Hi-Res Downloads

192kHz/24-bit FLAC, Sono Luminus DSL-92171 (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

This debut programme by duoW begins, not with the great Kodály unaccompanied cello sonata, but with a less familiar duo for violin and cello (his Op.7); it ends with an arrangement of ‘The Stars And Stripes Forever’. The Servai/Léonard extravaganza Grand Duo de Concert draws upon our own National Anthem and ‘Yankee Doodle’, while the Halvorsen is based on a Handel passacaglia – their 2011 music video of this, Ghosts And Flowers, was apparently a viral hit. The two gifted string players have Masters degrees from Juilliard and they aspire to bring classical music to a younger generation. This album is far too eclectic for that, although the playing is always alive to stylistic needs. You feel the violin and cello are set about five metres away, so plenty of impact within a resonant acoustic. CB

Sound Quality: 78%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

String harmonics are clearly seen penetrating beyond 40kHz in this 192kHz rendering but whether these are harmonics from the cello and violin or distortion from downstream components (limiters/mixers) is arguable. PM