Ed,
Listened again last night. This time relaxing with my wife, a glass of wine and the lights out. Overall, the experience was even better the second time. I find that listening in the dark sharpens the senses and allows a clearer focus on the music.
Although I am in no way an expert in classical music, I did have a pre-Covid subscription to the Philadelphia Orchestra, great seats, 10th row center, allowing me to intimately experience many of the world’s great violinists.
Even though I have heard a few of the Tatsuki Narita tapes, I was unprepared for both the majesty of the music and amazing sound quality on this tape. The performers materialized in a three-dimensional space in the room. The violin possessed a harmonic richness and purity, which I attribute to the custom recording process and the vacuum tubes within that chain. The sound and decay just floated naturally with a stunning realism.
As to the performance, I can say that it was expressively powerful. We were emotionally pulled into the performance sitting transfixed and motionless, finally ending with a deep exhale upon completion.
Overall, the sound quality and the emotional impact of the performance is simply stunning.
Best regards
Mike Malinowski