Antonio Lysy At the Broad: Music from Argentina (Yarlung 15th Anniversary) CD

Rushton Paul writes in PFO: "When Bob Attiyeh sounds excited about some sonic improvement he's achieved, I pay attention...The remaster sounds so much truer to the sound of the instruments as I would expect to have heard them in the hall. There is simply a greater clarity, a finer delineation of the harmonic overtones, a bit cleaner definition of transients. I am delighted to have this now in my library."

"Argentine virtuoso Antonio Lysy captures the cultural range of his country in our recording. He chose these particular works because they all draw inspiration from the folk music traditions of Argentina. This album highlights the 'cello as a solo instrument and illustrates the impact of pre-Hispanic Amerindian traditions and Spanish based Creole influences as well as the effect of more modern musical developments like the tango on Argentine composers.

"Antonio's triumph helped put Yarlung on the map. The album won Yarlung's first Grammy Award, and earned a coveted spot on The Absolute Sound's list of the 40 Best Recordings of All Time.

"In this remastering in honor of Yarlung's 15th Anniversary, we used SonoruS SHI18 technology to glean all the phase information and dynamic content embedded in our Agfa formula 468 tape to create an even more vivid and three-dimensional sound image for this re-release. My sincere thanks to our dear Haydee and Carlos for making this special release possible. Carlos left us before this album reached our shores from the pressing plant, but he was able to hear an early version. Carlos was a cellist himself and I will treasure memories of Antonio and Haydee and Carlos at dinner with us as we plotted myriad musical projects together. Carlos and Haydee executive produced South America and Young Beethoven among other Yarlung favorites. Haydee and I will do our best to carry on Carlos' legacy."
- Bob Attiyeh, producer

This stunning all-analog [recording] issued by Yarlung Records gathers five works for cello and piano by three Argentinian composers. Included are Alberto Ginastera's earthy, rhapsodic Second Pampeana and his elegiac, nocturnal Triste, along with Lalo Schifrin's moody sumptuous Pampas and two urbane tango-fantasies by Astor Piazzola (these last two adding a bassist to make a dark-hued trio). Cellist Antonio Lysy and pianist Bryan Pezzone play gorgeously and are gorgeously recorded, the sound immaculately clear and immediate, rich in tonal splendor, and revealing of the venue (Santa Monica's The Broad Stage). The deeply resonant cello pizzicatos at the end of Schifrin's Pampas ring off into air-filled space like starlight into infinity.

I've played this record repeatedly over the past few days and I can't get enough. When it's over you'll sit in stunned silence, I guarantee!

Antonio Lysy at the Broad: Music from Argentina is pretty close to irresistible music ...you'll hear the sound quality right away, I'm sure. Even before your brain starts analyzing the soundstage, bass and treble extension, dynamics macro and micro, etc., you'll know you like it.