Vtory's Music (Re)Discoveries

Thanks much for the info. I immediately added it to my favorites.

 

Sivga SV023 < SMSL M500.3



https://open.qobuz.com/album/v9rij1run0bsc

This is another extraordinary vocal work I keep returning to. Lorraine Hunt Lieberson has a beautiful Mezzo and conveys a lot of emotion in these songs. On the Sivga-SMSL duo, Lorraine's creamy-toned performance sounded very natural. Roger Vignoles's piano was nicely set back.

 

It's interesting how different people consume music differently. I still do it in much the same way as when I was a cash strapped teenager buying cd's: buy a record (nowadays on Bandcamp) and cane it for six weeks straight, then rinse and repeat. I bring it up here as you don't often get such a clear log of someone else's listening habits, great work.

 

Hifiman Susvara (mod) < Topping LA90 < SMSL M500.3



https://open.qobuz.com/album/0002894795528

I like to randomly ramble among things done by new/young people, which often led me to pleasing discoveries. Maybe this is the biggest advantage of music stream services, I think. And yes, I'm very happy I found this a couple of weeks ago -- Lionel Bringuier (conductor) is still pretty new to me. Very worth giving a shot. Beautiful orchestration. A pervading sense of spontaneity and freshness throughout the entire set.

With my audio chain, I was taken aback at the deep layers of the orchestra, as portrayed within the recessed soundstage, with a very relaxed perspective. I could also hear a beautifully blended tonality and rich saturation of colors. There are energetic dynamics, but I heard the climaxes were slightly duller, which I think is attributable to the recording process.

 

Thanks for introducing a good album to enjoy! I added it to my favorite and am listening to it. I'm also trying to infer what I would have felt with Verites. I will definitely give the whole album a more serious listening.

And for qobuz pals, here is the link:

https://open.qobuz.com/album/0060150141200

 

Atrium + Studio B + WaveDream



Highs 2 Lows from Metaphorical Music Album by Nujabes. Nothing special in terms of recording quality but I just love sitting back and listening to this track. The same track somehow doesn't feel as special on my Verite. The constant bassline played throughout the entire song works really well with Atrium's bass response and just the overall sound meshes well with the Atrium's signature. One of the few artist I'm re-experiencing these past few months and this the track that draws me in.

 

Thanks for the music. I'll surely check them out.

Here is qobuz link for those who might be interested.


https://open.qobuz.com/album/gnfye4mota53a

 

Hifiman Susvara (mod) < Topping LA90 < SMSL M500.3



https://open.qobuz.com/album/0191018386634

This was introduced and recommended by @earnmyturns a few posts back (link). I am indeed secretly admiring his audiophiling style. I'm not saying his and my tastes are close, but his gear posts almost always mention musics he enjoyed with (all great btw), which I think is better than talking about gears only.

Anyway, back to the album, this is a very beautiful piece of early music. Sheer lyricism. A little unfamiliar combination of musical components (in a good way). What are heard in this work combinedly pulled me who even haven't had much familiarity with this genre.

On my modded Susvara, I could also appreciate everything was beautifully recorded. Voices were a bit strong and radiant yet flexible. It was not hard to hear resonance and spaciousness caused by the recorded venue, which gave me the feel of sitting in a large Gothic church. I should add that the recorded music retained immediacy and clarity despite resonant acoustics.

 

@Vtory :
Man, you have some great recommendations. Going have some fun looking at your recommendations (and adding some of my own)

I did love this album when it came out. I think Radiohead was a "gateway drug" for many people into the intersection between electronica and "British Rock", as well as sneaking in some postmodernist philosophy about the relationship between humans and technology.

Agreed. Anecdotally, OK computer (one of their earlier albums) was once of my first "holy shit" audiophile moments. On some dynaudios and adcom equipment, the "artificial soundstage" made at Abby Road was recreated right in the room with me. This was also influenced by college classes I was taking at the time on Sound Sculpture: hearing Gesang der Jünglinge in a live multichannel sound installation helped ground some of what I was hearing in radiohead.

