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Delos has released the first SACD edition of an album in its Great Scenes Series this week. The SACD features music newly recorded in Direct Stream Digital (DSD) format from Tchaikovsky's "Queen of Spades" and is designed to "capture the essence" of an Opera (such as Queen of Spades) in a 1 disc SACD edition.
Delos says that these Great Scenes Series editions feature "scenes chosen to represent the music, drama and characterization that make each opera memorable. The series features outstanding singers and Delos' leading-edge technology, the Sony/Philips DSD (Direct Stream Digital) recording process." In this case, the SACD contains almost 78 minutes of music making it a good value for the dollar.
Delos President Amelia Haygood says "I've loved Queen of Spades for most of my life, and have long thought it should be up there among the all-time favorites. So it's a deep joy for me to present the drama and poignancy of Tchaikovsky's music at the high artistic level our singers, conductor and orchestra have achieved here. Unlike 'highlights' excerpts, or a collection of arias, this 'Great Scenes' version is meant to preserve the flow of the opera's story of love, obsession and madness."
Album Performers
Sergei Larin, tenor
Elena Prokina, soprano
Dmitri Hvorostovsky, baritone
Elena Obraztsova, mezzo-soprano
Vassily Gerello, baritone
Marina Domashenko, mezzo-soprano
Constantine Orbelian, conductor
Philharmonia of Russia
Spiritual Revival Choir of Russia
Album Selections
1. Prelude
2. I do not know her name
3. One day at Versailles
4. I'll sing for you
5. Why these tears
6. Forgive me, heavenly creature
7. You are so sad, I love you
8. Oh, how I detest today's world
9. Do not be frightened
10. Poor thing! What an abyss
11. I am so frightened
12. Midnight is near
13. What if the clock chimes
14. We will drink and be happy
15. If sweet maidens
16. What is our life?
The new Queen of Spades disc is a Hybrid Layer Multichannel SACD. It features SACD Surround Sound, SACD Stereo and CD Audio versions of the music on the album on the disc. It is playable on SACD, CD and SACD Compatible DVD Video players.
Availability
Queen of Spades is now available on SACD from Elusive Disc. The SACD's "in store" release date is next Tuesday (August 26th). On that date it will be available from Tower Records, CD Universe and other stores that carry SACDs from Delos.
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