Tacet - 180 Gram Virgin Vinyl - AAA 100% Analogue 

Limited Edition - Half-Speed  Audiophile Mastering - Pressed at Pallas

This one will stay on my shelves.  Tacet has succeeded on all fronts here, marrying pure sound with deft performances of great music Sound 5/5 The Audio Beat

Recorded in 2008 at the church of Stella Maris in Poland, the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra are conducted by Wojciech Rajski in performing Beethoven's 6th symphony.

In contrast to the contemplative, peaceful character of Beethoven’s Sixth Symphony, disharmony and contention was rife everywhere around it. Not only was the very first performance bungled and criticized by musical 'clairvoyants' of the day who saw their vision of a heroic musical titan fade away in the sensitive melodiousness of the music, but the never-ending question of whether this is programme music or absolute music was raised continuously.

The interpretation is quite another matter, however. The “Pastorale” Symphony is a real challenge and test for every orchestra when it comes to producing a refined sound and finely graded changes of tempo.

Here, Wojciech Rajski and his Polish Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra – who have won international acclaim for their Beethoven recordings – are in their element. With a succinct yet differentiated sound coloring in the strings in all registers, the ensemble treads lightly through the picturesque landscape, carefully weighs in each melodious figure, and produces crackling, sparkling tension through sensitive changes of tempo. In the Finale one can quite justly speak of an abundance of gorgeous sound, and one must certainly be thankful for the use of pure analogue technique that results in such wonderful sound in this studio recording.

Half-speed is literally half the speed. But only during the production! When being played, everything runs perfectly normally again. This record requires no special treatment at all; it simply sounds better. It is as if the craftsman had taken twice as much time for his work. Not only the tempo is reduced at half speed, but also the pitch by a factor of 2. For example, a note of 40 kHz - Tacet recordings do indeed contain such high notes! - is transferred like a 20-kHz tone of a standard recording. Through this, electronics can process higher frequencies and the cutting stylus calmly cuts all the details into the lacquer foil. 

Musicians:

Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra
Wojciech Rajski, conductor

Selections:
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 "Pastorale"