Yevgeny Mravinsky, Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra - Wagner: Siegfried's Funeral March, Prelude and Love's Death from "Tristan und Isolde," Ride of the Valkyries, Overture to "Tannhäuser" + Rehearsal, etc. (K2HD mastered in 2023) - Japan SACD Hybrid

Credits:

Yevgeny Mravinsky, Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra

Description:

Second release to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Mravinsky's birth, the second installment of the JVC Digital K2HD SACD project! The second release of the JVC Digital K2HD SACD project! The performance is a surprisingly powerful performance of Wagner's specialty, roaring! Includes rehearsal of "Tannhäuser". The latest SACD release using K2HD mastering from Victor's digital masters! Mravinsky at his peak of maturity on SACD! The master tapes were made in 1989 from the treasured collection of Mravinsky's resident engineer, Mr. Shugal, which had lain dormant in the tape warehouse of the Leningrad Broadcasting Station. The release of these previously unreleased recordings, from the 1960s to the last recorded recording of Shostakovich's 12th Symphony in 1984, had a huge impact on listeners. These recordings were only stored digitally, but on this occasion, using the master recordings, FLAIR Mastering works Kazushige Yamazaki has up-converted and mastered them with the latest in Victor's renowned K2 technology to finally release them as SACDs for the first time. Following the previous 3-CD set of symphonies by Beethoven and Mozart, the second release will finally feature two symphonies by Tchaikovsky (NCS88023/4) and Wagner, the mainstay of Mravinsky's art. Wagner was one of Mravinsky's most important composers, and there are several recordings of him on Melodia. In this collection of live recordings, the three pieces from March 31, 1978, a relatively late date, are particularly outstanding, and the fact that they have been preserved in high-quality stereo is almost a miracle. The balance of the recordings made by various labels in the past gave the impression that the brass instruments were prominent, but this latest reissue is reminiscent of the traditional European style of the past, in which the strings were the main instruments. The way the strings are spun together in a unified balance and timbre of each instrument is greatly impressive, and it seems to be similar to the Countryside and Brahms' Symphony No. 2, both of which have been preserved in stereo. The "Tannhäuser" Overture is also valuable because it was performed in 1982, the last year of its life.Mravinsky's exquisite expression is astonishing, not only in this piece, but in the performance he must have also marveled at the extreme dynamic range of the piece. It is unfortunate that the remaining recordings are not as good as this one, due to period limitations, but it is possible to infer this from the good condition of the recordings. In this latest mastering, we have taken great care to preserve the musical elements of the reissue even more than before, with emphasis on the master. We have taken this opportunity to preserve the best possible sound source that is as close as possible to the essence of Mravinsky's music of the past through high sound quality. (1/3)