Opus 3 Records



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					Created two decades ago by Jan-Eric Persson, this company continues to produce discs of exceptional quality. Persson's two-channel discs are nearly all made by the classic stereo microphone setup described by Alan Blumlein, and the result is a 3-dimensional image that is startlingly revealing. Several titles are available on LP, and new titles are in HDCD, or in SACD/CD hybrid discs. NOTE: Many of these titles are offered at a lowered price, thanks to a special purchase. Prices hold while quantities last. Beyond that, prices may change, or the recording may be discontinued. CLICK THE CART TO REVIEW SHOPPING CART Records shown in red are used in UHF Magazine's tests of audio equipment. Swingecerely Yours An SACD re-re-release of tracks from superb vibraphonist Lars Erstrand, from 1983 to 1995. Long overdue! CD: CD22081 $20.95 Test Records 1, 2 & 3 Is this ever a blast from the past! When the Opus 3 label was launched in 1977, Jan-Eric Persson’s clever gambit was to bring out three “test records” -- actually samplers. It worked. The Opus 3 sound was a revelation. Persson used a single pair of microphones, arranged in classic Blumlein pattern, plugged directly into his analog tape recorder. It feels good to listen to these pieces again. It begins with Thérèse Juel’s Tiden bara går. There are guitar pieces, by Peder Riis, Duodecima and the Stockholm Guitar Quartet. There’s the Buddy Bolden Blues, by Tomas Örnberg’s Blue Five. It’s still great!. CD: CD22081 $20.95 Jazz Trio The volcanic jazz pianist Knud Jörgensen, in a superb LP re-release of his 1984 recording. High quality German pressing. LP: LP8401 $20.95 A Unique Guitar Collection Uniwue indeed, this SACD contains extended excerpts from Opus 3 classical guitar LPs of the company's early years: the Stocholm Guitar Quartet, Duodecima, Petter Riis, and others. Terrific! SACD: CD22062 $20.95 Showcase 2005 The latest sampler of great music from opus 3: classical, jazz and blues. Great SACD sound. SACD: CD22050 $20.95 Autumn Shuffle Guitarist Peder af Ugglas wanders among blues and rock in this hybrid SACD. Always beguiling, sometimes downright enthralling. CD: CD22042 $20.95 LP: LP22042 $20.95 Beyond The second hit blues guitar album by Peder af Ugglas, this one is as far ranging as Autumn Shuffle, and we predict it will delight his growing coterie of fans. SACD: CD22072 $20.95 Test CD 5 Another of Opus 3’s wonderful samplers, including blues, jazz, and classical music. A number of fine artists, captured with the usual pure Blumlein stereo setup. Always a treat. CD: CD20000 $19.95 Showcase An SACD sampler of recent Opus 3 recordings, many of them from analog originals. Includes Eric Bibb, Lars Erstrand. the Swedish Jazz Kings, many more. LP: LP21000 $20.95 Organ Treasures Thi is probably the ultimate organ demo recording, at least if your player can do it justice. Includes all the pieces you recall hearing through huge systems: Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Franck's Pièce Héroique, Widor's Toccata, and plenty more. Multichannel SACD with CD layer. Click here to read the entire review from UHF SACD: CD22031 $20.95 20th Anniversary Celebration Disc Absolutely the best — and the best-sounding — sampler ever from Opus 3. Includes some exceptional fine pieces, jazz, folk and classical. The sound pickup is as good as it gets, and the HDCD transfer is luminous. CD: CD19692 $16.95 It’s Right Here For You Is there, anywhere, a better swing band than The Swedish Jazz Kings (formerly Tömas Ormberg’s Blue Five)? Closer to Kansas City than to Stockholm, they are captivating. The HDCD transfer makes this the best-sounding of all Opus 3 discs, including the vinyl ones. CD: CD19404 $16.95 Good Stuff As soothing as a summer breeze, this disc features singer Eric Bibb (son of Leon), singing and playing guitar along with his group. Subtle weaving of instrumentation, vivid HDCD sound (on the CD). CD: CD19603 $16.95 SACD: CD19623 $20.95 DOUBLE 45 rpm LP: LP19603 $35.00 Spirit and the Blues Like his father, the legendary Leon Bibb, Eric Bibb understands the blues. He and the other musicians, all playing strictly acoustic instruments, have done a fine recording, and Opus 3 has made it sound exceptional. The stupendous LP version is double, and was cut at 45 rpm. CD: CD19401 $16.95 SACD: CD19411 $20.95 DOUBLE 45 rpm LP: LP19401 $35.00 Tiny Island More from Eric Bibb and his Needed time Gospel Blues group. SACD: CD19824 $20.95 Just Like Love The newest disc from Eric Bibb, this one is (mostly) less oriented to Gospel and more to Blues. Bibb’s group, Needed Time, is not here, but he’s surrounded by half a dozen fine musicians. A nice recording. This is a hybrid disc, with a conventional CD layer and a Super Audio high definition layer too. SACD: CD21002 $20.95 Across the Bridge of Hope The Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble (the one that did Musica Sacra, see below) tackles a daring, often thrilling program of unusual vocal music. Includes some showstopping songs from the Far North. An adventure, with the thrilling sound that Opus 3 knows how to put on disc. SACD: CD22012 $20.95 Levande The full recording from which “Tiden Bara Går” on Test Record No.1 is taken. This great song isn’t even the best on the album! A fine singer, doing folklike material…and who cares about understanding the words? CD: OPCD7917 $16.95 Concertos for Double Bass This album of modern and 19th Century music is a favorite among Opus 3 fans for its deep, sensuous sound. And the music is worth discovering. It is sensuous and lyrical, a delight in every way. SACD: CD8522 $20.95 CD: OPCD8502 $16.95 Musica Sacra The tightly disciplined Erik Westberg Vocal Ensemble takes on modern works for choir and organ. They are worth discovering for their sheer beauty, especially when sung like this. One piece includes a solo saxophone that will give you chills. The sound is Opus 3’s best. SACD: CD19516 $20.95 Test Record No.4 This latest sampler disc from Opus 3 contains several cuts from records we use in our tests, including Larson’s Concertino for double bass and the Tomas Örmberg jazz group. Eleven cuts: classical, jazz and pop. The clarity and the stereo image are both exceptional. LP: OPLP9200 $20.95 Tomas Ornberg’s Blue Five The same jazz ensemble: trumpet, sax, trombone, guitar, bass...the works. CD: OPCD8003 $16.95 LARS ERSTRAND AND FOUR BROTHERS Erstrand's followup album, also excellent. 8402 $24 TEST RECORD 3: DYNAMICS Perhaps the least known of Opus 3's four samplers, it is full of fine selections, pop and classical, from (often discontinued) Opus 3 albums. The sound is exceptional, as usual. Our remaining copies include a (very good) inner sleeve, but no outer sleeve. But look at the price! 8300 $12 ALL PRICES SHOWN IN CANADIAN DOLLARS. REMEMBER, WE CAN ORDER VIRTUALLY ANY RECORDING ON THE OPUS 3 LABEL. FOR RECORD ORDERING INFORMATION, IN CANADA OR ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, GO BACK TO THE MAIN AUDIOPHILE STORE PAGE.