Thread: Lotsa SACDs from Harmonia Mundi

Posts: 4

Post by zeus September 12, 2003 (1 of 4)
I just added nine SACDs from Harmonia Mundi to the database, available September/October (pre-order now from amazon.fr). For details, see:

http://www.sacdinfo.com/titles.php?label=164

Some I recognise as reissues but I'm not sure that this applies to all. I also found a HM catalogue that lists yet another six which I'll add when I have more details. Anyway, a serious commitment!

Post by nucaleena September 12, 2003 (2 of 4)
zeus said:

I just added nine SACDs from Harmonia Mundi to the database, available September/October (pre-order now from amazon.fr). For details, see:

http://www.sacdinfo.com/titles.php?label=164

Some I recognise as reissues but I'm not sure that this applies to all. I also found a HM catalogue that lists yet another six which I'll add when I have more details. Anyway, a serious commitment!

Stephen, i noted that some of these titles are shown as Hybrid and Multi-Channel and others as just Hybrid. Bought the Scarlatti "Griselda" yesterday. Its listed (on the link) as Hybrid (only), but it is also Multi-Channel.

With the new titles, I have high hopes that Harmonia Mundi might re-master and re-issue their wonderful Scarlatti "Il primo omicidio", which had to have been one of the two top Baroque "finds" of the last decade, and also their recording of Caldara's "Magdalene at the feet of Christ", which was the other.

Post by zeus September 12, 2003 (3 of 4)
nucaleena said:

Stephen, i noted that some of these titles are shown as Hybrid and Multi-Channel and others as just Hybrid. Bought the Scarlatti "Griselda" yesterday. Its listed (on the link) as Hybrid (only), but it is also Multi-Channel.

They are all likely multichannel, but without this information I've left it blank. Thanks for the update on the Scarlatti. I hope you'll review this here as well.

Post by beardawgs October 23, 2003 (4 of 4)
A friend brought last night a bunch of new Harmonia Mundi SACDs and we were terribly disappointed. Please note that we didn’t listen complete disks(all of them labelled as Multi-Ch), but sampled quite a lot of each and the general impression is that someone who wasn’t sure what the surround sound is all about was playing with his mixer, but didn’t know what to do with it (I’m sure you all gathered by now that we prefer our SACDs in MC). We were so looking forward to HM SACDs, knowing how good their red book (especially those labelled as USA Production) CDs are well produced.
The titles we sampled (and WON’T be buying) are Hildegard von Bingen: 11,000 Virgins - Anonymous 4 and Missa Mexicana - The Harp Consort. Both of them sounds just like good stereo, nothing more. Missa Mexicana is more focused on CD layer, when you switch to SACD MC it’s pretty much awful. Which is a shame, as that music provides such opportunities with all its noises and sounds for really good surround effects. 11,000 Virgins being a church music has no space around it, let alone any boldness or spirituality.
2 SACDs we decided to keep are Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik - English Concert/Manze which is much better recorded with surround sound in mind, but back channels are still too shy for our taste; and Bach: Christmas Cantatas from Leipzig - Herreweghe – the same verdict on the recording. The performances are great, and that is the main reason for keeping them.
Once again, please keep in mind that this is a purely a personal dislike based on our addiction to surround sound. We’d recommend ‘try-before-you-buy’ approach.

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