Nowadays CD releases, in particular reissues, of Furtwängler’s recordings are so myriad that even his most ardent fans can have a headache. As such I have tried to regress to being a child in Hans Christian Anderson’s story, and look at 3 upcoming Japanese releases through this child’s eyes.
Bayreuth Beethoven 9 from Warner Music Japan HQCD (WPCS28425)
This repeatedly remastered and reissued recording now has a new descendant. What is so special about this new reissue? It is claimed to be based on a new 2019 DSD 11.2 MHz file made from the original analogue master tape. As such it is different from the 2011 96kHz/24bit master used for the “MQA-CDxUHQCD” issued just 3 months ago (WPCS28420), which at that time was claimed to be of the ultimate sound quality! So here you are, a further “improvement” from the “ultimate” just 3 months ago!
My question is if it is such a high-res master of DSD 11.2 MHz quality (supposed to be 256 times that of a red-book CD), then why do they regress/reduce it back to the meagre CD quality for reissue? Why don’t they just release this DSC 11.2MHz file for download in the market? It is not a million dollar question; it is only a 40 dollar question at most.
January 1951 VPO Beethoven 9 from Otaken CD (TKC367)
The sound source of this CD is a “mint LP” which presumably is King Records K19C287-8 (issued in 1983 and incidentally is identical to Cetra FE33). King Records had issued an LP of the same recording one year earlier (K22C173) which had a poorer sound (supposedly from an air check) and contained parts of the 1951 Bayreuth recording mixed into the 4th movement of this VPO recording. The “mint LP” used as the sound source was thought to be based on a master tape transcription. However, given the fact that this recording has been released by Orfeo (within the 18-CD box set C834118Y) utilizing the master tape from the radio station, you can know the difference in the generation of copies from the master tape being used between this upcoming Otaken CD and the Orfeo CD. This CD is just part of the trend in Japanese reissues using LPs as sound sources. You are the one to judge whether it adds anything meaningfully new to your collection.
June 1949 Wiesbaden Mozart and Brahms from Grand Slam CD (GS2212)
This CD is a new member of the series of CDs from its producer Naoya Hirabayashi using open-reel tapes as sound source. I won’t bother you with the merits and demerits of using these as sound source. My only question to this reissue is that according to the comments by Hirabayashi, this CD will overturn the previous “ranking” of the best Furtwängler’s Brahms 4 (btw, was opined to be the 1943 live and 1948 EMI live by the producer) because of the vivid sound of this CD. When did sound begin to take precedence over interpretation in “ranking” Furtwängler’s recordings? I’m puzzled.
All in all, going back to the child at the beginning of this posting, he seems to be only able to see the emperor’s new clothes in these 3 releases.
Wilhelm Furtwängler Journal 