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Presto News - 3rd December 200725 Years of the Compact Disc |
 On August 17 1982, row upon row of palm-sized plates with a rainbow sheen began rolling off an assembly line near Hanover, Germany. Now instantly recognisable as the Compact Disc, the format reached its 25th Anniversary earlier this year.  The launch of the CD Developed jointly by Philips and Sony, they were marketed as having 'superior sound quality (compared to vinyl) and scratch free durability'. Now while the second of these is definitely true, CD sound quality is not superior to vinyl, and is actually worse. Without getting too technical about it, this is because the groove carved into a vinyl record exactly mirrors the original sound's waveform whereas with a CD this waveform is broken down into lots of tiny snapshots which are then allocated specific values. So if you remember a richer sound from your vinyl records than you get from current CDs then you would be quite correct. The big problem with vinyl of course was that it started to decay from the very first time you played it, whereas CDs sound exactly the same on the hundredth playing as they did on the first. This, combined with their portability, general durability and the fact that you don't have to flip them over half way through a symphony (or movement if it is Mahler!) meant that the CD was quickly adopted as the standard format. By 1986, CD players were outselling record players, and by 1988 CDs outsold records. The 1990s was a huge boom time for CDs with portable players becoming very affordable and people renewing their entire LP collections in the new format. Philips estimates that over 200 billion CDs have been sold worldwide over the past 25 years. So, where next for the CD? What about the new formats and what about its biggest rival to date - downloading? Well, the reason why CDs have remained so strong for so long is because they are so good, and for this reason new technology is finding it hard to establish itself. In 2000, two rival formats were launched - SACD and DVD-Audio. Both offered considerably better sound reproduction than CDs and also the possibility of surround sound (where you have speakers behind you as well as in front). It is a pity that neither one has really established itself as for the classical music lover the higher fidelity audio reproduction is a huge advantage, (even without any extra speakers). Out of the two formats SACD has done the best, but the player itself has always remained relatively expensive and since the major labels have now essentially abandoned the format it seems likely that it will gradually fade away. Downloads have proved very popular in the pop singles market, but they still account for less than 3% in the classical market, and the rate of growth is slowing. Up until recently the sound quality of downloads has been poor. This is starting to be addressed, but the fact that they often aren't any cheaper than CDs and you rarely get a booklet has I think limited their appeal to the classical music lover. Add in to the equation the fact that many people do not find the technology straightforward, and you have to properly back it all up incase you lose it all, and I think there are many reasons why CDs will flourish for a long time yet. In fact, I wouldn't be particularly surprised if they're still doing well in another 25 years!
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Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
New Releases3rd December 2007 |
This is just the pick of the recent releases. The New Releases and Future Releases pages are always available for browsing all the new and forthcoming releases. |
 Spanish Love SongsLorraine Hunt Lieberson (mezzo) & Joseph Kaiser (tenor)Spanish Love Songs takes a whirlwind tour of Iberian culture, from the mystically introspective to the opulently romantic. Decades before Spain had its own repertoire of classical songs, French and German musicians mined Spanish themes and folklore for their newly burgeoning canon of art songs. On Spanish Love Songs we hear the great masters Robert Schumann, Hugo Wolf and Maurice Ravel, fascinated by the beauty of Spanish culture, alongside the music of Spain's greatest composers of song. |
 Fritz Wunderlich - Sacred AriasRecordings made from 1956 to 1965A beautiful album of sacred arias with the unforgettable Fritz Wunderlich - just right for the holiday season, with eight tracks appearing for the first time on CD. Popular selections from Messiah, Bach Passions and Oratorios, Verdi Requiem and Haydn's Creation. |
 Fiddle SticksMadeleine Mitchell (violin), ensemblebashOn first hearing Lou Harrison's violin concerto, Madeleine Mitchell was entranced by the colourful array of percussion and its juxaposition with the violin's innate lyricism. Indeed, this description could fit almost all the works featured on this lively, multi-rhythmic disc. Both strings and percussion blend in a unique mix of styles from early Andalucian music to a Stravinsky inspired piece, Fragments from a Gradual Process. Complex rhythms from the Ensemble Bash who use rhythms of West African drumming as the core of their playing, combined with Madeleine's interweaving lines often catch the listener in a moment of surprise. |
 Bach, J S: Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 1-6European Brandenburg Ensemble, Trevor Pinnock (director)Trevor Pinnock first recorded the Brandenburg Concertos some twenty-five years ago. This new recording is a product of Mr. Pinnock’s deep fascination with Bach’s ground-breaking concertos and in the working process and interaction of musicians in ensemble. Eager to cut through any narrow conceptions of period style, players from different countries and of different generations were invited to join this new voyage of exploration. In the early eighteenth century there was no fixed concept of the orchestra; these pieces could be performed on single instruments to a part or with parts doubled. This fine recording demonstrates a variety of approaches. |
 Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker - DVDMariinsky Theatre, Valery GergievWith Christmas fast approaching I had thought this would be an obvious one to mention, but I should warn you that it's worlds away from the traditional and warm versions normally popular at Christmas. This unconventional production, reinterpreted by Russian emigre and world-renowned avant-garde artist Mikhail Shemiakin, is surreal and at times disturbing, but the music and dancing are still fantastic and, especially if you already have a DVD of the Nutcracker in your collection, this is well worth seeing. |
 Lyrita - 4 New releasesFour new releases from the staggeringly popular Lyrita catalogue including discs of Bliss and Howells and some fascinating miniatures and shorter pieces. |
 New Naïve bargain Box sets4 CDs for the Price of 1Some amazing value sets here drawing on the rich and acclaimed Naïve back catalogue. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 1st December 2007 |
Building a Library - Haydn: Messe No. 12 Hob. XXII 'Theresienmesse' |
 First ChoiceSingle CD versionJanice Watson (soprano), Pamela Helen Stephen (mezzo-soprano), Mark Padmore (tenor), Stephen Varcoe (baritone) Collegium Musicum 90, Richard Hickox |
 First ChoiceBargain priced box set versionJanice Watson (soprano), Pamela Helen Stephen (mezzo-soprano), Mark Padmore (tenor), Stephen Varcoe (baritone) Collegium Musicum 90, Richard Hickox |
CD of the Week |
 Yevgeny Sudbin plays ScriabinThe Scriabin virus has certainly affected Sudbin, with audible results in this programme which combines some of the visionary composer’s earliest works (an Étude from 1887, four Mazurkas from 1889), with the delirious Fifth Sonata and Sonata No. 9, nick-named ‘Messe noire’. |
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