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I sent a message to our own Harry Currie, the world’s foremost Sinatra scholar and an incredible singer in his own right, requesting an almost impossible task, at least for him. It’s only that I’ve known him literally my whole life (plus a little begging) that he concurred. For Harry, compiling a Ten Best list of Sinatra recordings is akin to asking him ‘who’s your favourite kid?’.
Just when I was about to begin serious listening for a serious review of Rega's moving coil Apheta phono cartridge, I got the news a 2nd generation was ready to go. Usually, these generational upswings are gentle, akin to composers changing a few notes here and there to stretch copyright length. But the buzz on the new Apheta 2 was different. Big changes. I'd wait.
I've been a big fan Jeff Rowland's audio gear for many years. Rowland's solid state amplification has always been a segment leader featuring smooth, detailed and powerful sounding products highlighting the best that solid state design can bring to the high end. If you have researched a solid state product to purchase over the past few years, I'm sure a Rowland audition was scheduled.
This is the new DG double album in the Andris Nelsons/Boston Symphony Shostakovich Symphony series, subtitled 'Under Stalin's Shadow' including Symphony No 5, 8 and 9 with the Suite from Hamlet thrown in as a substantial filler.
This sub $1300 moving coil from Denmark's Ortofon is the entry level model of the 'Cadenza' colour series. Ortofon also offers a very popular colour series for its moving magnet cartridges. I had a chance to listen to the Cadenza Red at length on two different turntables, the Bergmann Audio Magne Turntable and the Rega RP8.
Just when you think there are no pure baritone, jazz influenced singers to entertain with quality, original material, along comes Gregory Porter. Porter was the 2014 Grammy Best Jazz Vocal Album winner with Liquid Spirit. He is also blessed with a magical baritone, full of emotion and power, but also light and shade.
Here is the 9th and latest album from Radiohead. Typical of new Radiohead recordings, A Moon Shaped Pool was self released to the internet on May 8, and will get a full rollout on CD and LP in June. Although not my regular musical beat, I have come to admire the British group's innate musical style and technical accomplishments. And as they grow together, their music becomes even more contemplative and profound.
I love a happy ending. I've very much enjoyed the musical Renaissance of this fine orchestra after the decades long systematic destruction of its host city and a near calamitous strike in 2010. I wasn't sure the orchestra would survive the much reported strike. Many fine players left the orchestra, welcomed by sunnier climes both musically and temperate.
The very fine British pianist Paul Lewis turns his gifted views on one of the cornerstones of the piano classical literature, Brahms' First Piano Concerto. The work is full of youthful ardour and genius. It was intended as a symphony, but Brahms thought it a little under the shadow of Beethoven. So, a concerto was produced.
Recently I had the pleasure of attending, here in New York City, a live early on rehearsal performance of the Beethoven Late String Quartet in B-flat Major Op. 130. (Sometimes referred to as String Quartet No. 13.) One of the members of the performance is a friend, Daniel Panner—a very fine violist, and the setting was intimate (no stage) with only about 15 people attending. It was delightful to be so close up without any amplification or microphones required, and to be able to meet and chat with the musicians right afterwards. No high-end audio system can compete with that.
I first heard Norwegian violinist Vilde Frang in a 2015 recording of Mozart Concertos. I quickly became hooked on her gorgeous tone and exquisite musicianship and have followed her career with interest ever since. Frang’s playing has an honesty and simplicity that allows everything she plays a fresh perspective, free of artifice and the histrionics that other, maybe more technically gifted players project into the music.
VPI Industries, well known for its extraordinary turntables, linked up with Steven Leung from VAS Audio to remake a modern and simplified version of the classic vintage H.H. Scott 299D integrated vacuum tube stereo amp (1964-1966). Enthusiastic as ever, Leung mentioned to me recently by phone that he had acquired several modified vintage Scott 299 models a while ago, and they sounded so nice to him and VPI that they decided to proceed with their own high-end modern version.
I knew that as soon as The Prodigal Son returned, at least in Elgarian terms, the Brit press would be gaga over the spoils. Daniel Barenboim, the Son, had a love affair with Elgar symphonies along with the excellent LPO, and the less excellent CBS, as recorder, back in the 70s and 80s. The press loved everything, even the recording quality. The recorded sound was awful. If you collect Columbia vinyl recordings of the time, especially from London and New York, you’ll know what I mean.
For many years, audiophiles who had space constraints, WAF or other issues, were forced to contend with small stand mount or 'bookshelf' speakers. These speakers often were capable of good sound and usually had a superior ability to float a very good soundstage. On the other hand, one had to imagine how much bass there was in a recording since lack of it was the major sacrifice.
At the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest (RMAF) 2015 I had the pleasure of listening to the newest Alta Audio loudspeaker, the Rhea. It greatly impressed me and many other attendees. Although only the second lowest in price in their line of five models which range from the Solo at $1,500 per pair weighing in at only 15 lbs each (a single driver model) to the Statement Towers at $250,000 per pair that weigh 485 lbs each and contain 11 drivers, the Rhea were clearly something very special at only $4,500 per pair.
The great German conductor Karl Böhm (1894/1981) came out of the war relatively unscathed. A couple of years banned, courtesy of the Allies' denazification project, and he was free and clear. Much like other German musicians used by the Nazis such as Strauss, Furtwängler and Karajan, Böhm dodged the proverbial bullet.
Devialet (pronounced: duv’-ē-a-lay) is the Parisian company that has created a Sonos-like stir in the audiophile world. Its ‘pizza box’ shaped, flagship product, the D200, is an amp, preamp, phono stage, DAC and WiFi card in one very thin, sexy chrome box. The audio press went wild over it. I heard one at length just recently and it casts a pretty spell on the music and is a top notch, one-stop shop. If that's what you’re after.
Thierry Fischer took over the reins of the Utah Symphony Orchestra in 2009 and since then has made a significant musical mark in the state. By many accounts, the orchestra had been in the doldrums for some time. Installing the Swiss conductor was a very popular decision and by the evidence on this new Reference Recording of Mahler’s 1st Symphony, the orchestra seems to be the beneficiary of an outstanding musician.
Phono stages are tricky things. They’re critical in the amplification of the very low signal output of cartridges. Better design and better parts equal better sound. You can buy phono stages, at least of the moving magnet cartridge variety for less than a hundred dollars at corner electronic stores. Hell, you can even get a quality NAD Electronics PP 2e Phono on Amazon for about $150.
