On the occasion of his 50th birthday, the renowned French violinist Renaud Capuçon releases a new album in which he offers his own vision of the iconic sonatas and partitas by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Renaud Capuçon first discovered Bach s sonatas and partitas in childhood, listening to a vinyl record owned by his parents. Deeply influenced by the master’s interpretation, the young violinist developed a lasting fascination with Bach and his musical universe. By recording these works today, considered among the most essential ever written for solo violin, Capu on shares interpretations shaped by a lifelong passion. His singular reading of these six masterpieces is part of an intimate artistic journey, forged through years of practice and performances since childhood.
This also gives us the opportunity to discover the album in stereo and in Dolby Atmos, released by Deutsche Grammophon.

For this review, you will find 2 versions tested:

• Ed 1: Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2026
• Ed 2: Tidal MAX -2026

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

The synthesis of the review are available here

The album is composed of 32 tracks:

1. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 – I. Adagio
2. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 – II. Fuga. Allegro
3. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 – III. Siciliana
4. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 – IV. Presto
5. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – I. Allemanda
6. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – II. Double
7. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – III. Courante
8. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – IV. Double
9. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – V. Sarabande
10. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – VI. Double
11. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – VII. Bourree Tempo di Borea
12. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – VIII. Double
13. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 2 for Solo Violin in A Minor, BWV 1003 – I. Grave
14. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 2 for Solo Violin in A Minor, BWV 1003 – II. Fuga
15. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 2 for Solo Violin in A Minor, BWV 1003 – III. Andante
16. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 2 for Solo Violin in A Minor, BWV 1003 – IV. Allegro
17. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin in D Minor, BWV 1004 – I. Allemande
18. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin in D Minor, BWV 1004 – II. Courante
19. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin in D Minor, BWV 1004 – III. Sarabande
20. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin in D Minor, BWV 1004 – IV. Gigue
21. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin in D Minor, BWV 1004 – V. Chaconne
22. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 3 for Solo Violin in C Major, BWV 1005 – I. Adagio
23. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 3 for Solo Violin in C Major, BWV 1005 – II. Fuga
24. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 3 for Solo Violin in C Major, BWV 1005 – III. Largo
25. J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 3 for Solo Violin in C Major, BWV 1005 – IV. Allegro assai
26. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – I. Preludio
27. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – II. Loure
28. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – III. Gavotte en Rondeau
29. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – IVa. Menuet I
30. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – IVb. Menuet II
31. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – V. Bourree
32. J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – VI. Gigue

Summary, scoring and Samples

Ed 1: Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2026

Presentation

This is the Tidal Dolby Atmos presented in Dolby Digital Plus (768 kbits/s) or AC-4 (link).

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

Waveform and Spectrum: DR13

The waveform of the Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2026 shows a high range confirmed with DR13.

The spectrogram of the Tidal Dolby Atmos track in 7.1.4 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. The green arrow shows the 120Hz filtering of the bass channel (LFE).

The graph below represents the spectrum of the Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2026.
The spectrum of Dolby Atmos version decoded in 7.1 shows that all channels are used. The LFE channel is used with a cutoff frequency of 120 Hz (green arrow). The white arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 20 kHz due to Dolby Digital Plus encoding. The yellow arrow indicates the high-frequency limit at 24 kHz due to encoding at the 48 kHz sampling frequency used.

Synthesis and listening

The Dolby Atmos version immerses the listener at the heart of the music, enveloping them in Renaud Capu on s interpretation. It offers a different way of experiencing the album. It is unfortunate, however, that there is no Dolby Digital TrueHD edition, which would have allowed the same level of finesse and precision found in the stereo version to be preserved.

Rating:

• Dynamic: ●●●●o (4)
• Bandwidth: ●●●●o (4)
• Spatialization: ●●●●●●●●oo (8.5)
• Restitution: ●●●oo (3.5)

Sample : J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 – IV. Presto 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.

Ed 2: Tidal MAX -2026

Presentation

This is the Tidal Max version presentetd in 24 bits 96 kHz (link).

