In my last The 78 Experience -Feeling the Music post (HERE) I told you about the IM Lab record label CD from the former USSR, titled Treasures from the Musical Archives of St. Petersburg, featuring Valeria Barsova, soprano; from the Orchestra of the USSR Bolshoi Theatre, Samuil Samosud, Vassily Nebolsin, Alexander Melick-Pashayev, and Maximilian Steinberg conductors; and The USSR Symphony Orchestra, A. Orlov, conductor.

Valeria Barsova's extraordinary performances absolutely blew me away, and I listened to that CD over and over again, as I was so enamoured with the performances.

I mentioned that there were eighteen tracks of archive recordings sourced from the personal 78rpm record collection of Anatoly Markovich Likhnitsky, using his specialty 78rpm record analog-to-digital converter to make transfers for CD (signified by the AML+ emblem on the CD's documentation).

Today I have another CD to tell you about, this time from the Russian Lyra label, of performances by the renowned bass opera singer, Feodor Shalyapin (1873 to 1938), featuring performances of Dubinuska, and Folk and Prisoner Songs. 

According to Wikipedia, all recordings of Shalyapin's performance were recorded "... in Russia with acoustical recordings made at the dawn of the 20th Century, and continuing through the early electrical (microphone) era."

This Red Book CD is another example of why it is so important to be able to listen to historic performances from the earliest eras of the recording arts on your hifi, and the importance of having audio equipment that can present it with the musical grandeur it deserves.

This is another series of amazing performances transferred from 78s to CDs using Anatoly Markovich Likhnitsky's specialty 78rpm record analog-to-digital converter (as signified by the AML+ on the cover), with no noise reduction or any other digital trickery applied, meaning you get to hear the performances just as they would have been from the 78 records.

I have been listening to this CD today on the Audio Note (UK) CD 2.1x/II Level Two Red Book CD player that I wrote about for Positive Feedback HERE, and like with the Valeria Barsova performances I mentioned earlier, I was blown away by the intensity of these performances, listening to the performances on this CD several times through before coming up for air.

As I've mentioned before, it is challenge to fully articulate the experience of listening to these 78 transfers to CD, as they musically transcend what you normally think of when listening to music on your hifi.

I think one of the best analogies of the musicality of the performances on these 78s compared to contemporary performances, is that of comparing a really good single ended triode (SET) amplifier to an early solid-state amplifier, where these performances are lit from within with life, vitality, presence.

As a result these recordings are an almost overwhelming sensual experience to hear for music lovers, and the emotional impact that results from listening to them is off the charts. 

As I've mentioned previously, these are not audiophile-style recordings, as there is surface noise from the 78s on these transfer, and a few recording anomalies related to distortion on peaks, but I didn't find it distracting. The noise is rendered as a soothing white noise that exists in a different plane from the music, one that doesn’t affect or detract from the music. 

I think the subtle noise actually adds an element of exotic charm to experiencing a rare musical treasure like this from a different age, with my listening sessions having an almost time-travel like feel to them.

These 78 transfers on CD are really wonderful, and I recommend you try to find some of these to listen to. 

These CDs are a little hard to come by, but if you keep checking Discogs, for example, you'll eventually run across them.

Ok, that's all for now! As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!