Hard on the heels of RVW/Britten/Elgar from the Oregon Symphony is this stunning disc from the Kansas Symphony:
Michael Stern easily has the measure of this music, and IMO the performances can hold their own against the usual suspects of Boult, Barbirolli, Handley and Mehta (his LAPO Decca Enigma is one of my favourite recordings of all time). Not only that but the Kansas orchestra is on top form.
My only other Reference Recordings issue is the Malcolm Arnold Overtures one (as a hi-res download), and I was expecting a similarly open, deep and detailed sound, with plenty of bite to it. Playing my rip of the new disc (I never play CDs these days) via headphones (HD650s initially) I was initially both under- and overwhelmed. The incredible bass depth was matched with a really subdued treble - the brass had no "edge", percussion was laid back, the flutes didn't pierce the sound like they do in real life, and the violins were smooth to the point of anonymity. Switching to Denon 7000s was better, and then through my PMCs it was better still.
But Boult's 1970s VW Wasps recording was still much better. Normally I store the CD immediately after ripping, but this one was left out and I happened to notice the HDCD logo on the back of the case. Having recently bought a new Cambridge Audio Blu-ray player which can play virtually everything I checked up and it plays HDCDs - not that I know what the difference is TBH over "normal" CDs.
Well - NOW I got it! Full range sound to die for. Instruments with some character. Fantastic bass. Ok - it's still a "smooth" and warm orchestral sound, more analogue than digital - but it just draws you into the music.
One other thing - maybe not important to a lot of people - but Michael Stern divides his violins left/right. Praise Be! Composers don't write antiphonally for the 1st and 2nd violins only to have the 2nds appear as a pale echo from behind the firsts.
When I was searching for a cover image for the server I came across this review . . . .
Highly recommended if you can play HDCD discs . ..
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Originally Posted by MartinT
It's dire! 
- and stonking dynamic punch to the interpretation.
I quickly decided this was dire but gave it a chance. I got into the Gubaidulina a bit more, mainly after I decided it would probably go quite well as the soundtrack to a Lithuanian stop motion noir animation about the story of a Mongolian goat herder boy who enters a protracted existential crisis after losing his favourite goat.
and I'm keen to try out some others from the Odradek label...
