Lang Lang presents a new album with a rich program of over 1h40, including two masterpieces by Camille Saint-Saëns: Le Carnaval des animaux and Piano Concerto No. 2. Complete with works by Fauré, Bonis, Ravel, Debussy, Delibes, Farrenc, Sohy, Tailleferre and Boulange. Lang Lang is the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra conducted by Andris Nelsons and pianist Gina Alice. The recordings were made in June and July 2023.

For this review, you will find 3 versions tested: Vinyl Clear limited edition, Tidal Max Flac 24 bits 192 kHz and Tidal Dolby Atmos.

Below you will find the description of the different editions, as well as the measurements of each edition in the following chapters.

The album is composed of 33 tracks:

1. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – Ia, Introduction
2. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – Ib, Royal March of the Lion
3. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – II, Hens and Cocks
4. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – III, Wild Asses
5. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – IV, Tortoises
6. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – V, The Elephant
7. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – VI, Kangaroos
8. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – VII, Aquarium
9. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – VIII, Personages with Long Ears
10. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – IX, The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods
11. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – X, Aviary
12. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XI, Pianists
13. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XII, Fossils
14. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XIII, The Swan
15. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XIV, Finale
16. Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No, 2 in G Minor, Op, 22 – I, Andante sostenuto
17. Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No, 2 in G Minor, Op, 22 – II, Allegro scherzando
18. Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No, 2 in G Minor, Op, 22 – III, Presto
19. Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte, M, 19
20. Debussy: Petite Suite, CD 71 – I, En bateau
21. Debussy- Petite Suite, CD 71 – II. Cortège
22. Debussy: Petite Suite, CD 71 – III, Menuet
23. Debussy: Petite Suite, CD 71 – IV, Ballet
24. Fauré- Requiem, Op. 48 – VII. In paradisium (Arr. Naoumoff for Piano)
25. Delibes- Lakmé – Flower Duet (Arr. Naoumoff for Piano)
26. Saint-Saens: 6 Etudes, Op, 111 – No, 6, Toccata d’après le cinquième concerto
27. Fauré- Pavane, Op. 50 (Version for Piano)
28. Farrenc- 30 Etudes, Op. 26 – No. 10 in F-Sharp Minor. Adagio
29. Sohy- 4 Pièces romantiques, Op. 30 – No. 4, Romance sans paroles
30. Tailleferre: Valse lente
31. Bonis: Miocheries, Op, 126 – No, 13, La toute petite s’endort
32. Boulanger: D’un jardin clair
33. Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XIII, The Swan (Arr, Naoumoff for Piano 4 Hands)

Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed 1: Clear vinyl record limited ED – 2024

Presentation

This is the limited (Numbered) Crystal Clear version of the vinyl record on 2 LP 33.33 rpm, it is possible to have the version with a Lithograph signed by Lang Lang (ref: 002894875019)

Waveform and Spectrum: DR13

The waveform shows that the vinyl record is dynamic like the Tidal Version, with a global DR13, and a max of DR17.

The spectrum shows the signal rising above 20 kHz (yellow arrow), with signal above 20 kHz (white arrow) due to a smal part of music and distortion caused by the vinyl record’s operating principle. The purple arrow shows the spurious frequency peak present at 20 kHz on the vinyl record.

Synthesis and listening

Vinyl records are beautifully engraved, with reduced surface noise, which is very important for classical music. When I first listened to it, I said to myself, wow! how good it sounds. So I decided to listen to it on several systems and found a very pleasant sound, perhaps less precise and a little less dynamic than the Dolby Atmos version, but with a rendering that brings energy and precision to the upper end of the spectrum. The vinyl sound is still present on the lowest passages, compared with the quieter digital versions, but it’s fair to say that this vinyl record is a great success.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Surface noise: ●●●●o (4.5)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)

Sample : ”Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XII, Fossils” 24 bits 192 kHz:

Ed 2: Tidal Max Flac 24-192 – 2024

Presentation

The stereo version of Tidal MAX Flac is presented in 24 bits 192 kHz.

