Opera on Blu-ray

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by garak

I just popped in Opus Arte's Die Zauberflöte and I stand by my initial assessment, with a slight qualification. It is harsh at times. It seems to be confined primarily to when the louder passages, and only certain instruments/voices.

For example, during the overture, during the full orchestral tuttis when the orchestra is playing forte or fortissimo, the violins sound harsh. The woodwinds and brass sound fine. The lower strings also sound fine. It's only the violins. I'm not an audio engineer, so I don't know the proper term, but it's that sound which is produced when a sound is too loud for the microphone. There is a slight hiss and loss of detail from the violins.

The sound of some of the voices is also a bit brighter than is natural. This is most apparent in the vocals of the 3 ladies, and to a lesser degree the queen of the night.

Overall it wasn't bad though, but I would have given SQ a 7.5/10.

During the fortissimo passages in the overture the violins sound silky smooth on my system. I turned the volume even much louder than I normally would play that opera. Still, I didn't detect the slightest hiss. The only conclusion I can draw is that you have B&W speakers which are perhaps picking up more subtle details than my Energy speaker system. Or, if that's not the case, then perhaps you need more amplifier power to drive those fine B&W speakers of yours. Usually soprano voices can be very demanding for flawless reproduction. Damrau's Queen of the Night arias (especially the second one during the final act) are very clear without any sign of distortion or breaking up in the extreme highs that she manages to sing so beautifully. The Three Ladies' voices didn't sound unnaturally bright on my system. I know you know your opera, but if you are used to Italian opera, German opera might sound a bit harsh simply because the German language just isn't as musical as Italian. Other than those particular points, I cannot account for the differences that we are hearing in this opera. The one thing you didn't mention was Sarastro's Aria. There was one instance where I heard a couple of crackle's in his voice. It could have been background noise or it was because Selig was over miked. It's so minor and never occurs anywhere else in the opera, that I didn't gig it on account of that. I still give the recording a 10/10.