Tchaikovsky Symphony No 2 - Maazel - Vienna Philharmonic
This Decca recording of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 2 by Lorin Maazel and the Vienna Philharmonic is a definitive artifact from the "Golden Age" of analogue recording. Captured at the legendary Sofiensaal in Vienna, this performance masterfully balances the "Little Russian" symphony's vibrant Ukrainian folk themes with Maazel’s hallmark rhythmic precision and structural clarity. Eschewing the heavy sentimentality often associated with late-Romantic interpretations, Maazel and the VPO deliver a lean, athletic, and brilliantly colored account of the 1880 revised score. From the haunting solo horn of the opening "Mother Volga" theme to the thunderous, brass-led variations of "The Crane" in the finale, this release—now preserved with exceptional transparency - remains an essential benchmark for both audiophiles and scholars of the Russian symphonic tradition.
Artist(s): Conductor – Lorin Maazel
Orchestra – Vienna Philharmonic
Recording Info: Producer: Erik Smith
Engineer: Gordon Parry
Recorded 8 Sep-10 Oct 1964 Sofiensaal, Vienna
Sourced from a 4-track tape
Components used for Transfer:
This transfer leverages precision analog playback and mastering-grade digital conversion. The signal path begins with a modified Technics 1500 Reel to Reel with Flux Heads, fed a Custom Tape Pre-amp designed by Victor Khomenko of Balanced Audio Technology for accurate NAB equalization. The analog signal converts via a Merging Hapi converter, synchronized to an Antelope Audio 10MX atomic clock for temporal accuracy. All components receive isolated power conditioning through a Shunyata Research Everest 8000 with Shunyata Sigma-X power cords, while grounding infrastructure utilizes Shunyata ALTAIRA hubs to minimize noise floor and preserve sonic detail throughout the transfer chain.
Please Note: This release was edited in DXD PCM from a DSD256 Master
then the DXD edited master was used to generate the final DSD files using
Merging Technologies Album Publishing.
DXD (352.8KHz 24/32 bit PCM) is one of the best and least destructive formats for post-processing DSD originated digital recordings
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