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Ok, so I am not a big classical music fan but I do appreciate the sound quality of the DVD-Audio.I have one classical redbook cd. It is Telarc "Orchestral Spectaculars" - Erich Kunzel Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. I don't listen to it very often but it sounds impressive when I do.
What DVD-Audio discs do you recommend similar to the above?
Thanks, Al
Follow Ups:
Al,Sorry for the late response - my "posting" time seems to be ever smaller these days!
Kal is of course correct in stating (below) that the vast majority of interesting classical recordings these days are coming out in the SACD medium rather than on DVD-A, for better or worse (in my opinion, worse!).
Anyway, there are a few "orchestral spectacular" DVD-A's that make a good case for the medium, IMHO.
"Homage a l'Orchestre Lamoureux" (Erato) - orchestral works by Chabrier and Ravel conducted by Yutaka Sado. Recorded a bit more distantly than I would like, this recording still shows off the natural detail and impact attainable with 24/96 resolution - it's really great in this respect.
Mahler Symphony No. 8 (Decca), Chailly/Concertgebouw Orchestra - Especially in multi-channel, this recording really gives you a sense of the space of the hall. Big, impressive orchestral and choral sound! (If you don't like vocal soloists, then stear clear however!)
Mahler Symphony No. 2 (Decca), Chailly/Concrtgebouw Orchestra - In some ways, even more impressive than the Mahler 8 above, this recording is 24/96, rather than the 24/48 resolution of the Eighth. Both of these recordings are noticeably better sounding than the equivalent Decca CD's, and I'm thankful we have them. (BTW, there are a couple of Chailly/Concertgebouw Mahler performances on SACD - the Third and Ninth Symphonies - these are also excellent!)
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique (Philips), Davis/Vienna Phil - Perhaps the least exciting of Davis' recordings of this work, but this DVD-A really gives you a chance to appreciate the weight and sonority he draws from the orchestra, at least in multi-channel. This is enough to validate Davis' interpretation much better than the CD does. (On CD, you wonder why he's so slow, but on DVD-A, it's a lot clearer what he's driving at with these tempos.) The resolution is only 24/44.1, and that's only in multichannel - the two-channel resolution is only CD quality (16/44.1)!
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 / Scriabin Prometheus (Philips), Toradze/Gergiev/Kirov Orchestra - Gergiev's recordings seem to get universally panned over on the SACD board, but here again, if you listen to this DVD-A vs. its CD equivalents, there's no question for me that the DVD-A is clearly superior in terms of clarity and coherence (at least in multichannel).
Dvorak Symphony No. 9 (New World) / Vodnik (The Water Goblin) (Teldec), Harnoncourt/Concertgebouw - Harnoncourt is far from my favorite conductor, but here he evokes performances of genuine interest rather than mere mannerism. Superb clarity here, especially in "The Water Goblin" which was recorded "in studio" rather than recorded in concert as the Symphony was. 24/96 resolution.
Sibelius Lemminkäinen Suite / Nightride and Sunrise (Finlandia), Saraste/Toronto Symphony - A great piece of engineering! The atmosphere of the hall (Massey Hall) is simply palpable - the depth is just outstanding, even though the resolution is only 24/44.1. May only be available in Germany? (That's where I obtained mine - from JPC.)
Strauss Four Last Songs / Ein Heldenleben (Silverline), Wagner/Odense Symphony - Recorded in concert, this recording received a polite, but muted reception when it was first released from most critics who reviewed it, but for me, the palpable concert atmosphere is overwhelming. Vocally, the soprano in the Four Last Songs (Gitta-Maria Sjoberg) may not be not the greatest singer to have recorded these sublime works, but she's certainly adequate, and the orchestral contributions throughout are far, far stronger than you would expect from an orchestra you probably haven't heard much of. The natural clarity maintained within Strauss's sometimes dense textures is just outstanding throughout the performance.
There are also some good recordings on the Naxos label - although the best Naxos DVD-A recordings tend to be orchestral non-spectaculars - like the Bach B-minor Mass, or the Pärt choral works. The Russian-derived recordings are very good too, the DVD-A of Swan Lake (Yablonsky / Moscow) being perhaps the best of these.
Finally, I can't recommend most of the DVD-A's I've heard on the Nishimura label highly enough - especially Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 2 ("Lobgesang"), with Marcus Bosch and the Dessau Orchestra. You may have to obtain these from Germany or Japan. In many ways, these Nishimura recordings are the greatest examples of DVD-A recordings of all, even though their resolution is only 24/48. But Tatsuo Nishimura is one of the few engineers operating today who actually knows what he's doing when recording an orchestra! (Beware however: the Nishimura performance of the Dvorak Symphony No. 9 is a bit on the slow and dull side.)
look at www.aixrecords.com
Similar Telarcs are all SACDs. In fact, the vast majority of classical hirez MCH is on SACD, especially the good ones. ;-)Kal
The complete set of Beethoven symphonies by Abbado (DG) is available on DVD-A. They're brilliant interpretations, musically speaking. They were recorded in 1999-2000 and remastered for DVD-A. DG say that they are 96kHz-24bit. They do sound very good.
And here's another vote for the Mahler 2nd symphony by Chailly.
Joel
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