fuwen 0 Report post Posted March 9, 2004 (edited) Would like to recommend this CD/SACD: Cantate Domino Basically Christmas music/songs recorded in Stockholm under the label proprius. Very good recording with strong feeling of ambient, typical of proprius label. Probably recorded around 1976. Some church organ musics and some singings accompanied by organs. I particularly like track 11 'Julsang'. Most of the songs are not sung in English though. In fact I think there is only 1 track sung in English 'White Christmas'. This CD is particularly good for testing speaker system, where for a proper and good set up you can feel that you are in a church listening to the choir singing. The music is serious, like you are in the church. Calm but not really relaxing, IMHO. There is a gold CD version and a SACD dual layer version. Not sure is there a normal CD version. I would recommend to get the SACD version. There is no XRCD version so far. Thanks for reading. Edited April 18, 2005 by fuwen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fuwen 0 Report post Posted August 23, 2004 Recently came across this XRCD recording on percussion instrument. The English title is Rhythmize Heartstrings. It is a China production and manufactured in Japan. I do have a few audiophile percussion recordings but the problem with percussion is that I find it hard to continuous listening to them for half to an hour. I find listening to drums and percussion alone is quite tiring. However this particular recording to me is very refreshing. Firstly all recordings are new works. The scores are written in a light hearted way rather than very classical. Some of the arrangements even sound light and modern to me. Also many tracks do include a musical instrument other than the percussion instrument, e.g. piano, trumpet and etc. I particularly like track 3 'Earth and Sunshine'. I enjoy very much the combination of piano and percussion. The arrangement made the music sound very grand like the moment earth is from. Also I like track 4 'The hare and the tortoise' that famous tale we all know. The instrumentation protrayed the hare and the tortoise vividly and I was laughing all the way listening to this work. Another track I liked was track6 with a solo trumpet. The music is in fast pace and I find it good for testing system. I bought my copy at X-audio, Bukit Timah. Not sure the availability elsewhere but heard can also get at New Disc Village but apparently different packaging. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted August 23, 2004 If drums percussion unsettles U after prolonged hearing, settle on the following for it's guaranteed to sooth your nerves and make your ears perk up in attention. All Star Percussion Ensemble conducted by Harold Farberman on Golden Strings label. They have produced three albums in this series. Sample tracks from Amazon.com Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted August 26, 2004 (edited) Fuwen, Further to the above, the enclosed image is different from the one released on Golden Strings label. I just saw one copy of it at Gramophone Raffles Place. Let me know if U are interested and I will pick it up for U. Edited August 26, 2004 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fuwen 0 Report post Posted September 1, 2004 Thanks Mackie for getting the CD for me. Have listened to it and I would say, wonderful! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted September 2, 2004 (edited) Good to know U like it. This is the sort of cd to test how dynamic your speakers system is. A lesser one will prompt U to up the volume during quiet passages and scramble to lower it during climax. The 3rd album is equally wonderful. http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_det...m?Title_ID=6397 Edited September 2, 2004 by Mackie Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fuwen 0 Report post Posted October 28, 2004 (edited) I am not a jazz person, so it took almost a year before I fully appreciate this album: Jazz at the Pawnshop FIM SACD M 034 I bought this album when I started crazy with hifi as my circle of hifi kaki (middle age to old age) highly recommended this recording. This is an interesting live recording back in 1976. Recording was done in a jazz club, Stampen, named after a pawn-broker's shop. It was just another recording for the recording engineer Gert Palmcrantz, but probably all the right things happened at the right time, this recording has become one of the most appreciated recording amoung audiophiles. The performers were in their top form, and the live atmosphere was very well captured. I also appreciate the performance very much as the music they played were technically quite demanding, and that excites me a lot. There were no singing for this album, just pure instrumental. Available in SACD and XRCD versions (2 discs), but the price comes up to about $100. If the price of the SACD and the XRCD versions put u off, do not worry as there are normal and gold disc versions available. However for the SACD/XRCD versions u got the full recording and the normal version short of few tracks. Edited October 28, 2004 by fuwen Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted October 29, 2004 If U dig Jazz at the Pawnshop, try out the third recording which features a vibraphone. Delicious and mesmerizing! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
N@Z 0 Report post Posted October 29, 2004 This one also features the vibraphone in it Mackster. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mackie 0 Report post Posted October 29, 2004 Oops......gotta revisit this piece again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fuwen 0 Report post Posted April 18, 2005 An interesting audiophile recording: Antiphone blues FIM SACD 050 A very rare combination of saxophone and chruch organ. The recording was done in such a way to reproduce the echo in the church. Music in this CD are slow but very nice. Available in CD, gold CD and SACD version. I do not remember seeing a XRCD version. I do not have a normal CD with me at this moment but I think there are few 1994 recordings not include in the normal CD version. Will confirm this. There are total of 15 tracks in the SACD. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites