Stuttgarter Kammerorchester - The Tube / Die Röhre (2003) [SACD]

The lengths to which TACET have gone to secure an all-valve (tube) recording chain for this disc might seem perverse to some, but I think that the sound quality that they have achieved is a complete vindication of their unusual approach. The Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra, under their founder Karl Munchinger, were of course one of the stars of the Decca repertoire during the "Golden Age" of valve mastered recordings in the late Fifties and early Sixties, and this disc has the wonderfully warm string tone of the renowned SXL series LPs from that era. Of course, cynics (or diehard vinyl revivalists) might question the virtues of the latest digital techniques if all they do is take you back to the sound of 40 years ago, but you only have to listen to the dynamics and, of course, blissful silence during the quiet passages, to realise what benefits SACD can offer over its vinyl predecessor. The music is very appealing throughout - the Handel and Corelli are worth the admission price alone, and the other pieces are never less than interesting, particularly the Biber which was totally unfamiliar to me. The performances, to my admittedly inexpert ear, are impeccable, and very lively throughout. All this, and you get a joke too: "No conductor, no semiconductor....." - who says the Germans have no sense of humour?