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primephonic: classical music in the digital age

Amplify your life with our 2017 e- magazine, featuring interviews with Philip Glass, insights on classical music in New York City and more!

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for life on an epic scale pr<strong>in</strong>ted issue 2017<br />

philip glass<br />

a mystical portrait<br />

<strong>the</strong> chronicles<br />

of stream<strong>in</strong>g<br />

an unprecedented<br />

timel<strong>in</strong>e<br />

august<strong>in</strong> hadelich<br />

how do i listen?<br />

<strong>classical</strong><br />

<strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>digital</strong><br />

<strong>age</strong><br />

1


Press play.<br />

And pause.<br />

Immerse yourself <strong>in</strong> a<br />

world of <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

<strong>primephonic</strong>.com<br />

for life on an epic scale<br />

downloads | stream<strong>in</strong>g | experiences


table of<br />

contents<br />

from <strong>the</strong> editor................................ 6<br />

brooklyn, a <strong>classical</strong> portrait............ 14<br />

from <strong>the</strong> record<strong>in</strong>g studio................ 24<br />

stream<strong>in</strong>g user experience............... 44<br />

label portraits.................................. 46<br />

reviews............................................ 63<br />

historical calendar........................... 67<br />

30<br />

<strong>the</strong> brown<br />

album<br />

pentatone’s graphic designer shares his<br />

enthusiasm for br<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g a breath of fresh air<br />

<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> creation of album art<br />

<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

21<br />

maria callas<br />

maria callas had a remarkable<br />

voice unlike any o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

36<br />

<strong>the</strong> chronicles<br />

of stream<strong>in</strong>g<br />

‘it feels like we're just gett<strong>in</strong>g started’<br />

52<br />

how do i listen?<br />

august<strong>in</strong> hadelich<br />

4


54<br />

<strong>music</strong> &<br />

architecture<br />

hans scharoun’s berl<strong>in</strong> philharmonie, one<br />

of <strong>the</strong> wonders of modern architecture<br />

contents<br />

8<br />

philip glass<br />

58<br />

unconventional<br />

<strong>in</strong>struments<br />

‘<strong>the</strong>re are more obscure and uncommon<br />

<strong>in</strong>struments <strong>in</strong> existence than ever before’<br />

‘can Philip Glass really be 80?’<br />

5


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

Editor<br />

Rachel Deloughry<br />

Creative director<br />

Simon Eder<br />

Art direction & design<br />

Joost de Boo<br />

Design assistant<br />

Bob Mollema<br />

Head of market<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Sharri Morris<br />

Market<strong>in</strong>g, distribution & advertis<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Dom<strong>in</strong>go Fernandez<br />

US market<strong>in</strong>g & distribution<br />

Jennifer Harr<strong>in</strong>gton<br />

US chief market<strong>in</strong>g officer<br />

Jonathan Bradley<br />

Head of bus<strong>in</strong>ess development<br />

Veronica Neo<br />

Proofread<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Kev<strong>in</strong> Pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Contributors<br />

Jessica Duchen<br />

Kev<strong>in</strong> Pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Rokas Kuč<strong>in</strong>skas<br />

Melanie Garrett<br />

Matt Adomeit<br />

Tristan Renfrow<br />

Beth Adelman<br />

<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

Pr<strong>in</strong>ses Marielaan 10C<br />

3743 JA, Baarn<br />

The Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands<br />

33 Irv<strong>in</strong>g Pl, New York<br />

NY 10003<br />

United States of America<br />

E-mail: <strong>in</strong>fo@<strong>primephonic</strong>.com<br />

Twitter: @<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

Chamber of Commerce No. : 61197041<br />

VAT No. : NL854249394B01<br />

6


editorial<br />

from <strong>the</strong> editor<br />

WORDS RACHEL DELOUGHRY<br />

We live <strong>in</strong> a fast-paced world of replaceable possessions, short attention<br />

spans, ever-chang<strong>in</strong>g fads and a constant fear of miss<strong>in</strong>g out. When I th<strong>in</strong>k<br />

about stream<strong>in</strong>g I usually th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>in</strong> terms of <strong>the</strong> here and now – it is current, I<br />

have immediate access, but what about <strong>the</strong> future? What will we have to show<br />

for it <strong>in</strong> years to come?<br />

Well that’s just it – stream<strong>in</strong>g is <strong>the</strong> future. We have come to a po<strong>in</strong>t as consumers<br />

where par<strong>in</strong>g th<strong>in</strong>gs down to <strong>the</strong>ir essentials has become of higher<br />

value than own<strong>in</strong>g reams of “stuff”. Experiences are more important than possessions.<br />

This could not be more relevant than it is now, however, <strong>in</strong> terms of<br />

stream<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> quantity of quality <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> record<strong>in</strong>gs is astound<strong>in</strong>g. A<br />

listen<strong>in</strong>g experience br<strong>in</strong>gs you right to <strong>the</strong> epicentre of <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> and br<strong>in</strong>gs<br />

you closer to <strong>the</strong> real live performance, yet at <strong>the</strong> same time it gives us access<br />

to a diversity with<strong>in</strong> <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> that we could never have dreamed of even<br />

a decade ago. You can have unlimited listen<strong>in</strong>g but it’s not go<strong>in</strong>g to clutter<br />

your house and your life. A monthly stream<strong>in</strong>g subscription that costs as little<br />

as an album and is k<strong>in</strong>der to <strong>the</strong> environment? Its value is <strong>in</strong>disputable.<br />

In this magaz<strong>in</strong>e, you will encounter mix<strong>in</strong>g and match<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> obvious and<br />

<strong>the</strong> unexpected: take for example <strong>the</strong> architect of <strong>the</strong> Berl<strong>in</strong> Philharmonie for<br />

whom organic structure proved fundamental to good sound and a designer<br />

of album art who man<strong>age</strong>s to pay tribute to <strong>the</strong> past look<strong>in</strong>g toward <strong>the</strong><br />

future, <strong>the</strong>reby play<strong>in</strong>g with our expectations; to a Grammy-w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g viol<strong>in</strong>ist<br />

who grew up <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> countryside, access<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sound of <strong>the</strong> greats mostly<br />

through record<strong>in</strong>gs. In this issue, we explore <strong>the</strong> world of stream<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong> and<br />

how far we have come s<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong> so-called Golden Age of Record<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong><br />

mid-twentieth century. Enjoy!<br />

7


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

Can Philip Glass really be 80? He and his <strong>music</strong> possess a<br />

quality of youthfulness, of timelessness, that is entirely of<br />

our day while go<strong>in</strong>g beyond it <strong>in</strong>to more mysterious, universal<br />

spheres. So dist<strong>in</strong>ctive is his voice, and so <strong>in</strong>fluential, that<br />

he has plenty of detractors. M<strong>in</strong>or arpeggios, <strong>in</strong>cantatory<br />

melodies, <strong>in</strong>terweav<strong>in</strong>g motifs, a gradual progression of<br />

change… But take a closer look. M<strong>in</strong>imalism? No way.<br />

WORDS JESSICA DUCHEN PHOTO STEVE PYKE<br />

8


<strong>the</strong><br />

mystical<br />

heart<br />

of<br />

philip<br />

glass<br />

philip glass playlist<br />

Philip Glass: Viol<strong>in</strong> Concerto No. 2 “The<br />

American Four Seasons” I.<br />

LPO<br />

Philip Glass: Satyagraha, Act I Tolstoy,<br />

Scene 1<br />

Sony<br />

Philip Glass: Dream<strong>in</strong>g Awake<br />

Sono Lum<strong>in</strong>us<br />

Philip Glass: Naqoyqatsi,<br />

“The Vivid Unknown”<br />

Sony<br />

Philip Glass: The Photographer, Act I<br />

“A Gentleman’s Honor”<br />

Sony<br />

Philip Glass: The Complete Str<strong>in</strong>g Quartets<br />

of Philip Glass – Str<strong>in</strong>g Quartet No. 2<br />

“Company” I. Signum Records<br />

<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

Glass distanced himself from that<br />

term decades ago – now he prefers<br />

to say that he composes “<strong>music</strong><br />

with repetitive structures”. Indeed,<br />

you only have to look at his multifarious<br />

range of <strong>in</strong>fluences to grasp<br />

<strong>the</strong> sheer range that has fed <strong>in</strong>to<br />

<strong>the</strong> mix. Among important formative<br />

experiences, he could cite his<br />

<strong>in</strong>tensive studies with <strong>the</strong> pedagogue<br />

Nadia Boulanger <strong>in</strong> Paris; work<strong>in</strong>g on<br />

Indian <strong>music</strong> with Ravi Shankar; <strong>the</strong><br />

downtown art scene of New York<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1960s; <strong>the</strong>atre, poetry and<br />

literature <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Hermann Hesse,<br />

Samuel Beckett and Allen G<strong>in</strong>sberg;<br />

travell<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> globe, explor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong><br />

of many cultures; a passion for<br />

Schubert; and <strong>the</strong> visceral energy<br />

and atmosphere of New York itself.<br />

The list could cont<strong>in</strong>ue.<br />

Yet <strong>the</strong>re is mysticism, somewhere <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> heart of it. Travell<strong>in</strong>g across India<br />

by tra<strong>in</strong>, he recalls <strong>in</strong> his autobiography,<br />

Words Without Music: “Music<br />

was no longer a metaphor for <strong>the</strong><br />

real world somewhere out <strong>the</strong>re. It<br />

was becom<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> opposite. The ‘out<br />

<strong>the</strong>re’ stuff was <strong>the</strong> metaphor and<br />

<strong>the</strong> real part was, and is to this day,<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong>.”<br />

All of this is reflected to some<br />

degree <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> pianist Bruce Lev<strong>in</strong>gston’s<br />

latest album of Glass’s<br />

<strong>music</strong>, entitled Dream<strong>in</strong>g Awake.<br />

A pianist celebrated for his devotion<br />

to perform<strong>in</strong>g contemporary<br />

repertoire, Lev<strong>in</strong>gston has <strong>in</strong>cluded<br />

a selection of Glass’s piano études –<br />

poetic distillations of his composition<br />

method <strong>in</strong> which <strong>music</strong>al process and<br />

substance become one. There are<br />

unmistakable nods towards Schubert<br />

– <strong>the</strong> Etude Book 2 No.12 opens<br />

with <strong>the</strong> same figure as Schubert’s F<br />

m<strong>in</strong>or Fantasy for piano duet. Alongside<br />

<strong>the</strong>se pieces is an extraord<strong>in</strong>ary<br />

work, Wichita Vortex Sutra, <strong>in</strong> which<br />

<strong>the</strong> actor Ethan Hawke jo<strong>in</strong>s Lev<strong>in</strong>gston<br />

to recite part of <strong>the</strong> poem of<br />

that title by G<strong>in</strong>sburg, <strong>the</strong> declamation<br />

– which sounds as if torn from<br />

<strong>the</strong> depths of <strong>the</strong> poet’s and actor’s<br />

souls – becom<strong>in</strong>g part of <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong>al<br />

fabric. With poetry its driv<strong>in</strong>g force,<br />

<strong>in</strong> words or <strong>music</strong>, <strong>the</strong> album proves<br />

both seductive and hypnotic.<br />

It was a chance encounter with<br />

G<strong>in</strong>sburg <strong>in</strong> a New York bookshop<br />

<strong>in</strong> 1988 that led to <strong>the</strong> piece’s<br />

composition: hav<strong>in</strong>g agreed to<br />

perform <strong>in</strong> a fundrais<strong>in</strong>g event, Glass<br />

asked <strong>the</strong> poet if he would agree<br />

to appear with him, perform<strong>in</strong>g<br />

toge<strong>the</strong>r a recitation with new <strong>music</strong><br />

that Glass would compose specially.<br />

G<strong>in</strong>sburg chose <strong>the</strong> poem at once<br />

and Glass wrote <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong> a<br />

matter of days. The two rema<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

close friends <strong>the</strong>reafter and worked<br />

toge<strong>the</strong>r extensively, notably on <strong>the</strong><br />

collection Hydrogen Jukebox, 20<br />

songs for six s<strong>in</strong>gers.<br />

If <strong>the</strong>re is a meditative quality to<br />

Glass’s <strong>music</strong> and its effect upon us,<br />

that is no co<strong>in</strong>cidence. Born <strong>in</strong> Baltimore<br />

