TrondheimSolistene's Reflections on CD/Blu-ray Audio

It's been a while since I've received a new release from 2L Recordings in Norway. Then it hit me--when I moved to Syracuse last spring, I'd forgotten to send Morten Lindberg my new address. I sent him a quick message on Facebook about the latest move; I was worried that my old mailbox in Colorado was filled with all the latest and greatest titles. "For the first time in a while I have no 2L Recordings in my review pile. I hope I didn't miss anything!"

Morten replied swiftly: "No worries, Marc! We've been busy making new recordings. Four new titles are ready for release over the next weeks." And sure enough, those four titles reached me safely in New York. I've been listening to all four through the summer, and this one was from TrondheimSolistene the most immediately engaging and familiar--after all, the first 2L Recording I've heard was Souvenir, which I reviewed back in 2012. When I saw their latest, Reflections, I was thrilled that it included one of my absolute favorite pieces for string orchestra--Ralph Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. In fact, the first thing I did after unpacking the padded envelope from Norway was to listen to this piece. And it was absolutely beautiful.

That's saying a lot, considering my longtime reference is an old, somewhat beat up copy of Sir John Barbirolli's English String Music with the Sinfonia of London. This 1963 performance is stunning and of course legendary, but I've been vexed by the surface noise. (I bought it used on eBay, and I paid a significant amount of money for it.) I'd splurge on a better copy, but I'm sure examples are both expensive and rare. So the idea of having a brand new take on this piece, pristine and beautifully recorded, made my day. TrondheimSolistene is known for taking liberties through unique arrangements, but their version is restrained and yet animated, and incredibly fluid and emotional. Is it the equivalent of Barbirolli's? I'm not going to go there--I'm thankful I have both.

The other two pieces on Reflections have been chosen, along with the Williams piece, for "passion, perfection and raw intensity." These include Benjamin Britten's Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge and Igor Stravinsky's Apollon Musagete, and they do create a unified and stirring hour-plus of music. Even the Stravinsky piece is perfectly lovely and lyrical--I'm not familiar with it and would never have guessed that it was composed by the same person responsible for The Rite of Spring and Petrushka. At first I thought it might have come from Stravinsky's earlier periods before, as Taruskin wrote, "Stravinsky became Stravinsky." This version was actually revised in 1947, and has flourishes that reach back to the Romantic Era and even, for a few fleeting moments here and there, the Baroque Era.

I did mention that TrondheimSolistene uses atypical arrangements and seating positions--these three pieces are performed with the musicians in a circle and with the microphones on the inside of the circle pointing outward. The placement of the musicians are unique within that circle for each separate piece, so there is a slightly different sonic presentation in each section. Most of the positioning would probably be more obvious in the surround formats--which I do not have yet (I'm working on that as I write).

But I finally have access to a decent universal disc player--the Cambridge Audio CXU--so I can finally do more informed A/B comparisons between CD and Blu-ray digital formats. My initial impressions while switching between these formats aren't yet formed--I hear difference but very small ones, and I suspect those margins increase when you switch to multi-channel. (These four new CDs also utilized Dolby Atmos for the first time, so I'll see if I can find away to explore that new technology as well.) For the moment I continue to give the nod to Blu-ray Audio; it's simple quieter and smoother and more extended in the treble. But it's still amazing to me that two-channel redbook CD sound continues to be as realistic and as lifelike as it is. And no one's doing a better job of pushing the CD format into the 21st century than 2L.

2L Recordings' Magnificat on Blu-ray Audio and CD/SACD Hybrid

"Do you have any Christmas music?"

We had a lot of visitors to our home over the last couple of weeks. That can be a challenge for me since I don't really celebrate the holidays anymore. Nevertheless the old box of Christmas decorations did get pulled out of the garage rafters, and the next thing I know I had guests checking out my reference audio system and asking me if I had something, well, suitable to play for the occasion. It's not that I don't have Christmas music in my collection--I do, but it's all New Age-y holiday fare from a passing phase in the early '90s. (Hint: a particular woman was involved with those purchasing decisions, and I wish she had taken those CDs with her.) Suffice it to say that the only holiday music I'd even remotely consider is the Vince Guaraldi Trio doing A Charlie Brown Christmas. Chad Kassem at Acoustic Sounds just did a new remaster of that, but I think the deadline for buying that in a timely manner has passed.

