Harbison concerto and sound reinforcement

[buddyro57]

Just thought I would give some comments about the Harbison Concerto and the question of using a microphone in a classical concerto context. First, a review: I listened to the Concerto (a live recording with Owen Lee and Cincinnati) and on first hearing was disappointed. I got a little tired of the quasi-baroque material in the first and second movements. By the third hearing I had changed my opinion radically. Harbison is a masterful composer- we all know that- but his writing in this context is really compelling and convincing. He is a world-class orchestrator and does a fine job of leaving the double bass its own airspace. I still think that maybe he “stayed a little too long at the fair” with so much neo-baroque counterpoint, but it does show the lyrical side of the bass in a favorable landscape. The third movement is fast and exciting- there is a mixture of jazzy rhythms with swung eighth-notes, juxtaposed with Stravinskyian and maybe even some Gershwin references. The form is really cyclical; the first movement begins with the same rhythmic material as the ending of the third (and features the bass section as choir in a kind of late renaissance chest of viols kind of thing). Anyway- I give it a thumbs-up for what that is worth- and I predict that it will become, maybe not a standard in new DB repertoire, but it is certain to be (and deserves to be) heard often.
Now to the question of reinforcement of the soloist; I wonder if bassists are amenable to the idea. Harbison’s concerto utilizes both extremes of the register, and many times is pitted against aggressive orchestral densities. The recording I have of Lee’s performance is quite good; the mic’ing for the bass is carefully done and captures every nuance of the quality of the instrument and player. I just hope that he was mic’ed, so that the audience members in the hall could hear the bass as clearly and with the authority and presence that the recording displays. The other argument for mic’ing the bass is that then the orchestra doesn’t have to walk on egg shells; this is a piece that deserves to be played with energy and force. Like to hear your comments- JS

[mcnaire2004]

I really want to hear this piece....

But in reference to a mic. I know Edgar Meyer is almost always mic'd when playing with a orchestra. I don't know how common that is though.....

[JayR]

I can't see any downside to using sound reinforcement in situations that ask for it, other than bass-jock reasons. I did the Capuzzi concerto like 4 years ago with an orchestra (I don't care what anyone says, that is an awesome, awesome concerto) and I had my instrument amplified. Considering the tessitura the piece occupies, it only made sense, and it produced a very satisfying result. If you're working with a heavily orchestrated piece, you know, why not? Whatever produces the best end result.

[composerviolist]

It seems like a good idea to me to use sound reinforcement with an orchestra of that size and instrumentation. How is this usually achieved in practice ie. where are the speakers positioned in relation to the orchestra? I'm interested as I wrote a viola concerto where the orchestration is very similar to the Harbison. Viola is not an instrument that cuts easily through an orchestra. My concerto was performed with strings of 6,5,4,4,2 and no sound reinforcement was used for the soloist but I would vote for it the next time it is performed.

Another aspect I've been contemplating recently is that in the case of a new work that will be completely unknown to an audience, if the orchestral material is fairly active, and the solo part is changing register, whether or not the ear focusing on a particular pitch register changes the perception of the balance. For example if the ear is focused in a low register but the solo has already moved to a much higher register; in the case of the work being familiar the ear anticipates what's happening in the solo part and hears the balance differently. For that reason it seems that sound reinforcement would be even more important if the work is unfamiliar.

[buddyro57]

to respond to composerviolist: I have very limited experience, but here goes: years ago I saw the Rodrigo Guitar Concerto performed by the Prague chamber orchestra, the soloist used one small cabinet which at most had a 10 inch speaker (not sure about the amp, but it looked very high-end - somthing along the lines of a Walter Woods). Just that much reinforcement did wonders in the small hall (600 seats or so). The soloist had the cab right beide him.
I arranged a medly of Morricone pieces for full orchestra and used classical guitar as soloist for a portion. The soloist used a small amp (conventional Fender with a pickup instead of a mic). The sound was very good- blended fine with the orchestra- and sounded very natural in the 1500 seat room. Again, the amp was right beside the soloist.
On the other hand, I wrote an arrangement of Richard Rodgers songs for full orch and soprano and tenor soloists. They sang through the house system (flown from the ceiling)- sound was good, but there are some oddities when the sound comes from a source so far away from the orchestra, and especially the conductor. I think that for a difficul work, the speakers must be close to the performer and conductor, so that they do not lose the immedicacy of the sound.
I do believe that in most cases (at least for larger ensembles), sound reinforcement is a plus.
JS

