Title: George Szell, Wiener Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebou – Beethoven: Egmont Op.84, Symphony No.5 (1970/2021)
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO
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Title: Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Wilhelm Furtwangler – Bruckner: Symphony No.4; Wagner: Parsifal (2016)
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO
Recorded in 1951, this recording features Wilhelm Furtwängler leading the Wiener Philharmoniker in one of the most infamous readings of Bruckner’s Symphony No.4. The legendary maestro is also joined by the Berlin Philharmonic for the Good Friday Music from Wagner’s Parsifal.
![Claudio Abbado, Wiener Philharmoniker - Brahms: 21 Ungarische Tänze - Hungarian Dances (1983) [Japan 2019]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2025/09/20/DNBmyVA.jpg "Claudio Abbado, Wiener Philharmoniker - Brahms: 21 Ungarische Tänze - Hungarian Dances (1983) [Japan 2019]")
Title: Claudio Abbado, Wiener Philharmoniker – Brahms: 21 Ungarische Tänze – Hungarian Dances (1983) [Japan 2019]
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
At their best, and especially on home ground in central European repertory, Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic could produce electrifying music-making, as on the present recording of Brahms’s Hungarian Dances made in Vienna’s Sofiensaal in 1982. The recording was commissioned as part of Deutsche Grammophon’s superb 8-volume, 62-LP “Brahms Edition”, a survey of the composer’s complete musical output which was released in 1983 to mark the 150th anniversary of Brahms’s birth. Gramophone magazine’s Robert Layton commended the warmth, eloquence and virtuosity of the Vienna Philharmonic’s playing, adding that, though Abbado was scrupulous in his observation of the letter of the score, “the spirit of what Brahms liked to refer to as his ‘genuine gypsy children’ is always in evidence”.
Johannes Brahms was 17 when he encountered the brilliant young Hungarian violinist Ede Reményi in Hamburg in 1850. Reményi was passing through the city to the United States after being deported from Hungary for his involvement in the 1848 uprising against the Austrians. Brahms was intoxicated by Reményi’s transcriptions of gypsy and Magyar folk songs and dan¬ces, a fascination that deepened in 1852 when the two men toured together. The two sets of Hungarian Dances which Brahms later published were not the only fruits of the experience. Throughout a composing career that spanned more then 40 years, Hungarian influences were never far from his music. Brahms wrote his Hungarian Dances for piano duet. Books 1 and 2 (nos. 1-10) were pub-lished in 1869, Books 3 and 4 in 1880. The 1880 set offers what might best be called original compositions in the Hungarian style rather than free arrangements of the kind of Reményi-derived material which Brahms had once taken to be authentic. The 1880 set was never quite as popular as the 1869, perhaps because Brahms was no longer interested in the previously all-pervasive csárdás. Yet such is the craftsmanship of the later dances, it is they, paradoxically, which have the stronger “gypsy” feel. The later set did have one admirer: Antonín Dvořák, who provided orchestrations of the last four dances, nos. 17-21.
![Chor Der Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Philharmoniker, Rudolf Kempe - Wagner: Lohengrin [3 SACDs] (1962-1963/2020)](https://imghd.xyz/images/2024/04/22/60b4cbb4f32151fc60e65f96810a32d6.jpg "Chor Der Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Philharmoniker, Rudolf Kempe - Wagner: Lohengrin [3 SACDs] (1962-1963/2020)")
Title: Chor Der Wiener Staatsoper, Wiener Philharmoniker, Rudolf Kempe – Wagner: Lohengrin [3 SACDs] (1962-1963/2020)
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO
![Carlo Maria Giulini, Wiener Philharmoniker - Bruckner: Symphonie No.9 (1989) [Japan 2019]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2025/09/01/008a1fa5.jpg "Carlo Maria Giulini, Wiener Philharmoniker - Bruckner: Symphonie No.9 (1989) [Japan 2019]")
Title: Carlo Maria Giulini, Wiener Philharmoniker – Bruckner: Symphonie No.9 (1989) [Japan 2019]
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC
The Viena Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Carlo Maria Giulini performing Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor. The reissue of classical music masterpieces by Esoteric has attracted a lot of attention, both for its uncompromising commitment to recreating the original master sound. This series marks the first hybrid SACD release of historical recording selections. These new audio versions feature Esoteric’s proprietary re-mastering process to achieve the highest level of sound quality.
Carlo Maria Giulini recorded Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for Angel in 1976, and that album has long been considered a superb achievement and difficult to surpass. Yet Giulini’s 1988 performance with the Vienna Philharmonic matches the older recording in every important detail and exceeds expectations by sounding richer in the digital format. As wonderful as Chicago’s sound was, the Vienna Philharmonic offers more varied and subtle timbres, a result of its long history of Bruckner performances. Using the Nowak edition, Giulini takes this unfinished symphony into dark places, making it the full realization of the Romantic idea of Sturm und Drang. The opening movement is one of Bruckner’s most commanding essays in sonata form. Through its explicit parallels with Beethoven’s Ninth, Bruckner clearly points to his source of inspiration. The terrifying Scherzo, with its stacked dissonances and pounding rhythms, creates a mood of violence and instability that the nervous Trio does little to alleviate. Resolution – indeed, an apotheosis – comes in the glorious Adagio. Giulini elicits the most sumptuous sounds from the orchestra, particularly in the ecstatic opening measures. After hearing this movement, any thought of adding a finale must seem pointless, for this is a sublime valedictory and nothing more is needed.
![Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm - Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 [2 SACDs] (1970-1973/2021)](https://imghd.xyz/images/2024/05/30/5d0b936282f1d17c2666a751cc53a496.jpg "Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm - Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 [2 SACDs] (1970-1973/2021)")
Title: Wiener Philharmoniker, Karl Böhm – Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 [2 SACDs] (1970-1973/2021)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO
A project commemorating the 40th anniversary of Karl Böhm’s death. This collection brings together two Bruckner symphonies recorded by the Vienna Philharmonic and DECCA. The Third Symphony is being released on SA-CD for the first time worldwide. Experience Böhm’s mature-period masterpiece in high-quality sound with this latest reissue! Including Symphony No. 4, newly remastered in Austria from the original analog master tapes. Karl Böhm (1894-1981), who had been performing Bruckner since his youth, finally recorded Symphony No. 3 in stereo with the Vienna Philharmonic in 1970, and this release pairs it with the renowned 1973 recording of Symphony No. 4, considered one of the definitive interpretations of the work. The Symphony No. 4 was previously released on a single-layer SA-CD in 2004, and the same digitalized source was used for subsequent SA-CD hybrid editions. However, for this reissue, the master source has been digitally remastered from the original analog master tapes in the country of origin, resulting in a different master source than previous editions. Additionally, this is the first time the Symphony No. 3 has been released on SA-CD. Furthermore, in this series, the Symphony No. 7 and No. 8, recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under DG after these DECCA recordings (released in September 2019 as PROC2224), have already been reissued on SA-CD hybrid discs. Böhm had already recorded Symphonies Nos. 4 and 5 during the early years of his tenure as Music Director of the Staatskapelle Dresden in 1934, and frequently featured Bruckner in his concerts. However, unlike Jochum and Karajan, he did not have many opportunities to record, and few session recordings remain. Although this DECCA recording is part of the label’s complete set of Bruckner symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic, the two pieces conducted by Böhm are far superior to those conducted by other conductors. In particular, the Fourth Symphony, combining the strength of the Vienna Philharmonic at the time, Böhm’s mature period, and the peak of DECCA’s analog recording technology, stands out as a rare masterpiece of performance and recording, earning a reputation among many Bruckner recordings. The “Third Symphony,” based on the 1890 final draft of the Novak edition, is a masterpiece that truly showcases Böhm’s unique qualities, with the beauty of the second movement in this draft being particularly exquisite. Böhm’s inherent robustness and the Vienna Philharmonic’s flexible expression strike a chord with the listener. This is an unforgettable performance that has never been released on SA-CD, and this “Third Symphony” is undoubtedly one of the few masterpieces that helped drive the early Bruckner boom.
For this reissue, the list was traced back to the original analog master tape in the home country and digitized in high quality. Not only for this release, but also for the highest-quality flat master, we were able to achieve an excellent presence. The texture and spatial positioning are remarkably clear and precise, and the benefits of DSD conversion have been added to create an unprecedented level of sound quality. During production, the original analog master tapes from the UK were physically maintained and restored by former DECCA engineers at CLASSIC SOUND, followed by direct DSD conversion. The mastering process was carried out with meticulous care and attention to detail specifically for this series. On the SA-CD layer, you can enjoy high-resolution master sound. The CD layer has also been digitally remastered using the latest technology, resulting in sound quality that stands apart from previous editions. This series features the original jacket design and includes a new introductory essay by Daisuke Hirose. The 26th installment of the “Vintage SA-CD Collection” will release a total of three titles.
