{"product_id":"saintdanse_frema_2611-2","title":"Ravel, Saint-Saens, Dukas, Chabrier, et al. - Bolero, Danse Macabre, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Espana \u0026 more \/ Fremaux - Super Hot Stamper","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis vintage EMI pressing has the kind of Tubey Magical Midrange that modern records can barely BEGIN to reproduce. Folks, that sound is gone and it sure isn't showing signs of coming back. If you love hearing INTO a recording, actually being able to \"see\" the performers, and feeling as if you are sitting in the studio with the band, this is the record for you. It's what vintage all analog recordings are known for -- \u003ci\u003ethis sound\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you exclusively play modern repressings of vintage recordings, I can say without fear of contradiction that you have never heard this kind of sound on vinyl. Old records have it -- not often, and certainly not always -- but maybe one out of a hundred new records do, and those are some pretty long odds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat The Best Sides of Danse Macabre, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Espana \u0026amp; More Have To Offer Is Not Hard To Hear\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe biggest, most immediate staging in the largest acoustic space\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe most Tubey Magic, without which you have \u003ci\u003ealmost\u003c\/i\u003e nothing. CDs give you clean and clear. Only the best vintage vinyl pressings offer the kind of Tubey Magic that was on the tapes in \u003ca href=\"\/search?q=tag:%221974%22\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1974\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTight, note-like, rich, full-bodied bass, with the correct amount of weight down low\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNatural tonality in the midrange -- with all the instruments having the correct timbre\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTransparency and resolution, critical to hearing into the three-dimensional studio space\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo doubt there's more but we hope that should do for now. \u003ci\u003ePlaying the record is the only way to hear all of the qualities we discuss above,\u003c\/i\u003e and playing the best pressings against a pile of other copies under rigorously controlled conditions is the only way to find a pressing that sounds as good as this one does.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCopies with \u003cstrong\u003erich lower mids and nice extension up top\u003c\/strong\u003e did the best in our shootout, assuming they weren't veiled or smeary of course. So many things can go wrong on a record. We know, we've heard them all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTop end extension\u003c\/strong\u003e is critical to the sound of the best copies. Lots of old records (and new ones) have no real top end; consequently, the studio or stage will be missing much of its natural air and space, and instruments will lack their full complement of harmonic information.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTube smear\u003c\/strong\u003e is common to most vintage pressings. The copies that tend to do the best in a shootout will have the least (or none), yet are full-bodied, tubey and rich.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat We're Listening For On Danse Macabre, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Espana \u0026amp; More\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEnergy\u003c\/strong\u003e for starters. What could be more important than the life of the music?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe Big Sound\u003c\/strong\u003e comes next -- wall to wall, lots of depth, huge space, three-dimensionality, all that sort of thing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThen \u003cstrong\u003etransient information\u003c\/strong\u003e -- fast, clear, sharp attacks, not the smear and thickness so common to these LPs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePowerful bass\u003c\/strong\u003e -- which ties in with good transient information, also the issue of frequency extension further down.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNext: \u003cstrong\u003etransparency\u003c\/strong\u003e -- the quality that allows you to hear deep into the soundfield, showing you the space and air around all the instruments.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eExtend the top and bottom\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003ci\u003evoila\u003c\/i\u003e, you have The Real Thing -- an honest to goodness Hot Stamper.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eOrchestral Showpieces\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho can resist these sublime orchestral works? To quote an infamous (around here) label, \"they are an audiophile’s dream come true.\" Extensive background information on each of the works can found under the \u003cstrong\u003eReviews\u003c\/strong\u003e tab above.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sound is clear, with wonderful depth to the stage. These recordings may just be the ideal blend of clarity and richness, with depth and spaciousness that will put to shame 98% of the classical recordings ever made.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSide Two\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cu\u003eDanse Macabre (Saint-Saens)\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSaint-Saens’ symphonic poem, the second piece on this side, is the heart of the album and its \u003ci\u003eraison d’être\u003c\/i\u003e for us. This is where the real fireworks can be found, although that’s not really fair as there are fireworks aplenty on both sides.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat we have here is the best Danse Macabre we have ever played.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe have always been fans of Gibson’s performance on the legendary Witches’ Brew. As good as that recording may be, this one is clearly superior in practically every way — it’s bigger, clearer, richer, more resolving, more spacious, more real and, to my surprise, more \u003cu\u003eexciting\u003c\/u\u003e and involving.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you own a copy of LSC 2225, hopefully not the awful Classic pressing, you need to hear what Fremaux and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra manage to do with the work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cu\u003eThe Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Dukas)\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis piece opens the side. There is depth and richness to beat the band, as well as clarity and tonal correctness that let you forget the recording and just enjoy the music.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA superb performance as well, as good as any we know of.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd the sound is the equal of the best recordings we’ve played.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cu\u003eEspana: Rhapsody For Orchestra (Chabrier)\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs good as Fremaux is, I think the Ansermet (CS 6438) might still have the edge, but both are so good that it might just come down to a matter of taste. You cannot go wrong with either.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSide One\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cu\u003eBolero (Ravel)\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eComparable to our longtime favorite for sound and performance with Ansermet, we cannot say which one we would prefer without doing quite a bit more critical listening, a luxury we do not have at the moment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe can tell you this: Turn it up and it really comes to life like \u003ci\u003elive music\u003c\/i\u003e. It’s big, wide and believable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cu\u003ePrelude to the Afternoon of a Faun (Debussy)\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTransparency, depth and space were superb on this side, allowing that “you are there” feeling to take hold in the mind. The better copies like this one had plenty of all three.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eA Final Note\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the kind of record that will make you want to take all your Heavy Vinyl classical pressings and put them in storage. None of them, I repeat not a single one of them, can ever begin to sound the way this record sounds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eVinyl Condition\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMint Minus Minus and maybe a bit better is about as quiet as any vintage pressing will play, and since only the right vintage pressings have any hope of sounding good on this album, that will most often be the playing condition of the copies we sell. (The copies that are even a bit noisier get listed on the site are seriously reduced prices or traded back in to the local record stores we shop at.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThose of you looking for quiet vinyl will have to settle for the sound of other pressings and Heavy Vinyl reissues, purchased elsewhere of course as we have no interest in selling records that don't have the vintage analog magic of these wonderful recordings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you want to make the trade-off between bad sound and quiet surfaces with whatever Heavy Vinyl pressing might be available, well, that's certainly your prerogative, but we can't imagine losing what's good about this music -- the size, the energy, the presence, the clarity, the weight -- just to hear it with less background noise.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Saint-Saens, Camille","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68140268486952,"sku":"saintdanse_frema","price":149.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0257\/3415\/2295\/files\/ravel.jpg?v=1794330403","url":"https:\/\/better-records.com\/products\/saintdanse_frema_2611-2","provider":"Better Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}