Fortunately, one of the new disc sets I'd received from Morten Lindberg of 2L Recordings fit the seasonal bill. Magnificat, a new album of sacred pieces for small orchestra, pipe organ, piano and choir, satisfied the more cerebral and esoteric among us and was the perfect antidote to all of those traditional songs that plague us every December (and November and October). The title piece, composed by a young Norwegian named Kim Andre Arnesen (who was born in 1980, something seemingly odd and rare in the world of classical music composers), specifically addresses the story of "the angel Gabriel visiting Mary with the message that she will be the mother of God's son." The other pieces, Aaron Jay Kernis' "Musica Celestis" and Ola Gjeilo's "Tundra" and "Song of the Universal," are equally evocative of the holiday spirit.

This is one release from 2L that will immediately engage you whether or not you're a fan of contemporary classical music. From the opening notes of "Magnificat" you will be seduced and comforted by the sheer beauty of it all, such gorgeous melodies and ideas framed in that usual warm sound that can only come from Morten Lindberg, some recording equipment and the usual Norwegian church. This music becomes something much more substantial than those hoary old carols--it's music that finds a direct connection to your soul whether you lead a religious life or a largely secular one such as me.

Beyond Morten and the composers, there's so much talent worth addressing on this recording--Ola Gjeilo's stunning and full piano work, powerful yet lovely solos from sopranos Lise Granden Berg and Cecilie Ertzaas Overrein and even masterful pipe organ contributions from Magne H. Draagen. You also get none other than TrondheimSolistene performing the role of the smallish string orchestra--their landmark Souvenir, after all, pretty much put 2L on the map when it comes to the world's most beautiful and realistic recordings.

In a lot of ways, this is my favorite 2L release so far and not just because it's so immediate and accessible. I've always been a huge fan of so-called sacred music, but not because it inspires my "faith," whatever that is. Since I was in college I felt a special bond with those classical composers who felt the hand of God on their shoulders as they put pen to paper--in particular Arvo Part's sacred music makes me feel as if I've discovered hidden keys to the universe. Magnificat elicits those same quiet and peaceful epiphanies, which is far more rewarding than those tired old Christmas songs.

A Welcome Holiday Respite Courtesy of 2L Recordings

Last week was a rough, troubling week. Monday started off with a health scare that put me into a foul yet unstable frame of mind. The ongoing debate over the political correctness of the term "Wife Acceptance factor" became quite heated and I found myself being criticized on both sides of the argument. All of this happened in the middle of our seasonal rush, with international shipping avenues completely clogged up for the holidays, resulting in delayed shipments and angry customers. And people ask me why I don't celebrate Christmas. Maybe two decades of retail management has something to do with that.

I did receive another welcome package from Norway. Morten Lindberg sent me several 2L recordings to review, and those should appear shortly. In that care package, however, I found two discs that I've already reviewed--TrondheimSolistene's Souvenir and Flint Juventino Beppe's Remote Galaxy. I did notice that the packaging was slightly different--traditional jewel cases had replaced the older clamshell case. When I opened them I discovered that these were merely Blu-Ray audio discs--not the usual two disc set with both Blu-ray and a CD/SACD hybrid. I wasn't quite sure why Morten wanted to send these to me--I already have both of these titles in LP, CD and Blu-ray. Perhaps he wanted to emphasize a more affordable way to own these groundbreaking recordings. I put them aside for a couple of weeks and almost forgot about them.

When I noticed them once again, sitting in my stack or review materials, I suddenly remembered the strengths of each recording and how that would translate to listening on my new high-quality headphone rig. First up was Souvenir, the Grammy-nominated recording that really put 2L on the map in the US. If you remember my original reviews of this recording, you'll know that these are small orchestra performances of pieces from Nielson and Tchaikovsky that are arranged in a way so that no musician sits next to another musician with the same instrument. The result is a blended sound that will challenge what you think you know about classical recording.

With my headphone rig, which consists of a prototype of the upcoming Unison Research SH headphone amplifier, Furutech H128 headphones, a cheap Samsung Blu-ray player and Cardas Audio Clear Light cabling, it was far easier to discern these unique orchestral arrangements and pinpoint the differences in sound. With Remote Galaxy, a wildly dynamic and exciting recording, that different perspective, residing entirely within my noggin, was startling and made my heart race with anticipation more than once. (You can read my original review of Remote Galaxy here.)

Yesterday, I had an idea. I've just received the new high-efficiency (94 dB, 8 ohms) Unison Research Max loudspeakers, which were designed for low-powered tube amps such as Unison's own Simply Italy (12wpc) and Triode 25 (22 wpc triode/45wpc pentode). Needless to say, the Max goes very loud with very little power. These 2L recordings were downright ideal for such a set-up, with plenty of delicacy during the quieter moments and plenty of gusto during crescendos.

