Showcase is a test/reference record for people interested in music and serious High Fidelity and who want to test or enjoy good HiFi equipment with a carefully made selection of acoustic music, World, Folk, Blues, Jazz and Classical music in a harmonic mixture - from the latest Opus 3 releases. Like all Opus 3 LPs, this is a true analogue cutting using a Studer A-80 tape recorder specially made for cutting - no digital delay (because of the "pre-view signal" needed for the cutting lathe) was used for the audio signal during the cutting process.
"Showcase" features 9 carefully selected tracks from various OPUS 3 productions released up through the year 2000. On the one hand, these are quite popular tracks; on the other, they fit perfectly into the musical structure of this sampler. Unlike all previous OPUS 3 compilations—which, as so-called “test records,” enjoy a virtually legendary reputation and offered a rather eclectic mix of diverse musical styles—“Showcase,” thanks to its structured composition, is set within a harmonious musical framework.
It begins with a visit to the famous jazz club “The Pawnshop,” moves through blues, folk, world music, and jazz, and leads to a second Eric Bibb track—which, with its gospel-oriented sound, bridges the gap to sacred and classical music—and concludes with Ravel’s “Bolero,” taken from the *Vatnajökull* CD.
In addition to comments on recording techniques and notes, the booklet also contains brief background information on the deeply emotional experiences Jan-Eric Persson had during the recording sessions.
Of course, the selection criteria—familiar from the earlier Test Records and once again revealed by the subtitle in parentheses—remain the same. Through the use of the most purist techniques, recordings are created with striking spatial depth and natural sound quality, which have been appreciated by music lovers and hi-fi enthusiasts alike since the release of the first Test LP in 1979. In this respect, terms such as “depth of sound,” “timbre,” and “dynamics” are deeply and inextricably linked to the label’s productions.
So, after 20 years, here is the fifth “Test record” from OPUS 3—the most musically perfect, certainly the most informative, and perhaps simply the best there has ever been.
