Okay, I finally got my order from HMV Japan, including the Tomita Planets 2003 DVD-A. I must say that I am quite disappointed with this disc.
I was assuming this was going to be brand-new recording of Tomita's unique interpretation of the classic Holst' composition. Unfortunately, it is not. It is simply the original quadraphonic recording from 1976 reissued on DVD-A. This fact is not troubling in and of itself, since I love the recording and would certainly have bought it as a reissue. But with the new packaging and the new title, it is very misleading.
The fact that it is not a new recording but is instead a "stealth reissue" is just a minor quibble. What really bugs me is that this DVD-A seems to have been mastered from a CD-4 quadraphonic LP! Yep, that's right, as great as this disc sounds, there are many tell-tale signs that this was mastered from an LP. There are numerous examples, but if you listen to the first track between 2:25 and 2:45, you will clearly hear the pops and clicks associated with an LP. The minor pops and clicks permeate the entire recording.
<strong>I urge anyone who has the recording to listen for this and report back your findings! I just want to make sure I just haven't gone bonkers.</strong>
I really wish I could read Japanese. Perhaps the booklet describes why this was done. As it is, I can only assume that the master tapes were lost or destroyed. I thought maybe the noise I was hearing was on the master tapes, but I really doubt it. I know vinyl noise pretty well and I'm 99% certain that this disc was mastered from LP.