Fritz Reiner – Respighi: Pines of Rome & Fountains of Rome

Acoustic Sounds customer Alan Hendler has this to say about the first three RCA reissues: “Just received your new vinyl of Scheherazade, Pictures and Pines and Fountains of Rome. After listening I have never heard anything that comes close to the glorious sound of these records. I have original vinyl, CD’s, SACD’s, XRCD’s, Chesky and Classic Records remasters and nothing comes close to how good these sound. The overall balance of all the sections of the orchestra is superb. Wood winds are gorgeous. I will be buying more.”

“These records are definitive.” — Michael Fremer, editor, AnalogPlanet.com

Winner of a Gruvy Award, chosen by AnalogPlanet’s editor, Michael Fremer, for vinyl records that are musically and sonically outstanding and are also well mastered and pressed. http://www.analogplanet.com/content/gruvy-awards

“These are the best vinyl releases of RCA LPs I’ve yet heard.” — Jonathan Valin, executive editor, The Absolute Sound

“Grade A. The exceedingly rare 1s/1s pressing of this disc has been celebrated and sought after ever since Carol B. Kessler wrote her famous article in TAS on the best RCAs (she ranked the 1s/1s Pines the #3 RCA of all-time). If you don’t have a 1s/1s pressing, you will doubtlessly find this remastering sensational. Since I do have a 1s/1s, I’d have to say that there are aspects of the 1s/1s that are marginally superior to the Analogue Productions reissue — and vice versa. Though beautiful, string tone doesn’t seem quite as silken on the Kassem reissue as it does on the RCA original; on the other hand, the staggeringly powerful bass on “The Pines of the Appian Way” (replete with gong and organ) retains all of its thunder and then some on the Analogue Productions re-pressing with, once again, a fair measure of tape-like ease and authority. (As with The Reiner Sound, the base is a little murky in spots, probably the results of mic preamp overload. In any event that occasional murkiness is also present on the 1s/1s and the Classic reissue.)” — Jonathan Valin, The Absolute Sound.com, June 11, 2013. To read the full review click here: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/sneak-preview-acoustic-sounds-rca-reissues/

A highly sought-after RCA shaded dog Living Stereo title, the performance and sonics found within rate a 10/10. A must have — the dynamics are monstrous! Whichever other Respighi tone poem recordings you ultimately purchase, you MUST own this one. Since the early ‘60s it has been the standard by which all others have been judged, and in terms of both sound and performance, it has never really been surpassed. The final march of Pines is simply incredible: Thundering bass drum, crashing cymbals and gongs, bellowing brass — nobody since has brought the whole thing off with the same combination of excitement and discipline.

Musicians:
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Fritz Reiner, conductor