Planets/Also.. -CD+Blry-

I've got Maazel's DG & RCA recording, Ashkenazy & Solti's DECCA recording, Karajan's stereo & digital DG recordings, , Gerald Schwarz (Delos) and Reiner's outstanding RCA recording of Also sprach Zarathustra - each of them a great performance in its own way - but Steinberg's magnificent and spectacular DG recording is the one I always come back to for the sheer comand of each part of the orchestra and the stunning clarity of musical visions he creates.The same can be said for Steinberg's touchstone recording of The Planets - in fact this is one of the three greatest recordings of this orchestral work alongside Karajan's DECCA recording and Mehta's earlier recording with LAPO also on DECCA.Steinberg puts more emphasis on the intricate rythm and the fast movements have more dynamic thrust as a result. The closing chorus fades away very slowly and creates a real sense of the mystic atmosphere with Neptune gradually receding into the void.The both works were beautifully recorded in stereo in 1971.

やはりブルーレイオーディオは、SACDを凌ぐ？LPと比較しても甲乙つけ難く、惑星だけのLPに比べ、本商品がおすすめでしょう。

Enjoyed the disc, Holst's Planets followed by Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra, attached due to the 2001 film soundtrack headline, no doubt. Happy to hear Zara again after many years. Nicely played.

There can be few things which have become as devalued as audio remastering. Usually it means a recording has been made worse, generally being compressed so as to kill the dynamic range and make it sound leaden. This is one remaster that has been done very well, both the two channel stereo CD and the quadrophonic hi-res blu ray disc. The original recordings must have been pretty good as simply remastering alone would not be enough to give a recording of this quality, you need a pretty good recording to start with. To be honest I do not consider hi-res in itself adds anything to red book CD 44.1/16 standard if like for like masters are used but in this case the hi-res version is quadrophonic and adds a whole new dimension to the experience and is highly recommended. Overall the recording does not feel its age and shames many more modern recordings.So far all I've done is talk about the remaster. The Planets by Holst needs no introduction, being one of the most well known and popular of orchestral works and one which is accessible to people with limited experience or interest in classical music. A wonderful piece, everybody should have a recording of this work. The disc also includes Also Sprach Zarathustra by Strauss, most people will be familiar with the opening of this work thanks to 2001 A Space Odyssey and various other cinematic and TV use of it but I find very few have listened to the whole work which is a little sad as it is another wonderful piece of music. I think it is fair to say that other than that opening it is not as accessible to non-classical music enthusiasts as the Planets but neither is it impenetrable.The performances are superb, Steinberg was a fine conductor and the Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the worlds great orchestras. Steinberg brings out the best of that wonderful orchestra and the result is a supremely well crafted performance of unusual quality. And it is not just a brilliant performance technically, Steinberg chose just the right tempos and it never feels like just a great orchestra demonstrating its technical skills but devoid of emotion. The necessary power and impact which is so essential to the opening of Also Sprach Zarathustra is there, but so is the delicacy and subtlety which brings the quieter passages to life. Steinberg's interpretation of the Planets is different, in parts the tempo is much quicker than most recordings, the result is a performance that feels new and different (despite its age). This may not be to everyone's taste but if you approach it with an open mind it is one of those rare performances that genuinely brings a whole new dimension and insights to a work which listeners think they are very familiar with. If I could only have two Planets I'd take this one and the classic Charles Dutoit performance on Decca. As recordings go I am struggling to think of any I'd rate higher for these two pieces, add the quadrophonic mix and this is a compelling proposition.Very highly recommended.

William Steinberg conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra between 1969 and 1972. During his brief tenure, he made only a few recordings. On the present disc, Steinberg conducts his BSO in Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra and Holst's The Planets. Zarathustra was recorded in 1971 and The Planets in 1970. Both have been remastered.Zarathustra is given a superb performance with tempi a little faster than the norm. His interpretation is remarkably similar to that of Karajan including the latter's intensity and perfect sense of dynamics, only faster. In fact, when I first listened to it, I had to recheck the disc because I wasn't sure that somehow I hadn't mistakenly used the Karajan disc somehow. I will say more about this later, but there is a real issue with brightness in this recording. Just to return to similarities with Karajan, Steinberg/Boston approach but do not equal the weightiness of Karajan/Berlin performance.Steinberg's interpretation of The Planets is electric with tempi that are faster than commonly heard. Supposedly, Steinberg used the metronome markings specified by the composer in the score. (Any instrumentalists out there that can confirm this???). The tempi are fast, but I found that by the time I was in my second listening session, the tempi did not seem as onerous, and now the tempo seems just right.Mars is breathtakingly fast, and the performance can only be described as electric - 240 volts worth! Venus brings some eerie calm to the scene but with a tempo on the quick side of the norm. Mercury's tempo is on the fast side compared with most other recordings. Jupiter is big and brawny. Saturn and Uranus are the only planets with a tempo normally heard. Neptune is other-worldly. The fine chorus only adds to the illusion as intended by the composer.The sound on this recording is astonishing for its date of origin. It is, however, on the bright side although not enough to diminish one's enjoyment of the performance IF you lower the volume just a tad. The trumpets appear to be the biggest problem in the brightness. The problem is even greater with The Planets. Orchestral balance is almost perfect, but the lower register could have had more weight. Instrumental timbres were generally excellent with the exception of the aforementioned issue with the trumpets.In summary, Steinberg's account of Also Sprach Zarathustra is thrilling and the recording is superb but bright. I can't say that this is the finest performance of Zarathustra, but it is definitely one of the best. Exactly the same thing can be said of The Planets. Very highly recommended!