Anthony Newman and The Graham Ashton Ensemble - Music for Organ, Brass and Timpani


Label:

Sonoma

Genre:

Classical

Product No.:
CSNR 001 SA
UPC: 018561700062
Availability:
Back Ordered
Category:

Hybrid Multichannel SACD



Hybrid Multichannel SACD

This item is Back Ordered and currently unavailable.

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…From HP's SUPER SACD list:
"…Hold on to your molars when the lowest notes of the organ provide the foundation for all the activity alone." – Harry Pearson, The Absolute Sound, March 2007

A pure DSD recording from Sonoma Records. Produced by 12-time Grammy award winner Steven Epstein and engineered by Richard King, Music for Organ, Brass and Timpani was recorded and post-produced entirely in the DSD domain on a Sonoma Workstation.

"The music on this disc is a series of arrangements for the aforementioned instruments, cleverly crafted by Graham Ashton, who heads his epononymous Brass Ensemble. The music ranges from a knockout of a piece by Richard Strauss, to Bach, Rachmaninoff, and even the 'Great Gate of Kiev' from Pictures at an Exhibition...The entire process, from recording to editing to production stayed within the DSD encoding, instead of, as so often happened in the past, being taken out of DSD for editing purposes...I can tell you that this really is going to be a 'super' disc sonically; but, to me, perhaps every bit as impressive are its musical values. The Ashton ensemble is sensational, and so is the celebrated Newman. Just wait till you hear the lowest notes on the Strauss. Or the brass seated (on some cuts) in a semi-circle stretching out into your listening room." - Harry Pearson, The Absolute Sound, February/March 2005

"For the recording venue, I knew I wanted to use the sanctuary of St. Ignatius Loyola which houses the grand N.P. Mander Organ, the largest mechanical pipe organ in New York City. The acoustics are perfectly suited for this repertoire. For organist, the clear choice was Anthony Newman, the internationally celebrated artist, who has made many critically acclaimed recordings for CBS Masterworks/Sony Classical. For brass, we were most fortunate to have the Graham Ashton Brass Ensemble which is comprised of some of the finest brass players in the world, led by virtuoso trumpeter, Graham Ashton. On this record, Graham's ensemble was joined by timpanist Duncan Patton." - Steven Epstein, producer

"This record is a great example of what the Sonoma Workstation and the SACD format can deliver." - David Kawakami, Director of the Super Audio CD Project at Sony Corporation of America

"This audio spectacular – easily one of the half-dozen best-engineered multichannel recordings I've heard – is the first release from Sonoma Records, a label started specifically to demonstrate the potential of the SACD medium…The recording achieves the seemingly impossible, delivering the impact of the organ and brasses, plus giving a marvelous sense of the large space's five-to-six-second reverberation time. There's a feeling of majesty and power, even when the dynamic level isn't loud. And when the volume does increase, the effect is always one of grandeur." – Andrew Quint, The Absolute Sound, February 2006, Issue 159




Strauss: Feielicher Einzug der Ritter des Johanniter-Ordens
''Solemn Entry of the Knights of the Order of St. John''

Handel: Overture from Music for the Royal Fireworks

Gabrieli: Canzon Noni Toni à 12

Gabrieli: Canzon XV

Gabrieli: Canzon XVI

Bach: Kantate BWV 29 (Nr. 1 Sinfonia)
''Wir danken dir Gott, wir danken dir''

Bach: Kantate am Michaeilfeste BWV 19 (Nr. 1 Coro)
''Es erhub sich ein Streit''

Rachmaninov: The Theotokos, Ever-Vigilant In Prayer

Bach: Kantate BWV 34 am Pfingstfest (Nr. 1 Coro)
''O ewiges Feuer, o Ursprung der Liebe''

Bach: Kantate BWV 214 (Nr. 1 Coro)
''Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten''

Monteverdi: Toccata from 'Orfeo'

Mussorgsky: The Great Gate of Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition

Customer Reviews (3.67 Stars) 15 person(s) rated this product.

