? Murky colour pictures break up the text, where the anonymity of authors is preserved — thankfully, in some instances (cg, the porridgy Elgar Violin Concerto review). New entries are flagged — the Harnoncourt Beethoven entry starts with a jarring unrelated clause — but, as with Penguin, much of the material is reprinted. I see that the 1993 edition perpetuates the claim, criti-cized in my Jan '91 book review, that Gilds dominates the Beethoven piano sonata discography (they mean DG's). The range of suggested purch-ases is remarkable, but what the CD Guide needs is drastic revision by a panel who really know the catalogue — March, Layton, Greenfield perhaps? Several old numbers persist — cg, the Bernstein 'Royal Edition' Bernstein/ Gershwin CD should have superseded the guide listing; and Decca's full-priced Brahms/Franck chamber music coupling was replaced months ago. Given that each full-price disc in Karajan's Berg/Schoenberg/Webern DG series gets recommendation, shouldn't the midpriced set be quoted instead? It also seems perverse not to include one of Sir Colin Davis's Sym-phonie Fantastique CDs [only the Nor-rington appears]. The thumbed state of reference

copies in record shops says it all for Penguin; Gramophone's selective guide offers a more `cultured' read, but is not free of stuffiness. One of its supplements is an article on Rach-maninov: it's a pity there's no men-tion of RCA's composer edition; and Ormandy's Symphonic Dances are in the CD catalogue, in Sony's 'Essen-tial' range. Christopher Breunig

A LIFE REMEMBERED by Karl Böhm 170pp Marion Boyars £16.95

These memoirs have been translated by John Kehoe [of Conifer Records] from conversation transcripts. A cer-tain charm pervades the text — most memorably when Mum recalls his disastrous experiences in military ser-vice ( 1914), and an episode when his horse won revenge on a masochistic lieutenant. Or when a 78rpm side ran out, excising a crucial last syllable from Bólun's exclamation s̀cheuss-lich'. The conductor reminisces about his friendships with Strauss and Bruno Walter, his de-nazification, relationships with orchestras, work-ing with singers and recordings. He emerges as a solid figure, philosophi-cal, unegotistical, cushioned by age (he was speaking at 73). Recom-mended. Christopher Breunig

120 H1FI NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

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121

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MARANTZ • MORDAUNT-SHORT • NAD • NAKAMICHP PIONEER • QUAD* • RUARK • SONY • YAMAHA

• Eppong and Saffron Waklen only 148 HIGH STREET EPPING ESSEX - TEL: (0992) 574242

26 KING STREET • SAFFRON WALDEN ESSEX TEL: (0799)523728 70 SOUTH STREET BISHOP'S STORTFORD • HEIM TEL: 10779) 656101

GREATER LONDON

Front End Problems? then contact -

"The Cartridge Man" It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg to get the best — listen to my Koetsu-and-Decca-eater.

Also agents for Croft, Sugden, Thorens, Pentachord Speakers & Nottingham Analogue,

plus Cartridge retipping service. Latest; Croft Integrated Amplifier.

081-688 6565

GREATER MANCHESTER

AUDIO COUNCEL HI. FI SPECIALISTS

LINN, NAIM, CREEK, YAMAHA, MORDAUNT-SHORT, A&R DUAL, REGA, NAD, JPW and

many more 12/14 SHAW ROAD,

OLDHAM e 061 -633 2602 Fax No: 061-633 2502

HAMPSHIRE]

MA\ \

NR PETERSFIll

ekel, SIMI "14,1 H

.1,1- ftZ Hnt OPENINt; "eel P7,M1Zo. liotots ANI)

APPOINTMENTS 11,111,1,11111

\1•SMV.,..111 i I( )ME 1)1 "MI Pli ASE RING

55A1)1A (6r NRIMAIEGA ANYTIM" CD3,11) SMF TRAC VRI)S la. IMAILSE

55111 Sil III 511ti I • AI.DARRY AUDIO INNOVATIONS

o 5.

IIAMPSIIIRE

nl •Ci

iilll\I

P.

cis sis 1151 s \I, 1511x111 511115 1.1 ,\, 111,\I 1,1 1,:c

p,13D10 GALLE,R

0730- 895194 VALVE. SPECIALISTS ON A STPERIOR II \ II

HEREFORDSHIRE

ENGLISH audio IN HEREFORD

AMC, Albarry, Arcam, Celestiun, Cyrus, D.P.A., Denon, Dual, Heybrook, JPW, Maruntz,

Micromega, Mission, Moth, Musical Fidelity, NAD, Nakamichi, Pink Triangle, Rogers, Rotel, Ruark, Sonic Link, Start, Systemdek, Tannoy,

TUL.

Free installations; Credit Facilities; Service Dept.

Mon-Sat 10-6 95. Whiterross Road, Hereford ( 0432) 355081

HERTFORDSHIRE

The

o R.P.A

1 File

IIEL F.T.T.fill RARL _ 27 HODZIL Si. Imes STIFTFOX 2 FOAMY 11.FLK, SI 11'3, Cf1431.

7E: 5Th 59696 TEL He 66123

E N

volum e TEL: 081 304 4622

Arcam • Audio Technica • Canon • Creek • Epos

Exposure • JPW • Maranta • Micromega • Moth

Musical Fidelity • Nakamichi • Neat • Ortolan

Pink Triangle • Role) • Royd • Ruark • Sony • Systemdek

— SECONDHAND RECORDS BOUGHT AND SOLD --

41 UPPER WICKHAM LANE, WELLING, KENT

KINGSTON

Stockists of: EPOS • HEYBROOK M ICROM EGA • NA1N1 AUDIO NEAT • REGA • ROKSAN ROTE!, • ROYD • YAMAHA

9 High Street, Hampton Wi, L.

Kingston upon Thames,

Surrey icri 4DA Tel: 081-943 3530

Infidelity indecently good hi- ti

Orsoi Toys to Sot 111.311,1 ill Ile 7.00pm.

LANCASHIRE

MONITOR SOUND •

II TECHNICS U SONY @ PIONEER

PANASONIC IRKENWOODII DUAL

• CASTLE Ill NADU B&WU MARANTZ

MISPENDOR UTHORENS • ARCAM BROTEL@WHARFEDALE

▪ DENON II YAMAHA @ TANNOYMIPHILIPS CD

▪ CELESTION U ROGERS@ MORGAUNT SHORT

@FOUNDATION @ MONITOR AUDIOMAND MANY MORE

BIG DISCOUNTS • TWO YEAR GUARANTEE ON HI- Fl EXCELLENT COMPARATOR DEMONSTRATIONS

PRIVATE LISTENING ROOM • FREE HOME INSTALLATION

CHORLEY (0257) 271935 54 Chapel Street, Chorley

LONDON

Anal-0g Audio (Hi-Fi Specialists)

849 High Road, London N12 Tel: 081 445 3267

LEADING STOCKISTS OF ROTEL, YAMAHA AND MARANTZ Stockist of full range of speakers and

electronics for all major manufacturers. Please phone for details.

NI-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 123

SPECIALIST GUIDE LONDON

UDIOY ENUE AUDIO CONSULTANTS AND RETAILERS

24 CHURCH ROAD, CRYSTAL PALACE,

LONDON SE19 2ET- TEL: 081-771 7787

Stockists of: Audio Tech, Creek, Denon, Dual, Epos, Mana Acoustics, Marantz, Monitor Audio, Naim Audio, Nakamichi, Professional Monitor Company, Revolver, Rotel, Yamaha etc.