<strong>in</strong> 1937, he has been a spiritual<br />

seeker for most of his life. The many<br />

<strong>in</strong>spirations beh<strong>in</strong>d that <strong>in</strong>cluded<br />

<strong>the</strong> writ<strong>in</strong>gs of Hermann Hesse,<br />

whose works he devoured e<strong>age</strong>rly<br />

as a young man, along with those of<br />

Kerouac, G<strong>in</strong>sburg and o<strong>the</strong>rs. “It<br />

was a time of awaken<strong>in</strong>g,” he writes.<br />

He was <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong> Hesse’s vision<br />

of “a transcendental life…that took<br />

you beyond <strong>the</strong> visible world.”<br />

He took up yoga before it ever<br />

became fashionable, seek<strong>in</strong>g out<br />

10


portrait<br />

a teacher <strong>in</strong> New York simply by<br />

look<strong>in</strong>g under <strong>the</strong> letter Y <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

White P<strong>age</strong>s. He contacted <strong>the</strong> sole<br />

entry, Yogi Vithaldas, who became<br />

his teacher and under whose impact<br />

he quickly turned vegetarian. It later<br />

turned out that Vithaldas had also<br />

taught Yehudi Menuh<strong>in</strong>. Over ten<br />

years Glass visited India and Tibet,<br />

immers<strong>in</strong>g himself <strong>in</strong> particular <strong>in</strong><br />

research on Mahatma Gandhi: work<br />

that eventually morphed <strong>in</strong>to his<br />

sem<strong>in</strong>al and transformative opera<br />

Satyagraha. S<strong>in</strong>ce those days, his<br />

explorations of spiritual cultures have<br />

extended to Buddhism and Mexican<br />

Toltec traditions.<br />

It’s tempt<strong>in</strong>g to wonder whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong><br />

sounds of chant<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>the</strong> repetition<br />

of mantras <strong>in</strong>filtrated his develop<strong>in</strong>g<br />

style at <strong>the</strong> time. “Did it affect<br />

my style? It’s hard to say,” Glass<br />

muses. “But besides Satyagraha, I did<br />

a big piece about Ramakrishna, and<br />

<strong>the</strong> Symphony No.5 uses around 34<br />

texts from different traditions. So <strong>in</strong><br />

some ways it’s gone <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

directly, ei<strong>the</strong>r because it’s about <strong>the</strong><br />

person, or because it’s <strong>the</strong>ir texts<br />

I’ve used. It’s not an <strong>in</strong>fluence: it’s an<br />

actual us<strong>age</strong>. The connection is right<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> itself.”<br />

The Passion of Ramakrishna is <strong>the</strong><br />

“big piece” <strong>in</strong> question, a grand-scale<br />

oratorio: “The <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g th<strong>in</strong>g is<br />

that I made <strong>the</strong> chorus <strong>the</strong> voice of<br />

‘ sometimes<br />

you can hear<br />

th<strong>in</strong>gs, but<br />

you don’t<br />

know how to<br />

write <strong>the</strong>m<br />

down’<br />

Ramakrishna and <strong>the</strong> soloists are<br />

his students – so when he speaks,<br />

it’s <strong>the</strong> whole chorus,” says Glass.<br />

“The idea is that he spoke <strong>in</strong> terms<br />

of universals – and we put 60 or 120<br />

people toge<strong>the</strong>r so that it becomes<br />

humanity, not just s<strong>in</strong>gers any more.<br />

I made <strong>the</strong> voice of Ramakrishna<br />

humanity.<br />

So because of <strong>the</strong> way I<br />

processed it I began to understand<br />

which of <strong>the</strong> voices Ramakrishna is. I<br />

called it The Passion of Ramakrishna,<br />

like <strong>the</strong> Bach St Mat<strong>the</strong>w Passion. I<br />

talked to <strong>the</strong> head of <strong>the</strong> episcopal<br />

church <strong>in</strong> New York at <strong>the</strong> time and<br />

asked him if that was <strong>the</strong> proper use<br />

of <strong>the</strong> word: ‘passion’ as <strong>the</strong> moment<br />

of transfiguration when he leaves <strong>the</strong><br />

mortal life and maybe he enters <strong>in</strong>to<br />

<strong>the</strong> world of immortality – someth<strong>in</strong>g<br />

like that, we don’t know what it is. He<br />

said it was perfect.”<br />

Glass’s devotion to matters spiritual,<br />

humanitarian and social may<br />

spr<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> part from his background<br />

as <strong>the</strong> youngest son of a family of<br />

Jewish immigrants who sent him to a<br />

Quaker school. His fa<strong>the</strong>r, Ben, had a<br />

record store <strong>in</strong> Baltimore and Glass<br />

recalls that he and his bro<strong>the</strong>r as chil-<br />

dren were required to break up some<br />

of <strong>the</strong> unsold records <strong>in</strong> order to<br />

return <strong>the</strong>m, dam<strong>age</strong>d, for refunds.<br />

But when Ben began to br<strong>in</strong>g home<br />

record<strong>in</strong>gs of <strong>music</strong> by Schoenberg,<br />

Bartók and o<strong>the</strong>rs to see why <strong>the</strong>y<br />

were not sell<strong>in</strong>g, fa<strong>the</strong>r and son were<br />

both entranced by what <strong>the</strong>y heard.<br />

For years Glass explored new <strong>music</strong><br />

of all types, soak<strong>in</strong>g up works across<br />

<strong>the</strong> spectrum from Pierre Boulez to<br />

John C<strong>age</strong> to rock <strong>music</strong>. Instead of<br />

follow<strong>in</strong>g traditional academic routes<br />

<strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> world, he took an undergraduate<br />

degree at <strong>the</strong> University<br />

of Chicago, <strong>the</strong>n enrolled <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> adult<br />

education section of <strong>the</strong> Juilliard<br />

School <strong>in</strong> New York. There followed<br />

two years <strong>in</strong> Paris on a scholarship,<br />

study<strong>in</strong>g with Boulanger, before he<br />

returned to New York with <strong>the</strong> rigorous<br />

technical ground<strong>in</strong>g that enabled<br />

him to develop his own <strong>music</strong>al voice.<br />

He juggled creative work with earn<strong>in</strong>g<br />

a crust variously <strong>in</strong> steelworks,<br />

haul<strong>age</strong>, plumb<strong>in</strong>g and cab-driv<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

By <strong>the</strong> time anyone approached him<br />

about a teach<strong>in</strong>g position, he relates,<br />

he was 72 and not remotely <strong>in</strong>terested.<br />

But <strong>the</strong>n, Glass has never fitted<br />

<strong>the</strong> academic bill. Perhaps his routes<br />

did not match <strong>the</strong> approved fashions<br />

of <strong>the</strong> time. Yet his endur<strong>in</strong>g effect<br />

on <strong>the</strong> world around us – <strong>music</strong>al and<br />

more – has gone far beyond that of<br />

many esteemed <strong>music</strong> professors.<br />

11


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

Young composers have beaten a<br />

path to his door for advice <strong>in</strong> any<br />

case; some have worked for him –<br />

among <strong>the</strong>m Nico Muhly – assist<strong>in</strong>g<br />

with <strong>the</strong> matters of adm<strong>in</strong>istration<br />

and publish<strong>in</strong>g of his works, all of<br />

which he controls.<br />

Glass relates <strong>in</strong> his book that his<br />

mo<strong>the</strong>r on her deathbed <strong>in</strong>structed<br />

him to keep hold of his copyright –<br />

and he still does. Some of his works<br />

may be legally played only by his<br />

Philip Glass Ensemble. “We started<br />

<strong>the</strong> group when I came back from<br />

Europe,” he expla<strong>in</strong>s. “I came back<br />

because no one <strong>in</strong> Europe would<br />

play <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong>. I called some friends<br />

I went to school with, and we put a<br />

group toge<strong>the</strong>r. Right away, when<br />

I was writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong>, I felt had to<br />

control <strong>the</strong> publication of it, because<br />

to give it away was not a good idea<br />

from my po<strong>in</strong>t of view.”<br />

Because people didn’t understand<br />

it? “No, because I wouldn’t get <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>in</strong>come,” Glass responds. “I was<br />

mak<strong>in</strong>g my liv<strong>in</strong>g play<strong>in</strong>g – it was a<br />

practical matter. So if you want to<br />

hear E<strong>in</strong>ste<strong>in</strong> on <strong>the</strong> Beach played,<br />

my group has to play it. No one else<br />

can play it. They don’t have <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

and it’s actually illegal to handle<br />

it. I also became a publisher very<br />

quickly because I knew I wouldn’t be<br />

a teacher. This was only way I was<br />

go<strong>in</strong>g to make a liv<strong>in</strong>g from writ<strong>in</strong>g –<br />

and it was far from clear that I would.<br />

I was 41 before that happened.”<br />

The work that changed everyth<strong>in</strong>g<br />

was his opera Satyagraha: “That<br />

took me <strong>in</strong>to mak<strong>in</strong>g a liv<strong>in</strong>g. But it<br />

‘we have to<br />

remember<br />

someth<strong>in</strong>g:<br />

one of<br />

<strong>the</strong> great<br />

pleasures<br />

of be<strong>in</strong>g a<br />

<strong>music</strong>ian<br />

is play<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>music</strong>’<br />

started off slowly and even <strong>the</strong> year<br />

before I had no idea that later on I<br />

would not be work<strong>in</strong>g at a day job.<br />

In fact, I’d been liv<strong>in</strong>g off of <strong>music</strong><br />

for six months before it occurred to<br />

me that I hadn’t had a day job all that<br />

time. I remember it very clearly: my<br />

cab license came up for renewal –<br />

and I renewed it. I had no confidence<br />

that I would be able to make a liv<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

But I didn’t use it and three years<br />

later when it came up for renewal<br />

aga<strong>in</strong> I didn’t renew it. That tells you<br />

where I was at.”<br />

Whe<strong>the</strong>r opera, <strong>the</strong>atre, dance, film<br />

or <strong>music</strong> to match <strong>the</strong> visual art or<br />

writ<strong>in</strong>g of his friends and colleagues,<br />

Glass has always excelled <strong>in</strong> collaborative<br />

<strong>music</strong>-mak<strong>in</strong>g. Perform<strong>in</strong>g<br />

with his own ensemble seems an<br />

organic part of that openness and<br />

practicality. “We have to remember<br />

someth<strong>in</strong>g: one of <strong>the</strong> great pleasures<br />

of be<strong>in</strong>g a <strong>music</strong>ian is play<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>music</strong>,” he adds, with a smile, “and<br />

that’s not restricted to performers<br />

only – composers can play <strong>music</strong><br />

too. My generation played our <strong>music</strong><br />

and we were <strong>in</strong>fluenced by people<br />

from John Coltrane to Ravi Shankar<br />

– <strong>the</strong>se were composers who played<br />

<strong>music</strong>. That’s one way to go. Not<br />

everyone did that, but a lot of young<br />

people do now. The money won’t be<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> records any more, but it can<br />

be <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> way <strong>music</strong> is used, whe<strong>the</strong>r<br />

it’s <strong>in</strong> a film or a fashion show.”<br />

Despite his prolific output and<br />

worldwide fame, Glass never rests on<br />

any laurels – hence <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>tersection<br />

of spiritual practice, physical condition<br />

and absolute pragmatism. “I<br />

would say that because of yoga I’ve<br />

gotten a long, healthy, active life,” he<br />

says. “That’s without even go<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to<br />

<strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r benefits to do with be<strong>in</strong>g<br />

more able to control stress, tension,<br />

anxiety and all <strong>the</strong> maledictions of<br />

contemporary existence.<br />

“I’ve been a vegetarian s<strong>in</strong>ce I was<br />

20. It’s a practical way of liv<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

Younger people are much more<br />

<strong>in</strong>cl<strong>in</strong>ed to see it as a necessary part<br />

of life and <strong>the</strong> people who don’t, who<br />

simply ignore it and do noth<strong>in</strong>g at all,<br />

by <strong>the</strong> time <strong>the</strong>y’re <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir seventies<br />

<strong>the</strong>y are fall<strong>in</strong>g apart. You can’t<br />

consider work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to your n<strong>in</strong>eties if<br />

you haven’t done it – well, some can,<br />

but it br<strong>in</strong>gs tremendous benefits<br />

not just to your physical health, but<br />

your mental health. My work is very<br />

difficult <strong>in</strong> that we’re often work<strong>in</strong>g<br />

on four hours of sleep because <strong>the</strong><br />

travel doesn’t allow for anyth<strong>in</strong>g else.<br />

It’s not a good way to do it. But I’ve<br />

also learned how to rest. There are a<br />

lot of th<strong>in</strong>gs you can learn: <strong>the</strong>re are<br />

ways of putt<strong>in</strong>g your body to sleep<br />

12


title goes here<br />

and rest<strong>in</strong>g for even 20 m<strong>in</strong>utes.”<br />

The surprise is that he is clearly<br />

consider<strong>in</strong>g work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to his n<strong>in</strong>eties<br />

– but <strong>the</strong>n aga<strong>in</strong>, why would he not?<br />

The joy of creat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong> has never<br />

left him. “I write very fast,” he remarks,<br />

“but to <strong>in</strong>vent a langu<strong>age</strong> you<br />

need time. You need time to work<br />

out what you’re hear<strong>in</strong>g. Sometimes<br />

you can hear th<strong>in</strong>gs, but you don’t<br />

know how to write <strong>the</strong>m down. That’s<br />

when you know you’re really work<strong>in</strong>g:<br />

when you don’t know how to do it.<br />

That’s <strong>the</strong> best time. And that can<br />

still happen.”<br />

Now anyth<strong>in</strong>g can happen, and<br />

probably will. Events to mark his big<br />

birthday are currently tak<strong>in</strong>g place<br />

all over <strong>the</strong> world. His operas The<br />

Perfect American, about Walt Disney,<br />

and The Trial, based on Kafka’s novel,<br />

are hav<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir US premieres; he<br />

is writ<strong>in</strong>g a piano concerto entitled<br />

A Far Cry to be premiered <strong>in</strong><br />

September by <strong>the</strong> pianist Simone<br />

D<strong>in</strong>nerste<strong>in</strong>; next season he will<br />

hold <strong>the</strong> Richard and Barbara Debs<br />

Composer Chair at Carnegie Hall.<br />

London has already brought him<br />

a Total Immersion weekend at <strong>the</strong><br />

Barbican; o<strong>the</strong>r European events<br />

<strong>in</strong>clude <strong>the</strong> Swiss premiere of<br />

Satyagraha and Austrian premiere of<br />

<strong>the</strong> Symphony No. 11, and <strong>the</strong> Viol<strong>in</strong><br />

Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 are both<br />

tour<strong>in</strong>g widely. These are just a few<br />

selections.<br />

Glass is a composer whose <strong>music</strong> has<br />

encapsulated <strong>the</strong> spirit of today as<br />

few o<strong>the</strong>rs could. The mystery is only<br />

what he will turn his hand to next.<br />

As he has sometimes said, “When<br />

society becomes unh<strong>in</strong>ged, <strong>the</strong> arts<br />

get really good.” And now? “Today<br />

<strong>the</strong> arts are gett<strong>in</strong>g really good!” he<br />

declares.<br />

Jessica Duchen’s <strong>music</strong> journalism<br />

has appeared <strong>in</strong> The Independent,<br />

The Guardian and The Sunday Times.<br />

She is <strong>the</strong> author of a number<br />

of novels (most recently Ghost<br />

Variations, published <strong>in</strong> 2016),<br />

biographies and plays. Current<br />

projects <strong>in</strong>clude an opera libretto<br />

for composer Roxanna Panufnik<br />

(for Gars<strong>in</strong>gton Opera 2017). Her<br />

popular blog JDCMB has run s<strong>in</strong>ce<br />

2004.<br />

13


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

brooklyn,<br />

a <strong>classical</strong><br />

portrait<br />

New York City has five boroughs, but when people say “The City,” <strong>the</strong>y<br />

mean Manhattan. The o<strong>the</strong>r four have always been “<strong>the</strong> outer boroughs,”<br />

full of people who make <strong>the</strong>ir way <strong>in</strong>to Manhattan to work, eat out <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

better restaurants, and enjoy all <strong>the</strong> culture New York is famous for. It’s a<br />

Manhattan-centric world. Or at least, it has been.<br />

WORDS BETH ADELMAN<br />

14


Welcome to Brooklyn. Powered by that greatest of all<br />

drivers <strong>in</strong> New York City—real estate—<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> past decade<br />

Brooklyn’s demographics have been transformed. An<br />

explosion of high-end hous<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> downtown Brooklyn<br />

and Williamsburg, along with <strong>the</strong> transformation<br />

of much of <strong>the</strong> Brooklyn waterfront,<br />

has lured people priced out of<br />

Manhattan to a borough that’s diverse,<br />

livable, cultured, and still affordable (just<br />

barely).<br />

The <strong>in</strong>flux of culturally enthusiastic and<br />

curious residents has created a place<br />

for <strong>the</strong> arts to flourish. Brooklynites are<br />

stay<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir home borough when<br />

<strong>the</strong>y go out at night, and support<strong>in</strong>g<br />

cultural <strong>in</strong>stitutions that are now lur<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Manhattanites across <strong>the</strong> water to see<br />

what’s happen<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Brooklyn.<br />

Brooklyn’s <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> venues, old<br />

and new, are figur<strong>in</strong>g out ways to br<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong>se audiences <strong>in</strong> and show <strong>the</strong>m someth<strong>in</strong>g traditional<br />

<strong>in</strong> a new way, or someth<strong>in</strong>g new <strong>in</strong> an untraditional way,<br />

or some of all of those th<strong>in</strong>gs. They’re ask<strong>in</strong>g questions<br />

about programm<strong>in</strong>g choices and ticket prices and<br />

seat<strong>in</strong>g arrangements, and all com<strong>in</strong>g up with different<br />

answers.<br />

‘<strong>the</strong> st<strong>age</strong><br />

area puts <strong>the</strong><br />

performers<br />

so close to<br />

<strong>the</strong> audience,<br />

it's like a<br />

pett<strong>in</strong>g zoo’<br />

BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC<br />

For years, <strong>the</strong> Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), one<br />

of Brooklyn’s oldest cultural <strong>in</strong>stitutions, ran a bus from<br />

midtown Manhattan to its home <strong>in</strong> Fort Greene. BAM is<br />

two blocks from a major subway hub,<br />

but those two blocks seemed like too<br />

much to walk for some.<br />

These days, <strong>the</strong> BAM bus is gone, <strong>the</strong><br />

subway hub is also a mall, <strong>the</strong>re’s an<br />

NBA arena a block away, BAM has<br />

three build<strong>in</strong>gs, and is at <strong>the</strong> heart of<br />

<strong>the</strong> Brooklyn Cultural District—a $100<br />

million city development project that<br />

focuses on arts organizations, affordable<br />

hous<strong>in</strong>g, and public spaces.<br />

Classical <strong>music</strong> is part of BAM’s very<br />

eclectic programm<strong>in</strong>g, and is usually<br />

part of someth<strong>in</strong>g else—opera, dance,<br />

or <strong>the</strong>ater, said BAM president Katy<br />

Clark. “We’re very much <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> way genres collide.” A few seasons ago <strong>the</strong> Debussy<br />

Str<strong>in</strong>g Quartet shared st<strong>age</strong> with Australian acrobat<br />

troupe Circa, for example, each <strong>in</strong>terpret<strong>in</strong>g Shostakovich<br />

<strong>in</strong> its own way. And BAM often plays host to Baroque<br />

operas st<strong>age</strong>d by Les Arts Florissants and ballets by Mark<br />

Morris.<br />

15


“We want to present <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong> its many forms,” Clark said,<br />

“and a lot of that is driven by architecture. The Gilman is<br />

<strong>the</strong> city’s most beautiful opera house.”<br />

BAM’s audience has never been <strong>the</strong> same demographic<br />

as a typical Manhattan audience, she added. They’ve always<br />

been younger, more adventurous, and less affluent.<br />

That’s why even today, one-third of all<br />

tickets are under $35. Most events offer<br />

a wide range of ticket prices. BAM’s<br />

three build<strong>in</strong>gs are all set up as traditional<br />

<strong>the</strong>atres with seats.<br />

Clark said just over half of BAM’s audience<br />

are Brooklynites, and <strong>the</strong> rest are<br />

mostly from Manhattan. That’s a recent<br />

development. Fort Greene is now full<br />

of high-end restaurants and high-rise<br />

apartment build<strong>in</strong>gs, where BAM is<br />

partner<strong>in</strong>g with developers to make<br />

sure its neighbours know what’s com<strong>in</strong>g<br />

up. “People are walk<strong>in</strong>g around late at<br />

night; <strong>the</strong> whole area feels comfortable and vibrant,”<br />

Clark said.<br />

NATIONAL SAWDUST<br />

Perhaps no recent Brooklyn venue has opened to more<br />

buzz than National Sawdust, which debuted 2015 <strong>in</strong><br />

Williamsburg, <strong>the</strong> poster-neighborhood for hip young<br />

gentrification. David Lang, John Zorn, Meredith Monk,<br />

Nico Muhly, Philip Glass, and Laurie Anderson—a who’s<br />

who of <strong>the</strong> new <strong>music</strong> scene—are<br />

among those on <strong>the</strong> artistic advisory<br />

‘...actually, <strong>the</strong>y<br />

hoot and holler<br />

after <strong>the</strong> arias,<br />

which is how it<br />

used to be <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

old days’<br />

board, and composer Paola Prest<strong>in</strong>i<br />

is executive and creative director.<br />

The 13,000-square-foot venue, a<br />

renovated sawdust factory, <strong>in</strong>cludes<br />

rehearsal and development spaces, a<br />

record<strong>in</strong>g studio, and a trendy bistro.<br />

About half <strong>the</strong> events <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> performance<br />

space are <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>,<br />

accord<strong>in</strong>g to Courtenay Casey, vice<br />

general man<strong>age</strong>r and senior director<br />

of artistic plann<strong>in</strong>g, with a clear<br />

preponderance of new <strong>music</strong>.<br />

There are 350 to 400 events a year, and most nights are<br />

double-booked. Many of <strong>the</strong> performances are planned<br />

by curators <strong>in</strong> different genres; about a quarter of <strong>the</strong>m<br />

