Olu Sonuga

OPENING NOTE

Not every test announces itself.

The recordings that expose a system most ruthlessly aren’t always the ones that sound ambitious. Some of the most revealing music in existence arrives quietly — lush, relaxed, deceptively simple. You settle in. The pace is gentle. And then, gradually, you realize your system is either unwrapping every layer of what’s in front of it, or quietly losing the thread.

Rosa Passos’s Amorosa is that kind of record. It doesn’t announce its difficulty. It seduces you first — and then it asks its questions.

LISTENING NOTES — ISSUE 002

Rosa Passos — “’S Wonderful” Listen on Spotify or on Tidal

AMOROSA  ·  SONY CLASSICAL SK 92068  ·  2003  ·  ENGINEERED BY AL SCHMITT

For a 44.1kHz/16-bit Redbook recording, this song is lush, detailed and relaxed. Loaded with color and texture, it renders every instrument with a vividly musical, emotional tone. The pace — as Bossa Nova demands — is laid back and gentle, making it difficult not to wallow in the sheer musicality of what’s happening. But there is a great deal of information buried in that ease. This is a challenging song. Most systems will enjoy it. Very few will fully reveal it.

THE ORCHESTRA

Naturally located deep at the rear of a relatively shallow soundstage, the orchestra — strings and woodwinds arrayed from left of center to right of center — underpins the entire emotional architecture of the track. Violins, viola, cellos and flutes are captured so convincingly that you can identify each with ease, despite their compact placement. That’s the test: on a system that resolves the rear stage properly, each instrument holds its own identity. On one that doesn’t, they merge into a single decorative wash behind the voice. The orchestra is either present or it isn’t. There’s no middle ground.

THE RHYTHM SECTION

Drums, bass, acoustic guitar, ring, shaker and piano populate the mid-stage in a dense, layered arrangement that will challenge all but the most resolving systems to follow individually. The shaker — left of center, slightly ahead of the kit — keeps perfect time with a pace that drives the track forward while the overall feel stays unhurried. The drum kit opens with brushes, then switches to sticks. Watch for it: the transition matters. The cymbal strikes and the occasional entry of the ring interact with a precision that feels almost mystical — highly participatory without calling attention to itself. If your system smooths this over, you won’t know what you’ve missed. But you will have missed something.

THE PIANO

The piano owns the outside right front of the soundstage — tinkly in tone, making major contributions to the color and gestalt of the track. Its brief solo is simply fabulous: clear, nimble, emotionally precise. A system that places it correctly will show you an instrument with distinct physical location and presence. One that doesn’t will bury it in the mid-stage density. Find the piano. It’s worth finding.

BASS & GUITAR

Like twins — unobtrusive, adding generously to the palette without demanding attention. The bass is deep and full, offering excellent weight and majesty to a song that could easily feel light. On a resolving system, finger movements on both instruments are clearly rendered. They are easy to overlook. They should not be.

ROSA

Her voice dominates the song — dripping with emotion, nuanced, textured and full. Delivered barely above a whisper, but powerfully enough to carry everything. It arrives at the front of stage, some distance ahead of the rhythm section, projecting well into the room at the plane of the speakers. On a system that’s up to the task, it is utterly lifelike, dimensional, bordering on holographic. It is one of the best-rendered recorded female voices I have encountered. Whether your system gives you that experience — or something less — is the question this record is asking.

Until then — find the chair.