Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit, FLAC; DSD64; Pentatone PTC5186570 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

This new coupling faces serious competition from my Jan ’14 ‘Album Choice’ Queyras/Harmonia Mundi – Dvorák fillers there, and with Pentatone the Pezzo Capriccioso and two other short Tchaikovsky transcriptions. One important difference, however, is that Moser plays the original Rococo Variations rather than the Fitzenhagen version which so angered the composer. Moser won a special prize at the 2002 Tchaikovsky Competition for his interpretation. He seems to repeat his success here and there’s much charm in the short pieces too. But he does have a tendency to ‘italicise’ and draw attention away from the music to what he’s doing with it. Fine for Tchaikovsky, perhaps, but the opening of the Elgar brings fruity, wilful phrasing and he’s more extreme even than Du Pré. CB

Sound Quality: 80%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

How refreshing to discover a genuine 96kHz recording, and clean too with no flyback noise from old CRTs in the studio or digital spuriae from complex mixing/mastering. Noise is low and dynamic range is well used. It’s a good ’un. PM