Distorted Tchaikovsky

[Tony Halstead]

Oh dear. oh dear, has anybody listened to ' the Nutcracker' tonight? ( Halle, Gourlay, 'R3 Live in Concert')
From time to time it's been evident that there is much very good playing, but the 'Sound Engineering' is APPALLING.
There is much crude evidence of 'decibel limiting' after the fashion of CFM, but what is worse is the grotesque caricaturing of the Wind and Brass 'balance' , with the bassoons ( none-too-beautifully-toned) 'sitting in your lap' and the horns banished to an offstage room.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I hate it when they do this. It's normally restricted to inflated solo singers and violinists, but this sounds like inept microphone placing.

[richardfinegold]

Perhaps the sound engineer was to busy salivating after the Sugar Plummed Fairy...

[AjAjAjH]

Those who attended the live performance - I did last Wednesday - had an absolute treat. Andrew Gourlay goes from strength to strength.

[bluestateprommer]

Sorry that the title of this thread on the Halle's recent complete Nutcracker seems to have driven away interest in listening this concert, because I agree with Aj(x3)H that Andrew Gourlay does a very fine job guiding the orchestra. I was more interested in the interpretation than stressing out about the quality of the sound engineering, and AG was smart enough to set basic tempi for each number and let the orchestra go from there. Alfred Hickling in his review for The Guardian was also quite favorable in his assessment. It was drolly charming to hear the impromptu "Ladies of the Halle Orchestra Choir" singing the vocal part in the 'Waltz of the Snowflakes', where I presume that it was the female string players who did the singing.

There seem to be barely 24 hours for everyone to hear this on iPlayer (link here). I do strongly recommend it.

[Stanfordian]

Oh dear. oh dear, has anybody listened to ' the Nutcracker' tonight? ( Halle, Gourlay, 'R3 Live in Concert')
From time to time it's been evident that there is much very good playing, but the 'Sound Engineering' is APPALLING.
There is much crude evidence of 'decibel limiting' after the fashion of CFM, but what is worse is the grotesque caricaturing of the Wind and Brass 'balance' , with the bassoons ( none-too-beautifully-toned) 'sitting in your lap' and the horns banished to an offstage room.

HIy Tony,

I would expect BBC sound engineeers would know a thing or two about recording orchestras. Maybe they had left it to work experience school children.

[teamsaint]

HIy Tony,

I would expect BBC sound engineeers would know a thing or two about recording orchestras. Maybe they had left it to work experience school children.

I Know for a fact that very junior sound engineering staff, with next to no professional experience, are given very responsible roles on major live R3 broadcasts.

That isn't to have a go at anybody, or to say that it is bad practice, but I do know it to be true.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Maybe they had left it to work experience school children.

Why not? Channel 4 appear to use them as camera crew for documentaries. (Naturally the BBC have followed suit in this department too, hence the incompetent zooming, panning and mid-shot focussing - all features of the ungifted amateur.)