The Vienna-Berlin Chamber Orchestra, which has existed since 2008, consists of leading members of the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. It combines the irrepressible musical beauty of the two top orchestras into an agile chamber ensemble. In his debut recording, the participants, with the participation of pianist Denis Matsuev and trumpeter Gábor Tarkôvi, present Schnittke’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, op.136, Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet & Strings, op.35, and Lutosawski’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini in an arrangement for piano, string orchestra & percussion.
UHQCD stands for Ultimate High Quality Compact Disc and is a joint development of the Japanese CD replication company Memory-Tech and the Audio Quality CD Company from Hong Kong. Unlike conventional CDs, UHQCDs are not pressed from polycarbonate, but rather cast from a photopolymer and cured with UV light. Another layer of high-purity polycarbonate is applied to protect the softer photopolymer from scratching. The combination results in a significantly reduced reflection of the laser light inside the CD and an unequaled precise edge transition between pits and lands of the CD. UHQCDs are 100% compatible with normal CD players. Musically, the result is a sound that is strongly reminiscent of analog master tapes.
