Tomita SACD (and their quadraphonic sources)

[winopener]

I'm going back to my old synth hero Tomita on the SACD format and, bugged by old memories of "the right sequencing", i cross-checked the quad and the sacd releases.
So far,
Clair de Lune, Ultimate edition: resequence the Snowflakes album and add some extra tracks; shuffling the sacd for the original cd4 sequence give
1 9 5 4 3 7 11 10 12 6
and 3 bonus tracks:
2 Whistle and Chime - The Art of Sound Creation
8 2éme Arebesque - Deux Arabesques
13 Nuages - Nocturnes

Pictures At An Exhibition, Ultimate edition: sequenced as it was, plus 2 bonus tracks
12 Scheherazade , Written-By – Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
13 The Sea Named "Solaris", Written-By – Johann Sebastian Bach, Tomita (originally from Kosmos)

The Planets, Ultimate edition:
i'm waiting the SACD to arrive, but from the time lenght it seems the same, just messed up with the track changes or names. Update will follow.

From here, things starts to be a real mess:

Firebird CD4 has the Side A totally missing in action, Side B is on the Space Fantasy 2SACD, disc 1, tracks 10 and 11

Kosmos CD4 (my favourite Tomita album) can be fully rebuilded from the Space Fantasy 2SACD, disc 1, tracks 1 3 2 4 7 8 9 plus the track 13 of Pictures quoted above

The Bermuda Triangle is nearly completely absent, the only two surviving tracks are in the Space Fantasy 2SACD, disc 1, tracks 5 and 6

Daphnis et Chloe has come thru halfway, we miss Daphnis Et Chloé, Suite No.2 and Boléro, and on the Okhotsk Fantasy SACD we get Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte and
Ma Mère L'Oye, Suite

So far, i know of 8 Tomita SACD,
Clair de Lune, Ultimate edition
Pictures At An Exhibition, Ultimate edition
The Planets, Ultimate edition
Space Fantasy (2 sacd)
Okhotsk Fantasy
Planet Zero
Symphony Ihatov
The Tale Of Genji (2 sacd)

The last two are new music, not original-quad related, Planet Zero seems a rework of The Planets with something new and some edits. The real surprise is the Space Fantasy 2 sacd, basicallly a full album
2-1 The Sorceror's Apprentice (Dukas)
2-2 The Nutcracker - Arabian Dance (Tchaikovsky)
2-3 The Nutcracker - Trepak (Tchaikovsky)
2-4 Pastoral Symphony No. 6 V. Allegretto (Beethoven)
2-5 The Nutcracker - Waltz Of The Flowers (Tchaikovsky)

Am i missing some Tomita SACD on my list? Can't believe they skipped the Bolero and the Firebird.

 

[DuncanS]

I think your list is ok, the only one I don't have of the surrounds is Tales Of Genji. I've never come across any other discs than the ones you list.

 

[tomitaisao]

Hi @winopener and all

Most of Tomita’s CD-4 works (of which I believe there are 7) have made their way to SACD - most recently Daphnis et Chloe (also it was the last CD-4 release I believe according to this forum).

Firebird and Bermuda Triangle (apart from some tracks on Space Fantasy SACD) have not in full as you say.

I have just ordered Tomita Bermuda Triangle on CD-4 and wonder has anyone tried anything with this album before?

This much quoted review gives a good overview of the SACDs https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-...ef=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B01GUHGWR6

John from isaotomita.net

 

[baward]

I received the Vocalion SACD this morning and listened to Daphnis & Chloe. Very nicely done, and the sleeve notes say that it has been mastered from the original analogue tapes. It's still a mystery what the source is; I can’t detect that it's a needle drop, it's very quiet. The quad effects are lots of fun, its great to finally hear it as it originally appeared in that form. I’d like to think that Tomita himself mixed it for quad, but there is no information on the sleeve notes. I wonder if Vocalion have any more of his recordings coming?

 

[H.A.L.]

Was TALES OF GENJI surround? I'm an admittedly ocd collector, but I think I passed that one up because it was just stereo (on the SACD, at least).

