Thread: The Rite of Spring from DG and Salonen

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Post by ViewPk October 22, 2006 (81 of 89)
I'm currently listening to a radio broadcast of the San Francisco Symphony and the acoustic just isn't that appealing. It's interesting in that some of the sound I'm hearing right now is different from what a CD of that same orchestra conveys, but the intrinsic characteristics are the same in both. That is, the sound is rather distant with not a lot of distinctiveness, or kind of a soggy, scattered acoustic.

The recording engineers of that symphony's CDs perhaps put some kind of a slight sheen to the sound, because although I still don't find the acoustic in either case to be all that inviting, the sound of that orchestra's CDs does offer a more silken quality.

Post by ramesh October 22, 2006 (82 of 89)
I wonder whether Frank Gehry is Mork from Ork in disguise, aka Robin Williams…

An additional thought about the LA Phil. Only saw them once, Bruckner 4 conducted by Kurt Sanderling.
A splendid orchestra on this occasion. But they sounded less majestic than in those late 1970s to early 1980s DGG recordings under Giulini eg Beethoven 3 & 5, Brahms 1 & 2. I'm not a fan of DGG recordings in general, but those early 1980s Giulini ones weren't too bad. Maybe it was the conductor. There was a golden richness to the LAPO's lower strings, albeit not to Berlin Phil standards. Pity he's not around to conduct his old orchestra in this new hall.

Post by JohnFerrier October 22, 2006 (83 of 89)
ViewPk said:

I'm currently listening to a radio broadcast of the San Francisco Symphony and the acoustic just isn't that appealing. It's interesting in that some of the sound I'm hearing right now is different from what a CD of that same orchestra conveys, but the intrinsic characteristics are the same in both. That is, the sound is rather distant with not a lot of distinctiveness, or kind of a soggy, scattered acoustic.

The recording engineers of that symphony's CDs perhaps put some kind of a slight sheen to the sound, because although I still don't find the acoustic in either case to be all that inviting, the sound of that orchestra's CDs does offer a more silken quality.

In like manner, I think that online samples (though low-res and with computer speakers) do well to convey, in gist, the acoustical quality of a concert hall that one finds on the disc. I'm glad that at least one other person thinks similarly.

Post by ViewPk October 22, 2006 (84 of 89)
Just for a running account of what I'm listening to right now, it's the San Francisco Symphony's performance of Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9, and, again, the sound in their hall really lessens the pleasure of the music, at least for me. And, no, it's not due to my stereo equipment or the broadcast medium, because, by contrast, and using the exact same setup and/or same channel, I've been able to enjoy the sound of Sacre du Printemps (along with the pieces by Mussorgsky and Bartok) performed by the LA Philharmonic on DG's new CD, or that orchestra's own series of radio programs.

Post by ViewPk October 22, 2006 (85 of 89)
mdt said:

I listened through the entire disc at concert like levels without getting tired at all. Normally 10 minutes of DG-sound at a high level will do it for me.

Your comment came to mind, but in my case an opposite reaction to yours, as I was listening to the orchestra led by Michael Tilson Thomas perform the composition by Shostakovich. The sound was so murky and uninvolving that I found myself losing interest and becoming even sort of fatigued after listening to several minutes of it.

I'm beginning to realize that one has to be a huge fan of classical music in order to tolerate such acoustical idiosyncrases. As for not being able to discern such qualities in sound in the first place, well, that's another matter.

Post by JohnFerrier October 23, 2006 (86 of 89)
For those interested in WDCH, DG offers four other performances titled "Live from Walt Disney Concert Hall". For purchase at iTunes, samples available. Artists include: Louis Andriessen, Arvo Pärt, Steve Reich, Ludwig van Beethoven, Anders Hillborg, and Witold Lutoslawski.

http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/webseries/index.htms?ID=dg-concerts&PRODUCT_NR=4776342

Post by ViewPk November 12, 2006 (87 of 89)
I came across the following brief critique of DG's CD of Salonen/LA Philharmonic from someone named David Stearns. A web search of his name indicated he's a music reviewer for a newspaper in Philadelphia, and that he's written about acoustical matters ever since a concert hall opened in his city several years ago.


http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/entertainment/15955824.htm

"The Rite of Spring, plus Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain and Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin" Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting (Deutsche Grammophon, 4 stars)

The Los Angeles Philharmonic's new contract with Deutsche Grammophon yields a great orchestral showcase here, though the fierce abandon of these performances always has a firm sense of theatrical progression, with every orchestral explosion leading to the next in ways that never peak too soon - as so many performances of Bartok and Stravinsky do. The Disney Hall sound quality is terrifyingly good. -- David Patrick Stearns

Post by Johnno November 13, 2006 (88 of 89)
Windsurfer said:

This is absolutely the truth - If we don't buy this, forget all about anymore Universal releases in SACD. No more Lang Lang, no more Hilary Hahn, no more Vienna Philharmonic, no more Anne Sophie Mutter, No more Vadim Repin (recently signed on by DG) and so on and so forth.

I am surprised Edvin did not make note of this when he posted his review! It may be a dog, but if you want any chance of seeing more, buy this and encourage your freinds to do so as well. Tough but that's life!

I was thinking exactly the same thing myself. I've always liked Esa-Pekka as a conductor so I'm going to give it a go anyway. (His Bernard Herrmann disc on Sony is a real stunner!)

Post by Norm February 1, 2007 (89 of 89)
I can clear up a few details from above, but come to this thread a little late. I live in Los Angeles and have season tickets to the LA Philharmonic. I was in the hall when the Rite of Spring and other pieces were recorded (I can't remember if the disc says it, and it doesn't have much info, but these are "live" recordings taken from three days of the same concert program.

What I remember of the microphone setup is that it looked "as usual" which is two mic's above the orchestra, and two more a little further out in the hall. Realize that like Davies Hall in San Francisco, the orchestra here sits in the "middle" of the hall, not on a stage in the back. (It's more to the back, not exactly centered). I can't tell if there's any additional mic's on the floor or buried within the orchestra, but doubt that would be the case.

The bass notes remarked upon earlier, and captured on the disc are representative of the hall as I hear it each week. Disney has two great usually incompatible things going for it. There is extreme clarity of detail from the orchestra. Even the orchestra members say they in affect feel "exposed" here because every thing carries so well. But there is also an incredible warmth to the bass sounds in the hall. The architect said during the opening week of the hall, that despite what you "see" i.e. the swooping wood veneer of walls and ceiling, that's not what truly controls the sound. Underneath all of that are the real walls of the hall, and it is truly a "shoebox" i.e. rectangular design like Boston Symphony Hall etc. That is why the hall sounds like it does.

I liked the disc both because of the clarity of detail, as well as the bass, which is perfect for these pieces. Salonen wanted to do Rite of Spring as the first recording because over the years in LA this has become a signature piece for him and the orchestra.

Someone above mentioned previous LA Philharmonic recordings with Guilini, etc. (loved him dearly). Most of the previous recordings of the LA Phil were done at UCLA's Royce Hall, not at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, which is where they played weekly concerts for over 20 years. The Chandler doesn't have good acoustics at all, and always made the orchestra seem like it was in another room from the audience. It's a multi purpose hall with a traditional stage used for Opera, Ballet and musicals.

Thanks
Norm

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