Music Reviews

TRACHEA – Schola Cantorum – 2L Norway

2L, a Norwegian music publisher, has made a reputation for exquisitely-recorded albums. Each album has several resolutions, including 24/192 stereo and seven-channel surround in 96 kHz sampling.

This particular album, entitled TRACHEA, is a choir called the Schola Cantorum, conducted by Tone Bianca Sparre Dahl.

The choir is accompanied by saxophone and French horn.

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The album is priced initially at $34.99 on Amazon, but should eventually be about $28. You can download individual resolutions, such as FLAC 24/176.4 from HighResAudio.com. You can listen to samples from the album there.

The music is very Norwegian, and it might seem a bit strange to those who have never heard this type of music. Unusual chords are prevalent throughout this particular album.

My favorite is Track 4. It is very relaxing. The other tracks are more intense.

What strikes me most is that the 16/44.1 CD stereo tracks sound better than tracks from other CDs that I own which are not 2L in origin. The clarity and detail are amazing. I think this is because the 16/44.1 is down-converted from the original DXD 24/352.8 recording.

I also compared the sound of this album to music (not the same album) on a free music streaming service. The streamed music sounded “empty” by comparison, probably because the free streaming is 320 kbps. This album has a minimum bit rate of 1,411 kbps (CD – 16/44.1), and increased bit rates at high res, e.g., 4,608 kbps (24/96), and 9,216 kbps (24/192). Check out Mel Martin’s article on streaming, which will be published soon.

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Veneliti – Oslo Kammerkor – 2L Norway

Veneliti is another recent 2L release having two discs in the case. One is CD resolution (16/44.1), and the other has multiple resolutions, including surround sound. Like TRACHEA, Veneliti contains choir music.

This choir is called the Oslo Kammerkor (Oslo Chamber Choir), and it is conducted by Hakon Daniel Nystedt. The composer is Orjan Matre.

Compared to the first disc in this review (TRACHEA), Veneliti does not have the unusual chord structure. It is a good album for you to sample more Norwegian-style compositions. You can listen to track samples here.

I think this album would be nice to have as background music at a social event. It should be available on Amazon shortly. Keep the volume low and enjoy. I am sure someone at your party will ask you about what is playing. The sound quality is spectacular.

John E. Johnson, Jr.

Editor-in-Chief Emeritus. John E. Johnson, Jr. founded Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity in 1994, shortly after publishing a hardcopy book of the same title. He served as Editor-in-Chief of Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity until 2022. John has been involved in audio and video for more than 50 years, having built radio transmitters, amplifiers, turntables, and speakers from scratch. He was also one of the founders of the Northern California Audio Video Association, now The Bay Area Audio Society. John holds four university degrees, including a Ph.D. in Neuroscience, and has published numerous scientific books, along with dozens of scientific articles on biomedical research topics as well as imaging technology. He was the founder and Editor-in-Chief of two medical/scientific journals for 20 years. John holds several patents, including one on high resolution image analysis and one on a surgical instrument. He has been affiliated with NASA, The National Institutes of Health, The Johns Hopkins University, Stanford Research Institute, and The University of California at Berkeley. He is President of the consulting firm Scientific Design and Information, Inc., which is based in Redwood City, California. John resides in the San Francisco Bay area with his wife and multiple kitties! His daughter, Cynthia, who was an integral part of SECRETS for many years, resides in San Francisco.