Karl Suske, Giorgio Kröhner, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Kurt Masur – Bach: Violin Concertos (1970-1978/2021) [SACD / Berlin Classics x Tower Record – 0302713BC]
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)")