[composerviolist]

buddyro57, thanks for that useful information. I'm sure that a 10 inch speaker would be completely adequate for a viola soloist too. In the case of a viola, I'd imagine that a highly directional mic placed directly above the viola, and pointing to the floor would work best.

[bpclark]

I saw Owen Lee play the Harbison with the CSO. I didn't really care for the piece too much, possibly because it was a strain to hear the bass (or maybe not). If he was mic'd, it didn't help much where I was sitting.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by buddyro57

to respond to composerviolist: I have very limited experience, but here goes: years ago I saw the Rodrigo Guitar Concerto performed by the Prague chamber orchestra, the soloist used one small cabinet which at most had a 10 inch speaker (not sure about the amp, but it looked very high-end - somthing along the lines of a Walter Woods). Just that much reinforcement did wonders in the small hall (600 seats or so). The soloist had the cab right beide him.

I've seen that piece perfomed in the concert hall a few times - 2 or 3 times by the great John Williams who always seems to be successful without an amp and just gets a mike near him..?

On the other hand I have seen some disastrous performances with an amp and pickup - I remember a guy fiddling with it all the way through and stopping - to the point where people started walking out...

Back more on topic I saw Dave Holland as featured soloist in a concerto written for him, (Bass Inventions) by the British contemporary classical composer, Marc Anthony Turnage.

Dave used his normal Gallien Krueger 150 watt combo against the small chamber orchestra, which had one DB player in the string section, who was actually louder (although less distinct) unamped!

[buddyro57]

I also was lukewarm on the piece the first time through- If you have a chance, listen 2 more times and see if you change your opinion. My feeling is that there might be some pacing issues with it- but the last movement is really good I think. I would like to see it performed live, but the amplification of the bass would be essential (!)

[MillerOnTheBass]

Do any of you know if there is (or will soon be) a recording of the Harbison concerto available? I am extremely interested and very excited to hear it, but I've obviously missed the 'rolling premier' and can't find a recording.

[JeremyKurtz]

It's nice to hear some discussion about the Harbison! Your best bet to hear the piece live right now is to find someone doing it as recital piece with the piano reduction (which was done by Harbison himself), but hopefully there will be more orchestral performances as well.

Unfortunately, I am not aware of any plans for a recording right now. One or two orchestras inquired about getting the rights to do that, but no one followed through. It costs a lot to put out an orchestral recording these days, and orchestras seem to be sticking to the very standard repertoire when they do (even though it's been recorded numerous times.) Any quality recording of bass concertos is a rare thing . . . but if you know a big donor who'd like to see it happen, there might be a chance!

And as far as the sound reinforcement goes, I think about half of the original 16 soloists used some sort of amplification. I saw Dennis Trembly perform it without any boost, and since it was in Disney Hall in LA (superb acoustics) and Dennis is a strong player (and with solo strings) it was perfectly audible--although certainly not the same presence that a violin would have had in the hall . . .just how our instrument works.

I performed it here in San Diego, and we used a bit of boost, since our hall is an old theater, and there are some dead spots in several places. We used a good, large diaphragm mic, and then just had a small speaker on its side (http://www.worxaudio.com/product_desc_wave.php?id=34) placed in front of me, pointing towards the audience. It helped the sound to come from the same point as me--to avoid the confusion of it coming from overhear speakers. Still, in the end, it all depends on having a good sound engineer who can get a natural balance--and good mic placement.

-Jeremy Kurtz
(ISB board member--formerly the 'Harbison concerto coordinator')