 

[DuncanS]

Was TALES OF GENJI surround? I'm an admittedly ocd collector, but I think I passed that one up because it was just stereo (on the SACD, at least).

I don't have it, but the Japanese importer to the UK, Far Side Music, in their Tomita Catalogue (you'll need to scroll about 3/4 way down) it has

 

[winopener]

I wonder if Vocalion have any more of his recordings coming?

Firebird and Bermuda are the only Tomita quads without a full release, the other 5 had already a release in some form.

 

[britmarc]

The label on my copy says ''SACD 5.0''...

 

[baward]

Firebird and Bermuda are the only Tomita quads without a full release, the other 5 had already a release in some form.

Yes, winopener, I meant them releasing full albums like the Ravel album.

 

[Quad Linda]

The label on my copy says ''SACD 5.0''...

The discs themselves, the OBI strip, and the case of Denon COGQ-52-53 Genji confirm that it is 5.0 surround. And it is!

The music is very different from the usual Tomita synth fare. It features the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra.

I've had this for about 6 months and have listened once and like it. Is it my favorite Tomita? No, but if you take it for what it is, you might enjoy it.

 

[H.A.L.]

Thanks for the replies -- GENJI is indeed surround, and I see now that I passed it over because of the narration. Just a quirk of mine: I never play Tull's PASSION PLAY because of the hare and spectacles narration. . . .

I do like that he used traditional instruments in addition to an orchestra that is analogue, so to speak. It would seem my ocd will awaken at some point on this one

 

[van1]

Hopefully D-V will release more Tomita titles.

In case they don't or it takes a while, Pictures At An Exhibition, Ultimate edition and The Planets, Ultimate edition sacd's are on importds for U$20.99 on 'backorder' but i just got a shipping notice for 'Pictures'.

They also have the 'Planet Zero' sacd but am holding out for a shipping notice for the 'planets ultimate'.

Will try and pick up 'Clair de Lune, Ultimate edition' and 'Space Fantasy' as well as i'm not sure how long the japanese sacd's will stay in print

 

[winopener]

Since dreams comes true... maybe D-V can do a first fully-dicrete digital release of The Bermuda Triangle as a 5 channel SACD

"Pyramid Sound
This album is different from my others in that the master was recorded onto five tracks. Ideally, it should be heard through five speakers, four in the conventional rectangle and the fifth suspended above the center - thus a sonic pyramid. Although it is impossible to encode this onto a phonograph record, as much as possible of the five-channel effect has been incorporated into standard discs through the help of the engineering staff of Japan Victor.
"

http://isaotomita.net/recordings/bermuda.html

 

[baward]

Since dreams comes true... maybe D-V can do a first fully-dicrete digital release of The Bermuda Triangle as a 5 channel SACD

"Pyramid Sound
This album is different from my others in that the master was recorded onto five tracks. Ideally, it should be heard through five speakers, four in the conventional rectangle and the fifth suspended above the center - thus a sonic pyramid. Although it is impossible to encode this onto a phonograph record, as much as possible of the five-channel effect has been incorporated into standard discs through the help of the engineering staff of Japan Victor.
"

http://isaotomita.net/recordings/bermuda.html

One day, with Dolby Atmos?

 

[reedfoot]

Does anyone know if the recent Japanese reissue of Firebird has the Dolby Surround encoding? I'm hoping D-V reissues the quad version one day (after Bermuda, please) but until then I'm considering grabbing one off eBay...and the recent reissue is cheaper than the old Dolby version.

 

[artwwweb]

Great thread! I've tried to summarise and update it for my own benefit (and hopefully others). I've taken the very useful info in this thread (thanks winopener) and also the Amazon review cited. Also another Amazon review I found that was full of detail but I cannot find now. If I've got anything wrong let me know!

And if anybody is unsure about whether to buy these discs, don't hesitate. All the ones I've heard so far are exemplary - great sound and fantastic mixes.


