NEWS
Another KLARA'S 10!!
February 19th, 2012
For the second time within a month a Northstar recording received the KLARA'S-10 award...This time for our recording with Cappella Pratensis with Requiem masses of Ockeghem and De la Rue.
We are of course again very proud to have been part of this production and do congratulate the musicians and Challenge Classics for this splendid result.
Many NEW PRODUCTIONS!
February 18th, 2012
A large amount of new titles is available in the shop.
Months of hard work on fantastic productions with great musicians have materialised now in final end products! Check it out....!
KLARA's 10
January 12th, 2012
One of the latest Northstar/Turtle Records productions released by Challenge Classics has been awarded with the "Klara's 10" selection. The 10 most interesting CD releases of this week. The SACD with Ewald Demeyere /18th-Century Flemish Harpsichord Music got the highest recommendation. The record is praised for the great discoveries of wonderful cembalo repertoire and the exquisite recording quality realised from this famous Dulcken instrument. A great honor which makes us proud to have been part of this great production.
A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
December 30th, 2011
We wish all our friends, colleagues and clients a happy and prosperous 2012!!
A Great Challenge for Northstar!
December 19th, 2011
The last week of 2011 Northstar faced a real "Challenge..."!
Two big orchestral recordings back to back featuring two of the most promising directors of our time. Starting with The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, lead by Jan Willem de Vriend, we recorded Mendelssohns second Symphony including "Lobgesang" in Enschede's Music Centre. After that we had to pack up the whole technical facility and move over in one afternoon to Hilversum where the recording of Bruckners 3rd Symphony was scheduled starting at 19:00h. Jaap van Zweden, "International director of the year 2012" (!!), conducting the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra. Interesting to see and experience how the former class-mates from the Amsterdam conservatory both developed their skills to such a stellar level and to become such highly respected and searched for international conductors.
So, a lot of high profile action for Northstar just before the Christmas holidays and we are extremely proud to have been contracted to produce and record these wonderful projects.
Recording Al Ayre Español
November 29th, 2011
This week we are recording G.F. Händels Concerti Grossi opus 6 with Al Ayre Español/ Eduardo Lopez Banzo in the Auditorio de El Escorial near Madrid in Spain.
A great project with musicians that have specialized in Händels repertoire on period instruments for many years and with great succes.
Recording Location: Auditorio de El Escorial, San Lorenzo de El Escorial
Recording Dates: 2-5 December 2011
Recording: Northstar Recording Services BV
Producer/Balance engineer: Bert van der Wolf
Recording Assistant: Fir Suidema
Northstar features in Audio Beat
November 23rd, 2011
Audio Beat's Chris Thomas visited the Northstar Studio and wrote a great article...
"...Piece after piece followed. These were mainly classical and all had equal effect. This was dynamic range like I've never heard from CD, but the sound was tonally acute as well, and I never got the impression that the medium itself was inhibiting what Bert was trying to convey with his recordings..."
"...I actually couldn’t stop smiling. This was dynamic range and transient freedom like I have never heard -- nor expected..."
"...Bert is a truly great producer of the type that I haven’t met for many years, and he has built this amazing installation purely for his own enjoyment. I admire that..."
http://www.theaudiobeat.com/blog/dsd_usb.htm
Recording Ars Antiqua Austria
November 10th, 2011
This week we are in St. Florian near Linz and Salzburg for recordings with Ars Antiqua Austria. Music of he 18th century composer Christoph Graupner.
For the first time we record such a "baroque ensemble" in the kind of "room" which most likely is similar to rooms where this music could have been performed regurarely in the 18th century. Often recordings of older music, played with historic "period" instruments, are in concert halls of much later date and in churches with a rather religious acoustic and atmosphere. Worldly chamber music however was mostly played in palaces and this recording location might be much more "authentic" in that sense. This room communicates the "Baroque philosophy" with an overwhelming visual and auditive illusion. Being a very small room, one however has the feeling to be in a much larger place due to the painted ceilings and walls with deep perspective and the sound is so much "larger than live" that one could speak of a "reverb unit avant la lettre"...A new experience to say the least, and a completely different recording technique is required to capture this surrounding in a convincing way. The picture shows the overwhelming paintings and ornamentations in the room which give it it's distinct acoustic and baroque atmosphere...
