It has become a near-cliche to say that HDTT is giving us so many new masters of golden age stereo recordings that a listener or other interested party may easily lose count. So ... here we go again! I doubt very much if any Ormandy performance besides the very few (think, Verdi Requiem, for example?) which SONY did release in sacd have so beautifully gotten the HDTT 'golden touch.' This Bartok Concerto for Orchestra release is surely among them. Absolutely no signs of having been derived from an older source. A 'black' silence for background. A very vital, persuasive recreation of all Philadelphia Orchestra departments, full frequency. As frequently noted, Ormandy's tempos are entirely mainstream with no hint of pushing, pulling or mauling the music around to strive for 'special effects.' All that remains is Bartok which Ormandy with Philadelphia pour out audio-wise like the finest curated world treasure, musically that is. I believe this DSD mastering will combine with Reiner/Chicago and Leinsdorf/Boston to represent the best of my shelf of Bartok recordings / music files. Bravo, check it out, and Thanks !
