Strauss, R.: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben - Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Fritz Reiner
Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra, tone poem for orchestra, Op. 30; Ein Heldenleben, tone poem for orchestra, Op. 40 -
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Fritz Reiner, conductor
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip | 437 MB | FLAC+LOG+Cue | Full scans | RS links
Publisher: RCA Red Seal/BMG | Year of release: 2004
Strauss, R.: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben - Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Fritz Reiner
Can these magnificent-sounding, scintillatingly executed 1954 benchmarks in the annals of recorded Strauss really be a half-century old? They haven't dated a bit, except for the jacket photo of Fritz Reiner posing with a cigarette in hand, plus an organ slightly out of tune with the orchestra in Also Sprach Zarathustra–as if anyone really cared, then or now. Because the original master tapes for these sessions were two-track stereo recordings (as opposed to three-tracks used for many sessions), this release does not take advantage of SACD surround-sound's full capabilities. However, in one important respect it sounds better than RCA's 1993 Living Stereo reissue: The latter's bright treble levels resulted in a piercing, sometimes strident edge to string tuttis and loud trumpets; the SACD's more judicious equalization allows Reiner's extraordinary aligning of Strauss' complex textural strands to emerge more naturally, with added richness (as opposed to mere volume) in the bass register. These sonic differences also manifest themselves when playing the SACD on a standard audio-CD changer. Even if you haven't yet invested in surround-sound equipment, buy the SACD if you want these performances. And how can you not want them?
[10/25/2004]–Jed Distler
***
Editorial Reviews - Amazon.com essential recording
This recording was the hi-fi demo disc of the 1950s. On CD, it still sounds pretty incredible; an achievement as remarkable technically as it is musically. And what playing! Fritz Reiner sadistically enjoyed driving his players to despair. There's a famous story about principal trumpeter Adolph (Bud) Herseth, who played his tricky little fanfare at the beginning of the second half of Zarathustra so perfectly so many times that even Reiner finally gave up. Most critics and Strauss lovers consider Reiner's performance of A Hero's Life to be the best ever committed to disc, and I'd be the last one to disagree. This is one of those recordings where everything just went right.
–David Hurwitz
Exact Audio Copy V0.99 prebeta 5 from 4. May 2009
EAC extraction logfile from 29. July 2010, 14:53
Fritz Reiner, conductor; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; John Weicher, violin / Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben
Used drive : ASUS DRW-1814BL Adapter: 2 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : No
Make use of C2 pointers : Yes
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Gap handling : Appended to previous track
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 320 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Additional command line options : -6 -V -T "ARTIST=%a" -T "TITLE=%t" -T "ALBUM=%g" -T "DATE=%y" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%n" -T "GENRE=%m" -T "COMMENT=%e" %s -o %d
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
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3 | 4:44.24 | 1:44.73 | 21324 | 29196
4 | 6:29.22 | 1:50.62 | 29197 | 37508
5 | 8:20.09 | 2:15.48 | 37509 | 47681
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7 | 14:36.29 | 5:00.00 | 65729 | 88228
8 | 19:36.29 | 7:36.44 | 88229 | 122472
9 | 27:12.73 | 4:48.70 | 122473 | 144142
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11 | 36:20.09 | 3:04.11 | 163509 | 177319
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13 | 51:21.22 | 8:45.01 | 231097 | 270472
14 | 60:06.23 | 4:39.52 | 270473 | 291449
15 | 64:46.00 | 10:54.19 | 291450 | 340518
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Accurately ripped (confidence 19) [10E02D99]
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All tracks accurately ripped
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End of status report
EAC extraction logfile from 29. July 2010, 14:53
Fritz Reiner, conductor; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; John Weicher, violin / Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben
Used drive : ASUS DRW-1814BL Adapter: 2 ID: 0
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : No
Make use of C2 pointers : Yes
Read offset correction : 6
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Gap handling : Appended to previous track
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 320 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\FLAC\FLAC.EXE
Additional command line options : -6 -V -T "ARTIST=%a" -T "TITLE=%t" -T "ALBUM=%g" -T "DATE=%y" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%n" -T "GENRE=%m" -T "COMMENT=%e" %s -o %d
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––-
1 | 0:00.00 | 1:34.13 | 0 | 7062
2 | 1:34.13 | 3:10.11 | 7063 | 21323
3 | 4:44.24 | 1:44.73 | 21324 | 29196
4 | 6:29.22 | 1:50.62 | 29197 | 37508
5 | 8:20.09 | 2:15.48 | 37509 | 47681
6 | 10:35.57 | 4:00.47 | 47682 | 65728
7 | 14:36.29 | 5:00.00 | 65729 | 88228
8 | 19:36.29 | 7:36.44 | 88229 | 122472
9 | 27:12.73 | 4:48.70 | 122473 | 144142
10 | 32:01.68 | 4:18.16 | 144143 | 163508
11 | 36:20.09 | 3:04.11 | 163509 | 177319
12 | 39:24.20 | 11:57.02 | 177320 | 231096
13 | 51:21.22 | 8:45.01 | 231097 | 270472
14 | 60:06.23 | 4:39.52 | 270473 | 291449
15 | 64:46.00 | 10:54.19 | 291450 | 340518
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Accurately ripped (confidence 19) [10E02D99]
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All tracks accurately ripped
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End of status report
Fritz Reiner, conductor; Chicago Symphony Orchestra; John Weicher, violin - Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben
01. Introduction [0:01:34.13]
02. Of the inhabitans of the unseen world [0:03:10.11]
03. Of the great longing [0:01:44.73]
04. Of joys and passions [0:01:50.62]
05. Dirge [0:02:15.48]
06. Of sience [0:04:00.47]
07. The convalescent [0:05:00.00]
08. Dance Song and Night Song [0:07:36.44]
09. Night Wanderer`s Song [0:04:48.70]
10. The hero [0:04:18.16]
11. The hero`s adversaries [0:03:04.11]
12. The hero`s companion [0:11:57.02]
13. The hero`s battlefield [0:08:45.01]
14. The hero`s works of peace [0:04:39.52]
15. The hero`s retreat from the world and fulfillment [0:10:54.19]
01. Introduction [0:01:34.13]
02. Of the inhabitans of the unseen world [0:03:10.11]
03. Of the great longing [0:01:44.73]
04. Of joys and passions [0:01:50.62]
05. Dirge [0:02:15.48]
06. Of sience [0:04:00.47]
07. The convalescent [0:05:00.00]
08. Dance Song and Night Song [0:07:36.44]
09. Night Wanderer`s Song [0:04:48.70]
10. The hero [0:04:18.16]
11. The hero`s adversaries [0:03:04.11]
12. The hero`s companion [0:11:57.02]
13. The hero`s battlefield [0:08:45.01]
14. The hero`s works of peace [0:04:39.52]
15. The hero`s retreat from the world and fulfillment [0:10:54.19]