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Hi-res opera lovers, rejoice! Decca has started making more of its legendary opera catalog available in wonderful 24/96 remasterings, among them one of the greatest opera recordings of all time for both performance and sound quality: Puccini’s ‘Turandot’, recorded in 1972 with Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, and Montserrat Caballe, Zubin Mehta conducting. I got the download from ProStudioMasters yesterday (it’s not yet available on HDtracks), and the sound is simply sensational. This was always a favorite demo recording since its LP days, though I found the CD release pretty harsh and strident (no surprise there!). The new 24/96 ameliorates all of that, leaving us with simply resplendent and sumptuous sound quality, effortless in its dynamics, breadth, and depth. I haven’t heard it this good since my old LPs and reel-to-reels! The performance can hardly be bettered, especially with Sutherland and Pavarotti in their glorious prime. Incidentally, I spot-checked several of the tracks in Audacity, where substantial high-frequency content up to the 48kHz limit was evident. Great job, Decca! Russell P.S. Other new Decca operas in 24/96 include Donizetti’s ‘La Fille du Regiment’ (Sutherland/Pavarotti), Verdi’s ‘Macbeth’ (Fischer-Dieskau, Suliotis), and Verdi's ‘Rigoletto’ (Sutherland/Pavarotti). (The Solti ‘Ring’ and Britten’s ‘Peter Grimes’ were released in 24/96 some time ago.)