I love Chopin Marty but I think I see where Khun Tang is coming from. There are only 2 places where I routinely reach for his compositions, the patio or the bedroom. Somehow Chopin in the office would not be high on my list of choices
Jack you’re a classy guy! Exceptional restraint, I snuck in Richter’s Mercy on my design students when they were doing some studio design workshop (I normally stick to more light electronic and RnB fare) but knew I was definitely pushing the boundaries with a Chopin Polonaise. Tho they do love a good bit of piano music like Jamie Saft or Omar Klein. They design easier with some soulful tunes to set and lift the tone.
I am not Marty but I am a *massive* Chopin fan. If you want something to set the pulse racing then check out the Winter Wind (Etude, op 25, no 11) - fond memories of my dad playing it as a little boy - the energy and vituosity used to leave my head spinning stood next to him. The Aeolian Harp stirs my soul - it has this cathartic inner flow of life that puts things right in my world - Etude Opus 25, no 1. For something a bit rambunctious try the Polonaise in Ab. For something that will induce a childhood nostalgia, try the prelude opus 28, no 15.
The 2nd piano concerto is utterly sublime too. Maybe it’ll take more time, but once Chopin penetrates your soul, there is no letting go.
Thank you very much Bill. I am a very simple listener and a beginner atClassical. The Winter Wind seems to pull my attention to technical sophisication of the pianist skill more than reaching my soul. I dont know how to describe it. May be if I tell you I like Tchaikovsky very much you would describe how I like my classical music better than I can describe it myself. The 2nd piano concerto sounds less abstract and nicer to me comparing to the Winter Wind but still failed to reach me. (Watching Rubinstein stone cold face while playing on youtube didnt help much either.) I will listen more tonight. I put on my headphone listening to classical when taking my boy to bed every night these days.
Tang, if I hadn't spent big on the hardware side of this hobby, I could easily have 10k v nice collectable classical and jazz NM pressings and call myself a serious curator.
I've picked up a fair number of v nice classical performances on vinyl over the years for £10-20, and personal circumstances mean I'm gonna stick at this road.
Tang, if I hadn't spent big on the hardware side of this hobby, I could easily have 10k v nice collectable classical and jazz NM pressings and call myself a serious curator.
I've picked up a fair number of v nice classical performances on vinyl over the years for £10-20, and personal circumstances mean I'm gonna stick at this road.
Thank you very much Bill. I am a very simple listener and a beginner atClassical. The Winter Wind seems to pull my attention to technical sophisication of the pianist skill more than reaching my soul. I dont know how to describe it. May be if I tell you I like Tchaikovsky very much you would describe how I like my classical music better than I can describe it myself. The 2nd piano concerto sounds less abstract and nicer to me comparing to the Winter Wind but still failed to reach me. (Watching Rubinstein stone cold face while playing on youtube didnt help much either.) I will listen more tonight. I put on my headphone listening to classical when taking my boy to bed every night these days.
Hey Tang - you are most welcome. Try playing Schubert Impromptus or Chopin Nocturnes to your little boy before he sleeps. He will thank you forever.
Btw - your system has really reached very epic levels. We heard the clip and can easily tell you have gone to new stratospheric heights. Congrats indeed.
I'm admittedly biased, but I believe your system has achieved a new level of fidelity with the Lamm system. The "weight" of the notes played and backness of the back ground has been elevated based on my listening to other recordings you made. This is what i heard when i moved to my (more humble) Lamm system.
The ML3 seems to be getting all of the credit around here but I suspect that the preamp has a lot to do with the amazing sound you're getting. I have the less expensive, but also all tube, Lamm LL2.1. It was a huge upgrade over my Hovland.
I'm admittedly biased, but I believe your system has achieved a new level of fidelity with the Lamm system. The "weight" of the notes played and backness of the back ground has been elevated based on my listening to other recordings you made. This is what i heard when i moved to my (more humble) Lamm system.
The ML3 seems to be getting all of the credit around here but I suspect that the preamp has a lot to do with the amazing sound you're getting. I have the less expensive, but also all tube, Lamm LL2.1. It was a huge upgrade over my Hovland.
Tang if you want to hear Chopin well recorded I suggest you contact Ed Pong here from Ultraanalogue Recordings. If memory serves me he has several Chopin recordings on R2R and looking through my library, I have them
The recordings by Ed are always superior to anything else I have found in Classical. I found these 2 samplers below to give me a flavor of Chopin
Tang if you want to hear Chopin well recorded I suggest you contact Ed Pong here from Ultraanalogue Recordings. If memory serves me he has several Chopin recordings on R2R and looking through my library, I have them
The recordings by Ed are always superior to anything else I have found in Classical. I found these 2 samplers below to give me a flavor of Chopin
It really isn’t about hearing Chopin “well recorded” - it is about hearing Chopin being well performed. Tang is (imho rightly) focussing in performance first and foremost.
It really isn’t about hearing Chopin “well recorded” - it is about hearing Chopin being well performed. Tang is (imho rightly) focussing in performance first and foremost.
This is Chopin well performed as well as well recorded. Have you heard any of Ed Pong's tapes or are you jumping to conclusions. You might learn something by listening to one of Ed's tapes
This is Chopin well performed as well as well recorded. Have you heard any of Ed Pong's tapes or are you jumping to conclusions. You might learn something by listening to one of Ed's tapes
I will happily debate with you about performers of Chopin - I did know you had knowledge of pianists and performances of Chopin. Over to you - please enlighten me as to the virtues of the performances by Yun-Yang Lee - very curious to read.
And by the way “you might learn something” is quite rude.
I made a suggestion to Tang. You suggested otherwise. Sorry about the rudeness but I maintain that Ed's tapes are superior to most that I have heard. Tang has tape recorders and IIRC he also has some of Ed's tapes
The bottom line is you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink as Classical music is not a genre that Tang likes if I have been reading correctly
I meant no disrespect but am quite serious about learning how well record and as a result how well they sound. From your suggestion am I to infer that records which are well recorded don't sound good
I made a suggestion to Tang. You suggested otherwise. Sorry about the rudeness but I maintain that Ed's tapes are superior to most that I have heard. Tang has tape recorders and IIRC he also has some of Ed's tapes
The bottom line is you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink as Classical music is not a genre that Tang likes if I have been reading correctly
I meant no disrespect but am quite serious about learning how well record and as a result how well they sound. From your suggestion am I to infer that records which are well recorded don't sound good
In terms of your question “am I to infer that records which are well recorded don’t sound good”
I am not sure I understand what you mean?
It is of no interest (to me and hopefully music lovers) to capture in the best fidelity possible (“sounding good”) a poor performance. That is the domain of audiophile labels trotting out unknown (and rubbish) artists performing horridly in great fidelity - the usual suspects here (think we know that list). These same artists invariably find themselves in such obscure labels due to no serious label taking any interest whatsoever.
Truth be told I am quite ignorant when it comes to classical music. I know what I like and what I don't. Having said that I can attest to the fact that hearing Ed's tapes (and there are many) that they are so well recorded that on some of them the hair on my arms stood up. IOW for me, Ed's tapes generated a true interest in classical music, something which I never really expected. Perhaps the same might occur for Tang was my only point
