Ashkenazy – Bach: English Suites No. 1-3 (UHQCD dublu)

Diese Doppel-UHQCD vereint Vladimir Ashkenazys jüngste Bach-Einspielung der Englischen Suiten mit seiner ersten Bach-Aufnahme aus dem Jahr 1965, dem Konzert d-Moll für Cembalo. Der in Gorki geborene Pianist spielt die drei der sechs Cembalosuiten und wird dabei begleitet vom London Symphony Orchestra unter Dirigent David Zinman. Damit spannt die Decca-Legende einen Bogen über 56 gemeinsame Jahre der exklusiven Zusammenarbeit zwischen Label und Künstler.

UHQCD stands for Ultimate High Quality Compact Disc and is a joint development of the Japanese CD replication company Memory-Tech and the Audio Quality CD Company from Hong Kong. Unlike conventional CDs, UHQCDs are not pressed from polycarbonate, but cast from a photopolymer and cured with UV light. Another layer of high-purity polycarbonate is applied to the softer photopolymer for scratch protection. The combination results in significantly reduced reflection of laser light inside the CD and an unmatched precise edge transition between pits and lands of the CD. UHQCDs are 100% compatible with standard CD players. Musically, the result is a sound image strongly reminiscent of analog master tapes.

While Universal Music Japan’s first UHQCD series relied on the DSD data of previous SHM-SACD releases, with increasing popularity, albums that had not previously been released as SHM-SACD are now appearing. Typically, the Universal Archive master tapes are re-converted to DSD for this purpose. UHQCDs are ideal for music lovers who want to get as close as possible to the sound of the recording, but do not own an SACD player.