The Tierney Sutton Band and The Big Picture Highlight January SACDs from Telarc

Telarc followed up its special Super Audio CD sales and contest in January with the release of 4 Super Audio CDs. The release came during one of the busier weeks in sometime for SACD release activity in the U.S. market with over 20 Multichannel SACDs coming out on January 23rd.

Heading up the new Telarc Super Audio CD titles were releases by Boston Baroque and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as well as a newly remastered 5.1 Surround Sound SACD edition of The Big Picture by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. The Boston Baroque and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra albums are “day and date” releases with both the Multichannel SACD and Stereo CD editions being released to music stores on the same day. (The Big Picture was originally released in Stereo CD and 5.1 DTS Music Disc format in 1997 with today’s release being its debut in Hi Rez Audio.)

In a bit of a surprise, Telarc also released the new album “On The Other Side” by the Tierney Sutton Band in Multichannel SACD today as well. The album is officially due in music stores as a “day and date” Multichannel SACD and Stereo CD on February 6, 2007. However, the Multichannel SACDs must have showed up a bit early from the SACD replication plant and Telarc gave everyone a treat by making the Super Audio CD available a few weeks ahead of the scheduled release date. Here’s a bit more on this month’s new SACD releases from Telarc.

On The Other Side
The Tierney Sutton Band
SACD Surround Sound/SACD Stereo/CD Audio

(Telarc SACD-63650)

On The Other Side is a new Direct to Direct Stream Digital (DSD) recording by Telarc that is the latest Surround Sound SACD release by Jazz singer Tierney Sutton. It follows two earlier Surround Sound SACDs by the artist – Something Cool (Telarc SACD-63548) and Dancing In The Dark: Inspired by the Music of Frank Sinatra (Telarc SACD-63592). Fans of the singer know that she offers some very interesting and studied interpretations of the compositions on her albums. For her latest album, Sutton brings a new look on songs about the pursuit of happiness. The SACD was long awaited after a cut from the Super Audio CD was previewed at the recent Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention in San Francisco to rave reviews for the quality of its performances and the excellent engineering of the hi rez disc.

The SACD was produced by Elaine Martone, recorded, mastered and edited by Robert Friedrich with SACD Production Supervision by Erica Brenner. On The Other Side was recorded at Capitol Studios, Studio A in Hollywood on August 28-30, 2006 on the Sony Sonoma DSD Workstation with EMM Labs Meitner DSD Converters and Switchman II Monitoring. The disc was made by Sony DADC at their plant in Terre Haute, Indiana.

In a review of the album by Business Week they say that “On the Other Side is easily a masterpiece, taking happy songs and making them introspective, melancholy, ironic, and adult. There are works of art in this world of ours, on LPs and CDs, like Frank Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours, Miles Davis’ Sketches of Spain, and the Beatles’ White Album. Tierney Sutton’s On the Other Side joins that rarified group because it is eloquent, honest, and magnificently sung and played.”. Sutton says “We took chances this time that we’ve never taken before, and you can hear that in the result, but we all feel it’s by far our best.”

As the earlier comments suggest, On The Other Side presents Tierney Sutton and her band performing some well known songs about happiness in a variety of moods including upbeat and somber. The DSD recording does an excellent job of capturing Sutton’s vocals and her band. Track 3 (You Are My Sunshine) is a study in recording technique. The front speakers present a nuanced sound stage with both depth and excellent detail on each instrument. The back channels on the album feature brush fills from the drums, ambience and other instrumentation that fit the material nicely. Another strong outing – both for Sutton and her band and the Telarc recording team.

Album Performers
Tierney Sutton – Vocals
Christian Jacob – Piano
Kevin Axt, Trey Henry – Bass
Ray Brinker – Drums
Jack Sheldon – Trumpet and Vocals (Special Guest)

Album Tracks
1. Get Happy (Version 1)
2. Happy Days Are Here Again (Version 1)
3. You Are My Sunshine
4. Glad To Be Unhappy (with Jack Sheldon, Tumpet)
5. Sometimes I’m Happy
6. Happy Talk
7. Haunted Heart
8. I Want To Be Happy (with Jack Sheldon, Vocals & Trumpet)
9. Make Someone Happy
10. Great Day
11. Happy Days Are Here Again (Version 2)
12. Get Happy (Version 2)
13. Smile

The Big Picture
Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
SACD Surround Sound/CD Audio

(Telarc SACD-60437)

This new edition of The Big Picture takes the popular collection of movie themes and sound effects from 1997 and brings it to the Surround Sound Super Audio CD format. The disc includes the same movie themes from the original version of the album that was originally issued in Stereo CD and 5.1 DTS Music Disc formats. To fit all of this music on to one SACD (some 76 minutes and 6 seconds in length), the usual Super Audio CD Stereo track has been omitted from this disc.

