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Double Bass Favorite Orchestra?

#42
kpo said:
The 14 performances I heard live in Cleveland were beautiful, with their 'trademark sound', in their GlORIOUS and perfectly balanced concert hall. But they never "went for it" - it's their style to really lay back. Very Genuine "section playing". Very ""European"", so they say.
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I agree with everything, the positive and the "not going for it".

I had already heard the comment about their european-ness, I always wondered what they meant.

Precise and transparent like the English?
Ballsy and dark like Berlin Phil?
Flexible and playful like Vienna Phil?
Brass with vibrato like some Russian orchestras?
Elegant and bright like the French?
 
#46
Dr Rod said:
I agree with everything, the positive and the "not going for it".

I had already heard the comment about their european-ness, I always wondered what they meant.

Precise and transparent like the English?
Ballsy and dark like Berlin Phil?
Flexible and playful like Vienna Phil?
Brass with vibrato like some Russian orchestras?
Elegant and bright like the French?
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From what I understand, in general, European Orchestras are focused on the quality of sound, like they will never play too much into the string, but they sometimes get lazy with articulations of certain rhythms (like at eighth note pick ups and dotted eighth-sixteenth note figures). The orchestra will always end up sounding really good, but at some points where they could rock it, they don't, because they are so laid back about certain things.

American Orchestras, on the other hand, are much better at rhythms and articulation, but the quality of sound isn't always there.

This is basically what I've learned from others and a few of my own observations, but please correct me if I'm wrong.
 
#48
Bruce Lindfield said:
"NOT American"....???
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I think you are on the right track Bruce :)



TheGrayBassGuy said:
From what I understand, in general, European Orchestras are focused on the quality of sound, like they will never play too much into the string, but they sometimes get lazy with articulations of certain rhythms
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Dear TheGrayBassGuy
Some German orchestras can sound like that, but if you listen to a Czeck, English or Russian orchestra, you will find very defined articulations and the sound won't be quite as refined as the one from German or Austrian orchestras.

German and Austrian orchestras do dig into the string, but they use more bow speed than we usually use here in the new world.

I don't think you are wrong, the problem is that Europe is HUGELY diverse, so it is virtually impossible to define what a European orchestra sounds like.
 
#49
Dr Rod said:
Dear TheGrayBassGuy
Some German orchestras can sound like that, but if you listen to a Czeck, English or Russian orchestra, you will find very defined articulations and the sound won't be quite as refined as the one from German or Austrian orchestras.

German and Austrian orchestras do dig into the string, but they use more bow speed than we usually use here in the new world.

I don't think you are wrong, the problem is that Europe is HUGELY diverse, so it is virtually impossible to define what a European orchestra sounds like.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I was trying to speak in general, but I guess that's a bad idea when describing an entire continent. Not American may be the right way to describe European Orchestras after all.
 
#51
DaveAceofBass said:
Watch out calling something the CSO when everyone doesn't live in your city. In my city, CSO stands for Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. It's like saying PSO. Do you mean Pittsburgh or Philadelphia?
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I don't live in Chicago either. In post #25, I was responding to post #24, which was a comment about the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (spelled out). In the context, I thought "CSO" was pretty clear.

Out of curiosity, do people commonly propose the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra in discussions of favorite orchestras in the world? I have heard the Chicago Symphony often discussed in that context (with a small group of other fine orchestras), but if Charlotte is in the group too, that's great.
 
#56
I have never heard of the entire section playing it. Ever.

If you (Michael) could get Peter's reason for playing it like that, I would like to know.

Also, were you at the Proms performance or did they show it on the web? I happened to find out about it through a few British blogs..all who went enjoyed it.

Alex
 
#57
I only caught the very end of it on the radio. It will be on tv here in Minnesota in a few weeks. I will double check but I think it had something to do with the score that Osmo Vanska was using. Perhaps it was a note put in by Mahler....what ever it is...it is something that Mahler himself decided to change at one point...so it is not the orchestra or Osmo taking liberties in changing the orchestration of Mahler.
 
#58
The Minnesota Orchestra were on TV last night here - on BBC2 - I watched them playing Mahler's 5th symphony - live from the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall!

The TV focused on the basses a fair amount of time and looked like some nice instruments - the BBC is putting out the Proms in High Definition TV, which not only has better pictures , but also better surround sound!! :)

I liked the brass sound and the horns - great sound from principal horn! :)

But compared with other performances of this I have heard, it was a bit indistinct - detail was lost - but not actually being there, I'm not sure if it was the TV recording or not - the BBC are usually pretty good...?

The Adagietto was strangely too loud and coarse - again could be the recording....?
 
#59
Bruce Lindfield said:
The Minnesota Orchestra were on TV last night here - on BBC2 - I watched them playing Mahler's 5th symphony - live from the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall!

The TV focused on the basses a fair amount of time and looked like some nice instruments - the BBC is putting out the Proms in High Definition TV, which not only has better pictures , but also better surround sound!! :)

I liked the brass sound and the horns - great sound from principal horn! :)

But compared with other performances of this I have heard, it was a bit indistinct - detail was lost - but not actually being there, I'm not sure if it was the TV recording or not - the BBC are usually pretty good...?

The Adagietto was strangely too loud and coarse - again could be the recording....?
Click to expand...

There was an article in Bass World a couple of years ago about the instruments used in that section. It's a very impressive collection; makers' names include lots of vowels.
 
#60
Guarnerius-Peter Lloyd (also a Rogeri)
Busan-Brian Liddle
Testore-David Williamson
Maggini-Matthew Frischman (he also plays a modern instrument by Robert Dow)
Storioni-Robert Anderson

I'm not sure about William Schrickel but it is a very big bass with a blonde varnish. The two new guys i am also unsure about. Though I did read that Colin Corner plays a Jackstadt. The orchestra also owns another Testore school bass.
 

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