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ESOTERIC - FALLA - THE THREE CORNERED HAT **200GM LP**

Falla's Ballet, The Three Cornered Hat on Esoteric Master Press 200Gm Vinyl

Only 1,000 pieces of this title will be pressed world-wide and only a very small number of those are coming to the US market!

The definitive version of Falla's great ballet, the Three Cornered Hat, by the Swiss Romande Orchestra conducted by Ansermet has been praised as the greatest performance of the LP age.  Ansermet was a great conductor who left his mark on the history of classical music with his exquisite and colorful performances!

Ansermet, a great conductor who left his mark on the history of classical music with his exquisite and colorful performances As the conductor for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, the master Swiss conductor Ernest Ansermet (November 11, 1883–February 20, 1969) premiered many important compositions of the early 20th century, such as Stravinsky's Soldier's Tale, Nightingale, and Pulcinella; Falla's Three - Cornered Hat; Prokofiev's Tale of the Buffoon; and Satie's Parade. And above all, he is known for founding the Swiss Romande Orchestra in 1919 and, as its musical director, developing it into a global presence. In 1946, he entered an exclusive contract with the Decca label and made a vast amount of recordings covering French, Russian, 20th century, and German and Austrian music. Many of these recordings were highly evaluated in the LP age, complemented as they were by excellent recording technology.*

* FFRR. ("Full frequency range recording" in the era of monaural recordings;
this was known as FFSS, or "full frequency stereo sound" in the age of stereo.) Decca developed this groundbreaking recording system during World War II at the request of the Navy to catch submarines. The system could play back at up to 12,000 Hertz—groundbreaking performance for that time, far exceeding the conventional narrow band.

The epitome of Spanish music by Ansermet

Among Ansermet's many recordings, this album receives especial praise. It is a masterpiece of historic proportion, and was considered the representative version of the Three - Cornered Hat throughout the LP age. This album—Ansermet's third recording since his first monaural recording of 1952—was recorded in 1961, and was also known for the appointment of Teresa Berganza just after her debut. James Walker, the producer responsible for all of the stereo recordings of Ansermet, and Roy Wallace, the creator of the Decca stereo recording system, joined forces to realize this great recording. The interlude and dance from the opera, The Short Life, were also included in the original LP.

The tone and color of Spanish music caught in its entirety

"This is a performance to be known as 'one of the greats.' The composition, Three - Cornered Hat was premiered by Ansermet, and with its lively rhythms, subtle narratives, dynamic development, and vivid contrast and tone - colors, this version is a masterly performance that none other appears able to exceed. The performance illustrates an ethnic taste that is rich in wild beauty in a truly vivid and dynamic way, while highlighting the lyricism of Falla's music in a sophisticated, uncompromising manner. The solo singing by the young Berganza is also worth listening to."
- Takahiko Utasaki, Classic Meiban Taizen (Complete Classic Masterpieces): Orchestral Works.

In Japan, this version of the Three - Cornered Hat is known for its artwork using a Goya painting different from that of the original LP released in the UK. When it was re - released in the CD format, coupled with Love the Magician, this famous artwork was used again. This re - release in the SACD/CD hybrid format uses the design of the original UK edition, showing a dancer standing in the plaza in the evening.

Great recording in the legendary Victoria Hall favored by Decca

This Esoteric Master Press Recording is one of a select few titles available from Esoteric Company of Japan.  Only 1,000 pcs of this title will be pressed and only a small number of those are coming to the US market.  Every title in the Master Press Recordings Series has been remastered by Esoteric and pressed by JVC using the best possible processes and procedures available. The goal of this project is to provide the closest experience possible to the original master tape. 

Esoteric meticulously remastered the original master tape to DSD under the watchful eye of Esoteric's president Motoaki Ohmachi.  This project was given unfettered access to the world's best equipment, including Esoteric's flagship D/A converters, Master Clock Generators & Esoteric Mexcel cables.  The jaw-dropping results were then released on hybrid SACD, to instant acclaim and worldwide demand.

But Ohmachi-san wanted to showcase vinyl as well, so Esoteric approached JVC Mastering Center in Japan, world renowned for their outstanding remastering work.  Through extensive testing and listening sessions, Ohmachi-san and the remastering engineer agreed, the best source was actually the DSD master created for the SACDs.  Although using the DSD master resulted in a single additional D/A conversion stage in the signal path, the sonic superiority of the DSD master was clear. 

The cutting process used custom-made Neumann gear, specially built to Esoteric's specs by JVC using no filters, EQ or other devices, which created an exceptionally pure and uncluttered signal path.

This collaboration between JVC and Esoteric has resulted in vinyl recordings that are unprecedented in their faithfulness to the original master tape.  Master Press Recordings are pressed directly from the lacquer master, a process which eliminates two full steps in the pressing process.  Every single record in this series is pressed in this manner, with no intermediate copies used in the pressing process. Combined with the superior groove depth that only 200Gm vinyl can offer, Esoteric's Master Press Recordings offer transparency, immediacy and power unlike anything heard on vinyl before.

Manuel de Falla (1786-1946)
El Sombrero de tres picos

[SIDE ONE]
Introduction *
Part 1. Afternoon
Part 2. The Neighbour’s Dance (Seguidillas)
The Miller’s Dance (Farruca) *

[SIDE TWO]
Part 2. Conclusion
LA VIDA BREVE
Interlude & Dance

Performance
Ernest Ansermet
L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Teresa Berganza (Soprano) *

Recording
Producer: James Walker
Engineer: Roy Wallace
Location: Victoria Hall, Geneva
Recording date: February, 1961

Re-mastering
Producer: Motoaki Ohmachi (ESOTERIC COMPANY)
Mastering Engineer: Kazuie Sugimoto (JVC Mastering Center)
Date: August 26, 2008 at JVC Mastering Center.

Cutting
Cutting Engineer: Toru Kotetsu (JVC Mastering Center)
Date: February 2009 at JVC Mastering Center
Cutting Lathe: Neumann VMS70 (JVC Special Custom Manufacture)
Cutting Head: Neumann SX-74
Cutter Drive Amplifier: Neumann SP-75 (JVC Special Custom Manufacture)