As I mentioned in my last post (HERE), I've been into spinning a lot of vinyl the last few weeks. There's so much good new & used vinyl to be had these days, it's been a real treat to add records to my vinyl library.
I've been exploring the vinyl via a signal path of Audio Note (UK) Io I moving-coil phonograph cartridge, AN-S4 step-up transformer, M6 RIAA phono equalizer, Tomei 211 SET integrated amplifier, a full set Audio Note (UK) silver cables, all driving my Tannoy Westminster Royal SE loudspeakers with their custom Duelund Coherent Audio crossovers - silver in the high-frequencies, copper in the low frequencies - more HERE.
The AN-S4, M6 RIAA, and Tomei are all Level Four Audio Note (UK) components, and they are simply superb. You can use the search function here at Jeff's Place to read more articles about all of these audio components.
I've really been fascinated when listening to vinyl with the Audio Note (UK) set of Level Four components. They recover a lot of information from the albums - information rich, I like to say - so I'm getting a really clear view into the recording / mastering / remastering qualities of albums.
These components are voiced with Peter Qvortrup's "comparison by contrast" method, which means that a very wide breadth of albums are going to sound exceptionally engaging to listen to.
I find it really satisfying to witness how different each record album sounds in its production values, which really highlights what an individual work of the musical & recording arts each album uniquely is.
Also, as I've discovered, there's a universal thread of a parallel musical universe running through each album that the Audio Note (UK) kit makes clear, which I'll call the "fidelity of feeling".
In my previous post I said about this:
"Note that the fidelity of feeling is an alternate performance universe compared to the fidelity of sound quality, and they aren't necessarily related to each other. An audio system can have one and not the other. The goal is, of course, to have both.
Part of what has brought this aspect of performance to my attention was listening to quite a number of the greatest recorded musical performances spanning all the eras of the recording arts, where the fidelity of the sound quality can vary quite a lot, from low to high, but interestingly, they more often than not hit it out of the ballpark in terms of fidelity of feeling.
Where these Level Four Audio Note (UK) components are truly brilliant is bringing out the fidelity of feeling of a musical performance from a recording of any sound quality.
Once it's realized that this type of listening experience is available from nearly any recorded musical performance, it's hard not to be impressed."
This experience has triggered an ongoing meditation on my part about what elements in audio performance & design convey the drama and feelings of musical performances that are independent of the normal considerations about the fidelity of sound quality in recordings.
The more I listen, the more I am impressed with this "fidelity of feeling" performance attribute, and I've never encountered anything quite like it before to this degree.
Here's a little listening exercise I have been practicing lately to get more in touch with the drama and/or feelings that a piece of music is trying to convey:
From a drama perspective what do I notice? Is the theme a tragedy, comedy, or melodrama perhaps? Can I feel that dramatic emphasis from the music as it flows over me? I let the drama of it soak in.
As I listen to a piece of music, what emotion do I feel? Maybe happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, anger, or surprise? Or something else? I let that feeling soak in for a while after listening.
Practice that exercise for a couple of months and it will increase your level of musical perceptiveness and appreciation.
If you are an audio reviewer you might want to expand on that exercise: Does this audio component or system I'm writing about increase or decrease my connection to the dramatic themes and feelings that the musical compositions are supposed to evoke?
Here's a bit of cheater idea to get you more acquainted with feelings & drama in music: Use an artificial intelligence (AI) engine to search on a piece of music after you've listened to it.
Ask the AI engine "What are the emotions associated with ABC by XYZ?" Or ask, "What is the dramatic theme of ABC by XYZ?"
When you listen to the music is the dramatic theme apparent? Can you feel the emotions associated with the music?
I'll give some examples below.
In the past I have focused my writing about audio equipment more on sound quality in the orthodox audiophile sense, but now I plan to expand that to include how well equipment conveys the dramatic theme and feelings associated with a musical performance, which is an altogether different category of performance separate from sound quality.
Richard Wagner: "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg" Opera
A fellow audio traveller - Giacomo - recommended this 5 LP box set to me: Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg (5×LP, Album, Box Set, Limited Edition), Philips 6747 167, Netherlands, 1975.
The opera, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, was recorded at the Bayreuth Festival in 1974, with Silvio Varviso conducting. I've never heard Wagner's The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, so I found it exciting to explore something new.
Attending the Bayreuth Festival is one of my bucket list items, but until then, this will do.
I found a used copy on Discogs and ordered it. Inexpensive. The records I've looked through seem to be in good condition, which is always a bonus. There is also a remastered version available as a CD box set which I didn't purchase.
A large packet of written material - 76 pages - is included (above, below) with details about the way these performances were recorded, the singers, the dramatic story as it unfolds, with translations in several languages, and some artwork that adds to the allure.