Records & CD's bought & sold

2 single speaker demonstration rooms.

Interest-Free and Various Credit Facilities Available.

All equipment delivered and installed. Comprehensive turntable rebuilds etc.

2-year warranty. Open 10-5.30pm - Closed all day Wednesday.

Fridays open til 7pm

DOUG BRADY HI-FI

18 MONMOUTH STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON WC2H 9HB

Tel:071-379 4010. Fax 071-497 9205

CLOSED SUNDAY & MONDAY

LINN•NAIM•QUAD•CAMBRIDGE •

ARCAM • MERIDIAN • NAKAMICHI • REVOX

• KRELL • AUDIO RESEARCH • ORACLE •

SONY • DENON • D&M • ROKSAN •DELTEC

Also at Warrington and Liverpool (see Cheshire)

NORFOLK

• Near Norwich Norfolk.

Tel: (0508) 70829

Basically Sound of Norfolk Arcam, Linn Products, Nakamichi,

Naim ,Rega, Denon, Creek, Epos, Acoustic Energy.

TO ADVERTISE IN THIS SECTION CONTACT 081-686 2599 EXT. 447

NORTH WALES

ACTON GATE AUDIO THE HI-FI CENTRE IN

WREXHAM Alwa. Arcam. Albarry, Audio TechnIca, 85W. Bose.

Cambridge. Canon. Celesbon. Cyrus. Haller. Ion, Marantz, Mission, MIchell. NAD. Nakarnicht, °dolor. Proton. Quad, Radford, Rega. Rogers. Rotel, Sansul, Spendor, Tannoy,

Target. Thorens, Wharfedale. Yamaha.

n Access = Barclaycard

Demonstration Rooms Available

Mail Order a Speciality

4 RUABON ROAD, WREXHAM TEL: 0978 364500

SOUTH COAST

SOUTH WEST & WALES

audio e cellence WHERE THE MUSIC MATTERS

Gloucester Swansea 58 Bristol Road.

Gloucester Gil 5SD (0452) 300046

Bristol 65 Park Street. Bristol 1351 5P13 (0272) 264975

9 High Street. Swansea SA1 1LE (0792) 474608

Cardiff 134/6 Crwys Road. Cardiff CF2 4NR (0222) 228565

Tuesday-Saturday, 9.00am-5.30pm

SOUTH YORKSHIRE

THE HI-17

STUDIOS

THE HI-FI STUDIOS,D,—.) STOCKISTS OF ART AUDIO PRE AMP AS REVIEWED IN THIS MONTH'S MAGAZINE WE CATER FOR THE PERSON WHO IS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL STOCKISTS OF AMPLIFIERS, ALBARRY, ALPHASON AMPS, SUGDEN, HEYBROOK C3P3, ART AUDIO (VALVE) AMPLIFIERS, ETC, ETC. ANALOGUE: MICHELL GYRODEK & POWER SUPPLY & ISO HEAD AMP, EPSILON, SYSTEMDEK, ETC, ETC. LOUDSPEAKERS: PROAC, ACOUSTIC ENERGY, RUARK, SD ACOUSTICS, TDL TRANSMISSION LINE, HEYBROOK INC SEXTETS, MONITOR AUDIO, ETC, ETC, PLUS A SELECTED RANGE OF ELECTRONICS, FROM THE WORLDS BEST HI-FI MANUFACTURERS

TO ROOK A DEMONSTRATION OR TO ASK ADVICE

RING — DONCASTER (0302) 781387

STAFFORDSHIRE

Active Audio ARCAM,

AUDIO INNOVATIONS,

CELESTION,CYRUS, DENON, KEF REFERENCE, MERIDIAN, MARANTZ,

NAKAMICHI, PIONEER, REVOLVER, RAYMOND LUMLEY, ROKSAN, ROGERS, ROTEL, RUARK, TANNOY, YAMAHA ETC.

FULL DEMONSTRATION AND HOME TRIAL

FACILMES ACCOUNT AND CREDIT CARDS.

Active Audio Active Audio

29 Market Street, Tamworth, Staffs Tel: 108271 53355

95 Stafford Street, Hanley, Stoke-On-Trent, Tel: 107821 214994

Car Parking

URREY HIFI

SPECIALIST HI- Fl OUTLET DEMONSTRATION ROOM - PARKING

• QUAD • AUDIOLAB • REL ACOUSTICS • TUBE TECHNOLOGY • Me TANNOY• KEF • DENON • NAKAMICHI • THORENS • 0 TARGET • MAGNUM@ ROTEL • MARANTZ • MICHELL •

• SENNHEISER @ FURUKAWA •

REFERENCE IMPORTS DEALER

Just 2 minutes off Junc. 6 M25, (A25)

GODSTONE 0883 744755 45 High St, Godstone, Surrey RH9 8LS

SUSS E

-fhepoWericaff7 BRIGHTON'S LEADING

HI-FI SHOP

Comfortable listening room I Knowledgeable and approachable staff

66 Upper North Street, Brighton. Telephone 0273 775978

Roksan, Micromega, Musical Fidelity, Exposure, Audiolab, Onix, Epos, Rotel,

Marantz, Yamaha, Ruark, Thiel, Accuphase and other fine equipment.

WEST MIDLANDS

r MUSIC MATTERS rirr THE AUDIO SPECIALISTS

AR ARCAM AUDIOLAB AUDIODUEST BEYER CANON CELESTION CYRUS DENON DUAL EXPOSURE HARMON KARDON, INFINITY KEF LUXMAN MARANTZ MERIDIAN MICHELL MISSION MONITOR AUDIO MORDAUNT-SHORT MUSICAL FIDELITY NAKAMICHI °NIX PINK TRIANGLE PROAC REVOX REVOLVER ROGERS ROKSAN ROTEL RUARK SANSUI SENNHEISER SYSTEMDEK TECHNICS WHARFEDALE YAMAHA

Open Tues, Weds, Thurs 10.30-6.00, Friday 10.30-8.00, Saturday 10.00-5.00

351 HAGLEY ROAD, EDGBASTON, BIRMINGHAM B17 8DL 021-429 2811

156/7, LOWER HIGH STREET, STOURBRIDGE; 0384-444184

* Credit facilities * VISA (written details on request)

124 111411111148, IIIECORD ROM MAY 1993

SPECIALIST GUIDE WEST MIDLANDS

THE MOST EXCLUSIVE INDEPENDENT HUT STUDIO

101 he internal atmosphere and eas access makes it so much more.exciting

choosing sour hi-fi from the finest

audio products a‘ailahle.

Just offithe High Street, Bloxstich, Walsall, West Midlands.

'-tmple free parking, (OFT N16 JUNCTION ina

Tel: ( 0922) 493499-473499 Jim call in or phone Richard or Dorian

for a demonstration.

