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Dorati / Respighi
Respighi's Ancient Airs and Dances has been a favorite of mine since college. This recording was the first I heard, on a poorly-cared for LP I inherited from a roommate. I played it pretty much to death. Fast forward 40+ years, and my favorite CD of the work for a long time was Jesus Lopes-Cobos' reading on Telarc. But now, HDTT has released the original Dorati recording and it sounds as good as I remembered. I have become more accustomed to Lopez-Cobos' slightly faster pacing, but the slower Dorati recording is its sonic equal. I guess it's OK to have more than one favorite!

Dances, Airs, my old friend Dorati
A sonic upgrade for this utter jewel. This was 1958, so, five stars.

Respighi - Ancient Airs and Dances
Beautiful and rich with lush sound. Sometimes the oldies are the goodies and this was worth every penny.
wonderful performance, sound just Fine [smile]
Could not ask for a better performance, and the Mercury recording was by Bob Fine and Wilma Cozart Fine, his wife of equal fame. To my ears the sound was just "Fine," if you'll forgive the pun. No flaws in the transfer or anywhere else. That included some listening with Etymotic ER-4 headphones, generally regarded as being among the most accurate in existence. Gets my fifth star. The interpretation is relaxed and gentle, like the music itself. The playing is just about letter perfect. And again, I find nothing to object to in the sound, which is yet another example of the terrific DXD remastering work done by HDTT.

Fine music making
The music and music-making is lovely, of course, but I could only recommend this transfer if you don't have access to the Soundmirror SACD. This sounds a bit thicker and more congested, as if the tape used is a generation or two removed.
Description:
Title: Respighi Ancient Dances And Airs For Lute
Artist(s): Conductor – Antal Dorati conducting The Philharmonia Hungarica
Transferred from a 2-tracks 15ips tape
Recording Info: Recorded on June 9, 10, and 11, 1958 by Mercury Records
Engineer - C. Robert Fine Recording Supervisor - Wilma Cozart
Suite No. 1 (For Orchestra)
1 Balleto Detto "Il Conte Orlando" 3:09
2 Gagliarda 3:54
3 Villanella 5:13
4 Passo Mezzo E Mascherada 4:14
Suite No. 2 (For Orchestra)
5 Laura Soave - Balletto Con Gagliarda, Saltarello E Canario 4:07
6 Danza Rustica 4:13
7 Campanae Parisienses - Aria 5:10
8 Bergamasca 5:44
Suite No. 3 (For Strings)
9 Italiana 3:43
10 Arie Di Corte - Andante Cantabile 1:57
11 Arie Di Corte - Allegretto :26
12 Arie Di Corte - Vivace :44
13 Arie Di Corte - Lento Con Grande Espressione 1:28
14 Arie Di Corte - Allegro Vivace :15
15 Arie Di Corte - Vivacissimo :41
16 Arie Di Corte - Andante Cantabile 2:13
17 Siciliana 3:05
18 Passacaglia 4:08
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