The Mastersingers of Nuremberg is one of the longest operas performed routinely, running nearly four and a half hours, not including breaks, which accounts for the 5 LPs in this box set. MoN is also a comedy, the only comedy in the thirteen operas Wagner completed.
So what is the dramatic theme of "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg"?
To get some insights into this, I searched on "What is the dramatic theme of "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg" Opera?" and this is what I got back from an AI engine:
"The dramatic theme of "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg" revolves around the conflict between tradition and innovation in art, as represented by the character Walther, who seeks to win a song contest to marry Eva, while challenging the strict rules of the Mastersingers. It also explores themes of love, community, and the importance of artistic freedom."
More about this in a moment.
I haven't forgotten we're all audiophiles, so I thought I'd take a moment to talk about the method used for recording these performances, and a bit about the sound quality.
About the recording method: "This time we set about capturing in sound the wonderful atmosphere of the Festspielhaus with much more modern equipment. To translate the acoustic of the theatre as authentically as possible into our medium - the record - we decided to pay considerable attention to the auditorium. Several microphones were spread over the hall, right up into the gallery. To begin with we were rather concerned about extraneous noise from the audience, but our concern proved groundless; the audience was so gripped by the intensity of the performance, that hardly a single sound interrupted the flow of the music ... To achieve as fully as possible our aim for authenticity, we have tried to capture the natural sound and original dynamics without resorting to correction filters, equalizers, etc. In this way we hope to offer a recording in which the listener can experience as natural as possible what it is like to hear a performance in the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.”
I was impressed to read how focused the recording engineers were with capturing the sound of the live performances - as close as possible - in terms of authenticity. That's quite a challenge given the length of this opera. I applaud that effort. It's also the front-end for our focus on authenticity in playback.
The Mastersingers of Nuremberg is a stereo magnetic era recording that is information rich, with a huge sense of acoustic space, detailed imaging of vocalists and instruments, impressive dynamics, and a riveting performance to listen to from a dramatic perspective.
From a recording "sound quality" perspective, MoN is very good, but not outstanding due to the tonality being just a touch to the lean side in the presence region at times.
There's lots of imaging details for you to enjoy, and it's easy to track the singers as they move around on the stage into and out of the range of the microphones positioned across the stage.
Ok, so that's the recording style, with a bit about the sound quality.
Next up, what about feelings?
I did the same cheater trick for feelings. I asked an AI engine "What are the emotions of the "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg" Opera?"
This is what it said:
"The emotions in "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg" range from love and longing, as seen in the romantic tension between Walther and Eva, to joy and celebration during the song contest. Additionally, themes of conflict between tradition and innovation evoke feelings of tension and resolution throughout the opera."
From a feelings & drama standpoint, hearing the massed singers on LP 1, side one, was truly transcendental, producing feelings of surprise and happiness. I've been going through the records one by one, absorbing the various feelings I experienced from the performance. Also, hearing all those talented singers and musicians gave me a sense of awe for the good things people are capable of at their best. Respect.
Until I can attend the Bayreuth Festival in person, these recordings gave me a sense of the sound quality, the drama, the emotions, and the dramatic color of those performances.
Richard Wagner, Der Ring des Nibelungen: Recorded by Decca live at the 1955 Bayreuth Festival, conducted by Joseph Keilberth. 19 LP box set.
If you enjoy Wagner, the Der Ring des Nibelungen is my favorite version of the Ring Cycle, which was recorded by Decca live at the 1955 Bayreuth Festival, with Joseph Keilberth conducting. This is a treasure if you can find a copy. It's spendy.
If you are a Bayreuth Festival & Wagner devotee you'll want both of these grand operatic performances in your library.
I've also just ordered a CD box set containing 33 discs of Decca recordings of operas from the Bayreuth Festival over the years. I'll report back on that after it arrives and I get a chance to listen to some of it.
Gil Evans Orchestra - Great Jazz Standards
Gil Evans Orchestra Great Jazz Standards is part of the Blue Note "Tone Poet" vinyl series (HERE).
As the title of the album implies, Great Jazz Standards includes some great ol' jazz standards: "Davenport Blues" (Bix Beiderbecke), "Straight, No Chaser" (Thelonious Monk), "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" (Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf), "Joy Spring" (Clifford Brown), "Django" (John Lewis), "Chant of the Weed" (Don Redman), and "La Nevada" [a.k.a. "Theme"] (Gil Evans).
About the album and the reissue:
Recorded in 1959 for World Pacific Records in Hollywood, California, Great Jazz Standards is a monaural album from the magnetic era of recording, with this reissue given the deluxe Tone Poet treatment by Blue Note Records: 180-gram LP, mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio from the original master tape, plated and pressed at RTI, with a nicely done jacket. On the back cover it says, "Technical note: There are brief tape glitches on the master of Ballad of the Sad Young Men and Chant of the Weed." Included is a nicely written essay about the album by Thomas Conrad.