Waveform and Spectrum: DR13

The waveform shows that the tape is dynamic with a global DR13, and a max of DR18.

The spectrum shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz (yellow arrow), with a signalo rising to 30 kHz (white arrow). The black arrow shows the frequency peaks generated by the PR99 reader.

Synthesis and listening

A beautiful digital edition in high 24-bit 192 kHz resolution, which delivers a dynamic and precise rendering of all the tracks.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●● (5)
• Restitution: ●●●●o (4.5)

Sample : ”Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XII, Fossils” 24 bits 192 kHz:

Ed 3: Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2024

Presentation

This is the Tidal Dolby Atmos presented in Dolby Digital Plus or AC-4.

Below the spatialization for all tracks. Click on the images to zoom in.

Waveform and Spectrum: DR13

The waveforms of the Dolby Atmos downmixed in 2.0 track show good dynamics, as confirmed by the graph below, with dynamic range measurements at DR13.

The spectrogram of the Dolby Atmos track downmixed in stereo is limited to 20kHz (yellow arrow) with no signal above (white arrow). This limitation is due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding, which is a lossy encoder that limits bandwidth to optimize data size for a bit rate of 768 kbits/s.

Synthesis and listening

As always with Deutche Grammophon mixes, the Dolby Atmos version respects the front soundstage, exploiting Dolby Atmos to immerse us in the concert hall and the music. This objective is fully achieved, and all that’s missing is a version in a Dolby Atmos lossless format like Dolby TrueHD to bring the same level of finesse to the reproduction as the stereo versions we’ve tried.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●ooooo (5)
• Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5)

Sample : ”Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XII, Fossils” 7.1 Dolby Atmos (Downmixed in 7.1) :

The sample is in 7.1 wav format, if you can not play the sample in your navigator, you can save it, right button menu and “Save Audio As…” and play it with an external player.

Sample : ”Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XII, Fossils” Dolby Atmos (Downmixed in 2.0) :

This album comes in a quality edition, with a high-resolution digital version, a vinyl version that’s a pleasure to listen to, and a Dolby Atmos version that deserves a lossless Bluray version. It’s up to you to choose the version that suits your listening mode, and the extracts will help you decide if you’re hesitating. Enjoy your listening.

Dynamic Range measurements and spectra are shown below.

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Measurements

Dynamic Range comparaisons

Dynamic represents the ability to reproduce a wide range of sounds from the softest to the loudest. The target is to compare the dynamics of the music and not of the media (CD, digital files or vinyl).

For our 3 editions reviewed have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :

