Daniel Barenboim & Berl. Philharmoniker- Franck: Symphony in D minor; Fauré: Pelléas et Mélisande (UHQCD)

Daniel Barenboim and the Berlin Philharmonic have enjoyed a close artistic partnership for 60 years. Together they have recorded a fascinating program of masterpieces of French romanticism that demonstrates the maestro’s unique sense of timbre and his unerring sense of style. Universal Music Japan and Deutsche Grammophon are now releasing the brilliant-sounding UHQCD version of “Franck: Symphony In D Minor; Fauré: Pelléas Et Mélisande”.

In June 2023, Daniel Barenboim conducted the Berlin Philharmonic in a French program that included both Franck’s “Symphony in D Minor” and Gabriel Fauré’s orchestral suite, the incidental music for Maeterlinck’s play “Pelléas Et Mélisande”. The joint concert with the Berlin Philharmonic was so special that Barenboim decided to preserve it in the form of a recording. In César Franck’s pioneering D minor symphony, Barenboim relies on the large, monumental sound that accentuates the hymn-like quality of this work. Gabriel Fauré’s enchanting suite “Pelléas Et Mélisande” is performed by the musicians in a colorful and sensual way, creating a soundscape for Albrecht Mayer on the oboe and Emmanuel Pahud on the flute, who inspire with their expressive and beautiful solos.

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.

Lista pieselor

1. Symphony In D Minor: I. Lento – Allegro Non Troppo

2. Symphony In D Minor II. Allegretto

3. Symphony In D Minor III. Allegro Non Troppo

4. Pelléas Et Mélisande: I. Prélude (Quasi Adagio)

5. Pelléas Et Mélisande: II. Fileuse (Andantino Quasi Allegretto)

6. Pelléas Et Mélisande: III. Sicilienne (Allegretto Molto Moderato)

7. Pelléas Et Mélisande: IV. La Mort De Mélisande (Molto Adagio)