1812 Overture by Cincinnati Pops (2001 Recording)

[GO-NAD!]

I can't recall how I learned of this recording, but when I did, I knew I had to get it. Santa was kind and I found it in my stocking on Christmas morning.

I didn't get around to playing it until this morning while my wife was out doing her volunteer work.

I wasn't sure what to expect, so I kept the volume down for the first listen. I don't have a SACD player, so I was listening to the stereo layer. Regardless, it was quite clear that this is a very dynamic recording.

With this in mind, I decided to give my system a bit of a workout. I dug out my old Radio Shack SPL metre and placed it 8' from the mains at about the same height as the drivers. With the volume on the C372 set about halfway, I started it again.

There's nothing very precise about these measurements, of course, but this is what I got:

Opening choral section ranged around 65-75 dB. The first kettle/bass drum (not sure which) strikes peaked at about 83 dB. The final choral and carillon section peaked around 83 dB. The cannon shots hit 92 dB. I moved the metre in to 3' from the mains, which also put it about 5' from the in-ceiling subwoofers - 95 dB from the cannons. I could feel the vibrations running through my floor.

I wouldn't have tried this volume without the subwoofers. While the C372 has a lot of headroom, I would be afraid of damaging the Studio 20's woofers.

The remaining pieces on this recording are also very well done. While I am by no means a competent classical music critic, I highly recommend this album to Tchaikovsky fans, or to those who want to show off their systems capabilities.

 

[Mikado463]

Huge fan of Kunzel and while I didn't get to see him before he passed I was fortunate enough to see Fiedler and Nero multiple times. Living outside of Philly we saw Nero many times, a superb pianist in his own rite.

As for the 1812, Lorin Mazel and the Cleveland Symphony is my go-to

 

[Verdinut]

I can't recall how I learned of this recording, but when I did, I knew I had to get it. Santa was kind and I found it in my stocking on Christmas morning.
View attachment 77310View attachment 77311View attachment 77312
I didn't get around to playing it until this morning while my wife was out doing her volunteer work.

I wasn't sure what to expect, so I kept the volume down for the first listen. I don't have a SACD player, so I was listening to the stereo layer. Regardless, it was quite clear that this is a very dynamic recording.

With this in mind, I decided to give my system a bit of a workout. I dug out my old Radio Shack SPL metre and placed it 8' from the mains at about the same height as the drivers. With the volume on the C372 set about halfway, I started it again.

There's nothing very precise about these measurements, of course, but this is what I got:

Opening choral section ranged around 65-75 dB. The first kettle/bass drum (not sure which) strikes peaked at about 83 dB. The final choral and carillon section peaked around 83 dB. The cannon shots hit 92 dB. I moved the metre in to 3' from the mains, which also put it about 5' from the in-ceiling subwoofers - 95 dB from the cannons. I could feel the vibrations running through my floor.

I wouldn't have tried this volume without the subwoofers. While the C372 has a lot of headroom, I would be afraid of damaging the Studio 20's woofers.

The remaining pieces on this recording are also very well done. While I am by no means a competent classical music critic, I highly recommend this album to Tchaikovsky fans, or to those who want to show off their systems capabilities.

If you like that 1812 Overture, I suggest that you get the Mercury CD version of the 1958 Three channel stereo recording, with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra under Antal Dorati's direction. This remastered disc also contains recording of the largest bell weighing over 40,000 pounds at the Riverside Church, and of a Bronze Cannon from Douay (France). Don't underestimate the dynamic range of the cannon firings. This is my preferred version of the work:

https://www.amazon.ca/1812-Overture-Wellingtons-Victory-Dorati/dp/B0000057MW?crid=255HPQJF4Q3PI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CqIbcdvZoV1BzKcYyFyBqQv6Z417iS__M0KTZrMvyutgnqfzp6sVsXISBuWhPwoq19ToT5LIjQf7-CtQO4wTcOfZlsMRmUaOu_KN6AQcPjgt9tffNzhIUsh5YYozmEkx0C6dDvPjX8cSscLcuKvjiE8xADAR5NTO5Nd13FD6zuUkbMJtwnBPRz1xAglhMZ4OBA98Oa4qZ3GGyIcbQ7wGa-8na0_piOxMny0DdBsKKutySY2erzC_oewIeJZ0XROVQ6cY0lq7YX52fQmaOSVOcTxakEQJpLRytkVCNzHDntI.0_jVDZy3BrqgtIwAsNHX5YH9xSZcIMAR9anwUKcEJPA&dib_tag=se&keywords=tchaikovsky+1812+overture&qid=1767811890&sprefix=Tchaikovsky+1812,aps,351&sr=8-5

 

[j_garcia]

I can't recall how I learned of this recording, but when I did, I knew I had to get it. Santa was kind and I found it in my stocking on Christmas morning.
View attachment 77310View attachment 77311View attachment 77312
I didn't get around to playing it until this morning while my wife was out doing her volunteer work.