Leitung: Gunar Letzbor
Ernst Schlader, Markus Springer , Christian Leitherer - Chalumeaux
Gunar Letzbor, Barbara Konrad - Violinen
Markus Miesenberger - Viola
Jan Krigovsky – Violone 8’
Norbert Zeilberger- Orgel, Cembalo
Hubert Hoffmann - Laute
Karin Gemeinhardt - Fagott
Albert Heitzinger, Michael Söllner - Hörner
Alex Georgiev - Pauken
Recording Location: Stift St. Florian bei Linz an der Donau
Recording Dates: 10-13 November 2011
Recording: Northstar Recording Services BV
Producer/Balance engineer: Bert van der Wolf
Recording Assistant: Fir Suidema
diapason d'or for VIVAT LEO!
November 4th, 2011
Our recording Vivat Leo! - "Music for a Medici Pope", for Challenge Classics, featuring Cappella Pratensis directed by Joshua Rifkin, has been rewarded with a Diapason d'or in the leading French magazine Diapason...Pope Leo was, apart from being a respectable composer himself, a great ambassador for good music in general and astonishing works were written for him and commissioned by him. This CD is an exploration of the musical taste of Pope Leo X with works from f.i. Josquin Desprez and Jean Mouton.
We are proud to have been part of this production and we congratulate Cappella Pratensis for this recognition!
Recorded at : AMUZ, Antwerp
Recording dates: 12-14 April 2010
Recording producer: Bert van der Wolf
Recorded by: Northstar Recording Services BV
Back on the nest...!
October 26th, 2011
I am extremely excited and proud to announce that from November 2011 on I am again engaged by dCS UK to work with them on new products...
After an absense of almost 3 years, dCS have asked me again to join forces. As they call it: their "Golden Ear/Development Advisor"...
Our relation goes back for over 20 years and I was fortunate to be part in almost all "world firsts" by dCS, such as the start of "higher sample rates" back in 1993. We even did the first 192kS/s-24 bit recordings ever for SAMSUNG and for a few years I was spokesman and project manager between dCS and Philips NAT LAB in the DSD/SACD research trajectory.
We will be working on all sorts of projects which will involve improvement in existing products, creating an optimal procedure and circumstances for auditive testing and evaluation, but also many new ideas and possibilities will probably materialize over the coming period.
As a completely committed HQ SURROUND adept I for sure will try to persuede the whole High End world to get into proper Surround again through dCS...
WOW...!! It really feels like returning on the Nest!!
Beethoven Volume 4 & 5...almost!
October 25th, 2011
This week I am editing and mixing on Beethoven's 9th symphony and finishing the masters of volume 4 with the 2nd & 3rd symphony. All recordings with The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra lead by Jan Willem de Vriend. So far the releases of this integral Beethoven Symphonies project have received high praise in the international press and have been awarded already as well. In January the whole box with all symphonies will be available at Challenge Classics.
Recording at: Muziekcentrum Enschede
Recording dates: Symfonie nr 3: 18-20 mei 2009, Symfonie nr 2: 7-8 september 2010
Recording Producer, Mix & Editing: Bert van der Wolf
Recording: NorthStar Recording Services BV
Prof. Keith O. Johnson visits Northstar
October 17th, 2011
Multi award winning recording engineer, chief engineer at Spectral Audio and founder of Pacific Microsonics, inventor of the HDCD principle and dear colleague Professor Keith O. Johnson finally visited the Northstar studio and enjoyed listening to our recordings. Because we use many of "his" electronics and I personally am a great admirer of his work as a recording engineer for Reference Recordings, this was a great honor and opportunity to learn. For many years we have been in contact and through several visits over the years by Spectral's Rick Fryer, we communicated our love for the profession and music on a regular basis. It turned out to be a wonderful exchange of ideas and experiences and most likely Northstar will benefit greatly from all the input Keith gave after hearing our work. As a bonus we will get access to the microphone pre-amplifier technology Spectral developed for his own recording facility and a meeting at his place in America is planned for in the near future. It will add tremendously to the quality of our productions when the Spectral technology moves further back in the chain...We already use Spectral exclusively in our monitoring systems, but as of a front end this still remained a dream until now!
It was an enlightening experience to have such a knowledgeable, friendly and interesting colleague around to review our results...