G.11U(R1 • At ENERGN UK (NI • (1 11101(5 • %IMO U I 111(11 • AllNOQUENT • ROSE ( BORD • (MD s • 189,-It: •

IPOs• isnourn. • Jim • 111 REFERENCE • «LANTZ • (1ntil)! \N • ‘WOION • %10111 MI SIC IL FIDELITV • NAMM011 • OR I OI ON • pRoMT • 91 W. Rome • Rums • wyll, • 53 511‘119.1 • 1M. • TRIANGLE *THORENS•1111E ITIAM.OGli •

VAN DEW IL • ( ASS 1515 • MIA •

(laina, trading as Sound .4callerol m

WEST SUSSEX

VIES-FEU 11111DELITY

Retailers of quality audio equipment 7 St. Pancras, Chichester, West Sussex P019 I SJ Telephone 0243 776402 Closed Mondays

WEST MIDLANDS

griffin AUDIO BIRMINGHAM

ROM NIORDAUNT SHORT. ARCAM, & INN. MONITOR AUDIO. EPOS. NAIM, MISSION, REGA. DUAL, RO TEL. CYRUS. CREEK, NAKAMICHI, DENCrN, MARANTZ.

RE VOX. QUAD

94 BRISTOL ST.. BIRMINGHAM 692 13 59, TUE -SAT 10am 6pr,

YORKSHIRE

scarborough HARROGATE; 15 Commercial Street. 0423 504274 SCARBOROUGH: 14 Northway. 0723 374547

sales - service - dem moms AIWA - ALBARRY - BOSE - B&W - CYRUS - DENON - MARANT - MICHEL - MUSICAL FIDELITY - MICROMEGA - MISSION - NAD - NAKAMICHI - PIONEER - QUAD- ROGERS - ROTEL - RUARK - S7'AX - TANNOY - TDL- etc

2 year guarantee plus unbeatable prices

YORKSHIRE

Audio Projects 45 Headingley Lane, Leeds LS6 1DP.

Tel. 0532 304565.

Open Tues.-Fri. 9.30-6.00.

Sat 2.30 - 5.30. HiFi SPECIALISTS.

DOUG BRADY HI-FI

Forge Cottage, 19 Crossgate, Otley, West Yorkshire, Leeds. LS21 IAA

Tel: 0943 467689

CLOSED SUNDAY & MONDAY NAIM • QUAD • AUDIOLAB • ARCAM •

MERIDIAN • NAKAMICRI IS PINK TRIANGLE • KRELL • SME • MISSION • EPoS • TDL • CASTLE • ROKSAN • DELTEC • MARANTZ

• ROTEL • ROGERS • EXPOSURE

Also at Warrington, Liverpool, London Car park next door

TO ADVERTISE IN

THIS SECTION

CONTACT

081-686 2599

EXT. 447

CLASSIFIED Advertisements for this section must be pre-paid. The rate is 65p per word (private), minimum £17.00 incl. of VAT. Box Nos. £3.00 extra. Trade rates 75p per word, minimum £21.00 incl. VAT. Copy and remittance for advertisements in July issue must reach these

offices by 11th May 1993 addressed to: The Advertisement Manager, News & Record Review, Link House, Dingwall Avenue,

Croydon, Surrey, CR9 2TA. Please include name and address. Cheques made payable to Link House Magazines Ltd.

NOTE: Advertisement copy must be clearly printed in block capitals or typewritten, illegible copy will be returned.

Classified Lineage Advertisements cannot be accepted over the telephone

Replies to Box numbers should be addressed to the Advertisement Manager, Hi-Fi News & Record Review, Link House, Dingwall

Avenue, Croydon CR9 2TA, and the Box No. quoted on the outside of the envelope.

FOR SALE- Private KEE 'REFERENCE 107 with MK2 upgrade £ 1375. Voyd reference point 5, I lehus Cyalene £2250. Croft series 3 OTL £495. Leak FMTL3 Tuner 545. Tel: 081-688 6397.

LUXMAN 555 VACUUM TURNTABLE 1 of only 6 in UK. Ultimate sound extremely rare 2 SME arms 30kg in weight mint condition cost new £2100 bargain at £1100 ono. Tel: 081-451 6340. ( E)

RE VOX AGORA 300 watts per channel active speakers transmission line hase stunning sound regrettable sale 51/kg in weight. Cost new £3,2110 bargain at £995 ono. Tel: 081-451 6340. ( E)

LUMLEY REFERENCE M120's. l'air of pre-production monohlocs, sound as reviewed and nicely run in, only £2.250. Also pair Lumley M I50's - more powerful hut older, hence only £ 1,250. Ter: Staines (0784) 458176. ( E)

I.P121TTOK LV/11 ASAKA CARTRIDGE £450. Sara Speakers and stands cables £350. Nains 32/5 Ili Cap 160 am; t:5(10. NI iii condition. Tel: 061-480 6032. (E)

FOR SALE- Private KRELL KST 1(X) super') dynamics. brand nev.. save £1000 only £ 1995. Also Acoustic Energy AE3 unused cost £ 1650 only £950. P/X considered. (House move forces sale). Also Acoustic Energy AEI only £450 ono. Tel: (0225) 480990. ( E)

TANDBERG 3002 CONTROL AMP, 31X13 power amp, 3011 tuner. Boxes, manuals £585. Tel: (0825) 713422. (E).

CHORD 1200 POWER AMPLIFIER. Unique British *combination of power, transparency and build quality. Twelve months old and mint. Half price at £ 1495. Tel: 1)81-659 9538. ( E)

KRELL KSA 200. As new, boxed, warranty, £2750. Mission Cyrus 2 £200. Mission DAD 7(XX) CD Player £150 serviced. Alphason Atemes speakers £ 150. Koetsu Red signature £300. Moderate use. Desperately wanted: Air Tight ATM2. May sell Air Tight ATM I with new Groove Tubes £ 1300. Tel: (0706) 813987 day or evening. ( F)

FOR SALE- Private WADIA DM 64.4 BAC, plus Wadia WT 20110 2 box CD transport for sale together at £4900, or separately at 2250 ono (DAC) and £2750 ono (Transport). Both in perfect condition. Tel: 079-986 498. ( E)

ARC SPII MKII pre-amplifier. Perfect condition. New valves. Must be heard. £ 1750 o.n.o. For quick sale. Tel: 071-512 7648. Office hours. ( E)

EAR 549 250 watt mono bloc valve amplifiers (pair). Stunning sound, recently serviced by designer, perfect condition. Cost new approx £5,000, will sell for £2,575 ono. Also Spendor SI(S) loudspeakers, including manu-facturers stands, finished in teak, cost circa £ 1700 new. Perfect condition, will sell for £800 ono. Tel: 079-986 498. ( E)

HALF PRICE MONITOR AUDIO 1800 Gold Speakers in rosewood mint condition can demo £700. Tel: (0703) 586118. (E)

KRELL KSA50 MK2 £1200 ono, Audio Research SP8 MK2 £750 ono, DPA PDM I MK2 £300 ono. All mint and boxed, Tel: David on (0223) 276846. ( E)

HI-FI NEWS 14 RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993 125

CLASSIFIED FOR SALE- Private

MERIDIAN 208CD PLAYER t750. Magneplanar MG2C £750. Beard P100 M.:. spare valves, £500. Audio Synthesis PAS02 Attenuator factory built, £3(10. All as new, boxed. Call after 6pm Bognor Regis. Tel: (0243) 826213. ( E)

ORELLE DA ISO DAC only few weeks old. Mint, boxed £490. Audioquest Video - Z interconnect £35 - Sony DZ555 Discman, mint £260. AKG K280 Headphones, mint £60. Tel: 061-491 4685. ( E)

HITACHI VFF860 purchased Jan '93. Leading brand in Home Theatre (March 1993) £295. Alba CD player, digital filter, error correction £60. Tel: (0494) 786576. (E)

SNELL A2 LOUDSPEAKERS. Original Peter Snell design. Mahogany, boxed, instructions, guaranteed. Two years limited use in dedicated room, mint condi-tion, rare opportunity £2950 ono. List £5200. Audionote ANS3 (Nova) 10 stepup transformer. List £16(8) bargain £700. 3/4 m Audionote A.N.V. intercon-nect £85. List £ 138. 4 x 1m Kindler 4T.C. mains cable C.W. 1.E.C./MK plugs £25 each, £45 new. Tel: (0932) 349314. ( E)

NAIM NAPI35 POWER AMPS, mint/boxed ( old style) £1500. NAG 62 pre-amp £200. NAC 32.5 pre-amp £275. (Both mint/boxed). May take NAP. 140 in /P/X. Tel: (0704) 577982 anytime. ( E).