16


work <strong>in</strong> <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>. There are also residency programmes<br />

for 12 artists a year, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g commission<strong>in</strong>g<br />

support and concerts. Casey remembers one night when<br />

a str<strong>in</strong>g quartet was play<strong>in</strong>g Bartok for <strong>the</strong> first show and<br />

pop s<strong>in</strong>ger Kimbra was <strong>the</strong> second show. “About 20 people<br />

came to both,” she said. “That’s what we want to be.”<br />

The performance space holds 250 stand<strong>in</strong>g, 150 chairs,<br />

or 95 <strong>in</strong> a cabaret configurations with tables and chairs.<br />

“We realized audience members anticipate what a show<br />

will be depend<strong>in</strong>g on how <strong>the</strong> room is set up,” Casey said,<br />

so club <strong>music</strong> is stand<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> is seated.<br />

Ticket prices range from $29 to $35 and up.<br />

Brooklyn is def<strong>in</strong>itely <strong>the</strong> biggest audience base, Casey<br />

said, and locals get a break on ticket prices. But Manhattan<br />

audiences do come when it’s someth<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>y specifically<br />

want to hear. The advent of Uber has helped drive<br />

some of that attendance, because New York’s yellow<br />

taxis don’t cruise for fares <strong>in</strong> Brooklyn. Ages range from<br />

people <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir 20s—who like <strong>the</strong> club vibe of stand<strong>in</strong>g<br />

room—to opera fans <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir 50s and 60s, who like <strong>the</strong><br />

eclectic programm<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

“People will go where <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> is that <strong>the</strong>y want to<br />

hear,” Casey said. But <strong>the</strong> ultimate idea is to make National<br />

Sawdust a <strong>music</strong> dest<strong>in</strong>ation where people come<br />

to hear whatever is on that night. It’s a goal <strong>the</strong>y’re still<br />

work<strong>in</strong>g on.<br />

ROULETTE<br />

Roulette began <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> late 1970s as a 75-seat venue <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> TriBeCa apartment loft of one of its founders. It was<br />

lean and nimble and alt and risky. Bill Frisell, Philip Glass,<br />

Yusef Lateef, Kaija Saariaho and John Zorn made <strong>music</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong>re. But it was also <strong>in</strong> a residential build<strong>in</strong>g, and zon<strong>in</strong>g<br />

laws are such that eventually <strong>the</strong>y had to leave. So <strong>in</strong> 2011<br />

Roulette took up residence <strong>in</strong> a 400-seat <strong>the</strong>atre with a<br />

classic proscenium arch—housed <strong>in</strong> a YWCA built <strong>in</strong> 1928.<br />

“Suddenly we were <strong>in</strong> a million-dollar facility with overhead<br />

and staff,” and about 120 events a year, said David<br />

We<strong>in</strong>ste<strong>in</strong>, director of special projects and one of <strong>the</strong><br />

founders. “We had to become more Manhattan-y to<br />

meet those new standards.”<br />

But it has not strayed far from its <strong>music</strong>al roots. “A lot<br />

of what we do is edgy, experimental, not easy or even<br />

necessarily fun, so you get an audience of 50 people. But<br />

you’re glad, because <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong>ians get paid and someth<strong>in</strong>g<br />

gets born,” We<strong>in</strong>ste<strong>in</strong> said.<br />

To balance that out, Roulette also programmes jazz and<br />

world <strong>music</strong>, and <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>. Plus, <strong>the</strong>re are several<br />

curated series and artist residencies offered every year.<br />

“We want to energize people to try new th<strong>in</strong>gs and feel<br />

supported and comfortable. But I also want everyone to<br />

have a nice, quiet room that is appropriate for listen<strong>in</strong>g.”<br />

That means <strong>the</strong> audience is seated, and <strong>the</strong>re is just one<br />

show a night, so artists are not rushed, and can m<strong>in</strong>gle<br />

with <strong>the</strong> audience afterwards. Tickets range between $15<br />

and $30.<br />

“People who are used to perform<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a d<strong>in</strong>gy space<br />

may overreach or misunderstand what’s great about <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

work, but a space like this can be a little leap forward for<br />

<strong>the</strong>m, encour<strong>age</strong> to up <strong>the</strong>ir game a notch and be a bit<br />

more ambitious <strong>in</strong> scale. When someone succeeds, it’s<br />

super <strong>in</strong>spir<strong>in</strong>g.”<br />

Roulette is very much artist-driven, mean<strong>in</strong>g most people<br />

who come are fans of <strong>the</strong> performers, know exactly what<br />

<strong>the</strong>y’re go<strong>in</strong>g to hear, and have no problem gett<strong>in</strong>g on<br />

<strong>the</strong> subway and go<strong>in</strong>g to Brooklyn to hear it. The staff is<br />

still try<strong>in</strong>g to figure out who is mov<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> cluster of<br />

high-end high-rise apartment build<strong>in</strong>gs go<strong>in</strong>g up <strong>in</strong> downtown<br />

Brooklyn, and what <strong>the</strong>y want to listen to. For now,<br />

<strong>the</strong>y’re work<strong>in</strong>g with developers to <strong>in</strong>troduce <strong>the</strong>mselves<br />

to <strong>the</strong> new neighbours.<br />

17


ooklyn playlist<br />

Carol<strong>in</strong>e Shaw: Its Motion Keeps<br />

New Amsterdam<br />

Bryce Dessner: Murder Ballades –<br />

Omie Wise<br />

Cedille<br />

Jennifer Higdon: Cold Mounta<strong>in</strong>,<br />

Scene II, Inman’s aria ‘The Metal Age’<br />

PENTATONE<br />

Philip Glass: Etude No. 1<br />

Sony<br />

Michael Daugherty: Brooklyn Bridge, IV.<br />

North<br />

GIA W<strong>in</strong>dWorks<br />

Sergei Prokofiev: Viol<strong>in</strong> Concerto No. 2<br />

<strong>in</strong> G M<strong>in</strong>or, Op. 63 II Andante tranquillo<br />

Canary Classics<br />

BARGEMUSIC<br />

Barge<strong>music</strong>, an old coffee barge permanently<br />

moored <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> East River at <strong>the</strong><br />

site of <strong>the</strong> old Fulton Ferry, has been a<br />

venue for chamber <strong>music</strong> for 40 years,<br />

showcas<strong>in</strong>g young talent and, orig<strong>in</strong>ally,<br />

exclusively <strong>classical</strong> repertoire—Mozart,<br />

Brahms, Schubert, Chop<strong>in</strong>, and so on.<br />

The barge seats about 75 people, and<br />

lately artistic and executive director<br />

Mark Peskanov has been cutt<strong>in</strong>g that down a bit because<br />

he prefers <strong>the</strong> acoustic and ambience with a smaller<br />

audience. “This is a very different place, and people have<br />

very different expectations,” he said. “You have that very<br />

special view of <strong>the</strong> river and New York City, and that<br />

feel<strong>in</strong>g of gently rock<strong>in</strong>g—sometimes not so gently. The<br />

st<strong>age</strong> area puts <strong>the</strong> performers so close to <strong>the</strong> audience,<br />

it’s like a pett<strong>in</strong>g zoo.”<br />

Peskanov, a concert viol<strong>in</strong>ist, took over <strong>in</strong> 2005 as artistic<br />

and executive director from founder Olga Bloom,<br />

and has expanded <strong>the</strong> repertoire with <strong>the</strong> Here and<br />

Now series of newer works, some jazz and early <strong>music</strong>,<br />

‘maybe to get<br />

here you’re on<br />

a subway l<strong>in</strong>e<br />

you’ve never<br />

taken before’<br />

and free family concerts on Saturday<br />

afternoons.<br />

Barge<strong>music</strong> is an important first step<br />

for many young <strong>music</strong>ians; it’s got a<br />

group of regular performers, but “it’s<br />

not like a private club,” Peskanov said.<br />

“If you are a f<strong>in</strong>e performer, sooner or<br />

later we will <strong>in</strong>vite you here.”<br />

It’s a first step for many young listeners,<br />

too. It suddenly f<strong>in</strong>ds itself <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> middle<br />

of <strong>the</strong> grow<strong>in</strong>g DUMBO neighborhood and a brand new<br />

waterfront park, and <strong>the</strong> free concerts attract a lot of<br />

parents with little kids. Yes, <strong>the</strong>y do talk and wander and<br />

cry, Peskanov said, but “<strong>the</strong>y eventually learn how to<br />

behave, and meanwhile <strong>the</strong>y are hear<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong> played at<br />

an artistically high level and it is s<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>.”<br />

The audience is “tourists and neighborhood people,<br />

people who wander <strong>in</strong> from <strong>the</strong> park, people who have<br />

never listened to <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> and real connoisseurs,”<br />

Peskanov said. “The barge is just an amaz<strong>in</strong>g experience.<br />

People tell me <strong>the</strong>y feel like <strong>the</strong>y’re on <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>g’s barge,<br />

like royalty. This is what chamber <strong>music</strong> was made for.”<br />

18


LOFTOPERA<br />

NATIONAL SAWDUST<br />

BARGEMUSIC<br />

BAM<br />

ROULETTE<br />

COMPOSER STATUES<br />

Barge<strong>music</strong> presents about 200 concerts a year. Tickets<br />

are $40 to $45, with discounts for students and seniors.<br />

The seats are arranged <strong>in</strong> many configurations, but it’s all<br />

chairs.<br />

Peskanov added, “I love play<strong>in</strong>g here myself. It’s great to<br />

have such close communication with<strong>in</strong> such an <strong>in</strong>timate<br />

space. I often ask how many people have heard a piece<br />

for <strong>the</strong> first time—someth<strong>in</strong>g typical like Mozart—and a<br />

lot of people raise <strong>the</strong>ir hands. So for <strong>the</strong>m I have played<br />

a world premiere.”<br />

LOFTOPERA<br />

Unlike most of <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> venues <strong>in</strong> Brooklyn,<br />

LoftOpera has taken a very conscious turn away<br />

from new <strong>music</strong>. “We always wanted to take a populist<br />

stance and also br<strong>in</strong>g people to <strong>the</strong> classics,” said Brianna<br />

Maury, <strong>the</strong> general man<strong>age</strong>r and cofounder. Their<br />

audience is mostly first-time opera goers, and produc<strong>in</strong>g<br />

works whose names people recognize adds a bit of<br />

familiarity. “These beautiful masterworks are also more<br />

accessible than new <strong>music</strong>,” she said.<br />

LoftOpera was founded by Maury, her stepbro<strong>the</strong>r Daniel<br />

Ellis-Ferris, and his classmate at The New School Dean<br />

Buck, basically on a dare. (“We dared ourselves to do<br />

a production of Don Giovanni <strong>in</strong> 2013 and it sold out.”)<br />

It has s<strong>in</strong>ce grown from two events a year to four, with<br />

productions like Così fan tutte and Tosca, and com<strong>in</strong>g up<br />

later <strong>in</strong> 2017 Pagliacci and Bluebeard’s Castle. Each one<br />

is an orig<strong>in</strong>al production, with six performances. There<br />

is seat<strong>in</strong>g for about 500 on benches and all tickets are<br />

$30.<br />

Each production is <strong>in</strong> a different venue <strong>in</strong> Brooklyn,<br />

typically hidden-away spaces <strong>in</strong> Bedford-Stuyvesant and<br />

Bushwick—areas Maury says are “not really gentrified <strong>the</strong><br />

way o<strong>the</strong>r parts of Brooklyn have been.” The locations<br />

add to <strong>the</strong> sense of adventure. “We want to strip away<br />

<strong>the</strong> pretense of go<strong>in</strong>g to a place like L<strong>in</strong>coln Center,”<br />

said Maury. “Maybe to get here you’re on a subway l<strong>in</strong>e<br />

you’ve never taken before.”<br />

The s<strong>in</strong>gers and orchestra are recruited by <strong>music</strong> director<br />