According to Telarc, the new SACD edition “is a format that takes the recording to an entirely new and more satisfying level of richness and drama. The Big Picture on SACD overcomes the inherent limitations of the 1997 CD and DTS-CD, and enables the home listener to experience the surround spectacular intended by the producers.”

Sound Effects Producer and Engineer Michael Bishop says “It’s the difference between 2-D and 3-D. This puts you there at the source much more realistically. The sound effects are there to enhance the music. They’re not there to stand on their own. The main purpose is to draw the listener more deeply into the whole experience and evoke some sense of the story that the music was originally written for. These sound effects are so much more fun in surround, and the music is far more engaging. The whole surround experience does so much for the music. Until people experience it for themselves, they just have no idea what a difference a surround recording can make.”

The Big Picture was produced by Robert Woods, recorded by Michael Bishop who also produced the album’s sound effects with SACD Production Supervision by Erica Brenner. The album was recorded in 1996 at Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is a 20 bit PCM recording that was edited on the Sonic Solutions PCM and Sadie DSD Workstations. The disc was made by Sony DADC at their plant in Terre Haute, Indiana.

As you might expect, the movie title tracks on this album are impressive – particularly track 10 which features the “Roll Tide” from Crimson Tide along with an impressive choral arrangement in Surround Sound. But the real stars here are the Sound Effects tracks which offer even more range and drama in Super Audio CD than on the DTS Music Disc edition of this album. You’ll have fun with the F-16 take-off (track 11), the tornado (track 15), the “library stampede” from Jumanji (track 21) and the amusing “bovine barnstorm” (track 25) that ends the SACD. But be careful on the volume levels – the Sound Effects tracks do feature quite a bit of low frequency energy and can give your speakers and subwoofer quite a workout!

Album Tracks
1. Theme From Mission Impossible
2. Main Title And Fanfare From Batman Forever
3. Fledermausmarschmusik From Batman Forever
4. Gotham City Boogie From Batman Forever
5. Batterdammerung From Batman Forever
6. The Apollo 13 Mission
7. Re-Entry And Splashdown From Apollo 13
8. Express Bus To L.A.
9. Speed
10. Roll Tide From Crimson Tide
11. F-16 Fighter Squadron – Into The Battle
12. Suite From Independence Day
13. Braveheart
14. Cutthroat Island
15. Tornado Terror
16. The House Visit From Twister
17. The Last Of The Mohicans
18. Finale From Dragonheart
19. The Remora From Executive Decision
20. Going Home From Stargate
21. Library Stampede
22. Suite From Jumanji
23. Gettysburg
24. Bovine Barnstorm

Cherubini: Requiem, Marche Funebre; Beethoven: Elegiac Song
Martin Pearlman, Boston Baroque
SACD Surround Sound/SACD Stereo/CD Audio

(Telarc SACD-60658)

The new Surround Sound SACD of Cherubini’s Requiem is the latest album on Telarc by Martin Pearlman & Boston Baroque. It is a new Direct to Direct Stream Digital (DSD) recording that features Beethoven’s Elegiac Song, Cherubini’s Requiem in C Minor and Cherubini’s March Funebre.

The group’s web site notes that “Three-time Grammy Nominee Boston Baroque — the first permanent Baroque orchestra established in North America — is now widely regarded as this country’s leading period-instrument orchestra and chorus. The ensemble’s performances and recordings of the Baroque and Classical repertoire have been acclaimed from Boston to London, from New York to Vienna to Sao Paulo for their freshness, virtuosity, and exuberant appeal.”

Boston Baroque recorded the new album at performances at Mechanic’s Hall in Worchester, Massachusetts in May 2006. During those performances, Boston Globe Music Critic Richard Dyer said that “Pearlman has kept Boston Baroque in the forefront of the historically-informed, early-instrument field not only by its standard of performance but by keeping ahead of the curve in programming. The Requiem is a darkly colored and emotionally powerful piece. The writing for chorus is skillful and the orchestration is full of imaginative touches of color. [The orchestra displayed] some fine playing, and the chorus was splendid. This was an important rediscovery.”

