Can these magnificent-sounding, scintillatingly executed 1954 benchmarks in the annals of recorded Strauss really be a half-century old? They haven’t dated a bit, except for the jacket photo of Fritz Reiner posing with a cigarette in hand, plus an organ slightly out of tune with the orchestra in Also Sprach Zarathustra–as if anyone really cared, then or now. Because the original master tapes for these sessions were two-track stereo recordings (as opposed to three-tracks used for many sessions), this release does not take advantage of SACD surround-sound’s full capabilities. However, in one important respect it sounds better than RCA’s 1993 Living Stereo reissue: The latter’s bright treble levels resulted in a piercing, sometimes strident edge to string tuttis and loud trumpets; the SACD’s more judicious equalization allows Reiner’s extraordinary aligning of Strauss’ complex textural strands to emerge more naturally, with added richness (as opposed to mere volume) in the bass register. These sonic differences also manifest themselves when playing the SACD on a standard audio-CD changer. Even if you haven’t yet invested in surround-sound equipment, buy the SACD if you want these performances. And how can you not want them? [10/25/2004]