Sean Kelly, who also teaches voice <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> U.S. and<br />

Italy. Musically, <strong>the</strong>y have, for <strong>the</strong> most part, enraptured<br />

New York critics.<br />

They’ve enraptured audiences as well. Maury said her<br />

novice audiences (almost all Brooklynites, with a smatter<strong>in</strong>g<br />

of visitors from <strong>the</strong> Upper West Side of Manhattan),<br />

many of whom have only heard <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong> clubs<br />

before, sit quietly because “<strong>the</strong>y’re listen<strong>in</strong>g so <strong>in</strong>tently<br />

that <strong>the</strong>y’re on <strong>the</strong> edge of <strong>the</strong>ir seats. They clap at all<br />

<strong>the</strong> right places—actually, <strong>the</strong>y hoot and holler after <strong>the</strong><br />

arias, which is how it used to be <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> old days.”<br />

Many first-time opera goers come for date night, and<br />

that is very much by design. LoftOpera markets itself on<br />

event sites like Thrillist, Flavorpill, GILT City, and Fever as<br />

a romantic, classy, yet affordable date. As a result, “We<br />

get couples mak<strong>in</strong>g out <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> audience,” said Maury. “We<br />

have even caught people hav<strong>in</strong>g sex <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> bathrooms.<br />

That’s how we know we’re successful.”<br />

It’s <strong>the</strong> sort of th<strong>in</strong>g that would get you thrown out of<br />

L<strong>in</strong>coln Center. Welcome to Brooklyn.<br />

19


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

20


portrait<br />

maria callas<br />

<strong>the</strong> voice<br />

Franco Zeffirelli’s new production of Pucc<strong>in</strong>i’s Tosca at <strong>the</strong> Royal Opera House Covent Garden<br />

<strong>in</strong> January 1964 was <strong>the</strong> most hotly anticipated event <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> calendar. Not only did <strong>the</strong> lavish<br />

production cost an eye-water<strong>in</strong>g £32,000 but it also marked <strong>the</strong> return to <strong>the</strong> st<strong>age</strong> of <strong>the</strong><br />

celebrated soprano and diva extraord<strong>in</strong>aire Maria Callas. After a glitter<strong>in</strong>g career <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1950s<br />

when she had divided <strong>the</strong> critics and <strong>the</strong> public alike with her remarkable s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g voice and<br />

mesmeris<strong>in</strong>g st<strong>age</strong> presence, <strong>the</strong>re had been whisper<strong>in</strong>gs of her fad<strong>in</strong>g powers especially after<br />

she had taken up with <strong>the</strong> wealthy shipp<strong>in</strong>g magnate, Aristotle Onassis and all but disappeared<br />

from <strong>the</strong> st<strong>age</strong>. But Callas was coaxed out of her two year absence by <strong>the</strong> prospect of s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g<br />

aga<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> a new production with <strong>the</strong> renowned baritone Tito Gobbi for “mio caro public di London”<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> role that for many def<strong>in</strong>ed her – Tosca.<br />

WORDS KEVIN PAINTING PHOTOS KEN VEEDER<br />

21


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

maria callas playlist<br />

V<strong>in</strong>cenzo Bell<strong>in</strong>i: Norma, Act I<br />

“Casta Diva”<br />

Warner<br />

Giacomo Pucc<strong>in</strong>i: Gianni Schicchi, Act I<br />

“O mio babb<strong>in</strong>o caro”<br />

Warner<br />

Giuseppe Verdi: La traviata, Act I<br />

“Sempre libera”<br />

Warner<br />

Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde,<br />

Act III “Dolce e calmo”<br />

Warner<br />

Gioacch<strong>in</strong>o Ross<strong>in</strong>i: Il barbiere di Siviglia,<br />

Act I “Una voce poco fa”<br />

Warner<br />

Unsurpris<strong>in</strong>gly, <strong>the</strong> six performances<br />

were hopelessly over-subscribed with<br />

120,000 people clamour<strong>in</strong>g for 12,000<br />

seats and ticket touts reported a brisk<br />

trade. But she did not disappo<strong>in</strong>t. True to<br />

form, Callas confounded her critics on<br />

<strong>the</strong> first night, receiv<strong>in</strong>g 27 curta<strong>in</strong> calls<br />

and a stand<strong>in</strong>g ovation last<strong>in</strong>g 40 m<strong>in</strong>utes<br />

for a performance still described <strong>in</strong><br />

hushed tones as one of most memorable<br />

ever seen. She returned <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g year<br />

<strong>in</strong> July to reprise her role <strong>in</strong> a Royal Gala<br />

performance at Covent Garden for what<br />

would be her f<strong>in</strong>al operatic appearance.<br />

Maria Callas was easily <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>est<br />

dramatic soprano of her generation and<br />

one of <strong>the</strong> most recognisable and glamorous<br />

figures from an era when celebrities<br />

usually had talents. With her remarkable<br />

and dist<strong>in</strong>ctive s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g voice, she brea<strong>the</strong>d<br />

new life <strong>in</strong>to bel canto opera and brought<br />

a fearsome dramatic <strong>in</strong>tensity to <strong>the</strong> roles<br />

she played on st<strong>age</strong>. Seldom out of <strong>the</strong><br />

limelight <strong>in</strong> her lifetime for her s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g or<br />

her colourful behaviour, she left beh<strong>in</strong>d<br />

a remarkable legacy of record<strong>in</strong>gs which<br />

have never been out of <strong>the</strong> catalogue.<br />

Maria Callas was born on 2 December<br />

1923 <strong>in</strong> New York to immigrant Greek<br />

parents. In 1937 she moved to Greece<br />

where she studied at <strong>the</strong> National<br />

Conservatory <strong>in</strong> A<strong>the</strong>ns with<br />

<strong>the</strong> noted coloratura soprano<br />

Elvira de Hidalgo. Although she<br />

made her professional debut <strong>in</strong> a<br />

lead<strong>in</strong>g role play<strong>in</strong>g Tosca <strong>in</strong> A<strong>the</strong>ns<br />

<strong>in</strong> 1942, her career began <strong>in</strong><br />

earnest <strong>in</strong> 1947 when she sang<br />

<strong>the</strong> title role <strong>in</strong> Ponchielli’s La Giaconda<br />

<strong>in</strong> Verona. There she met<br />

her future husband and man<strong>age</strong>r,<br />

<strong>the</strong> Veronese bus<strong>in</strong>essman<br />

Giovanni Battista Menegh<strong>in</strong>i, and<br />

her <strong>music</strong>al mentor, <strong>the</strong> great<br />

conductor Tullio Seraf<strong>in</strong>. Her <strong>in</strong>ternational<br />

breakthrough came <strong>in</strong> 1949 <strong>in</strong> Venice when<br />

Seraf<strong>in</strong> shrewdly cast her at short notice as<br />

Elvira <strong>in</strong> Bell<strong>in</strong>i’s I Puritani, a bel canto role<br />

which Callas triumphantly brought to life.<br />

She went on to score considerable success<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1950s <strong>in</strong> Italian opera with many<br />

signature roles <strong>in</strong> Anna Bolena, Lucia di<br />

Lammermoor (Donizetti), La Traviata, Macbeth<br />

(Verdi), Norma (Bell<strong>in</strong>i) and of course,<br />

Tosca.<br />

As one of <strong>the</strong> most glamorous and<br />

photographed women of her day, stories of<br />

her temperamental behaviour were lapped<br />

up and <strong>in</strong>flated by <strong>the</strong> press. Soon <strong>the</strong><br />

stra<strong>in</strong>s of her punish<strong>in</strong>g schedule <strong>in</strong>evitably<br />

took <strong>the</strong>ir toll and when she sensationally<br />

left her husband for Onassis <strong>in</strong> 1959, she<br />

also drastically cut back on her appearances.<br />

When she separated from Onassis <strong>in</strong><br />

1968, she essentially retired from <strong>the</strong> concert<br />

platform and, apart from a concert<br />

tour <strong>in</strong> Europe, North America and Japan, a<br />

master class series at <strong>the</strong> New York Julliard<br />

School and a brief foray <strong>in</strong>to act<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Pier<br />

Paolo Pasol<strong>in</strong>i’s film Medea, she lived quietly<br />

<strong>in</strong> her elegant apartment <strong>in</strong> Paris until her<br />

premature death <strong>in</strong> 1977.<br />

Maria Callas had a remarkable voice<br />

unlike any o<strong>the</strong>r, not conventionally beautiful<br />

or <strong>in</strong>fallible but powerful, <strong>in</strong>tense and<br />

thrill<strong>in</strong>gly dexterous. Love it or hate it (and<br />

it was not uncommon for vegetables to be<br />

thrown with floral tributes at her performances),<br />

her voice is unmistakeable and<br />

impossible to ignore.<br />

It has been remarked that she had<br />

three voices which she glided between<br />

with deft artistry. A high coloratura voice:<br />

nimble, agile and precise, it could dispatch<br />

<strong>the</strong> most difficult pass<strong>age</strong>s of fioriture with<br />

consummate ease; a richly expressive middle<br />

voice which was capable of effortlessly<br />

susta<strong>in</strong>ed legato pass<strong>age</strong>s; and a chest<br />

Christoph Willibald Gluck: Orfeo et<br />

Eurydice, Act IV “J’ai perdu mon Eurydice”<br />

Warner<br />

22


portrait<br />

voice, often startl<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> its <strong>in</strong>tensity. While<br />

she may have reigned supreme <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> bel<br />

canto repertoire, she was not preoccupied<br />

with produc<strong>in</strong>g a beautiful, sweet sound per<br />

se but more with communicat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> drama<br />

and mean<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> text, admitt<strong>in</strong>g that<br />

