Dynamic Sound! A Collection of the Most Innovative High-End Audio Recordings by Northstar Recording!
These recordings, all in 5.1 surround and stereo, are offered on a Hybrid SACD, a Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc and as an Audio 192/24 WAV file supplement on the Blu-Ray Disc. The formats are DSD, 192kS/s-24bit and CD format, so all segments of the High End Audio and Home Theatre market, both consumers and manufacturers can enjoy and use these recordings at the highest level possible. All this comes packaged in a luxurious 2 DISC "Long Box" with informative booklet inlay.
"The Spirit of Turtle" was set free on a summer's eve in 1997. Although they had never met before, Harry van Dalen of "Rhapsody Sound Masters" and Bert van der Wolf were aware of each others' work. In a sign of projects to follow, it was over the use of an analogue to digital converter that Bert visited Harry’s store in Hilversum, Holland. As Harry and Bert talked about music and recordings, it soon became clear that their ideas and visions about recording and reproducing music of all styles were so strikingly similar, that it felt like they were soul mates in sound and performance. By the end of this chance encounter they were both convinced that they had to start something together in the music business. Out of this positive energy, a new record label was born - Turtle Records - with only one objective: "to capture the musical message of a real live performance, translating it into the frozen bits of a recording, and then translate it back such that the essence of this performance is communicated to the listener without any loss of detail and emotion.”
Like the slogan: "only the music..." they wanted to create a gateway between the performer and the listener which, in the best case, appears not even to be there. Furthermore, they held a standard of approach with no compromises and unconditional effort to reach “the optimum" under all circumstances. This motto perfectly describes their shared vision for music recording and playback, and they both realized it could only be achieved by combining great musical performers with state of the art equipment and revolutionary recording techniques. They knew from their own experience that the essence of a magic musical moment in a real world event is often lost in translation by porting it into the virtual world of loudspeakers, only firing pockets of pressurized air, but they were determined to get it right all the way through the electronic chain and during the creative process of working with the artists.
Bert and his partners at Kompas CD Multimedia had great experience in professional recording tools and producing techniques and combined with the knowledge Harry and Martin Odijk from More Music had gained from many years in High End consumer audio, they were afforded a unique opportunity to join forces and benefit from each other's talents and connections. This synergy quickly led to a truly "High End" recording philosophy which still might be one of the best around and forms the basis for all recordings they do. These recordings are all shaped after this first "blueprint" and carry the signature of "The Spirit of Turtle". It is due to the talent and combined effort of the people from the first hour that “The Spirit” became such a powerful guide for the path of the future.
The set of tracks they have chosen reflects their original motto and their taste for musical content and performance. Two of them, the first and the last, are as old as "The Spirit" itself, and they took great care to "translate" those into their current universe of high resolution stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound. Recent advances in mastering technology mean that the original "impulse responses" of halls and rooms can now be digitally sampled in high resolution and this along with the availability of digital techniques to shape the images and colours in a recording, have allowed them to breathe new life into Turtle tracks that originally were only available in stereo. Interestingly enough these tracks now evoke the same emotional response as the stereo version did 15 years back, whilst the latter is more of a great memory. As if one steps into a time machine, the remasters and surround version somehow turn the sweet Memory into the actual feel of the Present they found!
"And so it goes, each track a delight to the ears. Among the things I liked best I would include Michael Gees improvising on a piano piece by Erik Satie; lovely and beautifully recorded. Then there's the opening movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony exhibiting enormous impact, probably as much power as I've ever heard in a recording of this work. Christoph Pregardien singing Schumann's "Mein Wagen rollet langsam" sounds sweet and nuanced, both artistically and sonically. I also couldn't help liking the concluding track, "Mars," performed by Dean Peer and Ty Burhoe; it's audiophile the whole way with its precisely defined percussion, quick transient response, and wide-ranging dynamics. All of it fun stuff." -John J. Puccio, Classical Candor Click here to read the entire review!
"What's perhaps most significant about this package is that it collects multiple formats -- CD, SACD, Blu-ray and 24-bit/192kHz digital files of the same music, in both stereo and multichannel versions -- on its pair of discs, allowing for comparison across products that handle digital data differently. Want to compare SACD and Blu-ray playback? You can here... indispensable as an overview of the Turtle Records catalogue and may spur further exploration... The Spirit of Turtle earns a place on any audiophile's demo-music shelf." - Marc Mickelson, The Audio Beat, 4/5 Music, 5/5 Sound!
