Live recordings vs. mixed, remastered, “produced” recordings

Wanting to hear more slow pieces with sustained notes
More soft notes-quietly played

Style, quality of sound
Type of sound
Thickness, lightness, aggressiveness

Technicality/Musicality
Interpretation/Phrasing

There are live performances, then there are live recordings; then there are mixed, remastered, “produced” recordings. I will choose a live performance over the other two any day of the week. Twice a day, even.

I want to be in the middle of it. Concerts are interactive. They can be energetic and refreshing, as well as soporific and draining. That’s the fun of it: I can’t predict how enjoyable a concert will be. But, I can appreciate the concentration (or lack thereof) in an artist’s face; I can notice the playfulness in her eyes, the subtle smile of victory after having just licked an especially hard passage, the humble thrill of hearing thunderous applause and shouts for encores. I also like waiting for moments when I can close my eyes, let the music flood my ears, touch my soul, and overflow as exquisite tears. So yeah, for me, concerts are seldom boring.

But, if I can’t have a live performance, if the artist hasn’t played all that seriously in at least four years and shows no signs of playing anything relatively soon, then I will settle for the live recordings she has been generous and trusting enough to lend me. When I say “settle,” I mean drink the music deeply and experience it wholly. It’s hardly settling at all. In this case, It would be almost a tie.

Let me clarify that I know very little about the violin. Four strings, tuning pegs, piece of wood. And a bow, which apparently has something called a frog. I like frogs; frogs are cute. I know what a violin looks like; I’ve been to a few concerts to know enough what one sounds like. The sounds between violins, though, can be as different as the personalities who play them. This is why I find it unfair to compare artists. Although music is largely subjective and comprehensive, it has its objective components that separate the good from the exceptional.

[A friend] is definitely better than good.
crisp sound
precision
articulation, attack, deftness
accomplished, adroit, agile, artful, brilliant, clever, deft, dexterous, effective capable, effectual, efficient, equal to, experienced, expert, facile, gifted, ingenious, intelligent, keen, learned, masterful, masterly, paid dues, powerful, practiced, prepared, proficient, qualified, responsible, right there, savvy, sharp, skilled, skillful, smart, talented, trained