Moscow Sessions Sheffield Lab 3-LPs SEALED TLP-1000
$
174
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Description
One Owner- purchased at release
Co-producer – Lisa Sonne Conductor – Dimitri Kitayenko* (tracks: 7 to 12), Lawrence Leighton-Smith (tracks: 1 to 6) Edited By – Hugh Davies (2), Lincoln Mayorga Liner Notes – Lawrence Leighton-Smith, Lincoln Mayorga, Peter Mose Producer – Lincoln Mayorga Production Manager – Doug Sax Recorded By – Keith O. Johnson, Stan Ricker
The three Sheffield recordings, called ''the musical summit'' by the Moscow press, are the result of more than a year of negotiations between Sheffield and the Russians. Sheffield's original plan was simply to record a Soviet orchestra in Moscow, but it was finally agreed that an American conductor would conduct Russian pieces, while a Russian would conduct American works. The sessions, which took place in Moscow last summer, received network coverage in the United States as well as on Soviet television. At a recent New York news conference, Sheffield's co-founder, the pianist Lincoln Mayorga, declared that ''these disks represent a permanent cultural bridge between our two nations,'' a statement later emphasized by Mr. Smith's announcement that Mr. Kitayenko would be be coming here in 1989 to conduct the Louisville Orchestra.
As with all Russian orchestras, the perceptive listener may hear subtle differences of instrumental tone. Lawrence Leighton Smith points out in his notes that Russian horns play with a marked vibrato (particularly noticeable in the Tchaikovsky), their oboes have a darker sound, and, as their cellos' end-pins are both longer and angled unusually by American standards, the sound projection strikes the US listener's ear rather differently. I would add that Russian brass and woodwinds emit a somewhat coarser, earthier sound that invariably appears less studied and more spontaneous than that of their US counterparts. The strings, too, are weightier, less silky, and more plangent. Under the leadership of both Smith and Kitayenko (the orchestra's music director), homogeneity and balance are wholly admirable, and the rank-and-file musicians appear to be thoroughly involved emotionally with their duties. Of course, these recording sessions were embossed with an extraordinary sense of occasion which must have stimulated all concerned.
Bernard Soli said: In general, I am impressed with Sheffield Lab's engineering; they appear to have chosen music rather than audio impressionism as their end-product. Their digitally engineered CDs are notable for pristine clarity, expressive dynamic range, and exciting transients. As with many of their ilk, I am conscious of some sterility in the actual musical quality of the sound, but this seems to be endemic to a great deal of digital engineering. This also manifests as coolness in the sound character. Conversely, the analog LPs offer amiable warmth, rather less impressionable transients, and more natural-sounding string reproduction.
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