jwilzewske: miking

Showing posts with label miking. Show all posts

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Sväng’s Arrangements of Chopin for Harmonica Quartet

W e use a special bass harmonica microphone manufactured by Suzuki. This mic is attached directly to the body of bass harmonica, so it gets really close to the source of the sound. The mic module is as long the instrument, and there are several electric condenser mic capsules in it. The capsules are engineered to have different frequency responses depending on their location in the bass harmonica, according to register. The mic has an built-in preamp operating on battery power. Because the capsules are omni-directional condenser mics, the mic module is very prone to feedback on-stage. It feeds back really easily in the monitors and sometimes also on the main PA. To solve this problem, we use in-ear earbud monitoring and very careful equalization on the bass harp.”
— Sväng.

F or diatonic and chromatic harmonicas, we use handheld Audio Technica ATM350s. The mic is held between player’s left-hand fingers, but there are seldom problems with any handling-related noises. Microvox has its own belt clip preamp with volume control knob.”
— Sväng.

O nly recently I came across Sväng’s 2010 recording of their arrangements of Chopin piano etudes, mazurkas, and polonaises. Sväng—the award-winning harmonica quartet from Finland—was commissioned by the La Folle Journée de Nantes festival to create these arrangements. Eero Grundström and Jouko Kyhälä, two of the group’s members, responded to this challenge with dazzling facility, adapting and orchestrating Chopin in such a way that the ethnic texture and musical intent of the originals are honored and preserved and yet new and interesting possibilities are revealed.

I n much the same manner as Chopin wrote the bulk of his compositions while living on ‘foreign’ soil, so too this work by Sväng feels deeply ‘transnational’.

T he arrangements have the motorics of festival dancing and outlawry, and all the confessional intimacy of close friends. The tuba-like bass lines alternately convey polka-like or gypsy-like feel. We have klezmer/ladino clarinet figures in here, rendered by harmonica with awe-inspiring technique. Story-telling, pneumatic phrasing of free-reeds clasped to emphatic lips, the music hovers between conserving traditional values and surrendering to pressures for assimilation into an alien culture.

T here are sad songs of separation, improvised deployments of non-standard instrumentation in service of musical ideas that hail from another culture. The collection co-opts Chopin, infusing it with Baltic jazz sensibilities.

T he informality of the recordings makes you want to get up and dance and join in song. The arrangements of the mazurkas are all bright and uplifting.

[50-sec clip, Chopin - Mazurka Op. 68/2 arr. Eero Grundström ; (track 1), 2010, 2.4MB MP3]

M ore than anything, the effect is a ‘caravan’ soundscape—like a great kumpania—a nomadic band of families, traveling with horses and sleeping in the rough. The sonic ‘wagons’ in this caravan are elaborately carved and fantastically painted; the outlook of Sväng is heterogeneous, with a strong sense of the whimsical and the absurd.

T he music evokes nostalgia, but nostalgia for what? A return home? No. This is a musical pattern of chronic displacement; of families who have winter digs but are of uncertain origins; of clans who have no permanent place and few possessions. Or maybe you feel a resemblance to the saudades and fatalism of portuguese fado. Or you listen, as you might listen to a ribald uncle telling aphorisms. The fascination in which he holds you derives from his concision, which stuns... and also from his wit, which throws you down. The Disenfranchised and Appropriated become the Appropriators!

T he engineering and production values achieved at Studio Kyhättö do great credit to the arranging and performing on this disc. The sound has great warmth and intimacy, with just enough reverb/chorusing for liveliness. (For harp players who wish to learn about the miking equipment and techniques that Sväng utilizes to such advantage, have a look at their website.)

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Theorbo-Dulcian-Viola Trio: Beautiful Performance; Beautiful Recordings

E arly music trio last night at Deutscherordenkirche Wien was really excellent.

Katharine Mandl, Fagott / Dulcian
Elzbieta Sajka, Violetta / Viola da braccio
Hermann Platzer, Theorbe

T he program was comprised entirely of 17th Century works.