I'm a little unclear about the nature of the recording. Is it monaural or stereo? The cover says, "This a compatible monaural long playing album." Both monaural & stereo LPs of the album were offered for sale in 1959.
About the sound quality:
This particular album sounds stereo to me, even though it says monaural. If it's monaural, it's the widest monaural recording I've ever heard.
That aside, the Tone Poet sound quality is superb, and those who enjoy visuospatial prowess will find a lot to like here, as there's a wide & relatively deep soundstage, with excellent imaging. Tonality was natural, and the soundstage has a nice big spacious feel to it. With its excellent recording quality, the Tone Poet artistic touch on the remastering controls, and the beautifully played music by talented musicians, makes this an easily recommendable album.
I was writing this post while listening, so maybe I missed it, but I didn't notice a tape glitch on "Ballad of the Sad Young Men", so that's not something that should be of major concern. I listened more carefully to "Chant of the Weed" to see if I could hear a tape glitch. Yep. I heard it. No big deal. I imagine it was the same on "Ballad of the Sad Young Men".
So that's what I heard, but what did I feel?
The feelings:
"Davenport Blues" was written in 1925 by Bix Beiderbecke, and was a reference to Beiderbecke's home town, Davenport, Iowa. That piqued my interest, as some of my family a few generations back came from Davenport.
I listened to "Davenport Blues" before I used the AI search engine to get a description of its emotional vibes, but I have to say the AI engine nailed it.
I queried an AI search engine on "What are the emotions associated with "Davenport Blues".
The AI engine generated this: "Davenport Blues" evokes a sense of nostalgia and melancholy, reflecting the emotional depth and lyrical beauty characteristic of Bix Beiderbecke's style. The piece combines a smooth, flowing melody with a contemplative mood, capturing the essence of longing and introspection.
I felt nostalgia because of my family connection, for sure. The antique banjo on the wall you see to the left in the system photo above, belonged to my great uncle, who played the banjo, was from Davenport, Iowa, and would later move to Spokane, Washington.
I found myself feeling the music, its slow smooth flow, its late-night melancholy nature, its contemplative mood. I let the feelings soak in for a greater connection to the music.
In case you are wondering, Don Redman's "Chant of the Weed" is about cannabis. Written by Don Redman in 1931 during Prohibition (1920 to 1933) when alcohol was illegal, and cannabis was legal, a lot of jazz artists, movie stars, and everyday Americans imbibed cannabis for its creative and relaxing properties. Cannabis moved towards being illegal in the USA in 1937 with the Marihuana Tax Act, and was made illegal at the Federal level in 1970 with the Controlled Substances Act.
Megastar Bing Crosby, who was largely responsible for kicking off the magnetic era of recording in the USA after World War II, was a big proponent of cannabis, and tried to get cannabis legalized in Washington State (he was from Spokane). Bing didn't succeed.
Bing Crosby, The Legendary Years, 1931 to 1957, CD box set.
It would take until 1998 until Washington State legalized cannabis for medicinal use, then in 2012 cannabis was legalized for recreational use, ending the 81 year cannabis prohibition. For a chuckle watch some old Bing Crosby movies, or listen to his albums. Look at his eyes, listen to his crooner voice, his cool laid back demeanor. Cannabis.
I asked the AI engine about the dramatic theme of Don Redman's "Chant Of The Weed", and here's what it said: "The dramatic theme of Don Redman's "Chant of the Weed" revolves around the experiences and culture associated with marijuana, often reflecting the social and musical context of the 1920s jazz scene. The piece captures a lively and rhythmic essence, typical of the jazz genre, while also hinting at the complexities of its subject matter."
As I listened I felt the relaxed swagger of the music, a feeling of dreaminess, a sensation of beauty. A little shock & awe at sudden dynamics swings, which then faded back into that feeling of relaxed swagger. I let the feelings soak in. I also got an overwhelming desire to eat a bag Cheetos (kidding).
Gil Evans Orchestra Great Jazz Standards is part of the Blue Note "Tone Poet" vinyl series, and is an easily recommendable reissue album. Kudos to Blue Note and the Tone Poet for doing such a superb job on these reissues.
The idea of this post is to encourage you to add a little different kind of listening experience into the mix. Sure, go ahead and appreciate the recording quality, the cool visuospatial effects, but more importantly become more intimately acquainted with your music, feel the emotions being conveyed, the sense of drama it evokes.
There's a lot more to the music than sound quality and visuospatial recording effects. Take time to engage with the drama and emotional impact of the music. Consider its history. Consider its artistry. Feel the message of the composer, of the musicians. Feel it. When you do, you'll discover you have a whole new music library, and there will be so much more to enjoy than you thought.
Ok, that's all folks.
As always, thanks for stopping by, and may the tone be with you!
