The technique used to record the massive sound of large symphony orchestra in the Moores Opera House is simple and direct. Simple, in that five Neumann and Peluso omnidirectional condenser microphones are carefully placed to capture the total soundstage from the point of view of the conductor on the podium. Direct, in that, each microphone feeds into a single channel of the high-resolution digital recorder with no mixing, equalization, or other manipulation of the pure sound coming from each mic. The result is heard in five-channel surround sound reproduction (in a home theater system, for instance) places the listener on the podium with the conductor – in effect, "immersed" in the sound.
Title: Gustav Holst – The Planets
George Gershwin – Second Rhapsody, “Rhapsody in Rivets”
Rob Smith – Snapdragon
Artist(s): Franz Anton Krager, conductor
Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
Texas Music Festival Orchestra, Houston
Andrew Staupe, piano
Recording Info: Recorded in public concerts in the Moores Opera House, University of Houston
Holst – 9 June 2018; Gershwin and Smith – 11 June 2022
Produced & Recorded by John Gladney Proffitt
5.0 channel Immersive Surround Sound
High Resolution 24-bit, 192k sampling rate
PURCHASE OF THIS RECORDING BENEFITS THE TEXAS MUSIC FESTIVAL
GUSTAV HOLST – The Planets (1917)
1 Mars, the Bringer of War 08:12
2 Venus, the Bringer of Peace 7:58
3 Mercury, the Winged Messenger 4:40
4 Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity 8:18
5 Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age 8:51
6 Uranus, the Magician 6:06
7 Neptune, the Mystic 9:17
8 GEORGE GERSHWIN – Second Rhapsody, “Rhapsody in Rivets” (1931) 15:21
9 ROB SMITH – Snapdragon (2022) 3:01
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Well Worth A Listen
Interestingly different as a result of the mic placement used. Not as dynamic as some recordings I have but the sound has an unforced quality to it which I find attractive and the unusual balance reveals pieces in the score that I had not previously noticed.
User has problem with multichannel flac download
Surround channels in 5.0 flac download The review from John T. complained of little or no signal in the two surround channels of this recording of Holst Planets, which I produced. I can only speculate that something is somehow not correct or not working right in John T.'s playback system, since all of the HDTT 5.0 immersive surround recordings, which I recorded and produced, have full sound and 100% signal strength in channels 4 and 5, which are the Surround channels. If one is not hearing the surround loud and clear, something is not right with the playback system configuration. It is also possible that the User is not successfully or accurately decoding the multichannel flac file.
Disappointment!
A major disappointment for a piece that I had high hopes for. The planets is usually a sonic show piece. But this time, no dynamics whatsoever, and in combination with that, no bass to speak of. Don't know if it was because of the arrangement, the conductor, or the recording equipment. Also, I had to put my ear against the rear channels to be sure they were on because so little came out of them. They are to supposed to capture the ambiance of the hall to immerse you, or instruments that are in the rear of the hall. This recording does neither, maybe a rear channel volume control mis-set?? I have almost evey HDTT surround release and have always praised them for immersing you in sound. This now is the second one they've produced that does no immersion because there's nothing you can hear in the rear channels. I hope this isn't the future of HDTT surround products, trying to sound like the major labels (super low rears) ! Very disappointing!
Amazing sound; excellent 'Planets'
Audiophiles will just love this download! Even by HDTT standards, the sound on this one is very fine. And I only listened to it in stereo! I can't even imagine what the surround version sounds like. As if you needed more, this is a very worthy and competitive interpretation of the Holst 'Planets' I've got half a dozen of them, and like me you might just find this is the one for you
A masters class in recording technique
A minimally miked, very direct recording. No futz, no muss. Just the sound as heard at the conductor’s podium from a combination of 5 omni-directional Neumann and Peluso omnidirectional condenser microphones, one per channel. I'm listening to the 2-channel mix, but the multi-channel version is also available for any surround sound aficionados. John Proffitt's recordings are always eye-opening in the utter clarity of soundstage and orchestral detail that he achieves with his very minimalist miking philosophy. No phase distortion, no wandering images -- just rock solid definition of musicians on the stage. And the dynamic range is tremendous. Yes, I could wish for a higher resolution original recording, but this is still supremely good. And, if you want to understand what is possible with just a few microphones carefully placed (and what the early Decca recording teams were achieving 60+ years ago), listen to any of the John Proffit recordings here at HDTT. The Texas Music Festival Orchestra is a truly fine ensemble and their performances are always very good, as they are here. Why not five stars? It nearly could be. Held back only by the 24/192 resolution which lacks the ultra-fine resolution and continuousness of the best analog or DSD256 recordings.
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