Bartolomeo de Selma y Salaverde (1595-1638) - Canzon a due tenori (alto dulcian; viola da braccio; theorbo)
Johann Hieronymus Kapsberger (1580-1648) - Toccata nona und Passacaglia für Theorbe Solo
Adam Jarzębski (1590-1648) - Cantata Giovanni Gabrielli
Selma y Salaverde - Sonata Vestiva i colli für Dulcian Solo (with Theorbo continuo)
Jarzębski - Concerto secondo
Alessandro Piccinini (1566-1638) - Toccata XII, Gagliarda III, und Chiaccona in partite variate für Theorbe Solo
Giovanni Battista Fontana (1571-1630) - Sonata nona
Philipp Friedrich Böddecker (1607-1683) - Sonata “La Monica”

D ulcian is a precursor to the modern bassoon. Ms. Mandl performed on two of them—a smaller alto one, plus a tenor one with a range similar to tenor sax. The trio achieved a fine balance and blending of the timbres of dulcian, 5-stringed violetta / viola da braccio, and theorbo (lute).

T he dulcian part in the Böddecker is amazingly ornate and fast—performed over a languid dotted-quarter/eighth/quarter/quarter viola melody, accompanied by the theorbo continuo. The neume-like notation (which Ms. Mandl explained and illustrated in her pre-performance talk) is prolifically dense in its own right; however, the improvisational cadenzas that Mandl applied took this far beyond the densely-notated score. Truly virtuosic bassoon—on this tender, very old instrument.

T he sanctuary at Deutschordenkirche is small and narrow—only about 10 meters wide. The consort last night positioned themselves near the altar, in a 60° circular-segment arrangement with chairs separated by about 1.5m. They recorded the performance using a Roland EDIROL R-44 4-channel digital recorder and two Schoeps MK-21 condenser microphones on a mic stand elevated 2.0m above the floor and angled downward 10° so that the mic axis of the left mic was midway between the dulcian and viola seats and the mic axis of the right mic was midway between the viola and theorbo seats. This distance to the instruments is a good compromise for these pieces—enough separation and directivity for the solo passages and appropriate lower-directivity for the tutti playing, so the listener’s attention is not confronted by unnatural left-right contrasts.

T he wide off-axis response of this mic helps to blend adjacent instruments and enhance ensemble-ness. The 48-volt phantom-power Schoeps CMC-6 preamps (matched pair; one on each mic) are designed to be compatible with really long mic cables—as was the case last night with the EDIROL R-44 placed at one side of the sanctuary. The R-44 uses multi-gigabyte miniature camera-type SD cards or larger-capacity SDHC cards as the recording media and offers 24-bit wide A-to-D conversion and sampling frequencies (44.1KHz/48KHz/88.2KHz/96KHz/192KHz).

T he MK-21 Schoeps mics have a ‘subcardioid’ (wide cardioid) pattern—moderately high directionality and pretty flat frequency response. A pair of them currently costs about USD$3,500 new, and the R-44 is currently under USD$1,000. Mr. Platzer and Ms. Mandl easily set all the mics and recording equipment up within just two or three minutes before the program commenced, switched the EDIROL on, and so began the group’s performance: no muss, no fuss.

W e eagerly purchased 3 of the CDs that were available at last night’s performance (recordings made in 2007, 2009, and 2010, in Deutschordenkirche—which you can order off the group’s website [link below]). The sound imaging that they achieve with these nice mics and this set-up is phenomenally warm and detailed… heartily to be recommended to other early music groups who wish to capture high-quality sound of period instruments without tremendous worry or logistical troubles.

B ravo, for the live performance and for these excellent recordings!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Allégresse: Just-Released Recording of New Flute-Oboe-Piano Compositions

T he new Allégresse Trio recording has three wonderful newly-commissioned compositions by Ingrid Stölzel, Bryan Kip Haaheim, and Gabriela Lena Frank.

S tölzel’s ‘There are Things to be Said’ is inspired by the poem by American poet Cid Corman (1924-2004). It is contemplative—heavy silences of the sort that you might experience when visiting a sick loved one in the hospital, interspersed with intense dialogues when the patient is awake or when other friends and relatives arrive. The characters/identities of the sometime-reticence-keepers/sometime-voluble-speakers (instruments) are vividly portrayed by the Allégresse members. The indeterminacy of the health and outcomes of the speakers and listeners that permeates Corman’s poem is preserved in this elegant meditation by Stölzel.

I was struck by the simplicity and openness of [Corman’s] words. It is often in such elemental simplicity that we find true and powerful meaning.”
— Ingrid Stölzel.

H aaheim’s ‘Halo’ is intended as a sonic essay on the co-optation of religion by fundamentalism, i.e., aggressive exclusionary and territorial supremacist political factions—a sort of requiem for the loss of genuine and inclusive spirituality that each of the major traditions offer. Radiance, symbolically embodied by the image of the halo, denotes a spiritual balancedness, “visible” to others but more about ‘being’ than ‘vision’ per se. As such, the textures in ‘Halo’ afford equal prominence to each voice—a communitarian/collectivistic ethic, rather than an individualistic one... ‘knowing’ and being peaceably content in knowing, as opposed to ‘seeing’ and feeling compelled to convert every living being to your own all-fired righteous ‘vision’ of what Truth is. Equanimity for three.