Waveform and Spectrum: DR13

The waveform of the Tidal MAX -2026 shows a high range confirmed with DR13.

The spectrogram shows that the signal rises above 20 kHz ( with signal up over 30 kHz due to the 96 kHz sampling frequency).

The graph below represents the spectrum of the Tidal MAX -2026.
The maximum frequency of the spectrum is 48 kHz, which results from the 96 kHz sampling rate used.

Synthesis and listening

The Hi-Res stereo version allows listeners to fully experience Renaud Capu on s unique interpretation of Bach s six masterpieces (BWV1001 to BWV1006). All the nuances of the artist s playing are captured here, with the full finesse and dynamic range of the album s recording.

Rating:

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

Sample : J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 – IV. Presto 24 bits 96 kHz:

Version standard : Deutsche Grammophon offers a high-resolution digital edition (24-bit/96 kHz) of Renaud Capuçon’s new album dedicated to Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin (BWV 1001-1006).
As is often the case, the label also provides a Dolby Atmos version for streaming, encoded in Dolby Digital Plus. While the latter delivers remarkable spatial immersion, it suffers from a slight lack of refinement compared to the stereo version, due to its lossy compression.
One regrets the absence of Dolby TrueHD encoding on Blu-ray (or in files) which would have allowed listeners to enjoy the Atmos format without compression.

Dynamic Range measurements 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 2 editions reviewed have obtained the following Dynamic Range (DR) :

	Tidal Dolby Atmos – 2026	Tidal MAX -2026
Global	DR13	DR13
Min	DR12	DR11
Max	DR14	DR14
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 – I. Adagio	DR13	DR12
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 – II. Fuga. Allegro	DR13	DR12
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 – III. Siciliana	DR12	DR12
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 1 for Solo Violin in G Minor, BWV 1001 – IV. Presto	DR14	DR13
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – I. Allemanda	DR14	DR13
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – II. Double	DR13	DR13
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – III. Courante	DR14	DR14
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – IV. Double	DR14	DR14
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – V. Sarabande	DR13	DR12
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – VI. Double	DR13	DR12
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – VII. Bourree Tempo di Borea	DR13	DR13
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 1 for Solo Violin in B Minor, BWV 1002 – VIII. Double	DR13	DR12
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 2 for Solo Violin in A Minor, BWV 1003 – I. Grave	DR13	DR12
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 2 for Solo Violin in A Minor, BWV 1003 – II. Fuga	DR13	DR13
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 2 for Solo Violin in A Minor, BWV 1003 – III. Andante	DR12	DR12
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 2 for Solo Violin in A Minor, BWV 1003 – IV. Allegro	DR13	DR12
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin in D Minor, BWV 1004 – I. Allemande	DR14	DR12
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin in D Minor, BWV 1004 – II. Courante	DR14	DR13
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin in D Minor, BWV 1004 – III. Sarabande	DR13	DR13
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin in D Minor, BWV 1004 – IV. Gigue	DR14	DR13
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 2 for Solo Violin in D Minor, BWV 1004 – V. Chaconne	DR14	DR13
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 3 for Solo Violin in C Major, BWV 1005 – I. Adagio	DR14	DR13
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 3 for Solo Violin in C Major, BWV 1005 – II. Fuga	DR14	DR13
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 3 for Solo Violin in C Major, BWV 1005 – III. Largo	DR13	DR13
J.S. Bach – Sonata No. 3 for Solo Violin in C Major, BWV 1005 – IV. Allegro assai	DR14	DR14
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – I. Preludio	DR13	DR12
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – II. Loure	DR13	DR12
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – III. Gavotte en Rondeau	DR13	DR13
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – IVa. Menuet I	DR12	DR12
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – IVb. Menuet II	DR12	DR11
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – V. Bourree	DR14	DR14
J.S. Bach – Partita No. 3 for Solo Violin in E Major, BWV 1006 – VI. Gigue	DR12	DR13

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.

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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