Title: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt Sanderling – Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 (1963/2021)
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO
Title: Karl Suske, Giorgio Kröhner, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt Masur – Bach: Violin Concertos (1970-1978/2021)
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO
Zuske’s masterpiece, which is a rich fruit of the performance style nurtured in Leipzig, a city associated with Bach, has been reissued in the best sound quality! New reissue from the original ETERNA analog tape. This is the world’s first SACD release! Mastered only in the analog domain and directly converted to DSD! The world’s first SACD reissue of Bach’s Violin Concertos by Carl Zuske (1934.3.15-), recorded for the ETERNA label in 1977 and the following year under the direction of Mazur. This is one of Zuske’s most highly acclaimed recordings, which evokes the traditional style of Bach performance cultivated in Leipzig. After joining the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (LGO) in 1954 at the age of 20, Zuske worked as the second concertmaster before becoming the first concertmaster in 1959. He was appointed as the first concertmaster in 1959. He is not only a soloist, including chamber music, but also a representative violinist of the former East Germany, leaving a great impact both at home and abroad. He has been a standard-bearer especially in the performance of Bach and Beethoven, and many people in Japan are familiar with his performances of these works. This recording is a milestone in modern instrumentation and technique, and the neatness and emotion of the playing is captivating. The recording is also excellent, and since the effect of the latest high-definition digitalization is significant, the SACD version will allow the listener to appreciate the beauty of the recording even more. The three Beethoven pieces in the margins were originally recorded as a coupling of three solo pieces by Zuske and “Rondo for Piano and Orchestra WoO6” with Peter Lösel on the occasion of Beethoven’s bicentennial in 1970, conducted by Bongartz. (Zuske later made a digital recording of the Violin Concerto under Mazur in 1987.) Again, Zuske’s violin is naturalistic and beautiful, conveying to the listener the charm of Beethoven’s music, which is based on a solid melody line. The last part of the recording includes a rare “Violin Concerto (section)” (the last part of the piece is played up to the point where Beethoven put down his pen, where the score breaks off). For this reissue, the master tapes were flown from the label to Vienna-based mastering engineer Christoph Stickel’s studio, mastered in the analog domain, and digitized separately in DSD for the SACD layer and PCM for the CD layer. The project was then digitized into a product. This project realized the ideal method of mastering as far as currently conceivable. The effect is remarkable: it is now possible to reproduce the quality left on the master tapes with extreme fidelity, and the mastering and direct DSD conversion in the analog domain only has even greater sonic benefits. The result is a performance that is so clear and resolved compared to its predecessor that one can expect to appreciate the performance even more. The manual also includes a color photo of the outer box of the original analog master tape used in this project.
![Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Rudolf Mauersberger - Bach: Matthaeus Passion BWV 244 / St. Matthew's Passion BWV 244 [3 SACDs] (1970/2021)](https://imghd.xyz/images/2025/01/17/bd5d8680a46febc645b6d103c339c424.jpg "Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Rudolf Mauersberger - Bach: Matthaeus Passion BWV 244 / St. Matthew's Passion BWV 244 [3 SACDs] (1970/2021)")
Title: Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Rudolf Mauersberger – Bach: Matthaeus Passion BWV 244 / St. Matthew’s Passion BWV 244 [3 SACDs] (1970/2021)
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO
The monumental masterpiece recorded in 1970 by the former East Germany with all its efforts is reproduced in the best sound quality ever. On the 50th anniversary of Rudolf Mauersberger’s death, it was newly reissued from the original ETERNA analog tapes in its home country. World’s first SACD release! Mastered only in the analog domain and converted directly to DSD! This is the 13th SACD hybrid version of the latest reissue of the original ETERNA analog tapes in Japan. The two prestigious East German choirs led by the Mauersberger brothers in 1970 were the Dresden Holy Cross Choir on the left and the Leipzig St. Thomas Church Choir on the right, and together with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, they recorded “Matthew” in analog stereo at Luke’s Church in Dresden. The smoky silver tone and humble performance attitude dedicated to the work were captured in the best possible conditions. The warmth of sound and rich emotion in the chorale is now unheard of, and as the work progresses, the colors of sorrow deepen, beautifully depicting the scenes of the Passion story. The singers are all East German, with Schreier and Adam from the Dresden Choir of the Holy Cross singing with a beautiful voice that is one of a kind, showing a dramatic tension building in their clean, beautiful voices. This performance is what most listeners would agree is the “authentic” Matthew. This recording is a masterpiece representing ETERNA as a recording of the best members of the former East Germany at that time. The recording has been reissued several times, but the appearance of this high-quality disc with renewed sound quality is noteworthy. The recording was made by the famous engineer Streuben, and the breath of the chorus and the atmosphere and realism of the recording location are outstanding. The soloist, 35-year-old Schreier, is a masterpiece. He has been the Evangelist in many recordings, and this disc is considered the best of them all. The chorus is also very skillful and of a high level, which is unique to the former East Germany, and is a great feature of this recording. Furthermore, the Mauersberger brothers’ recording of the Mauersberger Chorus is a compilation of the Mauersberger Brothers’ works, as their older brother Rudolf died the year after this recording was made. For this reissue, the master tapes were flown from the label to the studio of Vienna-based mastering engineer Christoph Stickel, where they were mastered in the analog domain, and then digitized separately in DSD for the SACD layer and PCM for the CD layer. Then, the digitalization was done in two separate systems, DSD for SACD layer and PCM for CD layer. This project realized the ideal method of mastering as far as currently conceivable. The effect is remarkable: it is now possible to reproduce the quality that was left on the master tape with extreme fidelity, and the mastering and direct DSD conversion in the analog domain only has even greater sonic benefits. The result is a performance that is so clear and resolved compared to its predecessor that further appreciation of the performance can be expected. The manual also includes a color photo of the outer box of the original analog master tape used in this project.