Sony Masterworks’ new “Expanded Edition” offers well-known recordings newly remastered using DSD technology, along with “bonus” material extending the playing time of the original LP (not the previous CD edition, if any), all at a very attractive price. The question for most collectors is a simple one: does it sound better? The answer, without reservation, is “Yes”–at least for this present issue, which offers Szell’s magnificent Pictures at an Exhibition, already well known from its Essential Classics incarnation, alongside sensationally virtuosic renditions of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol and Bordin’s Polovtsian Dances. Liadov’s The Enchanted Lake and Mussorgsky’s Dawn on the Moskva River provide mellower contrast, and although Russian music was not an area in which Szell made his reputation, both he and the Cleveland Orchestra are on top form throughout. Sonically the performances feature a more open top, enhanced clarity, and richer bass than any previous edition, making this a truly first class experience on all counts. At the price, it’s a steal.
