{"product_id":"4997184990745","title":"Montserrat Caballe, Placido Domingo - Verdi: Aida - Japan 2 SACD Hybrid Digipak Limited Edition","description":"\u003cp\u003eCredits:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMontserrat Caballe, Placido Domingo\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDescription:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the finest performances this opera has ever received: Muti's first complete opera recording, with a starry cast at the height of their powers, newly remastered in 2018. Vivid, life-affirming and thoroughly idiomatic. With libretto and Japanese translation.\nRecorded in 1974 as Muti's first complete opera set, this classic EMI recording appears on SACD for the first time anywhere in the world. Bristling with energy from first bar to last, it stands among the very finest recordings of Aida. With a starry cast at their peak and an outstanding chorus, the young Muti brought passion and forward drive to a recording that remains highly regarded as a benchmark of traditional Verdi conducting. For this reissue the original master tapes held in the home country were digitised at 96kHz\/24bit, and the SACD and CD layers were newly mastered separately. Yasuo Takasaki's detailed notes have also been restored (the booklet runs to 88 pages, including the essay and the libretto translation). Issued as a specially presented 2-disc set with libretto and translation.\nAida was Muti's first opera recording, and drew considerable attention at the time for its casting of singers then at their absolute peak. It was the starting point for the many opera recordings – Verdi above all – that followed, and remains an important document. By 1974 EMI's approach to opera recording had reached maturity, and the sessions follow the label's voice-centred philosophy of how opera should be captured. The master tapes are in exceptionally good condition, and the atmosphere of the sessions, the overtones of each vocal line and the stereo imaging are all beautifully reproduced within the acoustic space.\nThis release restores in full the substantial essay by Yasuo Takasaki that accompanied the 1990 Japanese reissue. Takasaki died in December 2017, having remained Japan's leading opera critic throughout his career. Throughout this series, the SACD layer aims for high resolution and a generous sound stage, while the CD layer aims for tonal presence and immediacy. This eighteenth instalment of the Definition Series, marking the 20th anniversary of the Shinjuku store, comprises two titles in all.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TOWER RECORDS DEFINITION SERIES","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53595622801697,"sku":"4997184990745","price":6600.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0568\/8482\/2076\/files\/4997184990745.jpg?v=1790481974","url":"https:\/\/cdsvinyljapan.com\/products\/4997184990745","provider":"CDs Vinyl Japan Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}