Esa-Pekka Salonen - Bernard Herrmann: The Film Scores (2000) [SACD]

It is becoming increasingly evident that the value of SACD recordings lies in the use of multichannel format. An excellently made new digital recording transfered to SACD will not show much sonic improvement on "low end" surround systems, while the differences between high(er) end regular digital stereo and SACD stereo aren't always significant. This is, of course, a generalization based on limited evidence, but it proves correct in the case of this award-winning disc of Herrmann film music, which was superbly recorded to begin with. I ran around between several different systems searching for audible differences between formats, but truth to tell, there didn't seem to be any of major import. If you are sold on the SACD format and own a high end system, then by all means grab this disc in its latest incarnation. If you already own it and enjoy it in normal stereo, there's no need to rush out and replace it. But either way, you should own it: you'll find the best available recordings of the music from Psycho, Torn Curtain, and above all, a truly shimmering and mesmerizing account of the suite from Farhenheit 451. I guess the lesson here is simple: great performances and great sound manifest themselves in any format. Period.
David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com