Before you know it, my troubles vanished and I starting thinking about how much I've come to love the music coming out of Norway these days. I just submitted my ten top albums for 2014 to Perfect Sound Forever, and three out of the ten are Norwegian recordings. Something tells me that if I visited Norway, even for a week, I'd come back refreshed and ready to write about controversial issues in audio once again.

2L Recordings' La Voie Triomphale on Blu-ray Audio and CD/SACD

If someone hands you an audiophile-quality recording of a military band, you usually know what you're in for--big cymbal crashes, blaring brass instruments, pomp, circumstance, ONE-two ONE-two ONE-two. We had a few of these discs floating around in the '80s, and they were primarily used to demonstrate the dynamics of an audio system. These weren't late night discs meant to be enjoyed with a glass of brandy with your favorite canine at your feet, unless of course you like the idea of your startled dog suddenly jumping up and barking at the empty space between your speakers.

When Morten Lindberg of 2L Recordings first announced that he was releasing La Voie Triomphale from the Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces, I figured it was going to be one of those discs. I was intrigued that he and conductor Ole Kristian Ruud wanted to focus on French composers, specifically ones that contributed to the "evolvement of the wind orchestra" such as Berlioz, Saint-Saens, Dukas, Milhaud, Henri Tomasi and Eugene Rozza. French composers, at least in my mind, are known more for their lyricism than their bombast. So while you do get healthy amounts of percussive flourishes, heart-stopping crescendos and occasional glimpses of fevered battle cries in La Voie Triomphe, you also get unexpected doses of real emotion and beauty, tempered with a melancholia, regret and even delicacy not usually associated with soldiers.

As is typical for 2L, this recording was captured in Jar Church in Norway--not on an open airfield next to a grandstand filled with ecstatic patriots. This environment, along with Morten's unconventional microphone arrangements, adds another layer to the music, a richer texture that lessens the bright leading edges and ultimately lets you follow the musical threads of individual musicians. As I've said before, each 2L recording I've reviewed excels in a singular way, and the calling card of La Voie Triomphale is its ability to carefully delineate each musician within a particularly powerful and sometimes chaotic context. You can easily latch onto a single flute and escort it through entire movement despite the presence of louder and more demonstrative instruments. Perhaps that's because the soundstage in this recording, accentuated by that Norwegian church, is so utterly gigantic. You can almost picture the precise geometrical spacing of the members of the band.

My enjoyment of this disc, by the way, was enhanced by two new additions to my sound system. First, I've been breaking in a pair of My Audio Design Duke Royal Limited loudspeakers for the last few weeks. First I had to get them ready for CES, and I left them in afterward because I'm an audiophile first and foremost, and for God's sake I have a $48,000 pair of loudspeakers at my disposal. The Dukes are surprisingly compact for a megaspeaker, but they are full-range speakers in every way and produce the widest frequency response of any speaker I've ever used in my own home. Not only does the soundstage go from side to side and front to back, it goes up and down, down, well under my feet deep into the Texas flagstone. If I've been missing any information from these wonderful 2L recordings in the past, the Dukes can certainly retrieve those details in all their glory.

Secondly, and this is a more minor and futzy point, I've added another equipment rack to my system from Splintr Designs, and this allows me a little more flexibility when jumping between formats. That means I can set my $4200 CD player and my $68 Blu-ray player next to each other and perform quick comparisons (again, you get both the Blu-ray audio disc and the CD/SACD with La Voie Triomphale). It allows me to extract a bit more performance from the lowly Samsung since the shelves of the new rack are more effectively decoupled from the rest of the room; I even placed some old Black Diamond Racing Cones underneath the flimsy casework for extra vibration control. As a result, the Blu-ray disc sounds even nicer than usual, with a smoother and easier presentation than the occasionally hyper-detailed hybrid CD/SACD. The Samsung, as usual, is probably responsible for neglecting some of those details, but it does so in a relatively pleasing and inoffensive manner.

After several months, I've finally gotten to the bottom of my 2L pile. That certainly doesn't mean Morten Lindberg is slowing down--on his website I see announcements for new releases on an almost weekly basis. There's an upcoming recoding of a harmonica and organ duo, reminiscent of that old audiophile chestnut Antiphone Blues. There's some Beethoven string quartets coming in the near future, along with some new folk songs from TrondheimSolistene, the group responsible for the Grammy-nominated Souvenir discs I've raved about right here. I'm looking forward to exploring each one.