Similar feeling to how many of us felt in the movie theater watching the new CGI from that 97' movie: The Matrix. Turned a whole generation of people into amateur philosophers

 

Hifiman Susvara (mod) < Topping LA90 < Gustard X18



https://open.qobuz.com/album/0030911113629

This is my favorite rendition of Organ symphony. One of the finest recordings I've ever heard among classical music -- technically superb both in performance and the recording itself. The only minor shortcoming is the first movement was a little recessed in intensity and punchness but I can't nitpick anything else.

On my maximal Susvara-chain, I was awestruck by vivacious and texturally transparent expressions. In every case, it was easy to pick out and follow the organ's bass line in the second movement.. even when the playing was soft and slow. The balance between organ and orchestra in the finale is also the best among organ symphony performances I've heard. Finally, the impact of opening and the run-up to the conclusion of the finale was downright awesome, pleasantly exhibiting what my audio rig was capable of.

PS. I think I posted this earlier.. but when I revisited this album today, I wanted to write a few more praises!

 

Sivga SV023 < SMSL M500.3



https://open.qobuz.com/album/kjuukb2mqkfvc

I can't remember exactly but I think I've read a short introduction to this album somewhere years ago. I recall the article was about recording approaches Water Lily Acoustics took -- an ambient recording process captured in a church with all tube analog stuff, which intrigued me to give it a shot. This work is a sonic mix of electronics and primitivism souped with jazz. Subtle and hypnotic mood. A little strange, but in a good way, I think.

On the Sivga-Smsl chain, I could hear (probably intentionally) distantly placed microphones in a highly reverberant chapel. The wide-angle relationship between the upfront trumpet and the farther-back piano in the cavern-like venue clicked into focus. Pleasant hi-fi experience.

 

Fun fact (more personally, but I'll share anyway)... I have played this in the orchestra a couple of times (just a great piece), but, when I was a teenager in Philly, I was in a orchestra that performed this with the John Wanamaker organ in Philly (look it up, it is a big ass organ): was a interesting experience, as the organ is pitched low compared to today's orchestras (like about A=438)... so the strings... well, lets just say they struggled. In the old Philly Youth Orchestra, this was a staple of the repertoire, with one of the world's largest organs.

Thanks for the recommendation (as always):--> the recording gives a very good impressions of "space" for the organ: to many American organ recordings make the organ too much of a "point source". Many American halls, especially those with Fisk organs are even setup the the visual: "that's where it is coming from" feeling. Contrast this to the more European/"Germanic" feeling of the organ coming from everywhere/the heavens, .... your recommended recording not only captured this, but also gave a good feeling of what is like to play this.

 

What do you make of BIS Records? Don't always love the interpretations but the recordings are exemplary. Eg, they use fancy stuff like Didrik de Geer mics and pres:

https://www.discogs.com/artist/2342071-Didrick-De-Geer

 

BIS Records is highly regarded by both classical listeners and audiophiles. They often record lesser known repertoire that isn't covered by the major labels, and have released some albums with full uncompressed dynamic range (which some people find to be too much dynamics — crank up the volume to hear quiet passages and get blasted when the music gets louder).

 

@Garns I think I heard one or a couple of recordings long ago. I recall my general observation was consistent with @Metro ,too. I should revisit them with my current audio btw.

@gotflute Thanks for your thoughts! Wow, your experience is very vivid and legit. I view things from a music consumer's perspective, but your impressions benefit from your player experience (plus more knowledge than mine). Super insightful.

 

@Vtory Glad the perspective is helpful. As I ease back into posting, I'm hoping to offer this "from the players perspective" just as that: another perspective (not better or worse). I'll attempt to not have it be "memory lane": but there has been a drift in the aesthetic/priorities in both the recording process of classical, as well as how musicians are taught , along with the implied values.

