Amazing sound on this deluxe half-speed mastered LP of favorites and rarities from Reference Recordings. This collection of exceptional performances from Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra has been a perennial favorite and best seller among audiophiles worldwide. This recording is one of legendary engineer 'Prof.' Keith Johnson's very best and favorite titles.

• Limited Edition
• Reference Mastercuts
• LP 180 Gram Audiophile Virgin Vinyl
• Half-speed mastered
• Pressed at Quality Record Pressings
• Deluxe gatefold cover

You will enjoy amazing sound on this Deluxe Half-Speed Mastered 200g LP of favorites and rarities. This collection of exceptional performances from the Minnesota Orchestra has been a perennial favorite and best seller on CD, SACD and HRx, and NOW can be heard on LP! This recording is one of legendary engineer "Prof." Keith Johnson's very best and favorite titles.

Eiji Oue conducts the Minnesota Orchestra for this 200g Vinyl Pressing - a recording of favorites and rarities, including Saint-Saëns: Bacchanale, Strauss: Dance of the Seven Veils, and Rabaud: Dances from Marouf.

For many years, RR has been searching the world over for the best possible vinyl mastering, plating and pressing facilities so they could re-enter the LP market. They finally found a production chain that allows them to produce LPs to meet their high standards and satisfy their customers' demands, who have been waiting for these LPs for a long time!

Assembling the Team
Disc mastering is done at half-speed to insure maximum accuracy. The lathe system has custom electronics by Nelson Pass. The simple signal path contains no compression, equalization or unnecessary circuitry. RR Chief Engineer and Technical Director, "Prof." Keith Johnson consulted on the design of the system and helped with the rebuilding of the lathe and electronics, which is owned and operated by long-time mastering expert Paul Stubblebine. "Prof." Johnson has pronounced it equal to the challenge of the master tapes!

Once successful results were achieved in disc mastering, Reference Recordings faced the difficult task of choosing the best plating and pressing facility to manufacture the discs. Fortunately, the Quality Record Pressings plant in Salina, Kansas was coming on line, and they felt that waiting for this plant to open was well worth it. A crack team of experts was assembled to design and run the plant, employing many unique techniques and features that clearly set QRP apart from other pressing plants. The 200-gram deluxe vinyl pressings from QRP are truly exceptional.

Multiple Configurations for Reference Mastercuts
Depending on program lengths, some releases are cut at 45 rpm, some at 33-1/3 rpm. Some are single discs, some double. All feature deluxe gate-fold jackets crafted by Stoughton Printing . An unusual feature of new RR masterings is called the "FDS finish": the end of each side will have a 30-second band of silent grooves before the "pull-away." No one today uses a record changer, and the silent grooves allow time to lift the arm before the always-somewhat-noisy tie-off. (Some 1950s vintage Capitol Full Dimensional Sound pressings sported this feature.) RR founder, J. Tamblyn (Tam) Henderson deserves special recognition for identifying the value of this unique production feature and reintroducing it with the new Mastercuts.

Note: Half-speed Mastering involves a capturing process in which the original recording master is played back at exactly half of the recorded speed. A sequenced cutting lathe is then timed at exactly half of the playback speed. This process allows twice as much time to carve a groove that accurately represents the sound on the master tape. Half-speed mastering allows for cleaner reproduction and also permits extended high frequency response, extending into the ultrasonic region.

Musicians:
Minnesota Orchestra
Eiji Oue, conductor


Track Listing:

Side A
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1884-1908)
1. Dance of the Tumblers from The Snow Maiden

Richard Strauss (1864-1949)
2. Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (1839-1881)
3. Dance of the Persian Slaves from Khovanshchina

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)
4. Hopak from Mazeppa

Side B
Henri Rabaud (1873-1949)
1. Dances from Marouf, Cobbler of Cairo

Charles-Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921)
2. Bacchanale from Samson and Delilah

Click here to listen to samples on YouTube.com ♫