THANK YOU KEITH!!
Much appreciated...
Elektra & Der Freischütz
October 9th, 2011
We are extremely happy and proud to announce that Northstar has been contracted to do the editing, mix and mastering of two wonderful opera productions. "Der Freischütz" by C.M. von Weber, Radio Kamer Filharmonie and Groot Omroepkoor (Michael Schønwandt) and Elektra by Richard Strauss, Nederlands Filharmonisch Orkest (Marc Albrecht)
Both works have been performed live recently and have been awarded with great enthusiasm from the audience and wonderful reviews in the press.
It is great that these documents will be released on hybrid surround and stereo SACD by Challenge Classics so they are preserved optimally for future generations!
Pizzicato Award
September 29th, 2011
In the Luxembourgian magazine Pizzicato conductor Jan Willem de Vriend and the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra got a Supersonic award! This means the Beethoven Symfonies Volume 3, Nr. 7 & 8. got a ten out of ten points!
A recording for Challenge Classics, produced and engineered by Northstar's Bert van der Wolf.
dCS World Premiere Presentation
September 19th, 2011
Friday and Saturday September 23rd & 24th, Northstar facilitated dCS's world wide introduction of a new format for audio playback on their Debussy DA converter... DSD master files played through a standard USB interface on a standard MAC/PC. This groundbreaking feature might forever change the way we will have access to high resolution audio formats. SACD will no longer be the sole carrier for this wonderful format for sure...!
Northstar was chosen to deliver the DSD source material and Bert van der Wolf gave a lecture on the use of DSD & DXD in the recording process and on why it is such a splendid alternative for traditional PCM formats. The event took place at Rhapsody Sound Masters in Hilversum, Holland.
After this the international press embarked on a tour to the Northstar Studio to get a glimpse of what might become possible in the forseable future with DSD surround files and Ultra High End playback systems!
Nomination Gramophone Award
September 9th, 2011
The SACD Italienisches Liederbuch of Christoph Prégardien, Julia Kleiter & Hilko Dumno is nominated for a Gramophone Award 2011! The Gramophone Award is an annual celebration of the best in recorded classical music. The winner will be revealed at the Gramophone Classical Music Awards on October 6 at London's Dorchester Hotel.
A recording for Challenge Classics, produced and engineered by Northstar's Bert van der Wolf.
05/09 Famous Dulcken
September 5th, 2011
This week I am working further on the editing and mastering of the recording:
Joannes Daniel Dulcken & Pièces de Clavecin
Eighteenth-Century Flemish Harpsichord Music
Played by Ewald Demeyere on one of the most famous original harpsichords on the planet, build by Joannes Daniel Dulcken.
This production is a co-production between Turtle Records and Challenge Classics and will be released coming fall.
Recording at: Vleeshuis Museum, Antwerp, Belgium
Recording dates: 28-30 March 2011
Recording Producer, Mix & Editing: Bert van der Wolf
Recording: NorthStar Recording Services BV
01/09 New Web Site for Northstar
September 1st, 2011
As you can see the new web site of Northstar Recording Services is a fact!
New Art has designed a wonderful new house style and branding around the "High Quality Musical Surround Mastering" principle which will coincide seamless with all new Challenge Classics and Turtle Records releases which are produced by Northstar. The HQMM principle by Bert van der Wolf has found it's place in many recording productions and receives high acclaim amongst artists and music lovers from all over the world.
31/08 Mastering Dvorak/Gershwin
August 29th, 2011
Final stages in editing and mastering this next Hybrid Surrround SACD for Challenge Classics. This project is choosen to feature in the "aangenaam klassiek" campaign, so we are a bit in a hurry to get the job done!
Violin Concerto a minor/Op. 53 / Antonin Dvorak
An American in Paris / George Gershwin
Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Amsterdam / Mario Venzago / Liza Ferschtman
Artistic manager: Sven Arne Tepl, NedPhO
Executive producer: Anne de Jong
Recorded at: Beurs van Berlage, Amsterdam The Netherlands
Recording dates: 20 – 22 April 2011
Recording Producer, Mix & Editing: Bert van der Wolf
Recorded & Mastered by: NorthStar Recording Services BV
25/08 Recording Bruckner
August 26th, 2011
Anton Bruckner Symphony NO.8 / The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra/Jaap van Zweden.
