Below is a recent quote from the LA Times from a concert violinist after he had played a violin made by the late 1600's master, Antonio Stradivari.
"After I played the Mendelssohn Concerto on it, I cried like a baby," McHugh recalled. It was "smooth, as sweet as could be. . . . It was something I had a love affair with."
Ever been moved to tears by a system? If so, what song was playing and what comprised the system?
BAT 3ix, Musical Fidelity A308 AMP, MF A308CDP, Olympic Audio Speakers. When I play Eva Cassidy's "Fields of Gold" or Alison Krauss "It Doesn't Matter" or other favorite tracks and either I get chills or the hairs on my neck stand up and sometimes I even shed a tear- that's when I know my system is perfect.
Vocals tend to raise the hair on the back of my neck every time, as they sound so real, but tears tend to come from a connection with the music (Mozart Requiem for example) or with the emotion expressed by the artisit (Celine Dion for example).
The only music that creates this type of strong emotion for me is opera or live electric guitar where the composer/writer uses long lines and phrasing, e.g. in ilTravetore and some of Knopfler's live solo work. And if Alex Lifeson can't evoke tremendous emotion from someone, I really have to wonder if they have a heart at all. (OK, now back to baseball and beer.) Good thread BTW.
Harry Bela fonte:Jamaican Farewell.At 98 CES-24K of VSA VR-6s,Lamm M1.1s,AHT line,Walker phono/table fitted with Clearaudio Gold.Wiring was the original "coat-hanger" iCs ,PCS and speaker cables ftom Omega Mikro. It was moving.
Sarah Brightman, IL MIO CUORE VA, which is My Heart Will Go On, from Titanic. The first few times I listened, I got the chills. Halfway through the song, after the interlude, she changes her voice to her opera voice, and that's the chills. Course I'm a sucker for sopranos and powerful melodies. Wadia 850 direct to Mesa Baron, speakers home grown, Scan Speak drivers. Very interesting thread, Mitch!
lately i have been moved by Jon Anderson's song Animation from that LP..for voices, nothing beats a Berning EA-230 and Tannoy Monitor Gold 12's thru a Berning TF-10 preamp/
The first time I heard Eva Cassidy sing Over the Rainbow on "The Other Side with Chuck Brown" cd was pretty emotional. I was also thinking about her death when I was listening, so this may have been part of it. She was very good though. System was an Ayre CX-7 cd player, Straightwire Serenade ICs, Krell KRC-3 preamp, Shunyata Aries ICs, Aragon 8008BB amp, dual run Straightwire Maestro II SCs, Mirage M3si speakers.
there's NO substitute for playing a musical instrument and producing the sound yourself. that is the very definition of "involvement". and you don't necessarily have to be a professional musician. plus, it will greatly enhance your appreciation of the performance qualities of great musicians/singers when you listen to recordings on ANY system. i feel i can understand (at least in part) the strong emotions of the violinist who played the strad-although the magnificient mendelssohn concerto may have accounted for 90% of his reaction. okay, to answer the question, a.c.jobim on vinyl played on an sme-30 turntable with sonus faber extrema speakers. the rest of the system was unremarkable. that was the 1st time i'd heard "high-end with heart"- very moving. everything i'd heard before that was more "hi-rez" than anything else.
I think the first time I heard Eva Cassidy was during the last Winter Olympics. Seems like Michelle Kwon skated to Fields of Gold. I remember scrambling to find out who sang the music though.
Yep, the first time I heard Avantgarde Duos at the US distributor's place - rest of system included Audiopax 88s, DcS digital stack and a Viva preamp (cannot recall the model). I had him play the live version of "Little Wing" from Hendrix In The West, and it was so moving that I teared up...this in front of a guy I'd just met less than an hour before. Amazing. That's what this hobby is all about.
I recall blasting through guitar solos with emotion that cannot be put into words. I would get wrapped up in the song so much it was like nothing else existed in the universe but the sound of the guitar and myself. Adrenaline, chills up your spine, heart pounding, heavy chested take your breath away, physically and emotionally draining, and no it wasn't cardiac arrest. It was euphoric.
As for tears, who me, never, it was something in my eye !!!
Japanese guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka's version of Santana's "Samba Pati" I heard this version before the orignal and couln't beleive the difference in technique. Takanaka plays in the style of Carlos, but is faster, cleaner and more emotional.
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