Our favorite things: recordings. (Staff Picks).(Buyers Guide)

Once again, we have asked our staff to pick their favorites from among the recordings they have encountered during the past year. We think you will agree that this is quite an eclectic list, and we hope that you find it useful. Enjoy!

Steven G. Baird (SGB)

This year's staff picks will offer capsule reviews of one standard CD and seven SACDs. For a discussion of the SACD format, and a listing of components in the current system used to evaluate these recordings, please see Reissue Roundup in this issue.

Recording of Special Merit: Eva Cassidy: Live at Blues Alley (Blix Street Records G2-10046, released in 1998). This is the only standard CD recording to grace my staff picks for this year. I would not have known of its existence were it not for the urgings of a long-time friend and former audio buddy who had telephoned me earlier this year on another matter. I had never heard of Eva Cassidy (1963-1996), but at my friend's insistence, I thought I should give her a try.

I will tell you that I believe Eva Cassidy to be one of the most gifted singers to appear over the past several decades. It would be difficult to classify her as a jazz or blues singer (as the title of this album might suggest to some), even though she feels equally at home singing everything from T-Bone Walker's "Stormy Monday" to Johnny Mercer's incredible "Autumn Leaves" (possibly the best I've ever heard). She couldn't be called a pop/rock singer either, although she does a great job on Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" and Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" with equal poise and dedication. What I can say with ample certainty is that Eva brought her heart and soul to anything she chose to sing. She comes across to this listener as one who creates emotions with her vocal inflections, and a finality that escapes many others who have tried their hands at this very same material. She has become my own standard by which other contemporary female vocalists are judged: she's that good. Never mind the sound quality, which is well above average, this one will be spinning on my player for many years to come just to hear her marvelous singing. Yes, Mr. Keats, "Truth is beauty, beauty truth." Sad, though, that this one was taken from us so soon. It will be a while before we see the likes of this gifted artist again.

SACD-Classical: I'll begin with two recordings of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection" -- Seiji Ozawa, Seito Kinen Orchestra, Shinuyaki Choir (Sony Japan SRGR 742, single layer, stereo only) and Andrew Litton, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (Delos SACD 3237 hybrid, stereo only). Each of these two recordings has something different to offer Mahler fans. As much as I enjoy both of these two newer performances, neither Ozawa nor Litton captures the essence of this most emotive of all Mahler works with quite the elan we find in Mehta's stunning 1973 performance with the Vienna Philharmonic (which sounds absolutely dreadful in its recent Decca Legends reissue). Ozawa's is more lilting at times while Litton's marches in metronome-like lock-step to the score. Much to my surprise, both of these orchestras perform better than I would have expected, and the Japanese vocal soloist and choir provide supremely good singing for Ozawa.

You'll not hear better sounding, more you-are-there Mahler in any other format, I'm compelled to say. The Litton's dynamics will absolutely startle you as the "Urlicht" ends and the finale begins. This pure DSD recording is the best sounding digital classical recording I have yet to hear, beating out the Zander Mahler Fifth in several respects -- greater dynamics and a slightly wider frequency response (see below). Ozawa's is a conversion from PCM, but you'd never know it unless you can read Japanese. Here the sound stage is a little deeper and not quite so wide as the Litton, as if to suggest a seat in the 15th row. For all of the accolades I just conferred on the Litton's frequency response, you'll find the timpani on this one reach a bit deeper into the subterranean. Alas, you cannot buy the Ozawa SACD in the USA, but it is available in standard CD format. In order to get this one on SACD, you will have to order it from Tokyo (contact me for details).