TAPE 1
Michelangelo 70 3'01"
Concierto para Quinteto 8'35"
Decarisimo 3'01"
Camorra III 10'56"
Bandoneon from the Suite Troileana 4'42"
Total Time 30'15"
The mastering for the Analog Master Tapes was done by Giulio Cesare Ricci using the all-analog, tube-based Signoricci system.
This album is part of the recordings I made for the 2021 Piaggio Fonè Music Festival concerts.
I made this recording at the Piaggio Auditorium, located inside the famous Pontedera Museum, where Piaggio was born and where it continues to produce today.
Every year, inside the Museum, visitors from around the world can admire Piaggio's production over the years, all the Vespa and Ape models, and all the Aprilia, Gilera, and Moto Guzzi motorcycles that have won national and international awards.
For this recording, I brought all my equipment, both analog (Ampex ATR 102 Electronic Tube Ampex Model 351-1965, 2-track, 1/2-inch, 30fps modified by David Manley) and digital (Pyramix Recorder, dCS A/D and D/A converters).
For the microphones, I used my original collection of Neumann U47, U48, and M49 microphones, as well as the Signoricci microphone preamplifier and cables.
I used pairs of Neumann tube microphones from 1947 and 1949 (U47, U48, and M49), with their very natural timbre, using two-microphone field-effect techniques.
These microphones have a significant history: they are the original microphones used to record, among others, the Beatles' performances at Abbey Road Studio and by RCA for their "Living Stereo" recordings.
The sound I capture with these legendary microphones is perfectly in line with my sonic taste.
No other microphone has such a true timbre and the ability to capture all the nuances of sound and all the richness of harmonics.
The uniqueness of these microphones lies in their ability to create a perfect "sound photograph" and place the music perfectly in the chosen sound space for recording.
This is because for each recording I always create two masters: an analog master for vinyl and a DSD digital master for SuperAudioCD.
For SACD, I used the DSD format, and on Pyramix, I used the dCS A/D and D/A DSD converters.
Since 1998, I've been recording in DSD 64 x 44.1 bit with ex-Philips Signoricci workstations running Pyramix software, dCS 904 analog-to-digital converters, and dCS 954 digital-to-analog converters, all to best produce fonè SACDs.
I mastered the SACD using the entirely analog, tube-based Signoricci system.
A state-of-the-art system with no sound manipulation, equalization, reverb, compression, or expansion... but a natural sound and true timbre to best enhance the acoustics of the Piaggio Museum Auditorium.
For nearly 40 years, fonè has been offering recordings crafted with technological sophistication and aimed at recovering the original musical atmosphere. For this recording, I also used a "field effect" recording technique... all this to allow the listener, through their home hi-fi system, to relive the live experience as if they were present at the performance.
The stars of this album are Filippo Arlia on piano, Cesare Chiacchiaretta on bandoneon, Giovanni Zonno on violin, Enrico Corapi on double bass, and Salvatore Russo on electric guitar, all performing music by the great Astor Piazzolla. Among the pieces performed are Michelangelo 70, Adios Nonino, Revirado, and more.
An album not to be missed!
Giulio Cesare Ricci
