Laudate! (UHQCD)

In the 1970s, the Swedish label Proprius produced a whole series of extremely realistic-sounding recordings that are still celebrated today by audiophiles for their outstanding sound quality. “Laudate!” – recorded on February 4 and 5 and June 6, 1978, at St. John’s Church in Stockholm, Sweden – is the first recording by the Uppsala Academy Chamber Choir and the Drottningholm Baroque Ensemble, conducted by Anders Eby, for Proprius. The album features seven pieces from the Düben Collection, the largest private collection of sheet music from the 17th and 18th centuries, which is now part of the Uppsala University Library’s holdings. What at first glance appears to be a niche product for musicologists was one of the label’s greatest commercial successes. The flawless technical execution of the recording, combined with accessible Baroque music performed on period instruments, guarantees a truly enjoyable listening experience. Recording director Bertil Alving, who is also responsible for “Cantate Domino,” considers “Laudate!,” recorded two years later, to be his best recording for Proprius.

AudioNautes is now honoring “Laudate!” with a UHQ-CD (AAD) featuring outstanding sound quality and 176.4-kHz MQA encoding. The strictly numbered UHQ-CD comes in plastic-free packaging (100% paper) and includes a detailed booklet with additional liner notes by Fabio Camorani. The impressive remastering is based on an old safety copy of the original stereo master tape.

Conductor: Anders Eby
Drottningholms Barockensemble
Uppsala Academy Chamber Choir

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.

Lista pieselor

1. Laudate Pueri Dominum 
2. Wahrlich, Wahrlich, Ich Sage Euch 
3. De Profundis Clamavi 
4. Fantasia A 7 
5. O Ardor, O Flamma 
6. Sinfonia A 6 
7. O Jesu Summa Caritas