September 11,
2008
An SACD First
Well known for its purist
recordings released on HDCD-compatible CDs, Reference Recordings has released its very
first SACD. Tutti! (RR-906 SACD), the most
popular Reference Recordings title in Asia, is an orchestral sampler with over 71 minutes
of music culled from various Reference Recordings releases. It includes music from Eiji
Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra, Jose Serebrier and the Czech State Philharmonic, Jerry
Junkin and the Dallas Wind Symphony, and the Turtle Creek Chorale.
“Our release of [an] SACD is a surprise to
some. We have previously published statements that we would not do so,” reads the
press release for Tutti! Reference Recordings
credits technical improvements that “now allow accurate digital transfers of our PCM
format to SACD” as the impetus for the release. Tutti!
is a stereo-only SACD, as will be the upcoming Mephisto
& Co. These will be followed by the label’s first surround-sound release.
A hybrid SACD, Tutti! has an HDCD-encoded CD layer, making it
perhaps the first SACD/HDCD release. With it Reference Recordings stays true to its roots
in PCM digital.
...Marc Mickelson
marc@soundstage.com