A recording for Challenge Classics which will be released first half of 2012
Executive producer: Anne de Jong
Recording at: Studio MCO 5, Hilversum, Holland
Recording dates: 25-29 August 2011
Recording Producer, Mix & Editing: Bert van der Wolf
Recording: NorthStar Recording Services BV
15/08 Editing Ockeghem/De La Rue
August 15th, 2011
Editing and mixing the project with Cappella Pratensis of two requiem masses by Ockeghem and De La Rue. Release is expected in January 2012
Recording at: Catholic Church Vieux-Sart, Belgium
Recording dates: 9-12 June 2011
Recording Producer, Mix & Editing: Bert van der Wolf
Recording: NorthStar Recording Services BV
18/07 2nd complete Beethoven...
July 18th, 2011
We just finished the last recordings of the integral Beethoven symphonies cycle with The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and Jan Willem de Vriend with the final of the 9th symphony. Meanwhile volume 1, 2 and 3 are available and so far the reactions of consumers and press are fantastic. The whole series will be complete in the spring of 2012 with the 9th. Next up are 2nd and 3rd symphonie.
For Northstar this is the second integral recording cycle of Beethoven's symphonies. The first was with Anima Eterna Brugge lead by Jos van Immerseel which was recorded between 2006 and 2008 and released by the French label Zig-Zag Territoires. We are extremely proud that such renowned ensembles have chosen Northstar to produce such enormously prestigious projects.
Recording at: Muziekcentrum Enschede
Recording dates: 12-14 & 18 July 2011
Recording Producer, Mix & Editing: Bert van der Wolf
Recording: NorthStar Recording Services BV
04/07 Recording Haendel Concerti Grossi
July 4th, 2011
2nd half of the recording of all Concerti Grossi op.6 / Georg Friedrich Händel by the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam / Jan Willem de Vriend. The first half is recorded in December 2010 and the estimated release of the complete set is scheduled for the first half of 2012.
Recording at: Muziekcentrum Enschede
Recording dates: 4-8 July 2011
Recording Producer, Mix & Editing: Bert van der Wolf
Recording: NorthStar Recording Services BV
23/05 Recording Family Ferschtman
May 23rd, 2011
Finally a recording of Liza Ferschtman and her also famous father Dmitri together. Works for duo Violin and Cello by Maurice Ravel, Zoltán Kodály and Erwin Schulhoff. A very inspiring session with these two extremely talented and expressive musicians.
The recording is made for Challenge Classics and will be released in the first half of 2012.
Executive Producer: Anne de Jong
Recording venue: Muziekcentrum Frits Philips, Eindhoven, Holland
Recording dates: 23-25 May 2011
Recording Producer, Engineer & Editing: Bert van der Wolf
Recording: Northstar Recording Services BV
17/04 Recording St. John Passion
April 17th, 2011
Recording Sessions of J.S. Bach's St. John Passion with La Petite Bande / Sigiswald Kuijken. Just like our recording of the Matthäus Passion with single parts for every voice, so the soloists form also the choir. A new approach, suggested byJoshua Rifkin and adopted by Sigiswald Kuijken as probably historically correct.
Executive Producer: Anne de Jong
Recording at: Academiezaal, St. Truiden, Belgium
Recording dates: 17-20 April 2011
Recording Producer, Mix & Editing: Bert van der Wolf
Recording: NorthStar Recording Services BV
2 Edison Nominations this year
April 15th, 2011
2 SACD's produced by Northstar are nominated for the Edison Audience award this year. Obviously we are very proud with such a recognition by the public!
WORKS FOR VIOLIN SOLO
Componist(en): Bach/Ysaÿe Uitvoerenden: Liza Ferschtman
MATTHÄUS-PASSION BWV 244
Componist(en): Bach Uitvoerenden: La Petite Bande o.l.v. Sigiswald Kuijken
3 ICMA Nominations
January 19th, 2011
The international Classical Music Award (ICMA) has nominated 3 productions which are produced by Bert van der Wolf of Northstar Recording Services.