There were 7 original quads:
6 have been reissued on SACD in some form - missing Bermuda Triangle. 2 of those are on DV, 4 are Japanese issues (and therefore more expensive) and may have remixes/ extra tracks.

There are also 4 quad SACDs that are not from original quads. But they are all probably less interesting if you are looking for classic Tomita:
Okhotsk Fantasy - includes Mother Goose from Daphnis but also 2 other pieces, one 12 min new piece and excerpts from his Sound Creature album which are only mono. So just 12 mins of new music ???
Planet Zero - quad but basically a reworking of The Planets.
Symphony Ihatov - classical, not synths.
The Tale Of Genji (2 SACD) - classical, not synths


Reissues:

1. Snowflakes Are Dancing 1974 (Debussy)
reissued as
Clair De Lune - Ultimate Edition
Adds the never before released "Second Arabesque", "Whistle and Chime (The Art of Sound Creation)" and "Nauges." Album is resequenced. Several of the original tracks feature new mixes with new sounds and new intros.

2. Pictures At An Exhibition 1975 (Mussorgsky)
reissued as
Pictures At An Exhibition - Ultimate Edition
(Moussorgsky: Pictures. Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade- excerpt of Part I. Bach-Tomita: Sea Named Solaris- excerpt [Originally on Cosmos]). No obvious new sounds or re-mixes but it has the two non-Mussgorsky bonus tracks

3.Firebird 1976 (Various)
(Stravinsky: Firebird Suite. Debussy: "Prelude To The Afternoon of A Faun." Mussorgsky: "Night On Bare Mountain.")
reissued as
DV SACD (simple reissue, no complications, hooray!)

4. The Planets 1976
reissued as
The Planets - Ultimate Edition 2011
Has a long new Introduction with Control Room, Spaceship Interior, Pre-Launch Communications. Brand new track called "Itokawa and Hayabusa".

5. Kosmos or Cosmos 1978 (Various)
("Star Wars" Title. Space Fantasy - R. Strauss: "Thus Spake Zarathustra," Wagner: "Ride Of The Valkyries" And "Tannhauser Overture." Honnegar: "Pacific 231." Ives: "Unanswered Question." Rodrigo: "Aranjuez." Grieg: "Solveig's Song." Dinicu-Heifetz: "Hora Staccato." Bach-Tomita: The Sea Named Solaris.)
Reissued as
Space Fantasy 1SACD +1CD. Also includes two tracks from Firebird (which are on the DV reissue). NB the bonus CD is only CD, not SACD.

6. The Bermuda Triangle 1979
(Sibelius: "Valse Triste." Williams: "Close Encounters." Prokofiev: "Romeo and Juliet," "Scythian Suite," "Symphonies 5 and 6," "Violin Concerto 1.")
Reissued as
Only on Dolby Surround CD. Two tracks on Space Fantasy 2SACD, disc 1, tracks 5 and 6

7. Bolero Or Daphnis And Chloe 1980 (Ravel)
(Ravel: Daphnis And Chloe, "Pavane For A Dead Princess," "Bolero," Mother Goose Suite.)
Reissued as
DV CD (simple reissue, no complications, hooray!)

 

[windhoek]

As noted above, The Tale of Genji 2-SACD release does indeed include a surround sound option... and I like it

 

[4-earredwonder]

A list of Tomita SACDs currently available at CDJapan. Note: Dutton Vocalion Tomita QUAD SACD remasters NOT included:

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/searches?term.media_format=&q=tomita+sacd

 

[4-earredwonder]

Note that Tomita's SPACE FANTASY 2 disc set only contains 1 SACD in 4.0 and the second disc is a RBCD

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/COZQ-1023?s_ssid=e3327b619652568370

 

[jaybird100]

Does anyone know if the recent Japanese reissue of Firebird has the Dolby Surround encoding? I'm hoping D-V reissues the quad version one day (after Bermuda, please) but until then I'm considering grabbing one off eBay...and the recent reissue is cheaper than the old Dolby version.

"Firebird" is available on discrete SACD, so unless you don't have a player for those discs, why would you necessarily need a Dolby Surround version of this?