“to convey <strong>the</strong> dramatic effect … I must<br />

produce sounds which are not beautiful. I<br />

don’t m<strong>in</strong>d if <strong>the</strong>y are ugly so long as <strong>the</strong>y<br />

are true”.<br />

It was her <strong>in</strong>st<strong>in</strong>ctive <strong>music</strong>al ability<br />

to build and susta<strong>in</strong> an atmosphere through<br />

her vocal technique and command<strong>in</strong>g st<strong>age</strong><br />

presence which makes her performances<br />

so compell<strong>in</strong>g. With Callas, <strong>the</strong> blood-curdl<strong>in</strong>g<br />

taunt “Muori!” that Tosca cries as she<br />

stabs <strong>the</strong> villa<strong>in</strong>ous Scarpia is genu<strong>in</strong>ely unsettl<strong>in</strong>g,<br />

and on one occasion Callas nearly<br />

drew blood from Tito Gobbi when a st<strong>age</strong><br />

knife failed to retract.<br />

Maria Callas was a workaholic who<br />

took herself and her work very seriously<br />

and, like so many great <strong>music</strong>ians, it was<br />

only through <strong>the</strong> d<strong>in</strong>t of hard work comb<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

with a perfectionist streak that she<br />

man<strong>age</strong>d to achieve so much. She was not<br />

averse to spend<strong>in</strong>g hours <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

studio to perfect a particular pass<strong>age</strong>, nor<br />

did she baulk at <strong>the</strong> challenges of a difficult<br />

repertoire or <strong>the</strong> reproaches of an <strong>in</strong>different<br />

audience: <strong>the</strong>y were all opportunities<br />

for her to prove herself and, above all, to<br />

sh<strong>in</strong>e.<br />

The same perfectionism extended to her<br />

meticulously cultivated appearance. The<br />

director Luch<strong>in</strong>o Visconti once told Callas<br />

that if she lost some weight, she would<br />

make “a truer Traviata, who is after all dy<strong>in</strong>g<br />

of consumption”. N<strong>in</strong>e months later <strong>in</strong> 1953<br />

and 30 kg lighter, she had transformed herself<br />

from a chubby, overweight soprano to<br />

an allur<strong>in</strong>g svelte beauty. Dressed to kill,<br />

with an impeccable fashion sense, La Div<strong>in</strong>a<br />

‘maria<br />

callas had<br />

a remarkable<br />

voice<br />

unlike any<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r’<br />

as Callas became known to her fans had arrived.<br />

(Her contemporary Joan Su<strong>the</strong>rland<br />

was dubbed La Stupenda on account of her<br />

voice and not, as some wags have suggested,<br />

for her girth).<br />

The public became enamoured with<br />

<strong>the</strong> Maria Callas phenomenon and newspapers<br />

were packed with glossy photographs<br />

and gossipy stories of her temperamental<br />

behaviour. In one of her rare <strong>in</strong>terviews<br />

for American television, <strong>the</strong>re is a delicious<br />

moment when <strong>the</strong> British conductor<br />

Sir Thomas Beecham mischievously asks<br />

whe<strong>the</strong>r <strong>the</strong>re was any truth <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> rumour<br />

that she had struck an opera director over<br />

<strong>the</strong> head with a bottle of brandy. “I never<br />

threw anyth<strong>in</strong>g at anybody unfortunately”<br />

she replied, beam<strong>in</strong>g “I wish I did.”<br />

Callas’s meteoric rise to fame co<strong>in</strong>cided<br />

with <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>troduction of long-play<strong>in</strong>g<br />

records and a rush by record companies<br />

to expand <strong>the</strong>ir catalogues. Fortunately<br />

for <strong>the</strong> listen<strong>in</strong>g public, she had a long and<br />

fruitful work<strong>in</strong>g relationship from 1952 to<br />

1964 with <strong>the</strong> legendary Walter Legge, <strong>the</strong><br />

husband to Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and a<br />

<strong>music</strong> producer, and as strong-willed and<br />

perfectionist as Callas herself. This resulted<br />

<strong>in</strong> an astonish<strong>in</strong>g series of both live and studio<br />

performances, many of which are considered<br />

benchmark record<strong>in</strong>gs that rema<strong>in</strong><br />

unsurpassed, even after half a century.<br />

A true measure of <strong>the</strong> affection <strong>in</strong><br />

which Callas is still held by <strong>the</strong> public can be<br />

seen <strong>in</strong> Venice. Thanks to a public campaign<br />

which ga<strong>the</strong>red over 100,000 signatures,<br />

<strong>the</strong> bridge Ponte della Fenice was renamed<br />

Ponte Maria Callas <strong>in</strong> 2005. It’s just down<br />

from <strong>the</strong> Teatro La Fenice, <strong>the</strong> opera house<br />

where she made her breakthrough <strong>in</strong> 1949<br />

perform<strong>in</strong>g Bell<strong>in</strong>i’s I Puritani, w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

accolade prima donna assoluta, a position<br />

she still ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong>s for a new generation of<br />

opera lovers.<br />

23


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

from <strong>the</strong> record<strong>in</strong>g studio<br />

with jean-marie geijsen<br />

reflections on hi-res audio, <strong>music</strong> stream<strong>in</strong>g, and wagner<br />

Jean-Marie Geijsen grew up <strong>in</strong> a <strong>music</strong>al family of 6 children.<br />

He studied record<strong>in</strong>g techniques at The Royal Conservatory<br />

<strong>in</strong> The Hague, specialis<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>. Ow<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong><br />

conservatory’s culture at <strong>the</strong> time, he became <strong>in</strong>terested <strong>in</strong><br />

baroque <strong>music</strong>. After graduat<strong>in</strong>g, Geijsen started work<strong>in</strong>g at<br />

Philips Classics. Today he is a director and a balance eng<strong>in</strong>eer<br />

at Polyhymnia International. Geijsen has worked with major<br />

record<strong>in</strong>g labels, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g Sony, PENTATONE, Decca, harmonia<br />

mundi, BMG and Deutsche Grammophon.<br />

WORDS ROKAS KUČINSKAS<br />

KUČINSKAS • Does record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> differ from o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

<strong>music</strong> genres?<br />

GEIJSEN • There’s a huge difference<br />

between record<strong>in</strong>g <strong>classical</strong> and<br />

pop <strong>music</strong>. In <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> you<br />

record an ensemble play<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> an<br />

acoustic environment, eg a big<br />

church or a concert hall. Pop <strong>music</strong><br />

is recorded <strong>in</strong> a studio. There are<br />

many occasions where <strong>music</strong>ians<br />

don’t even see each o<strong>the</strong>r for <strong>the</strong><br />

whole duration of a given session. A<br />

drummer records on <strong>the</strong> first day,<br />

a bassist on <strong>the</strong> second, a guitarist<br />

records a week later. F<strong>in</strong>ally, a<br />

s<strong>in</strong>ger comes when he has time. It<br />

is <strong>the</strong>n dubbed on one tape, with<br />

an endless edit<strong>in</strong>g and overdubb<strong>in</strong>g<br />

process afterwards. Classical <strong>music</strong><br />

record<strong>in</strong>g has a completely different<br />

approach. Interactions between<br />

<strong>music</strong>ians, as well as surround<strong>in</strong>g<br />

acoustic environments are so<br />

important. A hall, <strong>the</strong> public – and<br />

so much more – need to be taken<br />

<strong>in</strong>to consideration when record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>.<br />

KUČINSKAS • You specialized <strong>in</strong><br />

baroque <strong>music</strong>. Does record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

baroque <strong>music</strong> differ from record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r periods, such as <strong>classical</strong> or<br />

romantic?<br />

GEIJSEN • Not when it comes to<br />

<strong>the</strong> technical side. You do have<br />

to know <strong>the</strong> differences, though.<br />

How <strong>in</strong>struments sound, comb<strong>in</strong>e<br />

and meld toge<strong>the</strong>r. Their unique<br />

properties, too – <strong>the</strong>y all have <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

special character. Yet when it comes<br />

to microphones it’s not so different.<br />

They have to be as neutral as<br />

possible, so that <strong>the</strong>y don’t <strong>in</strong>fluence<br />

<strong>the</strong> sound. A balance eng<strong>in</strong>eer <strong>the</strong>n<br />

recreates <strong>the</strong> ensemble's sound as<br />

heard <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> hall.<br />

24


title goes here<br />

record<strong>in</strong>g studio<br />

playlist<br />

Glass: Viol<strong>in</strong> Concerto No. 2<br />

LPO, Robert McDuffie, Mar<strong>in</strong> Alsop<br />

Glass: Satyagraha, Act I Tolstoy, Scene 1<br />

New York City Opera<br />

Glass: Dream<strong>in</strong>g Awake<br />

Bruce Lev<strong>in</strong>gston<br />

Glass: Naqoyqatsi, “The Vivid Unknown”<br />

Yo-Yo Ma<br />

Glass: The Complete Str<strong>in</strong>g Quartets<br />

– Str<strong>in</strong>g Quartet No. 2 “Company”<br />

The Smith Quartet<br />

Glass: The Photographer, Act I<br />

“A Gentleman’s Honor”<br />

Philip Glass Ensemble<br />

KUČINSKAS • What exactly does<br />

a “balance eng<strong>in</strong>eer” do? I haven’t<br />

encountered this term before.<br />

GEIJSEN • It’s a common English<br />

term for <strong>the</strong> guy who puts up <strong>the</strong><br />

microphones, sits at <strong>the</strong> mix<strong>in</strong>g<br />

desk, and <strong>in</strong> my case reads <strong>the</strong><br />

score. Comb<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g all this and <strong>the</strong>n<br />

record<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sound - that’s a<br />

balance eng<strong>in</strong>eer. It also means that<br />

you have to work with a producer<br />

(sitt<strong>in</strong>g beh<strong>in</strong>d or next to you), a<br />

conductor, and an ensemble. Your<br />

ma<strong>in</strong> task is to create <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternal<br />

balance of an ensemble, its direct<br />

sound and <strong>the</strong> reverb of a hall. It’s a<br />

balanc<strong>in</strong>g act.<br />

KUČINSKAS • How is a mix<strong>in</strong>g<br />

eng<strong>in</strong>eer different <strong>the</strong>n?<br />

GEIJSEN • There are so many<br />

titles <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world, which makes it<br />

confus<strong>in</strong>g, I know [laughs]. I'd say<br />

that a mix<strong>in</strong>g eng<strong>in</strong>eer is someone<br />

who sits beh<strong>in</strong>d a 24- or 48-track<br />

mach<strong>in</strong>e and mixes a production. It<br />

doesn't have to be a <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

production, though.<br />

KUČINSKAS • Over <strong>the</strong> years you<br />

have made so many record<strong>in</strong>gs.<br />

Which record<strong>in</strong>g you are most<br />

proud of and which was <strong>the</strong> most<br />

challeng<strong>in</strong>g to do?<br />

GEIJSEN • That has to be <strong>the</strong> 10<br />

major Wagner operas I recorded.<br />

The operas are immense and I<br />

recorded <strong>the</strong>m live for radio and<br />

CD <strong>in</strong> one concert <strong>in</strong> Berl<strong>in</strong> over<br />

2-and-a-half years. It wasn’t a<br />

st<strong>age</strong>d performance, yet <strong>the</strong> s<strong>in</strong>gers<br />

had to move around and change<br />

microphone positions. The goal<br />

was to achieve a close effect of <strong>the</strong><br />

sett<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> way Wagner <strong>in</strong>tended.<br />

