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| January 15, 2003
Time flies. It seems like just yesterday we were launched into a new millennium. Now we are starting 2003. It should be no surprise, then, that DVD-Audio and SACD have come far enough along to elicit an awards ceremony. Yet, the news seemed a big surprise. United International Media, publisher of Surround Professional magazine, gathered a bunch of impressive media sponsors, including www.highfidelityreview.com, and put together the Surround Music Awards, celebrated in December. Though I am not one of those who believes that "advanced resolution" and "surround" should be synonymous terms, I was nevertheless happy to see some titles that have been featured in this column, most notably Nitty Gritty Surround, receive awards. That disc deserves all the accolades it can muster. I was also surprised to find that I seconded most of the other choices. The only one I disagreed with was the Telarc Los Angeles Guitar Quartet CD. Though Telarc has made some outstanding surround recordings, I find this one a circus act. With guitar in each corner of the room, it is anything but musical. We just do not hear music that way, nor do I want to. But the Best Mix: Non-Orchestral, Best Additional Features, Best Concert Video, Best Multichannel Re-issue, and Surround Artist of the Year awards surely have my blessing. Best of Show Best Mix: Non-Orchestral Best Mix: Orchestral Most Adventurous Mix (Tie) Headhunter Best Made for Surround Title Best High-Resolution Stereo-only Program Best Standard Resolution Title Best Menu Design Best Additional Features Best Concert Video Best Multichannel Re-issue (Tie) American Beauty 2002 Surround Artist of the Year 2002 Surround Pioneer Award Now, speaking of excellence, here are the three that made it all worthwhile for me this month: Linda Ronstadt: What’s New
Tapestry: Song of Songs: Come Into My Garden
Crosby-Nash: Another Stoney Evening
...Rad Bennett
Ultra Audio is part of the SoundStage! Network. |
Radical
Sounds: Surround Music Awards, 2002 (And I Agree… With One Exception)
Perhaps no other singer of the
'70s and '80s exhibited as much versatility as Linda Ronstadt. She started as a folkie,
then evolved into a rocker, only to take up operetta. Then, along with Carly Simon and
Joni Mitchell, she rediscovered the torch songs of the '40s and '50s, recording three
albums with the most prominent arranger for that genre, Nelson Riddle. Though all three of
these sets, What’s New, Lush Life, and For Sentimental Reasons, were
collected into one double-disc CD set, called ‘Round Midnight, it is only the
first that has made it to DVD-Audio. I harp on that because the only thing wrong with this
disc is that it seems far too short. I have carped a lot about DVD producers ignoring the
historic properties of classic titles by dwelling on newly minted surround trappings, but
here the surround is listed as 96kHz/24-bit and the stereo mix as 192kHz/24-bit! Honestly,
I can’t hear that much difference in resolution when you get above 96kHz, but it was
thrilling to see that third light on my JVC flip on for the first time, and to know that
as much respect had been given to the stereo mix as to the 5.1. Both of them sound
wonderful, with Rondstadt’s voice particularly well defined. In the surround mix, it
is 92% in the center channel with the orchestra spread in a half circle in front of the
listener. The sound behind Ronstadt seems to float in well-defined space and though this
is not totally realistic, it is appealing! Lush, yet clean, I could listen to sound like
this for hours. Which brings me back to the point: it seems excessively short. Will we get
the others on DVD-A? Before I forget it, this one includes a well-shot video of the title
song (with a 2.0 mix, but not the high-resolution one), onscreen lyrics to each song, and
a selection of still photographs. 
Tapestry is an ensemble of five
women, based in the Boston area, that pursues the mysteries of Medieval music as well as
music of contemporary composers. Their programs are eclectic yet seamless mixes of many
different elements that all contribute to a greater whole. This program presents both
sensual and spiritual interpretations of Solomon’s "Song of Songs." It
blends Latin chant, works by Hildegard von Bingen, and Sephardic instrumentals with
contemporary settings by Ivan Moody, William Sharlin, and the ensemble’s own Shira
Kammen. The overall descriptive might be "ethereal," "sensual," or
even "spiritual." All of the voices are pure and free from unpleasant
aberrations. The instrumentals are perfectly balanced and the mood is one of voluptuous
serenity. The recording does nothing to get in the way and everything to present the
natural sound of Mt. Holyoke College Chapel, which has broad, handsome reverberation,
without ever sounding cavernous. The effect is hypnotic. Try to listen to one cut and you
will find yourself at the end of the disc, wondering where the time has gone. 
This concert was recorded 10
October 1971 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. The title can be taken
literally. Both artists are high as kites and in fact, make jokes about the fact
throughout the program. Moments of brilliance emerge from the haze, creating incredible
instances of soul searching and intimate music making. The 5.1 remix had to be manipulated
and created from the original multi-track masters. Graham Nash is in one channel, David
Crosby in the other, with a blend to the center and rears. At first I thought it a very
unrealistic representation, but then remembered hearing the two live at about the same
period, albeit on the East Coast. At concerts such as this, speakers were placed all over
the place, so one was liable to hear primary sound coming from the side, or behind. With
that taken into account, the sound here is a reasonably accurate recreation. Moreover, the
sonics are as clean as the proverbial whistle. Seldom have guitars sounded so piquant and
voices so true. The surround mix is also pleasing, and it becomes painfully evident upon
switching over to the stereo tracks. They sound dull and flat by comparison. This being a
DVD, there are some video features, including still photos of the concert and complete
onscreen lyrics. The spoken intros to each song are included, which is a first in my
experience. 