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Yearly Archive: 2018

Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, 2018 – Preview

Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, 2018 – Preview

by | Oct 6, 2018 | Component Reviews, Special Features

This upcoming weekend is the annual Rocky Mountain Audio Fest, being held in Denver, Colorado.  This is quite the event to attend, with over 400 companies represented, covering the full spectrum of state of the art components. Audiophile Audition is quite pleased to have one Ric Mancuso attend this event.  Ric has been a long-time friend of the site; he enjoys writing—recreationally and professionally; he is quite the avid Audio Enthusiast.  Ric is joining the staff of writers at AudAud, with his observations and insights to the ever moving world of audio hardware and system components.  When the RMAF draws to a close, he will fill us in on the highlights, along with many of the details. For more information about RMAF: And for more info about Ric, please read his following letter of introduction! Dot Dot Dot. . . (Yes, three dot journalism present) Hey, who ‘Am I?  It’s cool to be invited to contribute as a staff writer and special projects reporter for the Audiophile Audition web magazine. It’s a real honor to be on the roll call. Ric Mancuso reporting on Ric Mancuso, new staff writer for the Audiophile Audition. Let’s treat me as if I were […]

Olivia De Prato, solo violin – Streya – New Focus 

Olivia De Prato, solo violin – Streya – New Focus 

by | Oct 4, 2018 | Classical CD Reviews, Jazz CD Reviews

Olivia De Prato, solo violin – Streya – New Focus FCR 193, 45:04 [3/2/18] ****: Olivia De Prato’s solo violin outing, the 45-minute Streya, is unconventional, idiosyncratic and eclectic. De Prato has previously been a member of John Zorn’s Arcana Orchestra (see 2014’s Fragmentations, Prayers and Interjections). That little bit of musical history should give listeners an idea of what to expect on the six generally avant-garde tracks on Streya, which were written by separate composers over several years. The works—which run in length from five to ten minutes—are influenced by the LGBT community; interstellar occurrences; a dream-like hiking adventure; Bach; and particular prayer services. There is a wide tonal range on Streya, and although only De Prato is heard, she strays from solo violin and at times uses overdubbing, multi-tracking and various electronics to bring to life the multi-dimensional material. De Prato commences with Samson Young’s intense, futuristic “Ageha, Tokyo,” which fuses overdubbed solo violin with extended electronics, including liquid sounds, staccato digital effects and other noises. De Prato’s violin is often dissonant and strident, as if trying to echo a besieged personality or an aggressive altercation. “Ageha” is Japanese for “swallowtail butterfly” but in the CD liner notes […]