Features:
• Super Audio CD
• SACD Multi-Channel SACD Layer
• SACD Stereo SACD Layer
• This Hybrid SACD contains a 'Red Book' Stereo CD Layer which is playable on most conventional CD Players!
• Blu-Ray + Bonus Audio 192/24 WAV file as supplement on the Blu-Ray Disc
• Housed in Luxurious 2 Disc "Long Box" with informative booklet inlay
Long Box Dimensions:
9.7" x 4.9"
Musicians:
Tony Overwater
Maarten Ornstein
Marc van Roon Trio
The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Amsterdam
NedSym Lite
Arno Piters
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Michael Gees
The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Jan Willem de Vriend
Jaap van Zweden
Christoph Pregradien & Ensemble Kontraste
The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra
Eric Vloeimans, Tuur Florizoone & Jorg Brinkmann
Wim Kegel
Dean Peer & Ty Burhoe
Selections:
1.Teardrops for Jimmy (Dave Burrel) (Tony Overwater & Maarten Ornstein)
2. Noodle Effect (Marc van Roon) (Marc van Roon Trio)
3. An American in Paris (excerpt) (George Gershwin) (The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Amsterdam)
4. Ravel's Tomb (Rob van Bavel) (NedSym Lite)
5. Allegretto grazioso / Opus 120/1 (Johannes Brahms) (Arno Piters and members of The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)
6. 5eme Gnossienne (Erik Satie) (Michael Gees)
7. Allegro con brio/Opus 67 (Ludwig van Beethoven) (The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Jan Willem de Vriend)
8. Dies irae (excerpt) (Benjamin Britten) (The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Jaap van Zweden)
9. Mein Wagen rollet langsam/Opus 142,4 (Robert Schumann) (Christoph Pregradien & Ensemble Kontraste)
10. Andante/Opus 52 Sopran I, II & Chor (Felix Mendelssohn) (The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra/Jan Willem de Vriend)
11. L'Amour des Moules (Tuur Florizoone) (Eric Vloeimans, Tuur Florizoone & Jorg Brinkmann)
12. Quicksie (Maarten Ornstein) (Tony Overwater, Maarten Ornstein & Wim Kegel)
13. Symphony No. 8: Finale (Anton Bruckner) (The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Jaap van Zweden)
14. Mars (Dean Peer) (Dean Peer & Ty Burhoe)
These recordings, all in 5.1 surround and stereo, are offered on a Hybrid SACD, a Pure Audio Blu-Ray Disc and as an Audio 192/24 WAV file supplement on the Blu-Ray Disc. The formats are DSD, 192kS/s-24bit and CD format, so all segments of the High End Audio and Home Theatre market, both consumers and manufacturers can enjoy and use these recordings at the highest level possible. All this comes packaged in a luxurious 2 DISC "Long Box" with informative booklet inlay.
"The Spirit of Turtle" was set free on a summer's eve in 1997. Although they had never met before, Harry van Dalen of "Rhapsody Sound Masters" and Bert van der Wolf were aware of each others' work. In a sign of projects to follow, it was over the use of an analogue to digital converter that Bert visited Harry’s store in Hilversum, Holland. As Harry and Bert talked about music and recordings, it soon became clear that their ideas and visions about recording and reproducing music of all styles were so strikingly similar, that it felt like they were soul mates in sound and performance. By the end of this chance encounter they were both convinced that they had to start something together in the music business. Out of this positive energy, a new record label was born - Turtle Records - with only one objective: "to capture the musical message of a real live performance, translating it into the frozen bits of a recording, and then translate it back such that the essence of this performance is communicated to the listener without any loss of detail and emotion.”
Like the slogan: "only the music..." they wanted to create a gateway between the performer and the listener which, in the best case, appears not even to be there. Furthermore, they held a standard of approach with no compromises and unconditional effort to reach “the optimum" under all circumstances. This motto perfectly describes their shared vision for music recording and playback, and they both realized it could only be achieved by combining great musical performers with state of the art equipment and revolutionary recording techniques. They knew from their own experience that the essence of a magic musical moment in a real world event is often lost in translation by porting it into the virtual world of loudspeakers, only firing pockets of pressurized air, but they were determined to get it right all the way through the electronic chain and during the creative process of working with the artists.
Bert and his partners at Kompas CD Multimedia had great experience in professional recording tools and producing techniques and combined with the knowledge Harry and Martin Odijk from More Music had gained from many years in High End consumer audio, they were afforded a unique opportunity to join forces and benefit from each other's talents and connections. This synergy quickly led to a truly "High End" recording philosophy which still might be one of the best around and forms the basis for all recordings they do. These recordings are all shaped after this first "blueprint" and carry the signature of "The Spirit of Turtle". It is due to the talent and combined effort of the people from the first hour that “The Spirit” became such a powerful guide for the path of the future.
