Music: Excerpt from The Planets: Mars, the Bringer of War
Composer: Gustav Holst
Artists: Kansas City Symphony, Michael Stern, conductor
Album: Holst: The Planets; The Perfect Fool (RR-146SACD)
Label: Reference Recordings
Available October 11, 2019
More Info: https://referencerecordings.com/?p=14254

Reference Recordings proudly presents Holst’s best known and beloved works in an outstanding interpretation from Michael Stern and the Kansas City Symphony. This hybrid SACD release was recorded in the beautiful and acoustically acclaimed Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. It was produced by David Frost, six-time winner of the Classical Producer of the Year GRAMMY® award. It was recorded by RR’s engineering team, comprised of GRAMMY®-winning engineer and Technical Director Keith O. Johnson, and multi-GRAMMY® nominated engineer Sean Martin.

The Kansas City Symphony has a vision to transform hearts, minds and its community through the power of symphonic music. Founded in 1982, the Symphony has established itself as a major force in the cultural life of the community. Praised for performances of uncompromising standard, the orchestra is the largest in the region and holds a national reputation under the artistic leadership of Music Director Michael Stern.

This is the seventh in Reference Recordings’ series with Kansas City Symphony. Previous albums are Shakespeare’s Tempest, the Grammy® Award-winning Britten’s Orchestra, an Elgar/Vaughan Williams project, Miraculous Metamorphoses, an all-Saint-Saëns CD featuring the magnificent Organ Symphony, and the music of contemporary American composer Adam Schoenberg (nominated for two Grammy® Awards). Two additional projects, featuring one-movement symphonies by Barber, Scriabin, and Sibelius; and a live recording of works of Johannes Brahms, have been recorded and slated for future release.

Holst: The Planets; The Perfect Fool

Holst: The Planets: Mars, the Bringer of War (Excerpt)

We at RR believe that how a recording sounds is as important as the music itself. "Prof." Keith O. Johnson, our chief engineer and Technical Director, is a true audio legend, having designed and patented many innovative products in the professional and consumer fields. The RR Sound comes from his singular methods and equipment, hand-built or extensively modified by him. Microphone techniques range from single-point Blumlein to spaced omnis to complex studio mixes, depending on the musical forces and the performing space involved. Our goal is to recreate the sound of real musicians making music in real space.