Title: Nathan Milstein, Wiener Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado – Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn – Violin Concertos , Geminiani – Sonata in A major (1972-1975/2018)
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO
This release combines all of Milstein’s concerto recordings left at DG with recital albums including “Paganiniana.” This is the world’s first SA-CD release. Newly mastered from the original analog masters in Russia. This two-disc set combines two concertos and one collection of short pieces recorded by the renowned Russian violinist Milstein (1903-92) for DG, and is the world’s first SA-CD hybrid release. His recording career began with SP records in 1932 and spanned over half a century, culminating in the CD of his “final recital” in June 1986. He recorded his favorite works multiple times. The recordings included in this two-disc set were made between 1972 and 1975, during his most mature period, and with the exception of Schubert’s “Rondo Brilliant,” which he recorded only once, and Liszt’s “Consolation No. 3,” which he performed at his “final recital,” all of the recordings are his last. Here, the stability of his youthful technique and his outstanding beautiful tone remain intact, while the addition of a profound flavor in his later years creates a beautiful culmination, like the twilight of a great artist. Among these, the deepening of his interpretation of Brahms’ Violin Concerto, which he recorded twice for EMI, is remarkable. He himself noted that it was “a more romantic interpretation” compared to his previous recording, “People progress in the direction that the music demands.” After the self-composed cadenza in the first movement, the violin sings the theme softly in the coda, and this recording has a beauty that is unmatched among CDs of the same piece. The 1972 recording of Tchaikovsky and the 1973 recording of Mendelssohn are also more relaxed than his previous recordings, with extremely supple and refined performances that are surprisingly noble. In Tchaikovsky, he plays his own version based on the Auer edition rather than the original edition, incorporating his own ideas. All three concertos feature the Vienna Philharmonic as the backing orchestra, but while Jochum emphasizes a rich, string-dominated sound, the younger Abbado highlights a bright sound and light rhythm with a focus on woodwinds, showcasing the distinct personalities of both conductors. The 1975 recording of “Violin Recital” is a collection of masterpieces that will leave you breathless. The tone, technique, and form are all polished to perfection, and the music is filled with an indomitable elegance, yet it also has a gentle, enveloping quality that wraps the listener in warmth. The improvement in sound quality is most notable in this album, with the piano and violin sounds and tones reproduced on stage with enhanced realism and a heightened sense of presence.
For this reissue, we went back to the original analog master tapes from the country of origin, remixed them, and digitized them in high quality. You will notice that the DSD conversion brings out the characteristics of the recording location and the conductor’s preferences in a surprising way. The central violins are reproduced with a realistic three-dimensional sound and a prominent resonance. The background orchestra spreads out before you with a rich, uncluttered sound, making it clear that this is a large-scale performance. For this release, we physically maintained and restored the original analog master tapes from the home country, then digitized them at high quality (192/24) using PCM. The home country’s label-dedicated engineer then spent considerable time meticulously mastering the recordings for this series. On the SA-CD layer, you can enjoy the high-resolution master sound. The CD layer has also been digitally remastered using the latest technology from 2018, resulting in a sound quality that stands apart from previous releases. This series features the original jacket design and includes a new introductory essay. The booklet includes color reproductions of the original jacket designs from each release. Additionally, this 11th installment of the “Vintage SA-CD Collection” will feature a total of three titles.
Title: Olga Borodina, Wiener Philharmoniker, Valery Gergiev – Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique & La Mort de Cleopatre (2003)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
Valery Gergiev turns in a generally fine Symphonie fantastique, one that really heats up in the last two movements, as any good performance must. The March to the Scaffold has an aptly menacing character, with very clearly voiced timpani and plenty of panache to the brass playing. The finale begins quite quickly and never lets up; it has the special Berliozian frenzy that so many versions never manage to capture. Elsewhere the results are a bit more variable. The first movement goes quite well on the whole, barring a pointless slow-down at one point toward the end, but the second-movement waltz is strange, with oddly Stravinskian accents disrupting its flow and a general lack of rhythmic tension. However Gergiev does find pretty much the ideal tempo for the slow movement, and the oboe and English horn solos have an appealingly plaintive, pastoral character. La Mort de Cléopatre makes a generous bonus, but not in this performance. Without getting hung up on the details, Gergiev certainly conducts it well enough, but Olga Borodina simply has the wrong voice for the part: thick, heavy, and often unsteady. She sounds dead before the music even begins–okay, maybe it’s not that bad, but compared to singers like Jessye Norman, Véronique Gens, or Janet Baker, she captures neither the nobility of the Egyptian queen nor the pathos of her predicament. Happily, given that many discs offer just the symphony, we can ignore this particular “bonus”, and the rating reflects this. Philips offers vivid live sonics that project the unique timbres of the Vienna Philharmonic horns and strings particularly well, though the harps in the second movement should sound more seductive. Fantastique collectors will find plenty to enjoy here.
Title: Barbara Hendricks, Placido Domingo, Herbert von Karajan, Wiener Philharmoniker – Puccini: Turandot (1982/2021)
Genre: Classical
Format: DSF DSD64
Title: Wiener Philharmoniker & Carl Schuricht – Anton Bruckner – Symphony No. 8 & Symphony No. 9 (2012) {2x Hybrid-SACD}
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
As a passionate listener rather than a musician, I value music for the pleasure it brings, believing listeners are as vital as performers, and I find overly technical reviews by scholars less relevant than the emotional impact of a performance. This SACD, featuring Carl Schuricht conducting Bruckner’s Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9 with the Vienna Philharmonic, is a miracle of EMI’s remastering from 1961 and 1963 recordings, showcasing astonishing clarity despite the era’s razor-blade editing techniques. Schuricht, an old-fashioned conductor like Furtwängler or Klemperer, brings mastery to the Nowak Edition of the Eighth, taking liberties that enhance the performance, with fast yet detailed scherzos and deeply beautiful adagios. The Vienna Philharmonic performs at its peak, making this a must-have for Bruckner fans, whose music—far from the “symphonic boa-constrictor” Brahms criticized—is essential to understanding late 19th-century composers like Mahler and Sibelius.