Hot Stamper Pressings of the Music of Mussorgsky Available Now
There is a slightly multi-miked quality to this recording. If you’ve been playing true Golden Age records all day you will notice that the instruments are more naturally and correctly spaced and sized on those recordings.
But, this is still a KNOCKOUT record which is guaranteed to bring any stereo to its knees. The dynamics, the deep bass and the sheer power of the orchestra have to be heard to be believed.
What does the typical EMI pressing of this album sound like?
Not good. Sour brass, smeary or shrill strings, lacking in bass — mid-hall dead-as-a-doornail sound is fairly typical.
Almost all the copies I’ve played are spacious, but so what?
The sound of the instruments is often wrong and in my book that trumps any benefits concerning soundstaging or depth.
But the best Hot Stamper pressings give you the presence and immediacy you need to get involved in the work.
The strings on the better copies have rosiny texture.
The brass has weight — not the full measure of an RCA or London recording, but at least you get the impression that those instruments are trying to sound correct.
And the bass drum really goes deep, unlike many of the Golden Age recordings I’ve heard.