I am often asked which albums I consider to be particularly good sounding. Sometimes the question involves recordings I’ve mastered and other times it is more general. There is in fact an ever-growing group of recordings I turn to for reference whenever I make a change to the system in the studio, or when I just want to demo something for a client or friend. Needless to say, I love the music on all of them. This entry is about those I find to be sonically exceptional. All of this comes to mind as I just happen to be evaluating a new change in the system.
In general terms, there are certain engineers and certain artists from whom I’ve found consistent results that I deem outstanding in one or more ways. I note that every engineer whose work I have admired has their own approach, different from others and also different from my own approach. Nonetheless, I find much to enjoy in their work.
Among the first recordings I’ll play when I want to hear what something can do are some recorded by Keith Johnson for the Reference Recordings label. The recording of John Rutter’s Requiem (RR-57) is one of my all-time favorites. The 300 voices of the Turtle Creek Chorale and the Women’s Chorus of Dallas combine with the fabulous acoustics of the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas and the Fisk organ therein, along with woodwinds and percussion to create musical and sonic magic. I first heard this recording long before I saw a photo of the room in which it was made. From the sound alone, it was clear this room has a very high ceiling. After enjoying this record for years, I finally saw a photo of the space in which it was done, and learned the ceiling is some 80 feet above the floor. For spatial reproduction, ability to separate complex musical passages, and the deep bass of that organ (you can feel the air pressure changes in the room!), this recording is a wonder.
An earlier Keith Johnson recording of the Turtle Creek Chorale is another favorite. Testament (RR-49) features Randall Thompson’s music set to text by Thomas Jefferson. The album also includes other compositions by Ron Nelson, Howard Hanson, Aaron Copland, and Leonard Bernstein. I’ve often said this record is so clear, you can almost tell what color sweater certain vocalists were wearing.
I have several recorded versions of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and The Firebird but Eije Oue’s traversals with the Minnesota Orchestra (RR-70) are easily among my favorites. Like all of Keith’s work, space and dynamics are astounding. This is a stunning recording of some of my favorite music.
For me, the pioneers, the trailblazers of great recording were the team of Wilma Cozart and engineer C. Robert Fine. While their recordings for the Mercury Living Presence label might have just a bit of microphone-engendered brightness, they remain for me among the earliest examples of performances I enjoy which are superbly recorded. When listening to these, I am constantly amazed to realize they were recorded more than half a century ago.
Some of my most treasured albums done by Fine and Cozart are their recordings of Antal Dorati and the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra performing Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (434 331-2) and The Firebird (432 012). I’m also partial to the team’s recordings of Janos Starker including Bach’s Suites for Solo Cello and Sonatas in G & D Major for Cello and Piano (432 756) and Italian Cello Sonatas (434 344). Bob Fine’s recordings are magical windows to the performances.
Jack Renner’s recording for the Telarc label of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris (80058) played by the Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra is a house favorite.
Next time, some samples from the world of popular music.
The Soundkeeper 