Hence, a performer could end up<br />

stand<strong>in</strong>g on a balcony, or <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

middle of <strong>the</strong> st<strong>age</strong>, <strong>in</strong> front of <strong>the</strong><br />

orchestra, and so on.<br />

KUČINSKAS • Who made such<br />

directorial decisions?<br />

GEIJSEN • It’s written <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> score,<br />

but <strong>in</strong> our case <strong>the</strong> conductor made<br />

some adjustments too. Throughout<br />

<strong>the</strong> rehearsal we had to read <strong>the</strong><br />

score, know which s<strong>in</strong>ger was<br />

stand<strong>in</strong>g where; we also had to mark<br />

how loud a s<strong>in</strong>ger should be <strong>in</strong> a mix,<br />

and how loud he or she was dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> rehearsal. I was mark<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

score <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> hope that <strong>the</strong> s<strong>in</strong>gers<br />

would remember where <strong>the</strong>y should<br />

be stand<strong>in</strong>g. And we had a 120-voice<br />

choir, an off-st<strong>age</strong> orchestra, and<br />

many soloists! Don't get me wrong<br />

– it was as difficult for <strong>the</strong> entire<br />

perform<strong>in</strong>g crew as it was for us.<br />

We only rehearsed bits and pieces<br />

and never did a full A-Z rehearsal<br />

throughout <strong>the</strong> operas. Hence,<br />

everyth<strong>in</strong>g had to fall <strong>in</strong>to place<br />

dur<strong>in</strong>g performances, and by some<br />

miracle – I don’t know how – it did.<br />

Without a proper preparation, with<br />

all <strong>the</strong> risks, we did all <strong>the</strong> 10 operas<br />

this way. I mean, a s<strong>in</strong>ger could<br />

have fallen sick at <strong>the</strong> last moment<br />

25


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

or a technical problem could have<br />

occurred. There were so many th<strong>in</strong>gs<br />

that could have gone wrong, s<strong>in</strong>ce<br />

we only had one concert. If <strong>the</strong>re<br />

had been one major disaster, <strong>the</strong><br />

whole series would have died. What’s<br />

more, all <strong>the</strong> operas were performed<br />

and broadcast live on radio. It<br />

meant that I had to mix on <strong>the</strong> spot<br />

<strong>in</strong> stereo for radio and record for<br />

SACD <strong>in</strong> stereo and surround. I also<br />

had to read <strong>the</strong> 48-channel mix<strong>in</strong>g<br />

console while try<strong>in</strong>g to read <strong>the</strong><br />

score to know what was com<strong>in</strong>g. The<br />

concerts usually started at 6:00pm<br />

and lasted until 11:30pm. Let’s put<br />

it this way – 5.5 hours of a ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />

concentrated even<strong>in</strong>g [laughs]. But<br />

it worked for all 10 operas, and that<br />

is someth<strong>in</strong>g I am really proud of.<br />

KUČINSKAS • Doesn't it make <strong>the</strong>se<br />

record<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>the</strong> most difficult you've<br />

ever made?<br />

GEIJSEN • It probably does.<br />

KUČINSKAS • Nowadays, people<br />

are go<strong>in</strong>g back to analogue<br />

record<strong>in</strong>gs. Any thoughts on why<br />

that might be?<br />

GEIJSEN • Because <strong>the</strong>y like <strong>the</strong><br />

sound, although I often wonder<br />

what exactly it is that <strong>the</strong>y like. Is<br />

it <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> itself, or <strong>the</strong> playback<br />

system? If it’s <strong>the</strong> playback system,<br />

does it add someth<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong>?<br />

It must produce a certa<strong>in</strong> feel<strong>in</strong>g<br />

that people like, but <strong>in</strong> my op<strong>in</strong>ion<br />

that doesn’t have much to do with a<br />

neutral playback. LPs and analogue<br />

tapes compress a dynamic range;<br />

as a result, listen<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>music</strong> with<br />

a little bit of compression can be<br />

very nice. Especially loud pass<strong>age</strong>s<br />

recorded on a tape can sound<br />

louder than <strong>the</strong>y actually are – all <strong>in</strong><br />

comparison with a <strong>digital</strong> record<strong>in</strong>g,<br />

of course. Also <strong>the</strong>re’s a limited<br />

frequency response and a very<br />

low level of hiss that can be an<br />

advant<strong>age</strong> and doesn’t disturb us.<br />

S<strong>in</strong>ce our hear<strong>in</strong>g is more sensitive<br />

to change, you stop hear<strong>in</strong>g it as it is<br />

constant.<br />

‘your ma<strong>in</strong><br />

task is to<br />

create <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>in</strong>ternal<br />

balance<br />

of an<br />

ensemble,<br />

its direct<br />

sound and<br />

<strong>the</strong> reverb<br />

of a hall’<br />

KUČINSKAS • Is a neutral playback<br />

important <strong>the</strong>n?<br />

GEIJSEN • S<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong> days of Philips<br />

Classics we've been look<strong>in</strong>g for<br />

neutral playback and record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

systems, mean<strong>in</strong>g those which<br />

do not <strong>in</strong>fluence <strong>the</strong> sound. We<br />

would not compromise distortion,<br />

frequency response, dynamics,<br />

and what not. Over <strong>the</strong> past 50<br />

years microphone quality has been<br />

fantastic. The signal quality, too.<br />

Hence, it has been our ma<strong>in</strong> goal to<br />

record this pure signal, on analogue<br />

and <strong>digital</strong> tapes, or on computer.<br />

LPs or analogue tapes, however,<br />

distort <strong>the</strong> sound. It is sometimes<br />

called a “pleasant distortion”,<br />

perfectly expla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g what people<br />

listen to. It appeals to <strong>the</strong>m; it gives<br />

<strong>the</strong>m a certa<strong>in</strong> feel<strong>in</strong>g that <strong>the</strong>re’s<br />

someth<strong>in</strong>g added to <strong>music</strong> that<br />

wasn’t orig<strong>in</strong>ally <strong>the</strong>re. Don’t get me<br />

wrong - that’s OK for a consumer.<br />

They can do whatever <strong>the</strong>y want.<br />

KUČINSKAS • But …?<br />

GEIJSEN • For me, <strong>in</strong> a record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

studio, it’s very dangerous. I cannot<br />

decide what people are go<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

like. I have to be as objective as<br />

possible, and shouldn't <strong>in</strong>fluence a<br />

<strong>music</strong> record<strong>in</strong>g. It’s not about me <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> first place. If you are listen<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

<strong>music</strong>, you shouldn’t even be aware<br />

that a balance eng<strong>in</strong>eer was <strong>the</strong>re.<br />

You listen to <strong>music</strong>ians, to a hall,<br />

while all <strong>the</strong> signal cha<strong>in</strong> should be<br />

as transparent as possible. Nobody<br />

should realise that someone had<br />

been mov<strong>in</strong>g faders around. As soon<br />

as that happens, you will straight<br />

away th<strong>in</strong>k that it’s artificial.<br />

KUČINSKAS • Why did you start<br />

record<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> hi-res?<br />

GEIJSEN • One of <strong>the</strong> reasons is<br />

<strong>the</strong> fram<strong>in</strong>g of time, which is much<br />

more precise than <strong>in</strong> a CD, for<br />

example. It gives you an ease of<br />

listen<strong>in</strong>g; little pieces of <strong>in</strong>formation<br />

(such as reflections of a hall, or a<br />

st<strong>age</strong>) that were miss<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> early CD<br />

record<strong>in</strong>gs. CD quality doesn’t give<br />

us <strong>the</strong> spaciousness – <strong>the</strong> def<strong>in</strong>ition<br />

of a space – which is so important to<br />

<strong>music</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g. For 10 years I worked<br />

with Alfred Brendel. His <strong>music</strong>mak<strong>in</strong>g<br />

was based and adjusted on<br />

reverberations produced by a hall.<br />

He often played different pianos,<br />

listen<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> environment and its<br />

reflection patterns. Later he would<br />

say: “I want my piano to move a<br />

little bit forwards (or backwards).”<br />

26


tech <strong>in</strong>sights<br />

JEAN-MARIE GEIJSEN<br />

In 1984 he began study<strong>in</strong>g record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

techniques <strong>in</strong> The Royal Conservatory<br />

at The Hague.<br />

From 1988 to 1990 he worked as<br />

a master<strong>in</strong>g eng<strong>in</strong>eer as well as a<br />

freelance <strong>classical</strong> record<strong>in</strong>g and PA<br />

eng<strong>in</strong>eer.<br />

In 1990 he jo<strong>in</strong>ed Philips Classics<br />

where he worked on record<strong>in</strong>gs with<br />

many top artists, from Seiji Ozawa to<br />

Valery Gergiev.<br />

Became a balance eng<strong>in</strong>eer at<br />

Polyhymnia International, work<strong>in</strong>g<br />

closely with PENTATONE and o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

labels.<br />

Th<strong>in</strong>k about how complex <strong>the</strong> sound<br />

<strong>in</strong>formation is. It bounces from<br />

a floor, ceil<strong>in</strong>gs, and walls with<strong>in</strong><br />

milliseconds. Thus, <strong>the</strong> more precise<br />

fram<strong>in</strong>g of all <strong>the</strong>se reflections is<br />

<strong>in</strong> a playback, <strong>the</strong> better feel<strong>in</strong>g of<br />

<strong>the</strong> space you get. If you chop it up<br />

<strong>in</strong> 44KHz, you’re omitt<strong>in</strong>g a lot of<br />

<strong>in</strong>formation from all <strong>the</strong>se random<br />

reflections. Hence, smaller frames<br />

means greater resolutions <strong>in</strong> early<br />

reflection patterns.<br />

KUČINSKAS • What do you mean<br />

by that?<br />

GEIJSEN • You start understand<strong>in</strong>g<br />

why a <strong>music</strong>ian plays <strong>the</strong> way he<br />

or she does. Tim<strong>in</strong>g determ<strong>in</strong>es<br />

so much <strong>in</strong> <strong>music</strong>. It is also very<br />

dependent on <strong>the</strong> acoustics of<br />

a given surround<strong>in</strong>gs. Musicians<br />

constantly anticipate reflections of<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir acoustic surround<strong>in</strong>gs. Thus,<br />

<strong>the</strong> better you hear <strong>the</strong> acoustics<br />

<strong>the</strong> more sense <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> makes.<br />

People who listen to <strong>music</strong> over <strong>the</strong><br />

years will appreciate high resolution<br />

more. A lot of logic that comes to<br />

<strong>music</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g is better captured<br />

<strong>in</strong> hi-res record<strong>in</strong>gs. However, you<br />

might not hear that much difference<br />

by listen<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> technical side<br />

of hi-res audio only. That’s <strong>the</strong><br />

funny th<strong>in</strong>g. You don’t hear early<br />

reflections with<strong>in</strong> 50 up to 100<br />

milliseconds when I’m talk<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

you, although <strong>the</strong>y’re <strong>the</strong>re. Hi-res<br />

captures this and gives it back to<br />

you. Although it isn’t very obvious,<br />

it gives you this feel<strong>in</strong>g. If you walk<br />

<strong>in</strong>to a hall you immediately notice<br />

what <strong>the</strong> acoustic properties of that<br />

hall are. Such acoustics entail th<strong>in</strong>gs<br />

like early reflections that you can’t<br />

hear. Improved precision on those<br />

acoustics' representation means<br />

more <strong>in</strong>formation about <strong>music</strong><br />

mak<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

KUČINSKAS • You say it's tricky to<br />

hear differences when focus<strong>in</strong>g on<br />

<strong>the</strong> hi-res technical side only. Have<br />

you ever heard more <strong>in</strong> hi-res than<br />

acoustic details when compar<strong>in</strong>g it<br />

to PCM record<strong>in</strong>gs?<br />

GEIJSEN • Yes – it was <strong>in</strong> one of <strong>the</strong><br />

record<strong>in</strong>gs I did with Mari Kodama.<br />

We were listen<strong>in</strong>g to 3 different<br />

versions of a track: a normal CD,<br />

which is a CD layer on an SACD, a<br />

stereo DSD, and a surround DSD.<br />

It was a prior distribution quality<br />

check. We first listened to DSD<br />

surround and stereo files, which<br />

didn’t grab our attention. While<br />

listen<strong>in</strong>g to a PCM version, we<br />

noticed a <strong>digital</strong> glitch, which is<br />

someth<strong>in</strong>g that needed to be dealt<br />

with. It was strange, as we didn’t<br />

hear anyth<strong>in</strong>g on <strong>the</strong> DSD files. So,<br />

once aga<strong>in</strong> we listened to <strong>the</strong> same<br />

pass<strong>age</strong> on <strong>the</strong> DSD version, and<br />

we did hear it. Yet, it wasn’t a glitch,<br />

but a f<strong>in</strong>gernail hitt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> key –<br />