So, some of what you hear in older recordings is the difference in recording technique... other is the drift in "what it should sound like/played".... unfortunately only some of this drift is intentional: we are losing some of the old ways.

I'm probably also easing back into doing some recording, to go with a chamber music school I'm starting in Houston for young people (it is the missing link in the Texas music educational process) so your thoughts/ears will be very helpful as I look at priorities... what matters and in which style I want to proceed (as well as the gear/tools to do it).

More to come! And keep your recommendations coming: I am enjoying them!

 

Hifiman Susvara (mod) < Topping LA90 < SMSL M500.3



https://open.qobuz.com/album/0060150141200

This album and the the last track specifically were introduced by @ChaChaRealSmooth a few days ago (link). The whole album was a set of interesting pieces of alternative rock and thus I was intrigued to give them serious listens, including one session this afternoon.

I'm personally a fan of listening to a whole album at once (as opposed to pick up individual tracks separately) as I'm always believing which orders artists place songs in might be as meaningful. For this album, this approach worked well. Inter-song transitions and a broad picture of the album structure seemed to have rich narratives.

On my Sus chain, I could better appreciate how Amy Lee mixed two styles: her haunting and wispy vocals with her towering and belting vocals. Lots of vocal tone modulations, including a dark and almost menacing low registers, was heard, too. She controlled herself very well and delivered highly entertaining dramas without exaggeration or overdoing. I could correctly recognize how solidly drums and bass provided a backbone and momentum, and how tightly/enjoyably guitars performed leaps and bounds. I'm very glad everything was recorded in very 3D ways, too -- although Susvara often over-holographize things.

There were many highlights I'd praise (including 'Good Enough' -- a great way to close) . What surprised me the most was, however, a fusion of dire classical and gothic metal in the 'Lacrymosa'. This track started from the Mozart's strings, then moved into a colossal finale through Amy's soaring voice supported by guitars. A brilliant piece by any means.

 

Hifiman Susvara (mod) < SMSL HO200 < SMSL M500.3



https://open.qobuz.com/album/0093624953548

As a longstanding casual Steely Dan fan, there's no surprise that I like Donald Fagen's solo works. Every song in this album exhibits Donald's perfectionist styles. I recall he said this work represented "certain fantasies entertained by people grown up in the remote suburbs during 1960s". His intention is well delivered by fitting songs -- even to people like myself who had zero first-hand experience of that era. Anyway while I loved this album a lot, weirdly I haven't listened to them once I lost cd a couple of years ago.. Today I finally revisited via Qobuz.

On my current audio chain, things sounded a little differently from what I remember (I think the last time I heard this work in redbook cd with sr1a and verite chains). I immediately noticed greater dynamic range and better inter-instrument separation. The electric piano showed its character such as vibrato or chunk more evidently. Details in reverberation around the instruments were more readily resolved. Donald's voice was still lipsy but had a little more presence with more palpable images. The overall experience was much improved. However, I'm not fully sure about how much portion is attributable to different mastering rather than audio difference.

 

Hifiman Susvara (mod) < SMSL HO200 < SMSL M500.3



https://open.qobuz.com/album/ani8inmx6a4mc

There's no doubt I was not the target audience when songs in this collection were new, simply because I was not born. My parents love the carpenters and I bought them this CD roughly two decades ago (before I became an audiophool haha). Even with mass-market audio in the house back then, every song sounded good to me. My all time general impression could be well summarized by this song quote: "Those old melodies still sound so good to me as they melt the years away." ('Yesterday Once More'; Track 1)

Anyway I was revisiting the lovely collection this morning (maybe the first time since I got Sus). I've always loved the way how Karen Carpenter effortlessly phrases meandering melodic line. And on my modded Susvara, she was physically more present throughout the all tracks. That's not the sole highlight -- other parts were enthralling, too. In the 5th track ('Goodbye To Love'), for example, I could deeply appreciate how elegantly the descending bass scales and ascending chorus accompanying the fuzzed guitar solo faded away in the concluding passage.