Best SACD I have heard!

posted on 02/25/2009
5 Stars
To be fair, you will really need a good subwoofer to hear the full impact of this recording. The brass ensemble's playing is crisp and professional. Sonics in the church are just OK...there is a wide space between left and right channel groupings. On some tracks when I listened, I felt I was right in the church listening.. Bass is not the absoulute lowest ( For that try Mary Preston's new Organ recording on Reference Recordings.) This is a Fantastic recording....Crank it up with the lights off...lYou are there!


Perfection captured

posted on 05/03/2008
5 Stars
Reviewer: Dave
I'm a trumpeter with hundreds of brass recordings and this ranks in the top two or three of my collection. The arrangements are wonderful and the performances are all first rate. These types of recordings usually fail to balance the brass with the organ effectively, but in this case the balance is perfect. The burr and burnish of the brass is captured as are the wide variety of sounds from the various organ stops. Timpani is just right.

One reviewer thought this was lifeless, my advice is to TURN IT UP. If you've ever listened live, it's meant to be loud. I'm now looking for more SACDs produced by Sonoma.


There are better SACDs out there, IMHO

posted on 12/13/2007
3 Stars
Although, I'm just starting out with SACDs, this one sounded rather plain to me. I do not feel like listening to it over and over again. There are better quality recordings out there, IMHO.


Incredible!

posted on 12/13/2006
5 Stars
Reviewer: jlethbri@rochester.rr.com
This is one disc you MUST have! Even if you don't have SACD capability you will find this to be an outstanding presentation. With the SACD sound you are carried into the recording area and surrounded with music beyond reproach. The finest recording and performance I have ever heard!


A Triumph

posted on 09/19/2006
5 Stars
Simply magnificent! What more can I say?


Great Organ with good subwoofer

posted on 03/24/2006
5 Stars
Reviewer: Allen
The presence of the organ is phenominal in the lower registers. Subtle but definite.


Flat, boring, and lifeless.

posted on 03/19/2006
1 Stars
Reviewer: Toby
I don't understand the rave reviews for this title. I purchased it with high expectations, but found both the stereo and multi-channel to be rather lifeless. I have tried multiple times to listen to this to see if I just hadn't connected with it yet, but to no avail.


Overrated to the extreme.

posted on 02/23/2006
1 Stars
HP loved it. It's been in the top 5 on this site for months. I have over 1000+ cd's/sacd's/dvd-a,LP's, many from this site, and this HAS to be the most overrated thing I have ever bought. NO BASS to speak of. I'll take ANY Telarc/RR recording over this any day of the week. Soundstage and air are totally lacking. Performance is good, however. Just wish the sonics were there......


Poor CD Layer

posted on 09/22/2005
2 Stars
With such high hopes from a recent review in multichannel, the CD layer in stereo was very disappointing. The soundstage was small and not well defined. The bottom end was lacking to the point of being absent. Sonoma should pay closer attention to the CD layer, much like Fidelio and others do in their fabulous hybrid SACDs.


Where is the air?? The space???

posted on 06/05/2005
4 Stars
Reviewer: Mark W.
Well,

This is an interesting disc. The playing is top notch, but there is not as much air and space as the venue would seem to offer. Maybe the players should have been placed with wider spacing to accommodate some much needed sense of air and space????

Also, the surround is a joke....I now listen to this in two channel only, as it is MUCH more convincing in two channel than surround....

Recommended, but only as a two channel!!!


DSD sound

posted on 05/11/2005
4 Stars
Reviewer: JIM MILTON
Well played and well recorded, thought the tempos are a little plodding. The Great Gates Of Kiev could have used a little "con brio", maybe an appropriate cymbal clash? Overall, a "you are there" experience!


poor recording !

posted on 05/07/2005
1 Stars
I cannot agree with the statements above. I found the music reproduction very poor, also in other audio comonents than I have ...


graet sound

posted on 03/02/2005
5 Stars
Reviewer: frank
it would be great if sony records released more releases using this as a reference standard....but these days something is LACKing at sony records


ENJOY THE POWER OF SACD

posted on 03/02/2005
5 Stars
Reviewer: Max Sittenfeld-Costa Rica
INCREDIBLE SOUND IF YOU OWN THE RIGHT SPEAKERS & SUBWOOFER, THAT GOES DOWN TO 25 TO 30 Hz


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