This is the first occasion on which I have ever felt obliged to comment on a review. Maybe it is unethical to do so, since I made the recording and published the CD in question, however, in the interest of those
who might feel confused by such a starkly opposed views, both with regard to the work itself and the sound quality, when considered in comparison to other reviews by highly, respected, international
critics, (see below), I feel that some response is necessary.

Let's begin by quoting passages from other reviewers of the CD:

MusicWeb International

“Let’s say straight off that it’s a splendid, often thrilling performance. The bright sound of the hall,
allied to the excellent recorded set-up by engineer Geoffrey Terry, has ensured that certain moments register as seldom if ever before.”
“This latest entrant takes a worthy and high place in the pantheon of recordings of this masterwork.”
—Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International, October 2009

Fanfare

“This is an intensely dramatic, detailed Asrael, alive to the sudden changes of emotional character throughout.”
“Terry accomplished a great deal with his two-microphone technique …
[N]othing can dilute the power of the performance. Even if it had not been captured half as well, it would still be worth hearing. As it is, we can only be glad the engineering side of matters was in such capable hands … The performance is incandescent…”
—Barry Brenesal, Fanfare 33:5, May/June 2010

“The definite highlight of the batch is the live 1968 Waldhans/Brno account of Suk’s very under-rated masterpiece, Asrael. I have now heard the CD four times, and it seems to get better with each listening. Along with the classic first-ever Talich/Czech Philharmonic studio account (mono Supraphon), this is the finest Asrael I have encountered.” “[…] right now, this CD is a leading contender for one of the five
selections on my ‘2010 Want List’ for the November/December issue of Fanfare.”
—Jeff Lipscombe, Fanfare, private correspondence

International Record Review

“[Waldhans] takes an impressively dramatic and serious approach to Asrael that certainly makes this a very tempting alternative…”
—Nigel Simeone, International Record Review, June 2012

EnjoyTheMusic.com Review Magazine

“[T]his work requires the best possible sound, and that’s exactly what it receives here … this live
performance has been captured with an astonishing realism and presence that let the tenderness and ferocity of the music register with a transparent clarity and bone-rattling power.”
“…this performance is something very special indeed.”
“We are indebted to Geoffrey Terry for having preserved what is more than just a great performance of Suk’s masterpiece, but an historic occasion.”
—Max Westler, EnjoyTheMusic.com Review Magazine, April 2015

Customer review
“What is fascinating to me is how one can hear deep into the orchestra at minimal (read: ability to
talk with someone else while listening) volume, which effectively replicates my experience when I attend a ‘live’ symphony concert event.”
—Gordon Gray, Jackson, WY, private correspondence, 29th May 2010

Unquote:

I think I would be justified in saying that the comments quoted above do not suggest a second rate composition or sound of poor quality.
'The Virtual Concert Hall Series' contains only 14 titles and, other than variations in the venue, the sound quality does not vary from CD to CD, unlike the majority of orchestral recordings on CD.
When awarding the prize for “Best historic recording, (qtr4 2012), the German Record Critics Award jury president stated that "the recording technique is sensational. An unrepeatable constellation.”
—Wolfgang Wendel.

OCCD production: The original tape recordings were directly transferred to digital Red Book standard and in most cases only excessive tape hiss was reduced. Other than the removal of extraneous noises, virtually no additional edits or adjustments were made to the recordings.
I determined that the critical aspect of orchestral recording is the microphone placement and, having found what I considered to be the ultimate locations for the TWO microphones I employed, I adopted the technique for all occasions with the result that there is a continuity in sound quality, i.e. “sensational recording technique”, to quote Wolfgang Wendel.

In October 2009 John Sunier, editor and publisher of Audiophile Audition wrote “I agree [that] your recordings are really excellent fidelity and much better than most commercial ones.”

Here are some more quotations on OCCD titles by audiophile experts;

“I’m delighted with the purchase. The nexus of my delight is the recording approach. Call me a traditionalist, but the classic two-mic methodology simply yields a more realistic rendering of what a
symphonic performance really sounds like from the seats. […] In summary, these are valued additions to my library. I’m glad that I bought them all.”
—Bob Walters, Bay Area Audiophile Society, October 2012

“Engineer and producer Geoffrey Terry has captured Jiří Waldhans at his most colorfully magnanimous, a real cornucopia of sound.”
—Gary Lemco, Audiophile Audition, 26th October 2009

“…I’ve never heard [Campoli’s] fabled tone (nor perhaps anyone else’s) in such vivid fidelity; a similar lushness characterizes the piano’s tone as well … even if the performance didn’t flow so smoothly as
it does, the recorded sound would magnify all the reading’s virtues in ratio in which many recordings diminish them.”

“At moments, Campoli’s sound could freeze a windsock in a hurricane … these live performances sound communicative as well as brilliant …This issue deserves to be a part of most collections … Very
strongly recommended.”
—Robert Maxham, Fanfare 33:4, March/April 2010

“Really, your recording is of demonstration quality, with all the clarity one could ask for. The balance between soloists and orchestra, the dynamic range and the stereo separation are excellent. Well
done!” —Graham B. Slater, former BBC engineer, private correspondence, 5th February 2012

The impact of the playing is helped by the superb sound of the recording – [… this disc is] an extraordinary success from a technical point of view as well.”
—Nigel Simeone, International Record Review, June 2012

“…stereo results […] rival those that the ‘majors’ were achieving with a budget of thousands! This particular concert […] also includes a highly combustible Tchaikovsky Fourth and the thrilling ‘Mazur’ from The Haunted Manor by Moniuszko.”
—Rob Cowan, Gramophone, July 2012

“I’ve heard the [OCCDs Shostakovich] 10th several times, and agree that it’s exceptional; better than any others I’ve heard. (I believe that the first time I bought it on LP was on DG with Karajan, which
was exciting, but nothing like yours.)”
—Joel Flegler (publisher and editor of Fanfare), private correspondence, 30th December 2009

“[This is] the most riveting, satisfying and moving performance of this great symphony I’ve ever heard. I’ve played it over and over again in the months since I bought it.”
“Your production and engineering on the Shostakovich strike me as things of wonder, with your superb skills placed completely at the service of the music.”
“Many, many thanks for one of the greatest experiences in almost 50 years of listening to recordings of classical music.”
—Bill Abbie, Edinburgh, private correspondence, 30th November 2012

Unquote.

I decided to quote from comments, rather than attempt to defend my work and that of Joseph Suk, composer of the masterpiece.
I can only presume that Mr. Vasta had some difficulty with his sound equipment when listening to the CD aded to which his comments on the composition are so wild as to cause one to wonder.
I see little point in supplying a copy of the Dvorak 9th Symphony for review by Mr Vasta since the recorded sound was undertaken using the same technique as for the Suk and thereforewould probably offend Mr Vasta.

Geoffrey Terry engineer and publisher of Orchestral Concert CDs, The Virtual
Concert hall Series.