CC 72389 Pauline Oostenrijk/Baroque Academy of the NSO- Vivaldi: Concertos for Oboe and Strings
CC 72361 The Netherlands Symfonie Orchestra/Jan Willem de Vriend - Beethoven Symphonies 4&6
CC 72357 La Petite Bande/Sigiswald Kuijken - Bach: Matthaus Passion
In 2009 the recording of "Die Schöne Müllerin" with Christoph Pregardien and Michael Gees won the prestegious "MIDEM record of the year Award", which now is called the ICMA award.
BBC Music Award 2011
January 1st, 2011
We are extremely happy to announce that Christoph Prégardien has been nominated for a BBC Music Magazine Award for the Italienisches Liederbuch of Hugo Wolf (Christoph Prégardien / Julia Kleiter / Hilko Dumno - CC 72378) This great news can even get better when you as a music lover VOTE for this CD NOW: here.
Produced and engineered by Bert van der Wolf
Edison Luister Publieksprijs 2010
July 1st, 2010
We are proud and very happy with the winning of the Edison Luister Publieksprijs, which was handed out to Rudolf Koelman for his extraordinary recording, with the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jan Willem de Vriend, of the Violin Concertos nos. 1 & 2 of Niccolò Paganini. The Award was handed out on the 18th of June, in the Edison Classical Award-Gala which took place in the magnificent Kurhaus in Scheveningen and was broadcasted on National Dutch television (Ned 2) by the AVRO. Because this award was chosen by the public, everyone had been able to vote themselves for their favorite Classical Album of the year 2009 out of a selection made by the Jury of the Edison Stichting and classical Dutch magazine 'Luister'. The album was recorded live, which makes it an even more incredible performance. To listen to samples of the album, click here.
Produced and engineered by Bert van der Wolf
16 NORTHSTAR PRODUCTIONS on Anniversary CD
May 7th, 2010
We are proud to have been asked by German loudspeaker builder Audio Physic to produce a compilation of our classical recordings for their 25th anniversary CD...
The disc was presented at the High End Audio Show 2010 in Munich Germany.
The theme of the disc is:
“Classical Music with 21th Century understanding and insights...”
This compact disc has been compiled with the idea of not only demonstrating sound quality and realism in recording and playback techniques, but also to show the variety in modern playing practice of ‘Classical’ music.
Tracklist:
1 Second Concerto Pour Trompette, 2nd movement, 1954 / André Jolivet 4:26
2 “Wohin” from “Die schöne Mullerin”, 1824 / Franz Schubert 2:25
3 Quintet in D Major Hob.X:5, 3rd movement, Baritone, Viola, Contrabass & 2 Horns, appr. 1770 / Joseph Haydn 3:28
4 Rondo /Allegro KV 485, 1786 / Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 4:41
5 Gaude Virgo, 15th century / Pierre de la Rue 3:58
6 Variationen “Ei du feiner Reiter”, aus Konzert fuer Cembalo und Streichorchester opus 14. 1935 / Hugo Distler 4:58
7 A duoi Liutti vnisoni, Canzon di Claudio da Correggio a 4, late 16th century / Giovanni Antonio Terzi Da Bergamo 3:18
8 Excerpt from 1st Symphony “Titan” (Hamburg 1893 version)/Gustav Mahler 7:58
9 “Ich kann’s nicht fassen, nicht glauben” from “Frauenliebe und Leben”, 1840/ Robert Schumann 1:32
10 ”Mache dich, mein Herze, rein” from St. Matthew Passion BWV 244, 1728 / Johann Sebastian Bach 6:07
11 “Eritaña” from “Iberia”, 1905 / Isaac Albeniz 5:56
12 L’Arte del Violino, opera omnia III, Concerto 5, Allegro/Cappricio (no.10), 1733 / Pietro Antonio Locatelli 3:17
13 String quartet no. 1, 3rd movement, Quasi agitato, 1982 / Tristan Keuris 7:18
14 “Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben” from the Christmas Oratorium, 1734/ Johann Sebastian Bach 5:39
15 “Die Taubenpost”, 1828 / Franz Schubert 3:22
16 Wellingtons Sieg, “(Die) Schlacht bei Vittoria”, op. 91, 1813 / Ludwig van Beethoven 8:30
GOLDEN AWARD
November 1st, 2009
For Jan Willem de Vriend after selling the first 10.000 copies in the Netherlands of the Weihnachts Oratorium of Johann Sebastian Bach.
Produced and engineered by Bert van der Wolf
Archive
Seeking for some older news? Go trough our monthly archive