Universal Music Group’s operation in the United States has announced the upcoming release of three Super Audio CDs in the American market. The new SACDs include a new Classical Music Surround Sound SACD arriving in the Fall and two SACDs by the Moody Blues.
This news comes after Universal Music’s last Super Audio CD release, a Classical Music Surround Sound SACD this January and several Super Audio CD releases late last year. Here’s a recap of the news from the Universal Music Group in the U.S.
3 Upcoming Super Audio CDs
The first two new SACDs to arrive in the U.S. from Universal Music will be familar to Super Audio CD fans in Europe. They are two titles from the recent Moody Blues SACD Remastered Series. Both discs feature 4.1 Surround Sound mixes supervised by Moody Blues band member Justin Hayward that are said to be derived from the original 4 Channel Quadraphonic Mixes of the band’s albums that initially appeared in the 1970’s and then again more recently as DTS Music Discs. These two SACDs are due to arrive in music stores in the U.S. on Tuesday with a list price of $18.98. (One wonders if the balance of the Moody Blues SACD Remasters might arrive in the U.S. market later in the year.)
Later in the year, fans of Super Audio CD Classical Music will be interested to learn that a Surround Sound Super Audio CD featuring the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. This SACD release will feature performances of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre Du Printemps), Mussorgsky’s Night On A Bare Mountain and Bartok’s Suite from the Miraculous Mandarin.
June 6, 2006 – Upcoming SACD Releases
September 12, 2006 – Upcoming SACD Release
Universal Music SACD Releases in Late 2005 and January 2006
Prior to this week’s news about upcoming SACDs from Universal Music Group, the label had released several Super Audio CDs in late 2005 and in January. These releases included several new Surround Sound Classical SACDs and another five titles in their popular Mercury Living Presence SACD Remastered Series. Here is a recap of those releases:
January 10, 2006 – New SACD Release
November 8, 2005 – New SACD Release
October 11, 2005 – New SACD Releases
October 11, 2005 – Mercury Living Presence SACD Remastered Series Releases
Availability
While we await the release of the next set of SACDs in the U.S. by the Universal Music Group, I’ll mention that the prior UMG Super Audio CDs are available from music stores in the U.S., including Tower Records as well as web sites that carry Super Audio CDs including Acoustic Sounds, Elusive Disc and Music Direct. Those web sites also are carrying all of the Moody Blues SACD Remaster Series discs.