My first choice was Shostakovich’s Cello Sonata in D minor, Op. 40, performed by Narek Hakhnazaryan, the Armenian cellist who won the gold medal at the 2011 International Tchaikovsky Competition. All of Ed’s musicians are selected personally, and their credentials are unimpeachable. I was particularly interested in this title because I already owned the same work on tape from Zavalinka Records, also reviewed favorably by Dave Denyer, and I was curious to hear how the two compared.
The performance itself was excellent—but it was the sound that stopped me cold. I had enjoyed the Zavalinka recording, but Ed’s version operated on an entirely different plane. The illusion of being present in the space—Ed’s private home, as it happens—was extraordinary. The cello had body, texture, and resonance that felt uncannily lifelike. The sound of bow on string was vivid and organic in a way I had simply not experienced on my system before.
The second tape I ordered was Kodály’s Sonata for Solo Cello, Op. 8, performed by Hayoung Choi, another major competition winner. This recording left me genuinely floored. The sense of physical presence was so strong that it felt as though one could reach out and touch the instrument. The performance itself is commanding and emotionally direct, but it’s the combination of musical authority and spatial realism that makes this tape so compelling. At this point, it represents the finest sound I’ve heard from my system, without question. (Here’s a video of the performance:
That’s not a statement I make lightly. Over time, I’ve accumulated a number of outstanding tapes: Horch House releases including Rubinstein’s Chopin Nocturnes and Martha Argerich’s Chopin; Open Reel’s Thelonious Monk; The Tape Project’s Oliver Nelson Orchestra; Hemiola’s Kind of Blue and Blue Train and many others, along with several Analogue Productions titles. These are all excellent releases, many of them truly reference-quality. And yet, none quite matches the combination of detail, immediacy, and atmospheric realism achieved through Ed Pong’s recording chain.
Dennis