Higher Def Audio

I’ve been tempted as of late to try some online services that sell music not in compressed formats. Today I purchased two albums from Linn records in Scotland. Their digital downloads come in three flavors: mp3, cd quality, or “studio masters.” I downloaded 24 bit flac files, and the albums each weighed in at around 1 GB. I used a program to convert those to Apple lossless. I edited the album info, then added their HQ artwork via iTunes.

More trouble than amazon or iTunes store for sure. But the sound has a perceptible improvement! Smoothness would best describe the quality. Also a tinge more “liveness” to the sound. Dynamics, perhaps?

It’s akin to a small hifi upgrade. I just hope it gets easier to procure more albums more easily soon.

Buxtehude Sonatas , op. 2, and Vivaldi, op. 8, part two, both featuring violinist Stefano Montanari.

Sacrificium

Ceclia Bartoli performs with Il Giardino Armonico works of supposed complexity written for castrati. Composers represented include Handel, Porpora, Leo, Graun, et al. This might be my second “castrato” CD after already enjoying Vivica Genaux in Arias for Farinelli.

I picked up the deluxe edition which includes a booklet covering everything you might want to know about castrati. Perhaps unsettling is the graphic representation throughout the CD packaging of knives and tools used for castration. Multiple languages are represented in the book, and we also get some detailed notes on the arias.

Bartoli certainly sounds different than a castrato might sound, but she nevertheless does an admirable job with the music. She’s of course got a first-class “backup” band in Antonini’s Giardino (minus Onofri). Pieces such as track #7, In braccio a mille furie by Porpora is a real fireworks type of piece that Bartoli excels at. If you were to judge her intonation and control in the Vivaldi set with IGA, here she has even more control and finesse.

The sound effects come out with thunder and horns in Chi temea Giove regnante Leonardo Vinci’s number. Between all the singer’s notes, the sound effects, and the energy behind the ensemble, the piece is emblematic of the type of bounty found within this set.

You likely won’t know any of the pieces presented here, save for Handel’s Ombra mai fu from Serse. The faster numbers are certainly fun and will survive repeated listens. The whole collection isn’t all fireworks, and Bartoli manages to find her regular soft side here too. They are less favorite, but when listening to the album as an album, they certainly break up things for contrast. Throw in some rustic concerti for strings by Vivaldi or a concerto by other Italians, and you’ll have an even more collection for a evening of listening.

This release may not be for all fans of vocal music. You’ll likely already know Bartoli’s sound. I like far less robust singers (Emma Kirkby, Jaroussky) but there’s enough room for Ceclia too! Take the plunge into the world of the unknown. I’m not sure you’ll need the “compendium” of castration, as I certainly don’t need it to enjoy the music. But if you’re interested at all in the art and history behind music like this, you may well decide to go for it. Samples are available via the singer’s website of both the prose and of course, the singing.

Hantaï on BWV 1066

I found this video of Le Concert Français performing BWV 1066, Bach’s orchestral suite #1.

I like the tempo (unlike many commenters), but find the conducting by Hantaï to be laughable. It looks like he has no clue about what he should be doing up there. He’s an excellent harpsichordist, and incidentally, the performance isn’t bad. But sadly he looks a little bit like a clown up there.

Audibly, it sounds as if Mr. Bernadini is really leading with his strident oboe.

(No real fault to Mr. Hantaï, but I can’t help but giggle too because he looks like Jerry Seinfeld up there at the podium, which brings back memories of the storyline regarding “The Maestro” and his summer home in Tuscany.)

Cathedral

I remember well the book by Macaulay on Cathedrals. Building the Book Cathedral

Today I finally visited the closest one to my home and had a good time snapping photos.

Flowers

I bought a two-year membership to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden here in Richmond.

They have some great stuff to practice my photography skills upon.

BWV 1044

Among Bach’s gems is the so-called Triple Concerto, one that mimics the scoring of his equally famous Brandeburg Concerto #5, but this concerto lives on its own, some anomaly, perhaps; some lonely child in a minor key. BWV 1044 is scored for harpsichord solo, flute, and violin against an orchestral accompaniment. It very often gets packaged in recordings with the Brandenburg set, as it’s an “authentic” Bach concerto that has familiar scoring… and like the Brandenburgs, it’s also known in other formats or arrangements.

But I thought I’d listen to several versions I now have on file.