The set of tracks they have chosen reflects their original motto and their taste for musical content and performance. Two of them, the first and the last, are as old as "The Spirit" itself, and they took great care to "translate" those into their current universe of high resolution stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound. Recent advances in mastering technology mean that the original "impulse responses" of halls and rooms can now be digitally sampled in high resolution and this along with the availability of digital techniques to shape the images and colours in a recording, have allowed them to breathe new life into Turtle tracks that originally were only available in stereo. Interestingly enough these tracks now evoke the same emotional response as the stereo version did 15 years back, whilst the latter is more of a great memory. As if one steps into a time machine, the remasters and surround version somehow turn the sweet Memory into the actual feel of the Present they found!
"And so it goes, each track a delight to the ears. Among the things I liked best I would include Michael Gees improvising on a piano piece by Erik Satie; lovely and beautifully recorded. Then there's the opening movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony exhibiting enormous impact, probably as much power as I've ever heard in a recording of this work. Christoph Pregardien singing Schumann's "Mein Wagen rollet langsam" sounds sweet and nuanced, both artistically and sonically. I also couldn't help liking the concluding track, "Mars," performed by Dean Peer and Ty Burhoe; it's audiophile the whole way with its precisely defined percussion, quick transient response, and wide-ranging dynamics. All of it fun stuff." -John J. Puccio, Classical Candor Click here to read the entire review!
"What's perhaps most significant about this package is that it collects multiple formats -- CD, SACD, Blu-ray and 24-bit/192kHz digital files of the same music, in both stereo and multichannel versions -- on its pair of discs, allowing for comparison across products that handle digital data differently. Want to compare SACD and Blu-ray playback? You can here... indispensable as an overview of the Turtle Records catalogue and may spur further exploration... The Spirit of Turtle earns a place on any audiophile's demo-music shelf." - Marc Mickelson, The Audio Beat, 4/5 Music, 5/5 Sound!
Features:
• Super Audio CD
• SACD Multi-Channel SACD Layer
• SACD Stereo SACD Layer
• This Hybrid SACD contains a 'Red Book' Stereo CD Layer which is playable on most conventional CD Players!
• Blu-Ray + Bonus Audio 192/24 WAV file as supplement on the Blu-Ray Disc
• Housed in Luxurious 2 Disc "Long Box" with informative booklet inlay
Long Box Dimensions:
9.7" x 4.9"
Musicians:
Tony Overwater
Maarten Ornstein
Marc van Roon Trio
The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Amsterdam
NedSym Lite
Arno Piters
The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Michael Gees
The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Jan Willem de Vriend
Jaap van Zweden
Christoph Pregradien & Ensemble Kontraste
The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra
Eric Vloeimans, Tuur Florizoone & Jorg Brinkmann
Wim Kegel
Dean Peer & Ty Burhoe
Selections:
1.Teardrops for Jimmy (Dave Burrel) (Tony Overwater & Maarten Ornstein)
2. Noodle Effect (Marc van Roon) (Marc van Roon Trio)
3. An American in Paris (excerpt) (George Gershwin) (The Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Amsterdam)
4. Ravel's Tomb (Rob van Bavel) (NedSym Lite)
5. Allegretto grazioso / Opus 120/1 (Johannes Brahms) (Arno Piters and members of The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)
6. 5eme Gnossienne (Erik Satie) (Michael Gees)
7. Allegro con brio/Opus 67 (Ludwig van Beethoven) (The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Jan Willem de Vriend)
8. Dies irae (excerpt) (Benjamin Britten) (The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Jaap van Zweden)
9. Mein Wagen rollet langsam/Opus 142,4 (Robert Schumann) (Christoph Pregradien & Ensemble Kontraste)
10. Andante/Opus 52 Sopran I, II & Chor (Felix Mendelssohn) (The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra/Jan Willem de Vriend)
11. L'Amour des Moules (Tuur Florizoone) (Eric Vloeimans, Tuur Florizoone & Jorg Brinkmann)
12. Quicksie (Maarten Ornstein) (Tony Overwater, Maarten Ornstein & Wim Kegel)
13. Symphony No. 8: Finale (Anton Bruckner) (The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Jaap van Zweden)
14. Mars (Dean Peer) (Dean Peer & Ty Burhoe)