LINN LKI + Dirak + Remote + leads. LK280 + Spark. 2-3 years old. Mint condition. Boxed with manuals. £ 1200. Tel: (0272) 246719. (E)

QUAD 22/11 STEREO VALVE AMP, FM3 Tuner, Phillips 160 CD Player, Technics direct drive turntable, pair Mordunt-Short Festival Loudspeakers, £450. Tel: (0922) 53574 ( after 7pm). ( E)

AUDIO RESEARCH DII5 vacuum tube power ampli-fier. In perfect condition having just been tuned and re-valved by Absolute Sounds, £ 1300. Beveridge Sys-tem 4 Electrostatic loudspeakers in brushed silver aluminium. Probably the only pair available in UK. £2500. Tel: 081-954 8621 evening only. (E)

SPECIAL ORELLE CD260 PLAYER Penny & Giles controlled active line stage. Selected components, Vishay resistors, scores better than anything else! Serious enquiries only please. WANTED: Nairn ARO tonearm, call Lowestoft, (05(12) 582593, anytime. (E)

WILSON WATTS and Puppy £10523. Krell KRC £5516, Krell KSA250 £5947. All units brand new and boxed with full guarantee. Serious enquiries only. Tel: 081-546 6497. ( E)

MERIDIAN 203 DAC, mint, boxed, £250. Sony CDP 555 ESD, mint, boxed, cost £ 1000, £380. Offers considered. SME 309 II improved, £30. Rega (Acos) arm, £ 15. Tel: (0297) 33167 ( E. Devon). ( E)

KRELL BALANCED REFERENCE PREAMP (List £11,500) £4,700 & Krell KRS200 balanced power amplifiers new unused boxed ( List £25,500) £ 12,750. Probably the finest amplifcr available and at bargain price. Manufacturers year warranty. Micro Sciki CDM2 mint ( List £3,250) £ 1,250. Tel: (0945) 588533 or 589117. ( F)

KRELL KSA80B POWERAMP. Balanced and unba-lanced inputs. 80 Class 'A' watts per channel (equals 140 wpc). Krell's most consistently highly reviewed model. Mint. £ 1750 ( List £3850). Tel: (0206) 825887. (E)

APOGEE DUETTA SIGNATURE SPEAKERS - GREY - £2600 o.n.o. Mark Levinson No. 28 pre amp with moving coil phone £2000 o.n.o. Rowland Model 1 £1600 o.n.o. Tel: (0832) 272785. (E)

FOR SALE- Trade

«SD ‘‘'estern AuD.C.41,0ANTS

0m home auditions let you hear the improvements new choices uf equipment bring to your system, without obligation We cover it •

South-West and London areas from our base near Taub' Somerset, where we also have comfortable dedicated lisle.. rooms Call us now for an appointment New loi Spend 95 MICHELL - lui HI, Area FM bib resolohon addilions

Alecto stereo power arnp CLEMENTS - ..100sr stand nos.,,'. line si.rudker real bar. under LW!, PINK TRIANGLE - I.

,13b11/201,19 You cr.,.e utamai lower aka pas MICRONIECA - and :la, XL° - It. n,,,•

Home Auditioning Service tel: 0460 67756 or 071 354 0550 open 10am-lOpm 7-days credit cards - mail order

FOR SALE- Private FOR SALE- Private

HIGH-END REFERENCE SYSTEM URGENTLY FOR SALE.

Owner leaving country. All equipment is as new, perfect, boxed! No "grey" import

Item KRELL 250-B KRELL KSL-B (and phono card) VP! TNT MK II Turntable Graham 1.0 Arm, Sumiko DTI Cartridge, Base Board 7,000 4,0(X) 2,000 WADIA 3200 CD and WADIA 32X DAC with AT&T 3,400 2,200 1,500 connection, latest software *MUSE 18 Active Balanced Subwoofer, Walnut 3,500 570 Records, mostly modern jazz (no fusion), many collectables NITTY GRITTY Pro Record Cleaner

New 6,600 2,700

PRICE Used 5,000 1,500

2,500

Sale 3,5(X) 900

1,400

1,400

350

*See Robert Harley/Corey Greenburgh Reviews and Reference Systems (Stereophile Magazine)

Purchaser of the whole system will get £3,000 of cables and Nitty Gritty free!!

Also for sale:

Meridian M2 Active Speakers Meridian Professional CD Player 207 & 209 Remote

Call Ian 081-954-5168

450

450

FOR SALE- Trade FOR SALE- Trade

hi . . . a great sounding system at a Karl-Kingston bought

truly affordable S/H price complete vinyl based system.

Albbary 408 monoblocks Bryston 36 power amp Chord SPM 1000 Counterpoint SA12 Conrad Johnson MV75 Conrad Johnson MV100 Chord SPM 1200 Meridian 205 Monoblocks Denon POA 6600 monoblocks Roksan M1 Monoblocks) Roksan LI/DSI pre-amp ) Krell KSI/KST 100 Krell KSA 20013 Jeff Roland Consanance pre Lectron JH30 value int. Linn Kairn pre mm/mc DNM 3A + Primus pre-amp Spendor S100 Acoustic Energy AE2 + STDS Proac MiniTowers Sonus Faber minuetos Sonus Faber Amators Audio Statics ES200 Roksan Darius Apogee Centaur Minors Marantz CD80

mint s/h £495 sin £550

wise. £1600 sin v g.c. £550 s/h mint £995

sin mint £2400 sit mint £1800 s/h mint £550 s/h mint £650

s/h mint £4500

videm mint £3600 s/h mint £2700 s/h mint £1600

skim mint £1700 sit, mint £950

s/h v.g.c £495 mint/sh £895 mint/sh £675 siklem £675 videm £695

mint s/h £2050 mint s/h £2000 mint s/h £1500 mint sin £800 was. £400

Nakamichi CD3 Roksan DPI, DAI, D54

Meridian 602/606 dac 7 Wadia 2000 Trans/DadDigi Link Marantz CD94 + CDA94 Naim CDS ( lastest spec) Meridian 206B Oracle MKIII/MDC800/PSU Pierre Lume Romance/Romeo Source/Mission Mech/31) psu Cartridges Various Meridian 204 Tuner Sony 700 ES Tuner Naim Pre-amps

xidem £300 "Alen, £1500 ;Odom £1800

sin £5300 sin mint £800

sin mint £2400 s/h mint £600 s/h mint £950

x/Oern mint £1200

mInt sin £990 POA

mint s/h £445 mint s/h £195

mint, from £125

'CHOICE' 081 892 5231

Equipment bought or part exchanged Full demonstration facility - by appointment

Major credit cards accepted Open 7 days 9.30am-8.00pm

126 1ER NEWS & RECORD REVEIV MAY INS

Titus Comete Scalene Graphite Alior Octant

YBA l'reamp 2/Poweramp 3 amps 17874 f1999 Integre Amplifier f1150 f 850 (1)2 with outboard power supply £2999 f2150

NEMO Arbon amplifier £1150 f 775

A UDIOMECA 11 turntable with SL5 Parallel tracking arm £3875 £2500 Mephisto CD Transport £1875 f1250

CLASS I F I ED FOR SALE— Trade

UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY - SALE OF DEMONSTRATION EQUIPMENT AT SPECIAL PRICES

In order to renew our inventory of Hi-Fi components used for reviews. exhibitions and demonstration purposes se are able lb

offer tlw following items at vastly reduced prices.

