TAS Rated 4/5 Music, 4.5/5 Sonics in the January 2023 Issue of The Absolute Sound!
RCA Living Stereo 180-Gram Vinyl LP!
Remastered from the Original Master Tape & Cut at 33 1/3rpm by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound!
Lacquers Plated by Gary Salstrom & Pressed on 180g Vinyl at Quality Record Pressings!
This item not eligible for any further discount offers!
RCA Living Stereo classical LPs - the gold standard for top quality orchestral performance and sound!
Analogue Productions' RCA Living Stereo Reissue Series No. 2, with 25 newly remastered mainstay classical albums, will delight and astound your ears with their clarity and warm, rich tone. As with our first highly-regarded LSC series, shortcomings of previous editions have been improved upon -- from the mastering, to the LP pressing, to the sharp-looking glossy heavyweight Stoughton Printing tip-on jackets that faithfully duplicate the original artwork, "Living Stereo" logo, "Shaded Dog" label and all!
Mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the original 3-track master tapes, cut at 33 1/3, and plated and pressed at Quality Record Pressings - makers of the world's finest-sounding vinyl LPs - no other editions match these for the quietest 180-gram platters available.
Cellist Daniel Shafran performs Shostakovich's Cello Sonata and "Arpeggione" Sonata by Schubert. Opulent musicianship, incandescent phrasing, febrile poetry and more mark this as a referential cult album by the album's dedicated fans.
The Leningrad-born Shafran (1923-1997) was a talented, strict perfectionist who rarely performed outside the USSR. His shimmering vibrato and tonal control set him apart from most other cellists and '(made) him the envy of many violinists,' as David Oistrakh put it. He shines in this album recorded for RCA while on tour in America; the original release has been a very expensive collector's favorite and an entry on our Super LP List for years. The engineering is warm and close-up, and it certainly favors the cello. Sony Japan released this on a perfectly respectable CD, but I can't help but notice more atmosphere around the instruments on this LP. The piano definitely fares better, and the cello is richer in the mid-range and sounds noticeably more natural. The Shostakovich is one of his most enjoyable pieces, neither turning too tragic nor blaring artificial triumph. Shafran doesn't dawdle in Schubert's famous Arpeggione Sonata, to put it mildly, but I enjoy the vivacity he brings to a composer I often find repetitive and soporific. It's nice to have an affordable copy of this LP at last.
Features
- 180g Vinyl
- 33 1/3rpm
- Remastered from the Original Master Tape by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound
- Lacquers Plated by Gary Salstrom
- Pressed at Quality Record Pressings
Musicians
| Daniel Shafran | cello |
|---|---|
| Lydia Pecherskaya | piano |
Selections
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)
Cello Sonata, Op 40
- First Movement: Moderato
- Second Movement: Moderato Con Moto
- Third Movement: Largo
- Fourth Movement: Allegretto
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Sonata in A Minor ("Arpeggione")
- First Movement: Allegro Moderato
- Second Movement: Adagio
- Third Movement: Allegretto
