|
|
|
Double LP plus gatefold jacket with an integrated multi-page book inside
Mastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tape
200-gram double LP plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressings
"Analogue Productions' Classic Records buyout brought with it metal parts for many albums, cut by Bernie Grundman, including for this record. ... AP chose to produce a new stamper using the "mother" cut from the original master tape by Bernie Grundman. ... I compared this 33 1/3 reissue to the Classic 33 1/3 reissue and to an original pressing that I'm lucky to own. ... The QRP pressing was definitely more open, extended and focused on top and transients were sharper though in a completely natural way. The Classic sounded somewhat softer and veiled. If you've got both, you'll hear it in the percussive transients first and then consistently throughout. ... If this is one of your "go to" sonic spectaculars and you have other versions, you ought to consider adding this one, though you'll have to wait for the re-re-press. Both the sound, including dead quiet vinyl, as well as the packaging are first-rate." — Music = 11/11; Sound = 11/11 - Michael Fremer, AnalogPlanet.com. To read Fremer's full review, click here.
In the hearts of thousands, No. 1 on the Top RCA list. While the bulk of Ansermet's recordings were made with L'Orchestre de la Susise Romande, there were a few with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra and the very occasional foray into recordings with London orchestras, one of these being with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 1959.
Analogue Productions is proud and excited to be bringing back such a classic. Not just for the music, which is superb, but also for the detailed packaging, which in this case takes the form of a 22-page lavishly illustrated book that's integrated into the tip-on gatefold jacket. If you're new to ballet, this pictorial history will introduce you to some of its most famous productions — old favorites such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty, for example — but also less familiar tales such as Carnaval, Les Sylphides and Coppélia. You'll also make the aquaintance of famous ballerinas of the Royal company, such as Margot Fonteyn, Nadia Nerina and Beryl Grey. as well as choreographers such as Jules Perrot and male dancers Alexis Rassine and Michael Somes.
Musically you can't get better than the 200-gram dead-silent platters pressed by Quality Record Pressings, makers of the world's finest-sounding LPs. Of course the best vinyl reflects the best mastering, and that's accomplished here by Bernie Grundman working from the original analog tape. Stoughton Printing expertly handled the intricate gatefold tip-on package.
Audiophilia Online Magazine wrote: "This is the stuff of which dreams are made. The Royal Ballet Gala is one of the finest RCAs recorded in London's Kingsway Hall. The chunks of great ballet music are well served by orchestra, conductor and engineer. Performances are executed to a very high standard - the Royal Opera House Orchestra, both then and now, rank as one of the finest of opera orchestras.
"Conductor Ansermet keeps the pace moving, giving the listener the impression of a dance event rather than a dramatic concert hall reading. With the exception of some of the Tchaikovsky scenes, the music is light and remains so under Ansermet's gentle touch. Each ballet is given full attention by the players, something not always attained at Covent Garden during long ballet nights! The threat of eternity does have it's merits. The recorded sound is simply amazing! Lustrous is one word that comes to mind, accurate is another.
"Tonally, Messrs. Williamson and Wilkinson have used their considerable talents to capture the orchestra superbly. Woodwind and strings glow and resonate, transporting this listener to a time when simpler recording was better. Brass ring out thrillingly and percussion effects are very musical. Be it a bang, swish, rattle, crack or snap, each percussionist is situated perfectly within the beautiful Kingsway soundstage. Even the difficult-to-record sound of the celeste is captured in it's purely mechanical form. It's delicate sound is heard to great effect during the Nutcracker - originating stage left, the sound decays across the stage of Kingsway with sparkling beauty. Wonderful."
Producer: Michael Williamson
Engineer Kenneth Wilkinson
黃色代表尊貴、象徵皇室，對中國人來說更是如此！您所看到的正是一張與尊貴齊名的唱片——安塞美指揮的《皇家芭蕾舞曲》，它不僅包裝考究，唱片本身代表的並不僅僅是音樂，它訴說著皇家芭蕾的輝煌歲月。
這套尊貴的《皇家芭蕾舞曲》唱片，由著名的芭蕾音樂指揮家安塞美（Ernest Ansermet 1883.11.11-1969.2.20）指揮，他曾與戴亞吉列夫有過長期合作，而且還指揮首演了，史特拉汶斯基的“士兵的故事"、拉威爾的“圓舞曲"、法雅的“三角帽"等芭蕾舞劇。對於發燒友來說，安塞美的錄音可說是發燒極品，亦是人人夢想典藏的經典。
這張唱片對初聽者來說，可能只是覺得音樂好聽，無法體會到安塞美音樂真正的精彩之處。但是，如果您將其他唱片與此做比較，就會發現本版明顯的勝出。更何況此唱片裡演奏的並不是他的子弟兵羅曼德管弦樂團，而是皇家歌劇院管弦樂團。
“皇家芭蕾"，全部收錄的是世界古典芭蕾名著的選曲。而且，是由著名指揮家恩斯特．安塞美指揮，皇家歌劇院管弦樂團演錄。內容上遴選也很考究，以柴可夫斯基的芭蕾作品作為首選，兩張LP上分別有《胡桃鉗》中6個選段和《天鵝湖》中的4個選段。其它內容。則涵蓋了德奧和東歐作曲家的芭蕾作品，如LP I上，有雷史畢基的《古怪的玩具店》、萊奧‧德利布的《葛蓓莉亞》、阿道夫‧亞當的《吉塞爾》中的音樂選段；LP II上，則有舒曼《狂歡節》中的片段—“皮埃羅"、“晚餐"、“科倫拜恩的長褲"；蕭邦《仙女》中的幾個片段—序曲：A大調前奏曲、C大調馬祖卡和降E大調第一號圓舞曲。愛樂友一定會發現，其它錄音公司所推出的LP中，很少有與這款芭蕾音樂選曲“重覆"的。安塞美對詮釋不同風格特色的芭蕾音樂作品,有著獨到的藝術領悟與掌控力。加上此專輯的錄音充滿溫暖豐厚和飽滿細膩的空間，也非常適合作為管弦樂作品來單獨聆賞。
