Fujita Emi - Headphone Concert 2022 - Japan SACD Hybrid

Credits:

Fujita Emi

Description:

Headphone Concert" is a revolution in the art of recording! The vibrancy of a live performance could be heard in the high sound quality of a studio recording! (Reiji Asakura)Studio recording and live recording have their own merits and demerits. In a studio, high-quality sound can be recorded under acoustically ideal conditions. Many takes can be repeated, partial patchwork can be added, and the degree of perfection can be raised to the highest possible level. On the other hand, it lacks the musical excitement of a live performance, which comes from the silent communication with the audience. Although live recordings can achieve the musicality that comes from such vibratory tension, the quality of the sound is low. The sound is dull because it is covered by the sound of the PA to spread the sound over a wide area of the venue. If this is the case, why not combine these two merits? In other words, if the "vibrancy of a live performance" and the "high quality of a studio recording" can be obtained simultaneously, ideal musicality and high sound quality can be realized. That is what the "headphone concert" is all about.I had already listened to the CDs and high-resolution recordings made at the first "Headphone Concert" by Emi Fujita in 2021 and evaluated them as very high quality, so I introduced them in my list of the ten best high-resolution recordings of that year (published on the e-onkyo music website). I participated in the second "Headphone Concert" held on October 26 and 27, 2022, as an audience member. The microphones, head amps, recording equipment, etc., were exactly as in a studio recording. There were no PA speakers for the audience or return speakers for the players, which are usually used at live concerts. Therefore, there was almost no sound in the audience. You can only faintly hear voices in the distance. However, with headphones on, I could hear the performance and singing very clearly. This was the first thing that surprised me. In a live pop concert like this, the sound is amplified by a PA system, which inevitably adds a thick, metallic sharpness to the sound, and the texture is very low. Therefore, I usually ignore the sound quality and enjoy the excitement of a live performance, but the "Headphone Concert" was completely different.Before talking about the high sound quality of this SACD, the live performance itself was of extremely high sound quality! I thought it was a "revolution in live sound quality", which is only natural since it was recorded with the same equipment as in the studio without a PA (......). The sound quality is of course high since it is on SACD, and the usual high quality tone that Mr. Abe of HD Impression produces in the studio can be heard exactly as it is. Vocal textures are precise, natural, and fine-grained. Instruments such as piano, violin, guitar, and accordion ...... are also clear and of high quality. The sound of applause on "12 Perfect (Encore)" is truly vivid. This is something I did not feel in the audience, and the applause is also studio quality(?). The applause is also studio quality (?). The "Headphone Concert" is truly a revolution in the art of recording. Reiji Asakura, Audio Visual Critic / Lecturer (Music) at Tsuda College and Waseda University Extension Center