TRIANGLE LOUDSPEAKERS FtRP f 245 f 399 f 595 f 750 f1299 £2999

Special price f 185 f 299 E 450 f 550

850 £1999

(All goods are fully guaranteed Prices include VAT and delivery).

Contact:—

KRONOS DLSTILIBITON Tel. 08687 48632 Fax 08687 48281

or

AUD1OCRAFT/UXBRIDGE Tel: 0895 253340

If you like the hi-fi equipment you have but want a better performance, don't change It - UPGRADE IT!

You can build better than you can buy and we offer kits, parts and instructions for everything from simple component upgrades to complete rebuilds, plus kits to build high end equipment from scratch..

New upgrading service If you are daunted at the prospect of taking the lid off your prize possession, send it to us and we can upgrade it for you. We will advise on cost and feasibility before starting work and upgrade to the level of performance you require and can afford. We have a secure, low-cost door to door collection and delivery service covering the UK and Europe plus a collection/delivery point in Manchester.

Upgrades to: Audio Research, Celestion, KEF, Krell, Linn, Meridian, Naim, Nytech, Quad, Leak, Radford ... in fact, EVERYTHING!

SEND NOW FOR Fuu. DETAILS AND A COPY OF OUR NEW 1992 COMPONENTS CATALOGUE.

Russ Andrews Limited Edge Bank House, Skelsmergh, Kendal, Westmorland, LAS 9AS. Telephone: 0539 83247.

Russ Fladrews

01111W01111 MC5000 NIC.3004HI MG200011 OMAR OURRIZ GUAM° ING15511 acios 530

AUDIOPHILE CARTRIDGES

itcinica Al-ARTI ATLOC30 Al -0G ID AI 005 Ani9000 A111911 Anel I

11811111 01304 0172 50 01.1030 00103 01150 D1110

SAME VISILLMR PALIZOHL

011eiFCToR XX-IL XX- I 1/ODALLL 2309,1101 1014GmLI 5035«

FNIONEWRIII FOR DISCOUNILKAIANGE PRICES ON THE ARNE MODELS TRAX 5 OLD MOVING CON FOR A BRAND NIw ONE AT A SUBSTANTIAL DISCOUNT , ALL GOODS ARAN_ betel 130000 GuARANTt IS NO Lx-DEM EOLNFILLNI

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LOVE HERTZ The use of carefully chosen quality cables throughout any hi-fi system will substantially improve almost every aspect of performance.

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Campaign Audio Design, Llandudno Rd (RN), Cardiff CF3 8PG - Gt. Britain

Tel: 0222 779401

TRADE & INTERNATIONAL ENQUIRIES WELCOME

EX-DEMONSTRATION & SECONDHAND SALE

SPEAKERS: KEF Q60 Linn Kaber Magnaplanar SMG Meridian Argent 2 (R/W) Musical Fidelity MF10

AMPLIFIERS: Creek 6060 Musical Fidelity MA50's Musical Fidelity P180 NAD 1000/2100 pre-power Yamaha AVX700 AV amp

COMPACT DISC PLAYERS: Arcam Black Box 3 DAC Audio Alchemy DDE Defter.: Little Bit Deltec Bigger Bit Meridian CD208 CD/pre Meridian ADC 607 Mission DADS transport/dac QUAI) CD66

TAPE DECKS: Nakamichi CR7E

TUNERS: Arcam Delta 150 N1CAM

TURNTABLES: Lin Axis/Basik/K9 Roksan Xerxes/Artemis/Shiraz

SYSTEMS: Nakamichi Sound Space 7

349.00 XD 599.00 SH 299.00 SH 499.00 XD 349.00 XD

349.00 XD 699.00 XD 699.00 XD 349.00 XD 299.00 NEW

199.00XD 249.00XD 249.00 XD 449.00 XD 999.00 XD 599.00 XD 399.00 XD 399.00 XD

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VISA/ACCESS - INTEREST FREE CREDIT FREE DELIVERY ON MAIL ORDER IN UK

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VALVES FROM WEST EUROPE

Please note our minimum export order £200 GBP/$350 USD. Minimum UK order £100 GBP

• Limited stocks of UK manufactured 'dullard, GEC - 12AT7, 12M7, 12AU7 plus Tungsram ELM, 12AU7, Nullard ECC 82/ CV4003 Special Quality etc. We probably have the largest stocks of West European types in the world! • Low cost, large volumes available from Russia/East European factories, cg ECC83, E1.84, 6550, EF86. BOne million valves/tubes in stock including cathode ray tubes, tube sockets etc • DG7-32 C.R.T. (for Marantz tuner) £24 each. 200 in stock Discount for quantity.

Billington Export Ltd 1E, GILLMANS IRO. EST., BILLINGSHURST, SUSSEX

RH14 9EZ, UK

PERSONAL CALLERS STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Fax: 0403 783519 Telex 932492—TRAG Tel: 0403 784961

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25 Montefiore Road Hove, Sussex

Tel/Fax 0273 202637

LP's & CD's MOBILE FIDELITY ORIGINAL MASTERS ON LP: 1153 John Lennon, Imagine £35

£35 £25 £25 £25 £40 £25 £20 £30 £30 £20 £20

1109 Beatles, Let it Be 1148 Jeff Airplane, Crown of . . 2160 Elton John, Yellow Brick . . 1185 Sting, Dream of the . . 1507 Maazel, Feste Romance UHOR 1093 R. Nicholas & 5 Pennies 1036 Little River Band 1187 Jethro Tull, Thick as a Brick 1186 Blind Faith 1171 J. Mathis, Heavenly 1528 Maazel, Sym. Fantasique

ATHENA, 100% Analogue!: 10001 Rachmaninotf, Symphonic Dances £25 10002 Debussy & Ravel, Piano Works £25 10003 Prokofiew, Alex. Nevska £25 10004 Stravinski, Petrushka £25 CHESKY; RR, SHEFFIELD, WILSON, ea. £14 MOBILE FIDELITY Gold CD's £22 RR, Chesky, Sheffield. etc. CD's £13

List available on request

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A LEGEND IN SOUND KLIPSCH AN

