Variations sérieuses, for piano in D minor, Op. 54
Fantasies or Caprices (3) for piano, Op. 16
The super audio CD format allows for five independent sound channels, plus a subwoofer bass channel. Audiophile labels have taken advantage of this capability to release choice items from the quadraphonic LP era of the mid-'70s, remastering the sound either to five channels or, as in this case, to the original four. So-called "quad sound" was basically a failure, a last blip in the momentum generated by stereo and the quantum leaps in quality it generated. But some interesting recordings came along for the ride, and this ...
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The super audio CD format allows for five independent sound channels, plus a subwoofer bass channel. Audiophile labels have taken advantage of this capability to release choice items from the quadraphonic LP era of the mid-'70s, remastering the sound either to five channels or, as in this case, to the original four. So-called "quad sound" was basically a failure, a last blip in the momentum generated by stereo and the quantum leaps in quality it generated. But some interesting recordings came along for the ride, and this was one. Quad sound catalogs favored imposing music that seemed serious yet wasn't complicated enough to distract listeners from the medium's ability to display the basic textures, and the larger piano works of Mendelssohn, then as now not terribly often performed, perfectly fit the bill. The big Piano Sonata in B flat major, Op. 106, was composed in 1827 and drew heavily in its first two movements on Beethoven's then quite young Piano Sonata No. 29, in the same key and, by coincidence...
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