Le Concert Français

Hantaï and friends perform the work well, with clear sound and a medium tempo. What’s missing is anything too extreme. No super-fast tempi, no odd quirks or accents; his ensemble has a rich, rounded sound, with the harpsichord especially so forward and rich in texture. At times, the middle movement most obvious, the rhythm might just relax a bit in its perfection, and the first movement, and especially the second, could use a short burst of speed.

la Stravaganza Hamburg

Good tempos! Horrible sound recording. It is a shame these talented musicians, under Sigbert Rampe couldn’t have been treated to better acoustic and a better sound recording. Their speed is too fast for their acoustic, and the microphones are too far away. The sound isn’t focused.

But boy, your foot will be tapping and you’ll just wish it was more “Claritin clear.”

Musica Antiqua Köln

I often return here as the baseline recording. It’s solid, well-recorded, and the tempos are just about right in each instance. The flow of melodic lines in the last movement, for instance, sound far more humanistic than the “stable machine” Hantaï and Co. exhibit in their recording. Each soloist is clear, from Staier on harpsichord, Hazelzet on flute (not the strongest flute sound among the lot, but certainly adequate), and Goebel on violin.

A favorite.

AAM with Egarr/Manze

The Academy of Ancient Music tackle this on their HM release with other harpsichord concertos. With the AAM, the concerto is more treated like a harpsichord concerto with obbligato flute and violin; in any sense, they are not all three equal players. While the ensemble achieves a nice warm bass sound, clarity of the principal parts is lacking, the orchestral sound a bit muffled (as with the whole set), and the tempos lacking just so to the point that they are awkward.

Final Thoughts

The triple concerto, BWV 1044, is a really good work. I just feel it has a lot of passion behind it that some folks miss. While each version/recording mentioned here has some weakness, they together offer us different viewpoints and readings. None would be a waste of your time. I look forward to future ideas on this work by the daring performers of the 21st century.

Exporatorium

Today I re-visited the Exploratorium, an interactive science museum in San Francisco. I say “revisit” because it was some 16 years ago that I visited as a high school senior.

First of all, I was intending to go to an art museum. I fool-heartedly went to the so-called Palace of Fine Arts thinking that was the art museum in S.F., and that of course, yes, the Exploratorium was adjacent. The experience was of course a let down when I found that in fact there was no museum for art, and that the “palace” was outdoors. That’s fine, except that it’s all under construction at the moment and it’s fenced off.

Some man asked me where the “Palace” was. I said, “Around the corner,” thinking it must be there. He too was interested in finding the art museum.

Of course, you can see some of the columns and grandeur, and there were plenty of Gangsta-Latinos there posing in front of the edifice on their wedding day. In fact, there seemed to be a theme: young girls in wedding dresses, not white (in this case, yellow and pink), with bridesmaids and best men who were dressed in silly costumes. My only guess was that they were currently pregnant, due to their age(s), and their Catholic parents insisted they marry.

There wasn’t a pretty person walking around that “Palace” of fine arts. So, since I was there, I paid $14 to visit the hands-on museum.

First stop, the toilets. Whoa. Here’s my potential draft letter to the museum. They operate with funds in the millions, so I know what I suggest is possible.

Dear Exploratorium,

Today I visited your museum, and before I even paid to get in, I used your facilities for men. It was filthy. Really disgusting. In fact, it was so bad that I contemplated not paying admission, and simply leaving. The stall I visited had a latch that wasn’t very reliable. Whomever visited the stall earlier took it upon themselves to urinate everywhere: it looked like rain water was on the seat. Disgusting. Getting out, there’s a urinal right on top of the two sinks that dispensed a sad amount of soap. You literally have one hand in someone’s rear end if you’re using the sink. Another man joked that the urinal was part of a hands-on exhibit for those using the sinks. Please consider cleaning up the facilities, and spending some of your revenue on making the Exploratorium a cleaner place.

So, after going inside, I was disappointed to find that so many of the exhibits (thanks to my wonderful memory) were the same. Yes, that’s okay to have good exhibits, but come on… I was there sixteen years ago. You’d think they’d have something new.

The place still has potential, however. It’s a great place to bring kids. Just.. bring a lot of hand sanitizer. They could use some pumping stations all around. And someone, please, make it clear at the Palace of Fine Arts isn’t an art museum, but just an interactive science museum.

Ignazio Albertini: Sonates

I recently picked up the recording by Hélène Schmitt of Ignacio Albertini’s sonatas for violin and continuo (Alpha). Both the composer and performer here were new to me.