F or me the musical elements of melody, harmony, and color that pervade the work seem to invite light into the mind and bring the attention to a subtle yet profound potential inherent in being human.”
— Kip Haaheim.

F rank’s ‘Canto y Danza’ is a one-movement work in ABA form—quick, mercurial, with a helping of fado-type saudades. Philosophically compatible with the other works on this disc, it is a case-study in members’ asserting their identities in a small ensemble while simultaneously committing themselves head-long to the collective goal. Sing as one, dance as one, but freely and without anyone at any time relinquishing any of her autonomy. (To achieve this intensity of image and solidarity, you have to play with these, your friends in the trio, almost every day, I think. Virtual or impromptu trios who don’t know each other very well or who perform together infrequently—no chance. It would be music, but not animated in the way that Allégresse carries off.)

T he Canto is a series of three calls before entering a coda that is like the call that has become frayed... The Danza begins with a short intro, after which begins the karnavalito rhythm and spirit in the piano... The two-note oscillating gesture is quite typical of [Perúvian or Bolivian] folkloric styles.”
— Gabriela Lena Frank.

T he miking and engineering/mixing of the recordings on this disc are admirable—expressively coherent with the aesthetic intentions of each of the works. For one thing, they chose a congenial room for this project. Oboes don’t necessarily respond well to close-miking techniques, and the rich harmonics of the instrument can become lost in too-small or heavily-damped spaces. But on this disc there is a nice lively ambience and presence. We hear nice reflective-surface effects, consistent with some distant-miking at 2 meters or greater... possibly large-diaphragm condenser mics, such as AKG C414s for the distant mics, and a large-diaphragm dynamic mic up-close?

O n my second and third listens, I underline my notes: the close-miking is really well-done here, with a tasteful amount of mechanical oboe and flute key and breath noise to give you the feel of being in Row One at a recital—very close and personal.

S mall-diaphragm omnidirectional mics or ribbon mics on the flute? The latter tend to give a rounder, mellow sound, while the former have more ‘edge’.

I n summary, really beautiful performances of these new flute-oboe-piano trio compositions! I look forward to hearing Allégresse live, but, in lieu of or until that, this recording is a wonderful consolation. Bravo!

[30-sec clip, Allégresse, Ingrid Stölzel, ‘There Are Things to Be Said’, 1.1MB MP3]

[30-sec clip, Allégresse, Kip Haaheim, ‘Halo’, 1.1MB MP3]

[30-sec clip, Allégresse, Gabriela Lena Frank, ‘Canto y Danza’, 1.1MB MP3]

P oetry occurs
in unanticipated ways—
bites and sniffs and keeps an eye on

spiritual territory—
Lets you know of what encroachments
bodies incur when they are free

of gross impediments. Enough
that when the poet himself has
done his thing and left his breath to

yours—you’re not intended to sound
his praises—weep—or bestow on
him supervacuous honors.”
— Cid Corman, ‘And the Word’.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Barocco Toscano, Auser Musici, and Music-as-Protagonist

Auser musici—Barocco Toscano, 08-JUN-2008, Finska Kyrkan, Gamla Stan, Stockholm

The Baroque ensemble, Auser Musici delivered a breathtaking performance on 08-JUN. The concert, Barocco Toscano, was part of the Stockholm Early Music Festival (SEMF), performed in the Finska Kyrkan (bak Slottet) in Gamla Stan.

Sveriges Television (SVT) did a superb job of miking and video production of the Auser Musici performance, without intruding on the delicate baroque music. A diagram of the SVT mics is shown below (mics are denoted by diagonal lozenge shapes).

SVT is the Swedish public service television company. SVT programming is non-commercial. Advertising is not allowed but sponsoring of sports events is. SVT’s programming covers the whole genre spectrum. In fact, 81 of the 100 most popular Swedish TV programs of 2007 were produced domestically by SVT, many of these as HD productions. I am not certain whether or not the SVT recording of Auser Musici at SEMF was in HD. But the SVT digital audio engineering was expert and insightful. Besides the cardioid-pattern mic near the open lid of the harpsichord, the SVT audio engineer also placed a contact mic inside the harpsichord (see photo, below).

