EMI responds about Rattle/BPO M9th recording process

[John Kim]

FYI, I recently sent an inquiry to EMI Classics about the recording indicating some sonic issues - "dry in bass and thin in treble". Here is the reply from the producer of the recording:


Many thanks for forwarding on this correspondence.  Firstly, I'm really pleased that Dr Kim enjoyed the new recording of Mahler 9.  All of us who were present at, and worked on, the recording at the time, were very aware that something quite special was happening, and knew that it was quite a responsibility to capture this and present in the best possible way.  We have been recording live concerts at the Philharmonie in Berlin for many years now, and it has been
interesting to discover the best ways of capturing what is a unique, intense and challenging acoustic.  In this work in particular, to capture the rich sounds of the Berlin Philharmonic strings, with both body and clarity, is the greatest challenge, and we worked closely with Sir Simon Rattle to ensure that what was being represented in the studio was what was being produced on the stage. Sir Simon was particularly happy that this recording portrayed accurately that richness and depth of his orchestra.  We too were very confident that what we were able to present was a real and faithful representation of the orchestra in their home, and one that carried the music
and performance to the listener.
 
I can reassure Dr Kim that exactly the same master would have been presented world-wide, including to i-tunes and to our Japanese company.  There is a process of compression that i-tunes have to use to deliver the recordings to the consumer, and this process is bound to have an effect on the quality of the sound.  Our masters are all recorded at 24-bit resolution (and this is what Dr Kim would have heard with the DVD-A recordings) and have, again, to be prepared
for CD release, as CD has a maximum of 16-bit resolution.  However, we are extremely careful that this process is as inaudible as is possible.  We do regular A-B comparisons, and the differences between the studio master and the CD are extremely small, and would not have the effects on
the sound that Dr Kim has noted. 
 
Once again, many thanks to Dr Kim for his interest in the making of the recording.  I hope he continues to enjoy the performance, and our future recordings with Sir Simon and Berlin Philharmonic.
 

I replied back saying that I'd still like to have a DVD-A edition of the recording. I also suggested they record a Rattle/BPO M7th in the future.

Regards,

John,

[Leo K]

Thanks John, this is helpful, as I probably don't need to order the Japanese release now...I am actually quite happy with the sound of the CD, the more I listen the more I hear all kinds of rich detail.  That said, I too would love to have a DVD-A recording...perhaps I should write EMI as well...John, could you give me their email address?

It indeed sounds awesome on a good set of speakers, and I have no problems with headphones...it sounds great on those too!  Even on cheap iPod earpieces, the sound was good, and strangely, the main climax almost had more power?  I still feel that the main climax is like a tsunami, deep and wide...devasting, but not overdone...the more I hear it the more I feel Rattle stays true to his conception, which is a balance between passion and coolness (as Duggan suggests).  On some days I feel Rattle somehow makes the inner movements more exciting...I don't know why!  This performance would make a great introduction to those new to this work. 

The Rattle M9 is becoming my absolute favorite M9...I want to hear it everyday...it is that good.

--Todd