A single phrase to describe this work would be “literary music” or, perhaps if expressed differently, “musical literature.” Indeed, the very concept of poetry–a cultural art form which is believed to have existed even before the usage of written language–was originally an amalgamation of voice and song. This time around, Tomomi Oda has rediscovered the enchanted allure of poetry, and her captivating vocals are featured on the album Shintaro Mieda Orquesta de la Esperanza on RME Premium Recordings. Although her talents are the voice behind the conventional music of the WOWOW drama series Spring Has Come, in this recording there is no rigidness or formality to be found. Throughout the recording process new expressions were revealed with each song, and in the finished work poetry etched in words blooms to life and animates spontaneously. With the support of pianist Shintaro Mieda, the effect is a sonic facsimile that captures the texture felt by fingertips when caressing and turning the parchment leaves of a poetry collection.

Capturing the worlds of Shintaro Mieda and Tomomi Oda is none other than Mick Sawaguchi, who achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Professional Music Recording Award for three consecutive years. He consistently forges new frontiers by building upon thorough noise reduction techniques and utilizing high-quality 192kHz / 32bit recording. His daring and innovative technical approach to recording vocals also extends to using omnidirectional digital microphones. The 5.1 surround sound delivers an adventurous listening experience distinct from what the listener hears from the standard 2-channel version. In addition to this technique, an analog mix was also recorded in DSD using the RME ADI-2 Pro, serving as an experiment to capture the same performance through different aural perspectives.