The SACD was produced and edited by Thomas C. Moore, recorded by Robert Friedrich with SACD Production Supervision by Erica Brenner. The album was recorded on the Sony Sonoma DSD Workstation with a Genex 8500 DSD Recorder, EMM Labs Meitner DSD Converters and EMM Labs Meitner Switchman II Monitoring. The disc was made by Sony DADC at their plant in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Album Tracks
Ludwig van Beethoven
1. Elegiac Song, Op. 118

Luigi Cherubini: Requiem in C minor
2. Introit and Kyrie
3. Graduale
4. Sequence: Dies Irae
5. Offertory: Domine Jesu Christe
6. Offertory: Hostias
7. Sanctus and Benedictus
8. Pie Jesu
9. Agnus Dei

Luigi Cherubini
10. March funebre

Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2, Dances From Aleko, Scherzo
Paavo Jarvi, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
SACD Surround Sound/SACD Stereo/CD Audio

(Telarc SACD-60670)

The latest Telarc Super Audio CD by Paavo Jarvi conducting the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra features an all-Rachmaninoff program. This SACD is an original Direct to Direct Stream Digital (DSD) recording that features Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, Scherzo and Dances from Aleko.

Conductor Jarvi says that “I love core repertoire, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 is a sweeping example of the Russian symphonic tradition and perhaps the most popular of his orchestral works. It’s also exciting to become familiar with Rachmaninoff’s lesser-known gems such as the two gypsy dances from Aleko and the charming little Scherzo from 1888.”

The new Jarvi SACD was produced by Robert Woods, recorded by Michael Bishop, edited by Todd Brown with SACD Production Supervision by Erica Brenner. The album was recorded on the Sony Sonoma DSD Workstation with a Genex 8500 DSD Recorder, EMM Labs Meitner DSD Converters and EMM Labs Meitner Switchman II Monitoring. The disc was made by Sony DADC at their plant in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Album Tracks
Rachmaninoff: Symphony No.2 in E minor, Op. 27
1. I. Largo – Allegro moderato
2. I. Allegro molto
3. III. Adagio
4. IV. Allegro vivace

Rachmaninoff: Scherzo
5. Scherzo

Rachmaninoff: Dances from Aleko
6. Women’s Dance
7. Men’s Dance

Upcoming Surround Sound Super Audio CD Releases from Telarc
Telarc has a number of Surround Sound Super Audio CDs planned for the balance of 2007. Here is the list of upcoming Surround Sound SACDs:

Telarc Surround Sound SACD Releases – February 27, 2007

  • Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra – Russian Nights (Telarc SACD-60657)

    Telarc Surround Sound SACD Releases – March 27, 2007

  • David Russell – Art of the Guitar (Telarc SACD-60672)
  • Hiromi – Time Control (Telarc SACD-63655)

    Telarc Surround Sound SACD Releases – April 24, 2007

  • Michel Camilo – Spirit of the Moment (Telarc SACD-63653)
  • Robert Spano, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra – Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 5, Fantasia On A Theme by Thomas Tallis, Serenade for Music; Thomas Tallis: Psalm (Telarc SACD-60676)

    Telarc Surround Sound SACD Releases – August 28, 2007

  • John O’Conor, Pianist, Andreas Delfs, London Symphony Orchestra – Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 5 (Telarc SACD-60675)

    Telarc Surround Sound SACD Releases – September 25, 2007

  • Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra – Nutcracker Highlights (Telarc SACD-60674)
  • Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra – Masters & Commanders (Telarc SACD-60682)

    Telarc Surround Sound SACD Releases – October 23, 2007

  • Paavo Jarvi, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra – Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6, Romeo & Juliet Overture (Telarc SACD-60681)
  • Marin Pearlman, Boston Baroque – Handel: Concerti Grossi Nos. 7-12 (Telarc SACD-60688)

    Availability
    The new Telarc Surround Sound Super Audio CD releases are now available at music stores and the Telarc.Com web site. They are also available at web sites that carry SACDs including Acoustic Sounds, Elusive Disc, Music Direct, Amazon.Com and CD Universe.

    On The Other Side - The Tierney Sutton Band (Telarc SACD-63650), The Big Picture - Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (Telarc SACD-60437), Cherubini: Requiem - Boston Baroque (Telarc SACD-60658) and Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 - Paavo Jarvi, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra - Now Available on Telarc Multichannel Super Audio CDOn The Other Side – The Tierney Sutton Band (Telarc SACD-63650), The Big Picture – Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops Orchestra (Telarc SACD-60437), Cherubini: Requiem – Boston Baroque (Telarc SACD-60658) and Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2 – Paavo Jarvi, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra – Now Available on Telarc Multichannel Super Audio CD