What are you listening to?

[fergus]

JSB – The wonderful Cantata BWV90 for the Twenty-fifth Sunday after Trinity....

[Seán]

A timely utterance as the Solti/CSO treatment of Bruckner was mentioned on CMG, not favourably either too I might add. Solti comes in for too much criticism.

I too am actually a big fan of Solti Seán and I genuinely would like to hear his Bruckner cycle. If I picked it up relatively cheaply I probably would buy it.

Me too, I think that I will get it.

[Seán]

This weekend I have been listening to and really enjoying:

Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concerto No 1 & 4
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Alfred Brendel - piano
James Levine - conducting.

Stunningly beautiful playing by Brendel on these two live recordings.

[fergus]

[mcq]

Enjoy your time with the Wadia, Dave. I think you'll find it hard to say goodbye. And, you should be mightily impressed with the way it handles Mahler (and Bruckner, as well, for that matter. Nobody wrote for brass quite like Bruckner and the impact of something like Solti's cycle of Bruckner symphonies with the CSO as played through the Wadia is quite something, I can tell you!)

speaking of brass, it was one of the first things that I noticed that the Wadia did differently than the Opus21. It sounds far more realistic but never harsh or bright. The Wadia has bigger bass too but its never bloated or boomy, rather its very well integrated with the rest of the spectrum. Because of this, the music has more weight and body at lower listening volumes. Still evaluating it, but these were some of the first things I noticed even just an hour after a cold start of the machine.

Brass instruments and grand piano are very difficult to get right but the Wadia renders these beautifully in a very lifelike way. However, its approach is inherently musical - no instruments/voices are spotlighted but, as you pointed out, are simply integrated into the entire soundstage. The Wadia is very impressive on conveying a sense of scale as well as an impression of the acoustic environment in which the music was recorded. One other thing - the Wadia is notorious at taking its time to warm up so expect to see its performance improve over the coming days, Dave. I leave mine powered up 24/7. On the subject of Wadia's proprietary algorithms, I normally stick with Algorithm A. Algorithm B can be used for overly warm or flat recordings and Algorithm C can be used for overly bright recordings, but, personally, I use Algorithm A at least 95% of the time. And finally, expect to see the Wadia's performance improved further with a good quality power cable - I use Nordost Valhalla. I know you're sceptical about such things but, once you become accustomed to the sound of the Wadia with its supplied power cable, it's worth your while asking Ivan Cloney about borrowing a second-hand Nordost and taking it home for the weekend.

[fergus]

And the Ring cycle is, I believe, Solti's greatest achievement. Perfectly cast and with a well-drilled VPO, it really deserves every bit of praise that has ever been showered on it. Have a look at this clip - an impassioned Solti and Nilsson on mercurial form which just leaves me breathless every time I see it. This footage is priceless beyond words. And it's even better as a climax to a wonderful evening spent listening to the entire cycle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=146tTKSXu7s (The piece of music beginning at 5.20 is some of the very finest ever written. You must be made of stone if it doesn't bring tears to your eyes.)

Truly, they don't make them like that anymore.

I too enjoyed that magnificent piece of music making. Despite its age and the technology employed a good solid performance is still and forever a good solid performance!!

[mcq]

Over the past week, I've been enjoying the following music.

First of all, Frieder Bernius's excellent recording of Bach's Mass in B Minor (available on Carus) with the Stuttgart Baroque Orchestra and the Stuttgart Chamber Choir. This is a beautiful performance. Bernius uses spacious speeds by today's standards but, in the context of this performance, they sound unerringly right and allow this wonderful music to breathe freely. The soloists are consistently good but I must single out the Canadian countertenor Daniel Taylor whose performance of the Agnus Dei is definitive to my ears - I have never heard it better sung. (Taylor also appears on an excellent DVD performance of the B Minor Mass conducted by John Nelson and available on Virgin. Here is the Agnus Dei: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DNfXgJ8UoY).

Secondly, from the same sources (Bernius again conducting his Stuttgart forces, also on Carus), we have a deeply moving version of Handel's Messiah. Bernius's tempi are a bit quicker here than in the Bach Mass but, once again, they just sound right. Daniel Taylor impresses again with a gorgeous performance of "He was despised" that I find transfixing. I haven't heard tenor Benjamin Hulett before but he is particularly impressive here, especially on the opening "Comfort ye my people" where he takes an extraordinary 12 seconds to sing the first syllable of "Comfort" - a gamble that works. Bass Peter Harvey is in commanding form in "Why do the nations" and "The trumpet shall sound".

Thirdly, once again from the same sources (Bernius once again on Carus), I listened to a fantastic version of Zelenka's Missa Dei Patris. They say that the hallmark of a truly great performance is how quickly you reach for repeat button. I listened to this magnificent performance three times in a row over the course of a single night and each time I found myself overwhelmed by the sense of spiritual grandeur, not to mention the ingenuity of the instrumental writing and the soaring lines that Zelenka wrote for his choirs. A highlight for me was the pure beauty of his setting of the Agnus Dei, sung here with immense tenderness and sensitivity by Daniel Taylor. On hearing this CD, I immediately ordered a copy of Zelenka's Missa Votiva from the same forces (also on Carus) which arrived on Friday and which I 'll be listening to this evening.