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D ASSOCIA ES I

ILO 1993 IRA NEWS I RECORD REVIEW

CLASSIFIED FOR SALE- Trade

h112flhIiMM HIGH END AUDIO BOUGHT/SOLD

EXCHANGED

Set SOU COSMOS SRI v L.1.75(1 PINK 1RIANGLE ANNIVERSARY Smt I ARM RUCK LI 795 ROKSAN XERXES IOU TOWABLE BLACK Mliii 1/41R1/71 £595 ORACLE DELP/I MU MDC 800 ARM 1131511 BLACK £1295 MUTANT/ CD 65 SE III2 CD PLAYER 0150 IIICROSEKI AIR REARING VACUUM PLATTER 1RIPLINAR 1

FORSELL AIR REFERENCE 1URNIABIE g WELL UMPIRED Tumuli & ARM 1041111 ANNIVERSARY CARTRIDGE TISCAM CO /01 BAUNCED TTEETI) CONRAD 10111ISON SONOGRAPNE CO PUYER ARC® /0200 PLAYER MERIDIAN 704 CD PLAYER NIER101/41 206 OEL1A SIGMA CO PLAYER LIEU' NERIOIAll ?CRC DAC / CO PLAYER MERIOIAN 607 TRANSPORT 606 RAC I 0 A MERIDIAll 603 PRENIP SAC INERIOIAR 700 IRARSPOR1 M13 (1AC / mERIOIAR TIANSPOR1 763 CONVERTER 1800.31 £ 1.200 MERIDIAM 602 TRAIISPOR1 606 COTIVERTER £E795 MARK LEVINSON 1309 HIGH GAIN IALANCED £3.495 MARK 1111111011 1311 PRIMP PHONO BALANCED £2,300 MARI LEV1145011 AIWA PREAMP PIS I 74 SUPPLY £995 MARI LEVINSON MI I PREAmP urine £2.495 PROCEED POT 13UISPORT POP 7 DAC BAL CO PLAYER LI /95 WADIA ®00 DAC 91 SPEC 13195 MUSICAL IDEurr 0101101 DAC CI 75 NIL PA, PRIMP PHONO BALANCED OUTPU1 £2.495 C LUSE AUDIO ORR PREAMP EIALUICED 12250 AUDIO RESEARCH LIT PRIMP 1995 A1.1010 RESEARCH SPI 11K2 PILEUP 1095 AUDIO RESEARCH 0140 MK7 BALANCED POWERAMP MONO BRIOGURIE OR BUMP PAIR AURAIIII LI 995 • ILS8 /I PRIAMP BALUECED OUTPUT 11.795 ROWLAND CONSONANCE PREAMP SALANCED OUTPUI 15,500 COUICIRP01411 11 PREAMP BIALA £895 CROF1 SUPER MICRO 2 PREMIP £250 NIELOS III lull PRIAM> 1/50 MELDS 2272 LIEARCED PRIMP BIALA 11,595 GUICKSIIIIR TUBE PIEMIP 11.250 AUDIONO1E DYNAMICS MI SILVER FRUMP 12,495 ILEVERIDGE RAU 1MO 111® PRIMP SLACK £1,350 IUNIESTER 501 PREAMP CNROME BAULKED £2,995 MERIDIAN 6010SP PREATIP £I,995 MUSICAL FIDELITY PI / 1 PREAMP £495 NAUMICNI ST II TUNER £395 1ASCAM 112 CASSETTE DECK /MAC £295 AU010 INNOVAlIONS 1000 SERIES PREUIP mK2 RIDS PAIR 710 AUDIO 1111001 MONO POw(11 AMPS £2.250 MARK LEVINSON IOU REFERENCE M0010810CKS £3.995 MARI LEVIRSON MLI POWER AMP 14.500 MARK LEVINSON IlL9 POWER AMP 19(11 KSA 1001111 POWER AMP KRELL KSA 750 POWER UV KRELL PILO 5 PREJWP HARMON URDON [(LUTON 73 11114ER REII011 RIG 400M MONO POWER AMPS OVINE RESEARCH OR I POWER /MP CARY 1008 TRIODE TUBE MONO POWER AMPS MIA 700C MONO TUBE POWER AMPS THRES/1010 ST000 110 10111011 MONO POWER AMPS INS1ROvIC IAl MAKE RIK MONO POWER AMPS AUDIO RESEARCH 10100 MONO POwER IMPS ILACA MERIDIE3 E415 MONOPOWEI AMPS BUNKED USURY PASSIVE PREAMP PLUS 111001 MONO POWER AMPS THRESHOLD SOI CLASS A MONO POWER AMPS CARY 20.1 12100E VALVE POWER IJIPS [LAZE AUDIO 0111 POWER AMP MUSICIi 110E1 ITT AI IIITEGRATED AMPLIFIER QUICKSILVER SILVER MONOS KTU VALVES MERIDIAN 06008 ACT® PUMAS. WALNUT MERIDIAN D6000 0167116 gust MMUS SIUNNING IDOLS / SOUND 10 MICH £5,750 !LITMUS I. SPONGES WAITS g PUPPIES WAINUT 12.991

11.495 11.895 £4.995 1995 1095 £575 £995 1495 10.991 10.650 1850 1400

APOGEE 01601 SPLUERS U1111RALI1E APOGEE OU(i11 SIGNATURE PLUS DU CROSSOVER FOUAlloN I sPEAKERS PIANO BULK MERIDIAN 8861111 1 P100 BLACK SPCA/SIRS RESIDUE, ARGENT 2 ROSEWOOD SPEAKERS MERIDIAIT ARGENT 3 ROSEWOOD SPEAKERS Ill 186108111108 LIN( MONITORS PIOAC PROS1ATICS ELIC120S1ATICS RARE PIOAL 111.1010 108120 SLACK ASH SPEAKERS STU EIS F II ELIC110SIATIC SPEAKERS DAX NEAT KITE 011 PERMANENT DEMO ELITE TOWNS( RR ORIGIRAL ROCK 1500 SNELL AS SPEAKERS TRURO 11.750 DIMAUDIO FACET-11 SPEARERS CHERI Y14000 11.595 LEM MAUS SPEAKERS unN MOUIVED PAIR in Ola ON GRANITE STUDS SUPERB £6.500 ISAMU LOG» 1E00E1 7 SPEAKERS 11.895 °movie COUSEGUENCE 110611411 MODEL F11090111 CILIARY WOOD DIUMIC DRIJIA 14250 ORACLE AILUIEDRIA M113 111RN1/41Lf SEW ro ARM £895 BASIS DESU1 GOLD STD 6FLUUld I 5 UM 111115111 £.995 GRYPHON LINESTAGE PREAMP BAWLED OUTPUT 11,695 LARY CAD 5500S PRIMP INC PHONO SlAGE PROCESSOR 0990 LOUNTERPOir SA II LINESIAGE 6119160MO STAGE GO BLOWER® 11401 WALIEI MEGA £6.995 PINK TRIANGLE PIPO MAI VISMAY MOLIIFIED PREAMP £1,995 LOWITERPOIRT 144 Oit 1081 MONO POWER AMPS £3,495 LOURIER101111 042011111R10 POWER AMP BLACK £1,395 APOGEE STAGE PIUS STUDS ANDIRACIIE C1,795 UM 801 SERIES 2 MATIII WEARERS RUCK AS/I LI.795 GEWESIS 13110SPEARERS g SlARDS PIA110 KALI C1.395 GALE 401 SPLUERS & SURDS 0395 ACOUSTIC ENERGY 4E3 SPEARERS BLACK I STANOS 1995 1101111011 AUDIO STUDIO 10 SHEARERS STARE'S ROSEWOOD 1795 GRASSE COLONNE 135 SPEARERS HUM', 11 495 [MASSE BISQUITIE SPEAKERS WAINLI1 £415