The combination is a belt-and-suspenders approach that provides great phasing and extra mix-down options for the recording engineers, once the digital media are brought back to the studio. If one mic only were used, the tender harpsichord might be might be muddied by other nearby, stronger instruments. The insights gleaned from the excellent SVT production set-up were very valuable for those of us interested in recording and sound reinforcement of early music ensembles in churches or other boxy, deep performance venues.

The activity of the ensemble has grown over the past ten years and has recently been given institutional recognition as a project called Tesori Musicali Toscani [Tuscan Musical Treasures], supported by grants from the Italian government.

Elena Cecchi, soprano
Carlo Ipata, traverso (transverse baroque flute)
Luca Ronconi, baroque violin
Daniela Godio, baroque violin
Teresa Ceccato, baroque viola
Marco Ceccato, baroque cello
Francesco Romano, theorbo
Alfonso Fedi, harpsichord

Auser Musici arrange their musical programs in consultation with academic musicologists. The SEMF performance was just such a program, thoughtful yet emotionally accessible. Sonata, operatic and symphonic concerto forms were all represented, with works by Nardini, Traetta, and Cherubini, among others. The premise of Auser Musici’s program at SEMF was that music is itself a character, a protagonist in musical narrative—and that this feature was first grasped by composers of sacred and secular music in the early Baroque period. In other words, not only are individual character’s parts capable of rhetorical gestures, but instrumental sectional playing and tutti ensemble passages also embody ‘characters’ whose natures and motives are elucidated in the course of performing each work. The string section provides a narrative context for Cecchi’s arias for example. The whole ensemble functions as a kind of omniscient ‘narrator’, offering clues to the listener as the performance unfolds and presaging the outcomes of the various movements and passages.

Articles on Ipata and Auser Musici in magazines such as Klassik Heute, Early Music Magazine, Le Monde de la Musique, Repertoire, Diapason, and Goldberg reviewing Auser Musici’s recordings tend to highlight the excellent interpretive skills and beautiful playing. But the SEMF performance—apart from its aesthetic attractiveness—illustrated the importance of the scholarship of Auser Musici on Tuscan repertoire of the 17^th and 18^th Centuries in terms of discourse analysis, semiotics, and rhetorical practice. This is far, far from any ‘conventional-minded’ conception of musicology. Ipata and Auser Musici are showing us an innovative fusion of literary theory and music theory! Here they are, convincing us of the validity of their theses by virtuosic demonstration: “Sentire che dico a lei. Lí è! QED.”

Carlo Ipata’s lyrical and virtuosic playing on baroque flute was spectacular. (Ipata had his musical training first at the Banff Center in Canada, followed by the Royal Conservatory in Ajax, and finally at the Conservatory National de Region of Paris, where he got an honors diploma in baroque flute and chamber music. With the ensemble Suonatori della Gioiosa Marca, I Barocchisti, Il Capriccio, Seicentonovecento, and with AuserMusici, he has performed at the European Festival of Lubiana, the Italian Festival in Dortmund, Berliner Tage für Alte Musik, Festival Antiqua, Musikinstrumenten-Museum of Berlin, Festivoce (France), Celebrations of Boccherini in Madrid), and now SEMF. He has recorded for EMI, Amadeus, Agorà, Tactus, Bongiovanni, Symphonia, Hyperion.

As director of the Tuscan Musical Treasures Project, Ipata has collaborated with the Conservatory of the University of Cremona, the University of Pisa and the Scuola Normale Superiore, and the Italian Musicology Society. He is an author of ‘Il flauto in Italia’ ( Istituto Poligrafico dello Stato, 2005), and he has given courses and seminars at New York University. Ipata is Professor of Chamber Music at the Conservatorio Statale di Musica Gioacchino Rossini in Pesaro.

Here are links to a couple of MP3 tracks on Auser Musici’s website, to give you a feel for the musicianship and interpretive sensibilities of the ensemble:

[Auser Musici, Pietro Nardini, Flute Concerto in G Major, No. 2, Mvt. 3 (Allegro), 1.1MB MP3]

[Auser Musici, Francesco Barsanti, Sei Sonate op. 2 per Flauto traverso, Sonata in a minor, No. 6, Mvt. 4 (Allegro), 5.1MB MP3]

Their website provides easy links, to enable you to purchase their recordings online. The enthusiasm of SEMF attendees for Auser Musici’s playing in the filled-to-SRO Finska Kyrkan that Sunday afternoon was such that the cartons of CDs the ensemble had brought to Stockholm were immediately sold-out…