I wasn't sure what to expect, so I kept the volume down for the first listen. I don't have a SACD player, so I was listening to the stereo layer. Regardless, it was quite clear that this is a very dynamic recording.

With this in mind, I decided to give my system a bit of a workout. I dug out my old Radio Shack SPL metre and placed it 8' from the mains at about the same height as the drivers. With the volume on the C372 set about halfway, I started it again.

There's nothing very precise about these measurements, of course, but this is what I got:

Opening choral section ranged around 65-75 dB. The first kettle/bass drum (not sure which) strikes peaked at about 83 dB. The final choral and carillon section peaked around 83 dB. The cannon shots hit 92 dB. I moved the metre in to 3' from the mains, which also put it about 5' from the in-ceiling subwoofers - 95 dB from the cannons. I could feel the vibrations running through my floor.

I wouldn't have tried this volume without the subwoofers. While the C372 has a lot of headroom, I would be afraid of damaging the Studio 20's woofers.

The remaining pieces on this recording are also very well done. While I am by no means a competent classical music critic, I highly recommend this album to Tchaikovsky fans, or to those who want to show off their systems capabilities.

Have owned that one for many years. Great disc.

 

[Verdinut]

Have owned that one for many years. Great disc.

You and @GO-NAD! are too young to have been exposed to the old 1958 recording of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. I was a teenager then.

You would be surprised by its SQ. At the time, Mercury label's engineers were the best, and their Living Presence discs were audibly superior to RCA's Living Stereo ones.
The mid frequency sound output of the cannon could blow some mid-range speakers. There's a lot of mid-range frequency sound from some cannons, not only the lower frequencies.

 

[TLS Guy]

If you like that 1812 Overture, I suggest that you get the Mercury CD version of the 1958 Three channel stereo recording, with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra under Antal Dorati's direction. This remastered disc also contains recording of the largest bell weighing over 40,000 pounds at the Riverside Church, and of a Bronze Cannon from Douay (France). Don't underestimate the dynamic range of the cannon firings. This is my preferred version of the work:

https://www.amazon.ca/1812-Overture-Wellingtons-Victory-Dorati/dp/B0000057MW?crid=255HPQJF4Q3PI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.CqIbcdvZoV1BzKcYyFyBqQv6Z417iS__M0KTZrMvyutgnqfzp6sVsXISBuWhPwoq19ToT5LIjQf7-CtQO4wTcOfZlsMRmUaOu_KN6AQcPjgt9tffNzhIUsh5YYozmEkx0C6dDvPjX8cSscLcuKvjiE8xADAR5NTO5Nd13FD6zuUkbMJtwnBPRz1xAglhMZ4OBA98Oa4qZ3GGyIcbQ7wGa-8na0_piOxMny0DdBsKKutySY2erzC_oewIeJZ0XROVQ6cY0lq7YX52fQmaOSVOcTxakEQJpLRytkVCNzHDntI.0_jVDZy3BrqgtIwAsNHX5YH9xSZcIMAR9anwUKcEJPA&dib_tag=se&keywords=tchaikovsky+1812+overture&qid=1767811890&sprefix=Tchaikovsky+1812,aps,351&sr=8-5

Yes, there is no doubt that is the best and most original recording of the Eighteen Twelve overture. These recordings were issued on Mercury, and recorded by Robert and Cosima Fine in 1958. Don't let the early date put your off. The sound is fantastic. That pair were probably the greatest recording engineers of all time.

The Orchestra is the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antal Dorati, which is now the Minnesota Orchestra. They were joined by the University of Minnesota Brass Band. The Canons, and Church bells are real. The disc also has Capriccio Italien and Beethoven's Wellington's Victory with real muskets and real Howitzers.

This disc will push the best subs to the max. It really shakes the floors here.

Disc is Mercury D 111714.

 

[GO-NAD!]

I certainly won't question the assessment of the Mercury recording by @Verdinut and @TLS Guy. I'm not sure if I want another version....not yet, at least. One or both of you might be interested in comparing this Telarc recording with the Mercury version.

I tried to find a copy of the liner notes online, to no avail. So, here they are:

 

[Speedskater]

My friend Skip (RIP) assisted Telarc in making that recording. We would sometimes talk about the challenges of making that and other Telarc recordings.

 

[Verdinut]

I certainly won't question the assessment of the Mercury recording by @Verdinut and @TLS Guy. I'm not sure if I want another version....not yet, at least. One or both of you might be interested in comparing this Telarc recording with the Mercury version.

I tried to find a copy of the liner notes online, to no avail. So, here they are:
View attachment 77326View attachment 77327View attachment 77328View attachment 77329View attachment 77330

I have both discs and the Mercury recording is the most satisfying for me.