	Clear vinyl record limited ED – 2024	Tidal Max Flac 24-192 – 2024	Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2024
Global	DR13	DR13	DR13
Min	DR10	DR10	DR10
Max	DR17	DR18	DR17
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – Ia, Introduction	DR10	DR10	DR10
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – Ib, Royal March of the Lion	DR12	DR12	DR11
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – II, Hens and Cocks	DR12	DR13	DR11
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – III, Wild Asses	DR12	DR12	DR11
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – IV, Tortoises	DR11	DR11	DR11
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – V, The Elephant	DR13	DR13	DR12
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – VI, Kangaroos	DR17	DR18	DR14
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – VII, Aquarium	DR13	DR13	DR13
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – VIII, Personages with Long Ears	DR14	DR13	DR10
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – IX, The Cuckoo in the Depths of the Woods	DR14	DR14	DR13
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – X, Aviary	DR14	DR15	DR14
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XI, Pianists	DR11	DR10	DR11
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XII, Fossils	DR12	DR11	DR12
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XIII, The Swan	DR13	DR12	DR12
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XIV, Finale	DR12	DR12	DR12
Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No, 2 in G Minor, Op, 22 – I, Andante sostenuto	DR14	DR12	DR17
Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No, 2 in G Minor, Op, 22 – II, Allegro scherzando	DR15	DR15	DR15
Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No, 2 in G Minor, Op, 22 – III, Presto	DR13	DR10	DR15
Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte, M, 19	DR16	DR16	DR14
Debussy: Petite Suite, CD 71 – I, En bateau	DR15	DR15	DR15
Debussy- Petite Suite, CD 71 – II. Cortège	DR14	DR11	DR13
Debussy: Petite Suite, CD 71 – III, Menuet	DR15	DR14	DR14
Debussy: Petite Suite, CD 71 – IV, Ballet	DR15	DR11	DR13
Fauré- Requiem, Op. 48 – VII. In paradisium (Arr. Naoumoff for Piano)	DR15	DR14	DR14
Delibes- Lakmé – Flower Duet (Arr. Naoumoff for Piano)	DR14	DR12	DR13
Saint-Saens: 6 Etudes, Op, 111 – No, 6, Toccata d’après le cinquième concerto	DR11	DR10	DR13
Fauré- Pavane, Op. 50 (Version for Piano)	DR15	DR16	DR14
Farrenc- 30 Etudes, Op. 26 – No. 10 in F-Sharp Minor. Adagio	DR13	DR15	DR13
Sohy- 4 Pièces romantiques, Op. 30 – No. 4, Romance sans paroles	DR13	DR12	DR13
Tailleferre: Valse lente	DR15	DR16	DR14
Bonis: Miocheries, Op, 126 – No, 13, La toute petite s’endort	DR12	DR13	DR13
Boulanger: D’un jardin clair	DR16	DR16	DR14
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals, R, 125 – XIII, The Swan (Arr, Naoumoff for Piano 4 Hands)	DR13	DR17	DR14

The 3 versions tested were all very dynamic.

As a reminder, the scale goes from 0 to more 20, but the dynamics are considered good from 12, quite good between 10 and 11, and deteriorate below 10.

Spectrum comparisons

The graph below compares the spectrum of the Clear vinyl record limited ED – 2024 (white curve) with the spectrum of the Tidal Max Flac 24-192 – 2024 (blue curve).The curves are similar, with a little more bass for the vinyl record at the lower end of the spectrum (green zone up to 1dB), and an attenuation in the treble (yellow zone) of up to 4dB. The red arrow indicates a parasitic peak at 20 kHz, which is present on the vinyl record.

The graph below represents the spectrum of the Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2024.
The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 20 kHz due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding.

The white arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 24 kHz due to encoding at the 48 kHz sampling frequency used, confirming that it is the Dolby Digital Plus encoding algorithm that cuts frequencies at 20 kHz to reduce data size in order to maintain the bit rate of 768 kbits/s.

The green arrow shows that the bass channel (LFE) is filtered at 120 Hz and have a low level.

Detail of the ratings :

• Dynamic :
  1. Significant dynamic compression, DR less than 7
  2. Compression of the present dynamics, DR between 7 and 9.
  3. Correct piece DR >=10
  4. No dynamic compression (DR >12), dynamic rendering
  5. No dynamic compression, high DR and very dynamic sound rendering
• Spectrum :
  1. Spectrum cut and less than 15 khz
  2. Spectrum cut at 15 khz
  3. Spectrum not conforming to the original and cut (not HD) or original but limited bandwidth (but less than 20 kHz)
  4. Spectrum conforming to the original (but not HD)
  5. Spectrum conforming to the original with HD resolution (higher than 24kHz)
• Surface noise (only for vinyl):
  1. Continuous audible noise
  2. Audible surface noise except on passages with a high level of noise
  3. Reduced surface noise, barely audible on low level crossings
  4. Low surface noise, very good quality
  5. Very low surface noise, no defects, almost inaudible on the quiet passages (exceptional disc)
• Spatialization :
  • Between 0 and 5 for 5.1 or 7.1 channels configuration
  • Between 0 and 10 for Atmos configuration (7.1.4)
  • For more information on spatialization, you can read the article describing this parameter here.
• Restitution :
  1. Low quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  2. Average quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments.
  3. Quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Good record.
  4. High quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Very high level disc.
  5. Maximum quality of the restitution mixing dynamics, clarity, separation of voices and instruments. Exceptional disc.

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