Options
OR : Odysseus and the Sirens
As mythology would have it, Odysseus was on his way home when he passed the rocks of Charybdis where the Sirens lived. These creatures used to lure sailors from their ships with their singing. Their voices were so beautiful and their songs so haunting that the sailors will be charmed into madness and plunged to their deaths in the waves to remain near them. The encounter of the OR was one such fateful encounter! My destiny was lurking in the horizon after many such fateful encounters: the Zanden combo, the reference PSU upgrade to Avid Acutus and the full suite of complementing FLOWs and SMRs. It was pretty much a definitive system, at least by my standard until the Olympic Reference beaconed. The purchasing impulse was not so much about the namesake. Actually, I found the naming to be a bit tacky and opportunistic. But knowing Ulrik personally, I casted my vote of confidence on OR’s expected product integrity rather than the sheer marketing symbolism.
The way I hear it, the OR should be considered as a complementary and compulsory companion to that of the FLOW. In my previous write-up on the FLOW, I have described it as a string of Mikimoto and I thought this is to become a definitive term in my audio dictionary. But the pearls are only as good as the lady wearing it. By pairing the ORs with my Vitus monoblocks, it immediately dawned on me that it adds credence to everything that FLOW does well. If one appreciates the silkiness and colors of the FLOW as one would with a fine piece of woven fabric, then the addition of OR will be like laying the fabric over a supermodel. The flow and contour of the presentation as supported by a well framed skeleton will immediate add more weights, meaning and allure to the eye witness. The whole thing just become so organic that mere appreciation will transcend into a possessive desire with boundaries that are only limited by the stretch of your imagination. It makes sense of the curves and elasticity that enriches human sensations! No wonder people would pay top dollars for the Paris fashion show! It is not just the epitome of the state of the art but also defines the future path for those keen readers who regularly glance through their Elle and Vogue subscriptions. The only regret is that there will be no more than 208 lucky owners who are able to pair it with FLOW to appreciate what I had experienced. Trust me, I have to strap myself down and blind-folded onto my Eames chair to overome my compulsive urge to dig out records after records to validate what I heard. The presentation is consistently convincing and deafeningly beautiful. I only wish I can let myself loose to lay my hands on the shape and curvature of each notes that pass through my ears. I became the audio Odysseus, tied to the mask and ravaged by the sweetness of Sirens' songs.
I have been enjoying Oleg Kagan's (CD : Elatus 2564 61885-2) interpretation of Bach Sonatas & Partitas recently. Oleg's rendition was filled with pathos and life spirit and the entrance plunged me immediately in the atmosphere that revealed the profoundness of his sonority. Listening to it would be like reading his biography. It was absolutely divine. With the OR, the colors of the polyphonic structure were shining through with ease and lucidity. These are demanding pieces that call for the mastery of the violin as well as the personal imprints of life's meaning. Under the shining beacon of Zanden+FLOW+Vitus+OR, each inflexions and double stoppings were in perfect symbiosis with the musical skeleton and enabled me to appreciate for the first time the depth of Bach's intention. The way Oleg overcame the bitterness and frustration of his tumultuous life can be seen all through his masterly playing with each bow stroke against the strings sending shivers down my spine. In his final recording of Bach before life was taken away, he was playing like God! I was not gifted for perfect hearing as some of our distinguished writers on this forum so I can not comment on the technical aspect of OR performance but the experience was no less remarkable.
Pires' playing of Mozart piano sonatas (LP : Denon OX-7055-ND) was made ever more memorable. I wasn't able to discern the transient changes of her touchings until the OR were in place to reinforce the FLOW in its undulating passages. The way that she approached the music during the recordings: occassionally bashful, sometimes playful and most of the times at ease with liveliness were made all so apparent.
If there were anything more I would wish from Argento, it would be a "complementary" red lacquered packing box for me to display prominently on my treasure chest as my last testimony of my odyssey in the audio journey before reaching Olympia, the mountain of Gods and Goddess! For the mere mortals that will be devoid of OR, put wax in your ears as this is the only way to ensure your safe and sane passages through the strait of the Sirens.
0
Comments
睇呢篇文, 查字典查到傻, 但都學到些新英文
大意應該和我的經驗差不多, Flow用在訊源, OR用在後級, 有冇理解錯?
Yes, this is my observation as well. I believe OR is designed to fill the gap left behind in terms of power delivery and give the overall presentation a more enjoyable "after taste".
I have also enjoyed your witty commentaries immensely. High efficiency camp is a viable alternative but I am not fully convinced that it reigns over the power camp in all attributes.
Actually am more interested to see contributors on this forum commenting on their favorite recordings. I see them as fuels that keep our passion burning.
Opera is a huge undertaking. May be in a year or two although I do inherited a sizeable collection of them. Right now, the primary focus is on Baroque crossing over to Classical period.