gnaw/ 15 Juu wylvm0 £2 600 Oland LI 040 819,86 1.3,408 ginand £300

1,9089L8.000 . £3,995 evidemo £6,800 LI 095 aidewo LI 995 LI 150 3,694/1 1.3250 £I250 cvdemo £2200 L595 exidewo LI 000 L295 1/hand L600 0995 e//derno L1.600 £800 dilemo £995 £750 exidelno L995 1.2250 oRderno L3,100 £I.295 &demo LI.750 £995 walem C1,455

ex/Oemo £1,390 eitlene £3,100 eidento L5.495 Llund (.3.300 1/14•44 C2.200 sthand L51300 Vlund 61.390 &de« MO® Oland 4399 voideme £6,800 NOW« L3.695 Oland £I,797 eland f 2 200

eland 03.300 sihand £3.200 ddenvo £2.500 s/han0 L2.200 sAand C549 witlenvo £I250 eta.] C3,500 ukle/no £ 1,750 009.80 08,000 99.10 £3,995 tWOerno L8000 eLtierna £2/50 oiderno C/30 Vnand 1150 new 14511

Vlund L4 500 sauna £15,000 Oland £8250

£I,995 019.114 L3.800

10.000 eland C3.400 1.3.091 3hanel £6.699 £/95 0344 £1.600 1.305 siband 0510 15.500 sffisred C11.000 £1,795 silund C1.500 £2.995 o/ReNTI Lg.800 [2,995 8/417718 £6.600 C2.995 gthand LI0.000 £2.995 Llund £6,600 12995 9118,4 C8.000 11395 es/Rerm £ 1.850

1895 Oland £1.500 £4.995 selund C14.4(1) £895 s/hand £1.4/30 11350 uldemo 11.695 LISO siitud L300 11.750 oftlento C2250 05990 24/0erne C2.995

81/41118 C7.630 mi/Owno sitund U.995 sflund £3.300 1.4,164 C9.777 w/clenvo GEM new £1395 4.14 £875 ne.1 £1,495

:Aland saund ' liteand L3,000 srtund C3.200 telerro L52S gnu® £I.300 inland C4.995 oiderno L2,699

sihand C20.000 sigand L2,998

evtlerno £10,995 Oland L2,320 Oland £10.450 s/han0 L.2.600 es/demo C2.250

Oland LI2.600 srturol L4.500 Oland C8.000 sigand f. 2.700 Oland C3,345 slband L3,500 redemo £1.895 UN® C16100 Oland (2.0®

situ® £1.540 pies« (3.780 ggiégew £580

ITEMS TO CLEAR SOU STAR SAPIIIRE 1 11111111A111 II 2 ARM £1.795 WNEATON TRIPUJUR IIK7 UM L895 MOM MCI PREAMP £1395 61441 700 AMS MONOTURE POWER AMPS 10(10pc C1,395 DIAMOND ALOUSIIC IEEE 1 SPLUERS BLACK 02,595 APOILE SCHEMA ' Urn SMILERS unman CI,350

widemo widemo tinand sihand Oland sinan4

f.4.000 £2.000 02.495 £3.760 £6,500 £5.00D

OODLES OF HIGH END CARTRIDGES AVAILABLE - RING FOR DETAILS WE ARE APPOINTED DEALERS FOR CABASSE SPEAKERS FROM FRANCE

WHO HAVE BEEN MAKING SPEAKERS FOR 40 YEARS AND OFFER A LIFETIME WARRANTY

PRICES FROM £600 TO £20,000 WE CARRY A FAIR SELECTION IN STOCK MANY MORE ITEMS IN STOCK, EFFICIENT SERVICING DEPARTMENT

WE ARE LOCATED IN WELWYN, HERTS. ALL ITEMS GUARANTEED

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The SPEAIIER Company

The Number one company for D.I.Y. loudspeaker constructors

Just pick up the phone or drop us a line for our comprehensive loudspeaker catalogue. The catalogue contains Drive units, components,damping materials, and a large range of accessories, in fact everything you need to build an excellent pair of speakers.

Unit 9 Waterside Mill Waterside Macclesfield Cheshire SK 11 7HG

Tel: 0625-500507 Fax: 0625-500508

SERVICES

RESTORATION OF CLASSIC EQUIPMENT by elec-tronics engineer, suitably qualified (degree/MAES) and 40 years experience. Quard service agent and specialist knowledge of Radford, Leak, Rogers, Arm-strong, etc. Extensive workshop enables original design standards, accompanied by detailed reports. 7 days. Woodford, Essex. Tel: 081-504 5467. (X)

LOUDSPEAKER AND MICROPHONE REPAIRS. Also electronic repairs. Authorised Quad service agent. Dedicated loudspeaker repair facilitites includ-ing quasi-anechoic analysing equpment. Linear Sound & Communications, Gillingham, Kent. Tel: (0634) 580941. Fax (0634) 580943. Mobile (0860) 676753. (X)

Lockwood Audio Tel: 081-207 4472 Fax: 081-207 5283

WE BUY AND SELL

NEW USED AND VINTAGE

SPEAKERS • DRIVERS

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THE

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Imperial Studios Maxwell Road

Borehamwood Herts WD6 1WE

01« OF PAL iffl W01(ferS

GREAT CONCERT 5011,15 With the help of

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SER V

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TELEPHONE: 08 92 65 45 34

Absolute Tune-ups Absolute Sounds qualtfied engineers can now repair, modify or re-align an high-end equipment. We can undertake rebuilds with selected audiophile grade components and can also offer a valve matching service. Expezt only the best. A Absolute Sounds Tel 081-9475047 Fax 081-879 7962 /4

INTERNATIONAL HIGH END OCCASION Audio Research: SP- 15, Classic 150 etc. Goldmund: Reference turntable, Apo-logue speaker-syst. etc. Mark Levinson: HOD speaker-syst. complete with electronics, rec. syst. (ML5 recor-der, LNP2 prcamp, ML8 lineamp. etc). Nagra s-IV recorder. Sequerra Mod. 1 tuner. Well Tempered Signature turntable - and more. Everything new or inconsiderably used, partly not unpacked. Tel: 010-46-8102096, fax 010-46-8115106 (Sweden). (E)

Careless cable choices can strangle your excellent system. The Cable

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• FREE SHIPPING on purchases over $50.

la 48 brands, 238 cable products

la FREE pf all US taxes.

Call, write or fax for details ard 'ree consultation (215) 297-8824 . tax (215) 297-8661 box 579, poin: pleasant pa 18950

MAJOR CREDIT CARDS

128 HI-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

CLASSIFIED INTERNATIONAL

MADISOUND PROVIDES SPEAKER BUILDERS WITH THE HIGH-

EST QUALITY PARTS AND ADVICE.

)1k ECURGE SBolen Inductors Chattauroukpdy naps

DAViS 1:1.1,AUDIOe

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morer

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ORDER WITH MASTERCARD OR VISA,

AND WE'LL SEND IT THE SAME DAY.

