Banquo's Ghost
March 26th, 2015, 01:38 PM
Pristine Audio have just released the 1959 Covent Garden MEDEA with Callas in an incredibly much improved sound.
Taken from recently discovered master tapes.
7194
I copy the producer's note here
Normally the historic reviews included in our notes date back 50-80 years, yet this release bears reviews barely a year old. What could possibly justify revisiting a recording most recently issued (under official license) less than 18 months ago? Quite simply, the colossal leap forward in sound quality afforded by the discovery of source recordings that, even in their raw state, were streets ahead of any previous CD issue of this hugely important historic broadcast performance.
The recording was taped from the high quality live FM broadcast on the BBC's Third Programme onto high speed open reel tape, and reproduces the event in a way that the existing CDs only hint at. There were two very brief sections where tape changes required patching, and three or four moments of very brief tape dropout to fix towards the end of the first act; these aside, the broadcast has been marvellously preserved, together with BBC announcements.
XR remastering has only served to further enhance such excellent source material, almost totally eliminating tape hiss, and bringing forth a full and brilliant live sound that frequently matches - and in some cases exceeds - the quality of Maria Callas's studio recordings made in her 1950s heyday. No opera lover or Maria Callas fan can surely afford to be without this Medea!
Andrew Rose
Having heard a few snippets of this already, i can concur with his description of the sound.
Throw all the others away.
Taken from recently discovered master tapes.
7194
I copy the producer's note here
Normally the historic reviews included in our notes date back 50-80 years, yet this release bears reviews barely a year old. What could possibly justify revisiting a recording most recently issued (under official license) less than 18 months ago? Quite simply, the colossal leap forward in sound quality afforded by the discovery of source recordings that, even in their raw state, were streets ahead of any previous CD issue of this hugely important historic broadcast performance.
The recording was taped from the high quality live FM broadcast on the BBC's Third Programme onto high speed open reel tape, and reproduces the event in a way that the existing CDs only hint at. There were two very brief sections where tape changes required patching, and three or four moments of very brief tape dropout to fix towards the end of the first act; these aside, the broadcast has been marvellously preserved, together with BBC announcements.
XR remastering has only served to further enhance such excellent source material, almost totally eliminating tape hiss, and bringing forth a full and brilliant live sound that frequently matches - and in some cases exceeds - the quality of Maria Callas's studio recordings made in her 1950s heyday. No opera lover or Maria Callas fan can surely afford to be without this Medea!
Andrew Rose
Having heard a few snippets of this already, i can concur with his description of the sound.
Throw all the others away.