Thread: Horowitz: Historic Return to Carnegie Hall: 4 Hybrid Stereo SACD Boxset

Posts: 5

Post by rammiepie November 30, 2015 (1 of 5)
On December 23, 2015, SONY Classical Japan will be releasing 4 hybrid stereo SACDs of Vladimir Horowitz's classic return to Carnegie Hall recorded on May 9, 1965.

According to the CDJapan website, these are based on NEW DSD remasterings. Discs 1 and 2 include the final 'edited' versions from the original Columbia LPs and discs 3 and 4 will include the 'uncut and unedited' renditions recorded at that historic concert.

The boxset will also contain a booklet as well as copious liner notes.

http://www.HRAudio.net/showmusic.php?title=11202

Post by ramesh November 30, 2015 (2 of 5)
I bought the 41 CD + DVD [ H on TV, 1968 ] set 'H live at Cernegie Hall' when it came out.
This has the 2CD 'unedited' concert, which apparently was first released in 2003.
There's no info in the box set about the remasterings, except the note published and copyright 2013.
The 1965 return notes state the remastering is by Andreas Mayer.
I guess it's possible, though unlikely that Sony are remastering again at least the 'unedited tapes' this year. Doubtless the copious liner notes will be entirely in Japanese, like the copious liner notes in their Glenn Gould remasters.

Post by Ubertrout November 30, 2015 (3 of 5)
All I can think of hearing about this concert is the PDQ Bach "Hysteric Return."

Semi-seriously though, I wonder how it will sound.

Post by rammiepie November 30, 2015 (4 of 5)
Ubertrout said:

All I can think of hearing about this concert is the PDQ Bach "Hysteric Return."

Semi-seriously though, I wonder how it will sound.

I was hoping that ramesh would comment on the quality of both the performances and the sound quality taking into the account the limitations of the RBCD format. From my 'scant' recollection of the Horovitz vinyl releases, he was always afforded state of the art (for its time) sound reproduction.

Hopefully, if CDJapan's comments on this boxset are accurate, we should be treated to newly DSD remastered SACDs direct from the analogue masters.

Since HRAudio partners with CDJapan, I would also add that a preliminary investigation of pricing on this set 'currently' favors CDJapan which is charging ALMOST half of what AmazonUS is charging ($65 vs. $119).

Post by akiralx December 1, 2015 (5 of 5)
Ubertrout said:

All I can think of hearing about this concert is the PDQ Bach "Hysteric Return."

Semi-seriously though, I wonder how it will sound.

It was actually Glenn Gould who dubbed it 'The Hysterical Return'.

The difference between the two versions is of course the hash Horowitz made of the notoriously difficult skipping coda to the central movement of the Schumann Fantasie op.17 - when the LP came out the playing was immaculate; this was perhaps the first recording which made the public realise that 'live' recordings were usually anything but... Horowitz's excuse was that perspiration ran into his eyes.

I'm not sure if he used his own piano for this recital - if so the sound will be clear but rather hard and unlike any other instrument, mainly owing to Horowitz becoming obsessed with the idea that he didn't sound brilliant enough, and so removing the felt from the hammers, and even filing them down to a point.

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