Contact Information: Media Contacts: Tracey Sheehy Breakaway Communications for Zenph Sound Innovations, Inc. 212-616-6003 Mark Waldrep, Ph.D. iTrax.com 310-479-0501 ext 102
Zenph Sound Innovations and Sony Masterworks Release Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff on iTrax.com
Zenph(R) Re-Performances(R) of Rachmaninoff Available for the First Time in High-Definition Surround Sound
| Source: Zenph Sound Innovations
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC--(Marketwire - February 10, 2010) - Zenph Sound Innovations, the software
company that transforms recorded music into data describing precisely how
musicians perform, today announced the availability of their first
recording that's downloadable in high-definition surround sound:
Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff, recorded by Sony Masterworks. This HD
recording can now be purchased only through iTrax.com, the world's first digital music
download service to offer real HD audio in surround sound.
This extraordinary experience features Sergei Rachmaninoff playing five of
his own compositions: the Prelude in C-sharp minor; the Etudes Tableaux in
C major and E-flat major, Op. 33; "Daisies"; and Moment Musical in E-flat
minor, Op. 16. It also includes Rachmaninoff's renditions of Kreisler's
Liebesleid and Liebesfreud; Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee;
Mendelssohn's scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream; Tchaikovsky's
Lullaby; and Bach's Violin Partita No. 3.
iTrax.com offers the downloadable album in five channels of surround sound,
as Sony Masterworks recorded it in Kenan Auditorium at Peace College. The
front three channels focus on the Steinway piano; the back two channels
fill out the immersive acoustic experience of being in the renowned hall.
The downloaded tracks are identical to Sony's masters and are offered with
a sampling rate of 88.2 kHz and word length of 24 bits.
According to iTrax founder, Dr. Mark Waldrep, "We are very proud to offer
these Zenph re-performances as part of our iTrax library. iTrax is like
iTunes for people who care about sound quality and want surround music
mixes. Our website lets dedicated audiophiles and surround music fans
access music that has actually been recorded, mixed, and mastered in
high-definition. iTrax.com brings better-than-CD-quality digital downloads
to music lovers for the first time and in five-channel surround sound. We
are a perfect match for these exacting recordings from Zenph, which can be
more fully appreciated in high-definition audio. We look forward to working
with Zenph on many more releases in the future."
Sony's new recordings, made using state-of-the-art technology and methods,
offer performances originally recorded by Rachmaninoff between 1921 and
1942. The production team selected and customized an instrument that
Rachmaninoff likely played during his lifetime: a 1909 Steinway D concert
grand piano. This release lets the listener experience his performances
without the hissing or popping that were once considered as much a part of
the monaural 78s as the music itself. Zenph's processes eliminate the need
for such compromise, returning Rachmaninoff's performances to their
original luster.
"With these re-performances, Zenph has made it possible to experience the
kind of recording Rachmaninoff would have made had he lived in the era of
high-definition audio," said John Q. Walker, Chairman and Founder of Zenph.
"Our technology lets listeners today hear clearly what was performed many
decades ago, as if they had been in the room with the performer."
The new surround-sound album of re-performances of Rachmaninoff was
recorded by Sony Masterworks at the same time they recorded their stereo CD
release, which has garnered wide acclaim. The Absolute Sound named it their
"Recording of the Issue" in December 2009, with "Music: 10, Sound: 10."
Stereophile editor John Atkinson named it one of his two "Records To Die
For" in their February 2010 issue.
Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff follows the success of Zenph's productions
of Glenn Gould's 1955 recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations (2007) and
Art Tatum's Piano Starts Here (2008).
To purchase your copy, visit iTrax.com
or follow the link from Zenph.com/Rachmaninoff.
About Zenph Sound Innovations, Inc.
Zenph Sound Innovations, Inc. creates proprietary software and algorithms
that transform recorded music into data describing precisely how musicians
perform. From this data, musical performances can become immersive and
interactive: recordings can be "re-performed" with astonishing fidelity on
today's equipment, and contemporary artists and consumers can gain access
to an entirely new set of creative possibilities. By understanding the
nuances of an individual musical style as a digital "signature," Zenph's
technology enables the re-imagining of the entire music industry. The
company's work was named one of the "Best Ideas of the Year" by The New
York Times Magazine and has received multiple GRAMMY® nominations. For
more information, visit www.zenph.com.
About iTrax.com
iTrax.com is the web's first and only high-definition, digital download
site to feature multiple presentations of HD tracks in stereo and surround.
Launched in November 2008, iTrax.com offers award-winning HD digital
downloads from AIX Records, 2L, Harmonia Mundi, Zenph Sound Innovations and
independent labels.