So, last Saturday evening my wife and I went to Tonhalle in Zurich and got to hear the incredible Evgeny Kissin in a piano recital. The bad news was that it was a very large piano (biggest I have seen) but it was in an even bigger concert hall. The good news is that we were sitting in the 2nd row! That means we were only about 5 meters from the piano and the sound was quite loud and present and the piano had at times almost bell like tones that shimmered in space. It lived and breathed with the intensity of the playing and we were close enough to hear all the little dynamic shifts and working of the pedals. An added bonus is that the piano was so highly polished that one could see the key actions inside the piano off the reflections from the lid, which was one notch from full open (that might actually project better into the hall than in the most open position).
It was not as intimate as the cello concert but very visceral, especially the Beethoven piece, the "Appassionata" Sonata, which is one of the more dynamic and difficult sonatas to play. The power and drama were communicated like a direct wire to the brain...it was exhilarating.
One thing I noticed was how many of the people around us were young. Were they young musicians who were disciples of a great musician? Perhaps. The other interesting thing I noticed was how many people were listening with their eyes closed. I did as well frequently and focused more on the sound with the visuals turned off the sound was even more interesting.
Again, I think about the parallels with the best piano recordings I have heard played on the best systems I have heard and some definitely got closer than others. I won't bore you with a replay of part one but suffice to say that it didn't get me hankering for a D'agostino Momentum or CH Precision system and a big multi-way speaker. I have heard enough of those systems to know that is not the way to what I hear in these concerts. YMMV.
Interestingly, two Munich's ago (my audiophile timekeeping) the Silbatone room had a big pair of 1930s theater speakers that were WE's "small theater" speaker at that time. It is huge for domestic situations...at least the cabinet/horn is...the driver itself was a 12 or 15 incher. Electronics were the very good and very expensive Silbatone. It was the first and only time I have seen my wife actually have tears running down the cheeks when they played a Russian Opera singer. It was gorgeous and emotional. That system might have been flawed in many ways and lacking some degree of realism but it was real enough to evoke real emotions.
It also got me thinking about the Munich 2014 Living Voice/Kondo setup that was super realistic and what piano sounded like there...like the real deal. 2015 was just as good but I knew what to expect this time. 2016 was slightly worse but still closer than the competitors.
It was not as intimate as the cello concert but very visceral, especially the Beethoven piece, the "Appassionata" Sonata, which is one of the more dynamic and difficult sonatas to play. The power and drama were communicated like a direct wire to the brain...it was exhilarating.
One thing I noticed was how many of the people around us were young. Were they young musicians who were disciples of a great musician? Perhaps. The other interesting thing I noticed was how many people were listening with their eyes closed. I did as well frequently and focused more on the sound with the visuals turned off the sound was even more interesting.
Again, I think about the parallels with the best piano recordings I have heard played on the best systems I have heard and some definitely got closer than others. I won't bore you with a replay of part one but suffice to say that it didn't get me hankering for a D'agostino Momentum or CH Precision system and a big multi-way speaker. I have heard enough of those systems to know that is not the way to what I hear in these concerts. YMMV.
Interestingly, two Munich's ago (my audiophile timekeeping) the Silbatone room had a big pair of 1930s theater speakers that were WE's "small theater" speaker at that time. It is huge for domestic situations...at least the cabinet/horn is...the driver itself was a 12 or 15 incher. Electronics were the very good and very expensive Silbatone. It was the first and only time I have seen my wife actually have tears running down the cheeks when they played a Russian Opera singer. It was gorgeous and emotional. That system might have been flawed in many ways and lacking some degree of realism but it was real enough to evoke real emotions.
It also got me thinking about the Munich 2014 Living Voice/Kondo setup that was super realistic and what piano sounded like there...like the real deal. 2015 was just as good but I knew what to expect this time. 2016 was slightly worse but still closer than the competitors.