Ail Madisound Speaker Components (8608 University Green)

Sox 44283 Madison, WI 53744-4283 U.S.A

Voice: 608-831-3433 Fax: 608-831-3771

INTERNATIONAL

AUDIOPHILE GRADE PARTS

For the lost 4 years. SONIC FRONTIERS INC. has been offering

audiophile hobbyists from ardund the world, the highest

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to safety the needs of our demanding clientele. We are

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CAPACITORS:

MIT MultiCap - Film /Foil or Metallized. Worlds best FILM CAPACITORS!

WONDER CAP - new Series Er'. wonder wire leocts. EEL- CAP fen/ loll RolYslYmno.a.lolleods-WIMA - compact metallized and 111m/toll polypropylene. radio! Wort SOLEN - ^riot...Tod Rob/propylene, up to 200ut at 400VDC! SIEMENS. metallized polypropylene from 5Ipf to .01u1 at 630VDC.

RESISTORS:

VISHAY - utilizing a proprietary BULK FOIL technoéogy. these Ne precision resistors are the best °yoke& We hove a limited ronge of VIA serles (mkt lead. 0.5%) values e stock Moore are pleased to IntrOatne the S102K series (radial Nod, 0.25%) resistors which ore available k, any value up to 250K. In any quonttly. In under 2 weeks' NOLCO - 0.5% ..Oppm precision metal tk,, resistors. non-rnognetic construe tion We stock a comprehensive range of values in 1/4. 1/2 and I watt ratings.

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WANTED]

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Western Electronics. "Wanted List" available upon request Buyer collects in areas on a regular basis The Vintage Wireless Company Ltd., loden House, Cossham Street, MangoLsfield. Bristol, BS17 3EN. Telephone (0272) 565472. Fan ( 0272) 575442

PUBLICATION—SI

BERLIOZ & BEETHOVEN. Strange bed- fellows, hut

they were both full of ideas and opinions which

influenced their music and helped to shape the Roman-tic Age. The thoughts, beliefs and attitudes of each arc examined in high praised biographies-with-a-difference by one-time Hl-'N/RR Editor John Crabbe, Hector

Berlioz — Rational Romantic and Beethoven's Empire of the Mind are available from bookshops at £6.95 each, and if your stockist doesn't have copies on his shelves, tell him that each can he ordered front Messr Kahn &

Avcrill. Or you could try your local library. Either way,

they make an intriguing read. ( XIS)

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Hl - F1 SEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

mmle

129

Founder of the MA, Milt Jackson was perhaps the world's greatest jazz vibist

'P,,,etroit is best known as Soul • Town. Milt Jackson was born

there in 1923 and the word 'soul' is often used to describe the playing of the greatest of all jazz vibists — not just to express his supreme sense of rhythm — but also his ability to strip down a tune to its core to make even corny tunes and stiff arrangements the basis for inti-mate musical statements.

Milt himself once said 'What is "soul" in jazz? It's what comes from within; it's what happens when the inner part of you cornes out. It's the part of playing you can't get out of books and studies. I believe that what I heard and felt in the music of my church was the most powerful influ-ence on my career. Everyone wants to know where I got that funky style.

Well, it came from church. The music I heard there was open, relaxed, impromptu — soul music.'

Dizzy Gillespie said: 'Milt is sanc-tified. That's why he plays so soul-ful.' When I interviewed Milt a few years ago he explained he'd first heard the vibes played by a church minister. Milt played several instru-ments and sang in gospel groups when he was a child: 'I was attracted to the vibes because it has a speed control which could set the vibrato at a slow speed to match the way I sing. When people ask about my playing style I think it's important to point out that I'm a singer.' The key vibes player of Milt's

formative years in the 1930s was Lionel Hampton, but Milt steered clear of Hamp's ebullient, glassy sound to create a more subtle approach, varying his attack and slowing the vibrato motor down, enabling him to play both fast tunes and ballads with a sensitive, inquisi-tive approach. He played around Detroit with the

likes of Lucky Thompson and Yusef Lateef — then got caught up in the bop revolution of superfast tempos and tricky tunes, composed specifi-cally to defeat lesser musicians. Milt was well up to the task, joining Dizzy Gillespie's famous sextet with Charlie Parker, which pioneered bop on the West Coast with the trip to Billy Berg's Club in Hollywood in 1946.

After work with various other bands, including Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and Woody Herman, Jackson established himself as one of the leading jazz voices of his genera-tion, and probably the greatest vibist of all time. He had the ability to create a very special kind of excite-ment — at the same time beautifully crafted yet intensely personal — as if he was talking directly to you.

In 1952 Milt formed the MJQ — originally the Milt Jackson Quartet. Milt described how the band was formed by members of one of Dizzy Gillespie's big bands: 'Dizzy sug-gested one night that Ray Brown, John Lewis and Kenny Clarke and I should do something together to give the rest of the band a rest. It went down well and from then on it became a regular part of the perform-ance which continued after the Dizzy band broke up [in 1950]. But Ray was working with Ella Fitzgerald and we just couldn't make his price, so Percy Heath replaced him. We made our first recordings as the Milt Jack-son Quartet. We formed in 1952 but didn't get to travel until 1954 when John got his Master's degree from Manhattan school. The group name Modern Jazz Quartet came about because we couldn't decide who was going to be front and who sidemen.

130

finale Once John became the musical direc-tor, the idea was to make the group a classical group to elevate the level of music, because we thought our music deserved the same level of respect as classical music. It's just as high a form, or even more so.

'The MJQ is different from most small jazz groups because it has elaborate written arrangements. Now I was never a great reader. Studio musicians make their living doing that but I could hear it so well that it was faster than reading it. But after a while I got to reading it pretty well. Now everybody asks when we play why the others in the group always read from charts and I'm up there so nonchalant and unconcerned without any music. But that's because I'm lucky. I have perfect pitch and a photographic memory.' The MJQ introduced new ideas

into jazz, doing classical pieces, even ballet music — but it was always Milt who gave a true jazz sense to their music while going off to do his own projects and playing compositions like 'Bags Groove', `Bluesology' and 'Plenty Plenty Soul', with a variety of jazzmen who shared his instinctive feel and 'soul'.

Milt left the MJQ in 1974 and the group broke up but reformed in 1981 to keep on playing — the longest running group in jazz history. It's through the MJQ that most people have heard Milt Jackson, but I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling that his most attractive performances have been made outside that supremely organised but restricting format.

His old alumnus from those early days in Detroit, Hank Jones, prob-ably put it best: 'The biggest thing about Milt is feeling. He gets more emotional mileage out of a melody than any other vibist. Others may feel a song as deeply as he does, but he can express more emotion. It's fantastic what he can make out of the most simple tune.' David Kay

DISCOGRAPHY As sideman: with Thelonious Monk: Genius Of Modern Music Vols l & 2 (Blue Note); with Miles Davis: Bags Groove. As leader: Milt Jackson Quartet (Savoy) has pre-MJQ in 1951/52. Mid- 1950s sides are covered well on Opus De Funk (Prestige). Late 1950s soul jazz: The Art of Milt Jackson (Atlantic) and Plenty Plenty Soul (Atlantic). With Ray Charles: Soul Meeting (Atlantic). If you want Milt Jackson singing, Soul Believer is available; but there are others, including a good quartet with Ray Brown and Monty Alexander, recorded at Ronnie Scott's with the MJQ.

NI-F1 NEWS & RECORD REVIEW MAY 1993

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