I had received a recommendation for this recording some time ago from a fellow baroque enthusiast. It just became available via Amazon MP3.

I was shocked, frankly, at first listen: the style and motifs are very Biber-esque. It’s as if this was Biber, or better (because the sonatas are probably one notch less interesting), rip-offs of Biber. This is not to say it’s bad music. The opposite, really. One can hear the influence of Schmelzer and Biber on Albertini’s style.

Schmitt and Company do a good job at the works. A varied continuo is used (favorites, are theorbo and organ) and Schmitt has a delicious, fat tone. There’s drive and panache in her style. While she does ornament, it’s never over-done, and intonation is satisfyingly good.

The recording includes 10 sonatas for violin and continuo, not to mention several solos by other composers for single continuo instruments. Altogether, a very nice recording. Acoustic and sound quality is also very agreeable.

Tell No One

Today I saw a great French film, Tell No One. It’s a thriller, but more interesting than that was the complex plot and events. It’s one of those stories so clever you might spend your ride home from the theatre “explaining it” to others.

5 stars

Richmond Flowers

I am trying out a new “widget” from slideoo.com.

Music as comfort

Those who know me the best know that among my favorite music is that written by Bach. I confess, I’m more a Bachfan than a Biberfan, but, alas, I chose a moniker that was more unique.

I recently experienced something that would have some folks reaching for the wine bottle, the anti-depressants, or… pulling their hair out. I’ve never believed in treating stress or sorrow with chemicals.

Instead, I pull up my Bach. Specifically, this evening, his most profound work (my opinion, sure), the Kunst der Fuge. Last movement. Deeper than a gallon tub of ice cream, more rich than caramel sauce, and quite profound.

I have so many copies of this recording; tonight I found the Concerto Italiano version “sloppy.” This is music that breathes. I had the opportunity years ago to perform parts of KdF and it was a very emotional experience. Listening to music is one thing; putting breath, tears, and effort into what it heard is something all the more powerful.

That’s why I likely poured all my frustrations growing up as a teenager into the piano. It was therapy.

Beethoven String Trios, Thomas Tallis

Right now, I’m listening to Perlman, Zuckerman, and Harrell perform Beethoven’s Trios for Strings, an EMI-issue that I purchased from Borders Books and Music in Rochester, NY, likely, in 1993. It, along with so much music, has for me associations with place and time.

We studied in great detail each of Beethoven’s String Trios in my music theory classes at the University of Rochester. Our professor, Dr. Daniel Harrison, chose these for some specific reason, I’m sure. This was not a history class, mind you, but theory. We studied the structure of each piece, the harmonic details at play, and we were quizzed on being able to recognize an excerpt of the pieces–specifically, what work and what movement.

I am not sure why he gave us these quizzes. Except, to say, you got to know the pieces really well, and you sort of ended up liking them a lot. I think when you spend a lot of time with something, you appreciate it (or end up loathing it; that’s an option too).

The String Trios are far less-well known than Beethoven’s more prodigious genre, the string quartet. While I own all of both collections, it’s the trios I come back to most often for listening. I know the characteristics of each one, and simply like them all.

I’m listening now to the Scherzo of op.9 no.3, and it puts me right back into the classroom: I see some of the faces of my academic colleagues. I can smell pencil (freshly sharpened, ready to strike on the paper to write that this is, in fact, the Scherzo from op. 9, no. 3). I remember writing to my friend Neumann at the time, telling him in a letter that “Beethoven was a genius,” despite the fact, in high school, I had declared him boring.

For me, Bach was #1. But now Beethoven was approaching as competition. It was soon after, probably another year, that I had asked for the set of all of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. The set I received was the one by Richard Goode, on Nonesuch. All 10 CDs.

It was in graduate school that I asked again for a set, this time, the Emerson Quartet with Beethoven’s string quartets. To this day, I have favorites from both the quartet and sonata collections, but it is the string trios to me that are the more interesting and accessible.

Having written my own string quartet, you wouldn’t believe how difficult it seems (to me, fellow composers) to write only for three voices. Being a rather anti-social person, you wouldn’t believe how frustrating it is to have lost all the personal relationships that I had when I first discovered all of this fascinating music.

