Translation of the German review:

When I met Claudio Valeri and Marco Pellegrini from Hemiolia records at the HIGH END 2024 in Munich, our first big topic was the quality of mastering and the production of master tape copies. Claudio Valeri really impressed me with his presentation of the very high standards at Hemiolia records. Nothing is left to chance there. The company started in 2013 with recordings of Luciano Pavarotti, who had a lot of session tapes in his personal collection. These were analyzed and remastered within two years. Production masters were created to produce copies. Gradually, more titles were added to the catalog. During the first seven years of the company's existence, copies were made from a Studer A80 to up to twelve Telefunken M15As, and since 2018 only 1:1 between two Otari MTR-15s. There are no other devices between the directly wired tape recorders. Hemiolia records therefore works 100% analog. The tape recorders are checked every week and undergo electrical and mechanical maintenance every six months. All tape material is tested before being recorded. A surface check is carried out at the beginning, middle and end of each tape. The level stability is checked at the same points. The recording machine is calibrated to the respective tape before each copy. Three to four master tape copies are made by hand every day. Each copy is accompanied by a certificate signed by Claudio Valeri.

For this review, I selected the album Getz/Gilberto according to the following criteria: The 1963 recording, the Latin jazz genre and this phenomenal music. Exemplary for this: The Girl From Ipanema. How do you pick up everyone with a five-and-a-half-minute song, generate a catchy tune, anchor it in their heads and make it immortal? Just listen to this track from this sensationally good tape. The track begins with the deep and sonorous voice of João Gilberto, together with his guitar. There is no disturbing background noise. The performance detaches itself from the loudspeakers with an exemplary virtual stereo stage. Soon Sebastião Neto's double bass, Milton Banana's drums and Antônio Carlos Jobim's piano join in. Played with all the lightness that a Latin American rhythm can offer. Astrud Gilberto's phenomenal vocals appear based on this clarity and calm, continuing the coolness but also the versatility of João Gilberto's presentation. Stan Getz's saxophone, which appears dominant and appropriately voluminous at the center of the action, is the next, incredibly successful, step up. Antônio Carlos Jobim's piano solo is perfectly interwoven. The somewhat tinkling piano adds a special charm. At the end, the singer and the saxophone alternate as soloists. The entire song consists of unique and grandiose moments and is one of the most impressive and delightful audiophile masterpieces I know! But that's not all: seven more tracks follow this pattern: Doralice shows how to combine Brazilian rhythms and elements of jazz with high standards. The song Para Machucar Meu Coração (To Hurt My Heart) with its sensational performance of vocals and saxophone is characterized by melancholy. Desafinado is no less impressive. For all the solo interludes, the work of the bassist, drummer, pianist and guitarist is highly commendable. Without them, the music would not have this wonderfully flowing rhythm; seamlessly continued in the song Corcovado. If you've got the samba step down pat: Só Danço Samba (Jazz Samba) invites you to shake a leg. O Grande Amor is introduced by the brilliantly played saxophone, which is followed by vocals. Stan Getz and João Gilberto enchant with the mood of great love in all its devotion. The song Vivo Sonhando closes the work full of passion, melancholy and emotion in a grandiose manner. I must keep reminding myself that this recording was made in 1963. In terms of quality, it is almost unbelievable how well it was possible to record and produce back then. A big compliment also goes to the remastering engineer Pietro Benini from Hemiolia records. This album manages to immerse me in a world of superlative music for 34 minutes.

Hemiolia records is at the forefront of all the publishers I know when it comes to the packaging: a thick, heavy and sturdy cardboard slipcase with an embedded company logo contains a very sturdy cardboard box with a removable lid and stickers. Inside is an orange, printed aluminum reel with the RTM SM 900 studio tape. The reel holder is made of milled wood, which in turn bears the company logo. Next to the information sheet, which is printed on both sides in very high quality, is the signed original certificate and the sheet with the technical information, which has also been completed by hand. This master tape copy is a sensationally successful masterpiece in every respect.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)