Fourthy, a richly rewarding CD on the consistently impressive Ramée label of a selection of sacred and secular pieces by the French 16th century composer, Paschal de L'Estocart, simply entitled Deux coeurs aimants and performed by Ludus Modalis. There is something about unaccompanied choral music from the Medieval and Renaissance periods that seeps deep into your soul and the wonderful thing is that, aside from masters like Josquin, Victoria, Palestrina, Lassus and de Machaut, there are a host of other composers waiting to be discovered. I hadn't heard of L'Estrocart before and this may well be a debut recording of his music, but on the evidence of these deeply committed performances, this should be the first of many recordings devoted to the man's works.

Fifthly, also on Ramée, is a beautiful performance of Johan Rosenmüller's sacred motets (sung by countertenor Alex Potter) interspersed with a selection of chamber sonatas (performed by Ensemble Chelycus). A magnificent CD.

Sixthly, a recent release on the Aeon label is a recording of music by the great Medieval master, Gilles Binchois, entitled L'argument de beauté, as performed by Discantus. One of my all-time favourite recordings is a CD of Binchois' music on the Glossa label, simply entitled Joye and performed by the ever-enterprising Grandelovoix ensemble. Whilst Joye concentrates on this composer's secular chansons, L'argument de beauté concentrates on the man's sacred output. Performed by the all-female ensemble Discantus, this is a quietly entrancing recording of devotional music which I find utterly transporting.

Finally, on the Ricercar label, a recording of the Franco-Flemish Renaissance composer Alexander Agricola's magnificent Missa in Myne Zyn, as performed by Capilla Flamenca and directed by Dirk Snellings. A contemporary of the great Josquin, his music has gradually received much recognition over the last 20 years. Missa in Mine Zyn is one of his greatest works and receives a simply sublime performance from Capilla Flamenca.

[DaveF]

Brass instruments and grand piano are very difficult to get right but the Wadia renders these beautifully in a very lifelike way. However, its approach is inherently musical - no instruments/voices are spotlighted but, as you pointed out, are simply integrated into the entire soundstage. The Wadia is very impressive on conveying a sense of scale as well as an impression of the acoustic environment in which the music was recorded. One other thing - the Wadia is notorious at taking its time to warm up so expect to see its performance improve over the coming days, Dave. I leave mine powered up 24/7. On the subject of Wadia's proprietary algorithms, I normally stick with Algorithm A. Algorithm B can be used for overly warm or flat recordings and Algorithm C can be used for overly bright recordings, but, personally, I use Algorithm A at least 95% of the time. And finally, expect to see the Wadia's performance improved further with a good quality power cable - I use Nordost Valhalla. I know you're sceptical about such things but, once you become accustomed to the sound of the Wadia with its supplied power cable, it's worth your while asking Ivan Cloney about borrowing a second-hand Nordost and taking it home for the weekend.

I have read about the Wadia's notorious warm up time alright and I did notice a dramatic improvement this afternoon as I've had it powered since yesterday afternoon. Yesterday it was little 'party tricks' revealing themselves and although impressive as it was, I wasn't overly convinced that the Wadia was a worthwhile over the Opus 21. Today has changed that opinion as the capabilites of the Wadia are starting to come together now. It was the following two recordings that really had me sitting there and thinking to myself: Wow!





Incredible detail, speed, soundstage depth, 'black' backgrounds: it was all there in spades but most importantly the music was just superb. I was worried that the presentation was gonna be a collection of accurate sounds but be too sterile and lifeless sounding. This isnt the case here, at least not to my ears anyway.


On the subject of power chords, well the engineer in me tells me that its not possible but I do have some Russ Andrews power cables in the system. Connected to the Wadia is one of Andy Spencers 2m Silver Reference chords. Maybe at some point I'll borrow a second hand valhalla.

Another forum member has a Wadia 850 and he had Great Northern Sound upgrade it with their top of the line 'Statement' mods. Apparently it takes the player to whole new level. He has offered to lend it to me at any time to do a comparison with my own 861i stock model(that's IF I decide to buy it!;-)

[mcq]

I've heard that the Blackgate capacitors (which, apparently, are no longer available) play a large part in the wow factor of the GNSC Statement upgrade. I've been tempted in the past to have my Wadia shipped to GNSC for the upgrade, but at a cost of around $5000 including shipping, I think I'd rather save for the newer 781i or the S7i. By the way, here's a link to a review in HiFi Plus of an 861SE with the Statement modifications: http://www.greatnorthernsound.com/pdf/GNSC_review08.pdf

[DaveF]

I've heard that the Blackgate capacitors (which, apparently, are no longer available) play a large part in the wow factor of the GNSC Statement upgrade. I've been tempted in the past to have my Wadia shipped to GNSC for the upgrade, but at a cost of around $5000 including shipping, I think I'd rather save for the newer 781i or the S7i. By the way, here's a link to a review in HiFi Plus of an 861SE with the Statement modifications: http://www.greatnorthernsound.com/pdf/GNSC_review08.pdf

yes those mods are expensive alright. Perhaps the IMF will help me out! ;-)