Each us there, together in a room, set with the assignment of getting to know old Beethoven’s trios for strings better than we knew our favorite music, connected by our location and time (Rochester, NY, mid-1990s), by our professor, by our interest (music), by our age (on the cusp of turning 20), each of us intelligent with unknown futures, etc., etc., etc. What would become of us? What has become of us?

My searching thoughts feel more appropriate listening to Thomas Tallis’ Spem in Allium, a 40-part motet for 40 voices. We studied that in music history class, described by our professor (Dr. Massimo Ossi) as “renaissance surround sound.” It just happens to be the next track on my iTunes after the Beethoven trios (organized by performers: Perlman, Peter Phillips). What awesome sounds.

I have heard this piece in person (some years ago, the Tallis Scholars came to Richmond, VA, and performed this at the University of Richmond). How I long to find fellow enthusiasts. It’s a shame to go through life appreciating this art in solitude.

(Not to end on such a sad note; but the Tallis is not exactly as happy or optimistic as the Beethoven.)

Speaker Cable

I have been doing a lot of reading (online, magazines) over the past year on reviews of different audio components, including speaker cable. What I have found is, if you want to believe something, you can likely find someone out there who has written it. Not great, when you’re trying to make an informed decision.

What makes me laugh about it all, in an unfortunate way, are so many reviews that confuse and obfuscate terms that are borrowed both from musical and technical lexicons. You’ll see things written like harmonic cohesion or more realistic soundstage. I no doubt know it is difficult to describe what you hear with words, but some of what is written boils down to nonsense.

Or that a certain cable is better for one type of music (i.e., rock, classical, jazz, etc.).

That’s not to say that some of these folks like what they are listening to.

What makes choosing components in a stereo more difficult is the variety of vintages, brands, and types of configurations you can create and place together. No doubt, we’d call this synergy between the components. Personally, I am not even sure if “synergy” exists. It seems to make sense, but the word itself always makes me suspicious.

This weekend I replaced my speaker cable. I have been on an upgrade path for my stereo since I first acquired my first hi-fi system in 1996. This system still does exist (everything but the cables) connected today to my computer. However, it was replaced by larger, costlier equipment in my main listening room. This weekend, I retired my first set of speaker wire. At the time it was sold to me, the dealer told me it would be a “good match” for my bookshelf speakers and integrated amplifier.

Today, I am using a preamplifier with two monobloc amplifiers. Somewhere, I bought into the notion that “separates” are better, and what this means is that the signal is mushed side by side in stereo in the computer (where all my music is stored), is separated coming out of the digital to analogue converter (DAC), never to be together again, until it’s born as sound.

With my new cables , the sound is separated again, in theory, as I am using a bi-wiring option on my speakers. The treble is taken up in one dedicated pair of wires, while the bass is taken up on a separate pair.

You read that the quality of speaker cable will affect the sound. Now, I will admit, my 1996 purchase was not cheap. I figured I could pay $20-30 for some cable back then. When I paid what I did, I figured this was pretty good stuff! Today, not accounting for inflation, I’ve spent 10 times the amount on the new wires. I feared that I wouldn’t hear a difference, and that what some of what I’d read might be true: “the cable doesn’t really make a difference.” In other words, were those folks who simply went out and got a big spool of 16-gauge wire at the electronics store really smart?

Of course, I’m still getting used to the sound. But I figure it this way. The sound has to travel along a signal path from the computer to the speakers. The signal length inside the equipment is relatively short, so the sound spends an insignificant amount of time traveling those wires compared to what they travel along the speaker wire. Interconnects are like 3 feet. The speaker cable is 10 feet. That more than 3 times the length. If anything is “coloring” the sound, I wager, it’s the wire between the different components.

The sound with the new wires is definitely different–no reservations! Several tracks, in fact, sound like they’re from entirely new recordings. I’m searching for words to describe some of the differences, but my mind is choosing some of the same audiophile babble I’ve been reading: soundstage, air, transparency, etc. Off the top of my head, this is what I’ve noticed:

• more detail
• more bass
• different color

I’m not equipped to speak the techno-babble. But I am to speak for the music-babble. Many recordings now sound more musical, where as what I am saying is, I’m hearing more of the music. Perhaps it is dynamics, I am not sure. But the sound is even more detailed than before, and I feel as if this has been a good investment, because I’m getting more out of the other pieces of the hi-fi puzzle that I’ve invested in.

As a former practicing musician, the details matter. Any investment to reveal more details is an investment in better enjoyment of music.

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