tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post6710924930189658484..comments2023-05-27T07:47:26.610-05:00Comments on Bass Blog: The tail-end of the festMichael Hovnanianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07822257921093170726noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-26701047691117440342010-07-03T20:15:35.510-05:002010-07-03T20:15:35.510-05:00Re: Brant and Michael's comments:
In the late...Re: Brant and Michael's comments:<br /><br />In the late '60s I was taken to my first White Sox game at the old Comiskey Park on the South Side. The Sox were playing the Orioles whose star first baseman then was Boog Powell. I was a bit taken aback when it sounded as if the fans were going after Powell at his first at bat as he was pretty universally respected and admired. Then it was explained to me that this is what several thousand people shouting "Boog" sounded like.<br /><br />(I was there at "Joyful!" and I sort of liked it. I obviously enjoyed the entire festival immensely. I'm no acoustics expert, but I'll vote for the additional clarity without the risers proposition.)Andrew Patnerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13596559532572404428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-19542032236603503532010-07-01T07:55:05.256-05:002010-07-01T07:55:05.256-05:00I love the sound without the risers. From where I ...I love the sound without the risers. From where I usually sit, gallery center-left, without the risers, the sound is transparent, with no loss in its weight. I can hear the cello and bass sections much clearer, and the violins do not "sound" strident or harsh. Maybe this is due to how Haitink wanted the orchestra to sound, because Muti attained comparable transparency (and pianissimo, too!) with the risers. If possible, I prefer not to have the risers in the future (these words may be a bit too strong).<br /><br />Finally, please let me take the moment to thank you (and all lower strings!!) for your fantastic playing in this festival, especially in the 6th and the 4th. I would say that words like "fantastic", "wonderful", "fabulous" are serious understatements of what this great orchestra did. Maybe just "deeply satisfying"?willynnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17022193685348278036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-38475337996366552502010-06-21T20:53:31.637-05:002010-06-21T20:53:31.637-05:00The Beethoven Festival really was impressive. Tha...The Beethoven Festival really was impressive. Thanks to the efforts of a remarkable Orchestra and conductor, we were treated to very special, memorable concerts. I can't wait to buy the whole set (please?) on disc someday.<br /><br />I also was thinking about the sound and how the risers affect it. To my ears, there is a little more warmth with them, but without, the sound seems somewhat clearer and more distinct between sections. The difference isn't huge, but it's noticeable. Regardless of risers, my guess is that most audience members are satisfied with the acoustics of that hall, and perhaps the musicians as a whole are too. I'm generally left with the feeling that the Orchestra, the finest on Earth, is playing in a hall that sounds way too dry and without a balanced frequency response. The bass response actually seems pretty good in every place I've sat in the hall, which helps the incredible low string (and low brass and woodwind) players of the ensemble project well and with good richness and impact. For the other instruments, though, some of the brilliance seems stripped away, as if the hall is somehow absorbing rather than reflecting the upper frequencies. This is probably the wrong comment to make on the Bass Blog, but where is the treble in that place?Bradhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17735545530185642433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-31143976183690002562010-06-21T15:35:01.745-05:002010-06-21T15:35:01.745-05:00The orchestra sounded fantastic for 1 and 7, and t...The orchestra sounded fantastic for 1 and 7, and the lack of risers really did help.erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14626544501329257403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-14853301252638901362010-06-21T13:09:58.084-05:002010-06-21T13:09:58.084-05:00From my usual spot somewhere in the lower balcony,...From my usual spot somewhere in the lower balcony, I've never noticed any differences in sound between playing with versus without risers. And I had no preference for warming up on-stage vs. everyone coming out at once. Guess I'm one easy-to-please guy, though I'm probably a little bit more opinionated about the performances themselves. I hope you were able to enjoy the cycle -- I sure did:<br />http://www.davidroyko.com/haitinkcsolvbjune2010.htm<br />Big thanks to you and your fellow pluckers, bowers and blowers (and the stick-waver) for a terrific season finale.<br /><br />Dave RoykoDavid Roykohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07305947452926255125noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-49126612972614063982010-06-21T11:00:14.002-05:002010-06-21T11:00:14.002-05:00I vastly prefer the sound of the orchestra without...I vastly prefer the sound of the orchestra without the risers. The bass sound from the cellos and basses has much more resonance than it does otherwise. There doesn't seem to be much presence lost from the winds or brass, either. I've sat in the lower balcony and main floor (both in front of the overhand and behind it), and haven't wished the risers were in place from any of those vantage points. The sound is much more vivid and three-dimensional.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11367901003659994894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-91253182070164858702010-06-21T10:47:07.161-05:002010-06-21T10:47:07.161-05:00I was expecting (hoping?) to see Mr. Haitink condu...I was expecting (hoping?) to see Mr. Haitink conduct while wearing a Blackhawks jersey--you know, continuing in Solti's tradition of honoring the rare Chicago championship--but the maestro probably had Beethoven's sensitivity in mind. Mr. Rex, however, sat a few seats away from me for 1 ("Sparkling!") and 7 ("Powerful!"), and proudly wore his Hawks championship t-shirt and hat. <br /><br />For the record: I like the toned-down cell phone requests, and I thought the lack of risers didn't hurt the sound at all. Congratulations on a great series of performances!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09393651206795869106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-83894218271934959622010-06-19T22:36:58.341-05:002010-06-19T22:36:58.341-05:00Thanks Brant. Back in their heyday, the Bulls had...Thanks Brant. Back in their heyday, the Bulls had a player named Luc Longley, an Australian. Supposedly when his mother came to see him play for the first time, she mistook the fans calling out Luuuuuuc! every time he touched the ball for boos and left the stadium in tears...Michael Hovnanianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07822257921093170726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-388014615339890178.post-36044733426063227642010-06-19T18:40:42.038-05:002010-06-19T18:40:42.038-05:00Don't know if you know this, Michael, but appa...Don't know if you know this, Michael, but apparently when Thesaurus Rex chose to call out "joyful" after some movement or other early in the festival, Haitink heard it but thought the man had yelled "dreadful". He was slightly disturbed by this until someone set him straight during the intermission.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15458977737916705479noreply@blogger.com