<strong>the</strong>re was no doubt about what we<br />

heard! This f<strong>in</strong>gernail hitt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> key<br />

completely disappeared <strong>in</strong> a PCM<br />

version. That might be one of <strong>the</strong><br />

most clear and obvious examples I<br />

encountered over <strong>the</strong> years. It’s that<br />

subtle. Oh, but wait, it’s not subtle<br />

at all! [laughs] It br<strong>in</strong>gs you to <strong>the</strong><br />

core of <strong>music</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g. If a normal<br />

PCM version cuts away this k<strong>in</strong>d of<br />

<strong>in</strong>formation, you’re los<strong>in</strong>g a lot of<br />

<strong>music</strong> mak<strong>in</strong>g. It’s not a frequency<br />

doma<strong>in</strong> or distortion, but an acoustic<br />

environment that makes hi-res of<br />

what it is.<br />

KUČINSKAS • Have hi-res record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

techniques changed over <strong>the</strong> years?<br />

GEIJSEN • No, not so much. As<br />

I said before, we are still us<strong>in</strong>g<br />

microphones that are 50 and 60<br />

years old. Of course we also use new<br />

microphones, too. What I mean is<br />

27


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

that microphones <strong>the</strong>mselves are<br />

of fantastic quality. The record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

technique hasn't changed s<strong>in</strong>ce <strong>the</strong><br />

beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> stereo era, ei<strong>the</strong>r. It<br />

is a different story when it comes to<br />

surround sound record<strong>in</strong>g, which we<br />

had to <strong>in</strong>vent. But techniques used<br />

to position microphones, mak<strong>in</strong>g a<br />

balance and so on, haven’t changed.<br />

KUČINSKAS • There are so many<br />

stream<strong>in</strong>g services appear<strong>in</strong>g right<br />

now. Some have already started<br />

stream<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong> CD quality.<br />

However, <strong>the</strong>re is still no DSD<br />

stream<strong>in</strong>g service. Any thoughts on<br />

why?<br />

GEIJSEN • Well actually <strong>the</strong>re is<br />

[laughs]. Of course not as big as<br />

Spotify. Around two years ago we<br />

were asked to do test record<strong>in</strong>gs<br />

of a live DSD stream<strong>in</strong>g all over<br />

<strong>the</strong> world. The first record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

we did was <strong>in</strong> Berl<strong>in</strong> with <strong>the</strong><br />

Berl<strong>in</strong> Philharmonic. We used<br />

two microphones and recorded<br />

straight to DSD <strong>in</strong> 2.8MHz, which<br />

is a standard SACD quality. We also<br />

recorded <strong>in</strong> 5.6MHz, which is one<br />

step higher.<br />

KUČINSKAS • Super Super Audio<br />

CD (i.e. Super SACD, or S-SACD)?<br />

GEIJSEN • Yes [laughs]. It was<br />

broadcasted live all over <strong>the</strong> world<br />

via <strong>in</strong>ternet <strong>in</strong> DSD. A couple of<br />

hundred listeners were listen<strong>in</strong>g<br />

to this broadcast. It was flawless.<br />

We did it aga<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> Warsaw dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> International Chop<strong>in</strong> Piano<br />

Competition. We also did a<br />

complete programme with <strong>the</strong><br />

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra<br />

<strong>in</strong> Amsterdam. Later we repeated<br />

it <strong>in</strong> Japan us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> same setup.<br />

All <strong>the</strong>se test record<strong>in</strong>gs worked<br />

perfectly.<br />

‘ if you are<br />

listen<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

<strong>music</strong>, you<br />

shouldn’t<br />

even be<br />

aware a<br />

balance<br />

eng<strong>in</strong>eer<br />

was <strong>the</strong>re’<br />

KUČINSKAS • Why aren’t <strong>the</strong>re<br />

DSD stream<strong>in</strong>g services similar to<br />

Spotify <strong>the</strong>n?<br />

GEIJSEN • I don’t know if a<br />

worldwide <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> market is<br />

big enough to support a stream<strong>in</strong>g<br />

service like that. There needs to be<br />

enough demand to set up such a<br />

service and <strong>in</strong>vest money <strong>in</strong> it. On<br />

<strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, <strong>the</strong>re aren’t that<br />

many really good DSD record<strong>in</strong>gs.<br />

So it is also a matter of how much<br />

repertoire is available. Spotify’s<br />

catalogue is dom<strong>in</strong>ated by pop<br />

<strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong> which hi-res record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

practices aren’t used at all.<br />

KUČINSKAS • Why not?<br />

GEIJSEN • Because it’s too<br />

complicated. You don’t have all <strong>the</strong><br />

tools. In <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> we don’t use<br />

all <strong>the</strong> effects. You put a microphone<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> right place, mix <strong>the</strong> balance<br />

and that’s it – you have your master<br />

track. You don’t need compressors,<br />

limiters, EQs, or whatever. Not<br />

even a compressor. It’s just 1:1 – a<br />

straight mix. Whereas all those tools<br />

are be<strong>in</strong>g used <strong>in</strong> pop <strong>music</strong>’s post<br />

production. Reverbs, compressors,<br />

equalizers, or, let’s not forget, <strong>the</strong><br />

autotune - it’s PCM. When you’re<br />

lucky it’s 96KHz, but still a bit short<br />

to DSD 2.8MHz.<br />

28


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29


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

It was a spr<strong>in</strong>g day, <strong>the</strong> sun was sh<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a prov<strong>in</strong>cial wooded neighbourhood <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> Ne<strong>the</strong>rlands and I had someth<strong>in</strong>g important to talk about – <strong>the</strong> colour brown<br />

– with Joost De Boo, PENTATONE’s art director. He shed some light on album<br />

artwork <strong>in</strong> <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>, voic<strong>in</strong>g his frustration with <strong>the</strong> colour brown as <strong>the</strong><br />

norm, and his drive to brea<strong>the</strong> fresh air <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> creation of album art.<br />

Album art <strong>in</strong> <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> has tended towards safe colours and soft tones. If a<br />

picture speaks a thousand words, <strong>the</strong>n it’s up to designers of album art to help<br />

disrupt <strong>the</strong> general standards <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry. There has been a renaissance<br />

<strong>in</strong> opera, set design and costume design. Album art can have one too!<br />

WORDS RACHEL DELOUGHRY<br />

<strong>the</strong><br />

brown<br />

album<br />

Classical <strong>music</strong> has been try<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

shake off its old, dusty and antiquated<br />

vibe and Joost voiced what<br />

many people have been th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

Although this stuffy, old-fashioned<br />

reputation <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>gly impacts visual<br />

arts and public op<strong>in</strong>ion of <strong>classical</strong><br />

<strong>music</strong>, <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> itself is often<br />

unrecognisable from its packag<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

“The cover of a particular Liszt<br />

album was brown and olive green. I<br />

listened to <strong>the</strong> album and it was very<br />

energetic. But on a basic emotional<br />

level, <strong>the</strong>re was no connection<br />

between <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> and <strong>the</strong> colours<br />

brown and olive green. In <strong>the</strong> bigger<br />

picture of what <strong>the</strong> graphic designer<br />

has done, though, it all comes down<br />

to brown.”<br />

This led Joost to make a sample<br />

colour palette based on <strong>the</strong> top 50<br />

albums <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>classical</strong> charts. The<br />

consensus was that <strong>the</strong> aver<strong>age</strong><br />

colours were brown, beige and grey.<br />

Brown album art, low contrast and<br />

old pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs are standard. “The<br />

elements tended to be dark concert<br />

halls or old churches, backgrounds<br />

that are white, grey or brick, white<br />

people (<strong>in</strong> suits!) and wooden <strong>in</strong>struments.<br />

It all makes sense. But why<br />

use that? And why use old pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs?<br />

Why not create someth<strong>in</strong>g new,<br />

someth<strong>in</strong>g fresh?”<br />

This doesn’t mean designers have<br />

to remove <strong>the</strong>mselves from tradition<br />

entirely, <strong>in</strong> fact Joost likes to<br />

<strong>in</strong>corporate clichés <strong>in</strong> a playful and<br />

unexpected way, h<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g at a tradition<br />

but lett<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> observer fill <strong>the</strong><br />

gaps. “I like to play with <strong>the</strong> obvious.<br />

So on a cover for Beethoven’s<br />

Missa Solemnis I wanted to use <strong>the</strong><br />

famous Beethoven im<strong>age</strong>, but only


Joost had a prime example about<br />

how he ‘just got on with it’ and<br />

not only avoided <strong>the</strong> usual pitfalls,<br />

but made a visual narrative around<br />

<strong>the</strong> sonic traits of <strong>the</strong> album. “I’m<br />

currently mak<strong>in</strong>g a cover for Julia<br />

Fisher’s v<strong>in</strong>yl of Bach’s Sonatas and<br />

Partitas for solo viol<strong>in</strong> where I only<br />

used bronze <strong>in</strong>k. The delicately ex-<br />

title goes here<br />

parts of it. I chose this specific pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g<br />

because it is <strong>the</strong> most famous<br />

and recognizable im<strong>age</strong> of Beethoven.<br />

However, not many people<br />

know that Beethoven is hold<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

Missa Solemnis score <strong>in</strong> his hand.<br />

Therefore, I thought it would be<br />

<strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g to play with expectations.<br />

I believe that <strong>the</strong> person who buys<br />

this album is already a Beethoven<br />

fan (because it is not a ma<strong>in</strong>stream<br />

work) so <strong>the</strong>y would immediately<br />

recognize <strong>the</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>the</strong><br />

miss<strong>in</strong>g element and appreciate <strong>the</strong><br />

cryptic approach.”<br />

“That’s what I did with <strong>the</strong> Wagner<br />

R<strong>in</strong>g box set cover too: on <strong>the</strong><br />

cover, it doesn’t actually say “Der<br />

R<strong>in</strong>g des Nibelungen”. The words are<br />

cut off. Even with titles you can play<br />

around. By see<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> name Wagner<br />

and most of <strong>the</strong> letters of <strong>the</strong> title,<br />

you already know what it’s go<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

be. It’s been recorded hundreds of<br />

times, so why use <strong>the</strong> same approach<br />

aga<strong>in</strong>?”<br />

Album art is very much <strong>in</strong>tertw<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

with concerns <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>age</strong> of reproducible<br />

art. “Absolutely. Walter Benjam<strong>in</strong>’s<br />

The Work of Art <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Age of<br />

Mechanical Reproduction deals with<br />

exactly this! When you have a piece<br />

of art, reproduce it and put it <strong>in</strong> a<br />

new context, its mean<strong>in</strong>g changes.<br />

‘why use old<br />

pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>gs?<br />

why not<br />

create someth<strong>in</strong>g<br />

new,<br />

someth<strong>in</strong>g<br />

fresh?’<br />

And <strong>the</strong> mean<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al also<br />

changes because it’s not unique or<br />

au<strong>the</strong>ntic any more. Why for example<br />

produce an album of Bach’s St.<br />

John Passion with an album cover<br />

of a church? Yes, this was orig<strong>in</strong>ally<br />

a piece you could only hear performed<br />

<strong>in</strong> a church around Easter<br />

and what’s more, you could only go<br />

<strong>the</strong>re and listen if you were Christian.<br />

Now, you can listen to it with<br />

your headphones, you can read <strong>the</strong><br />

Koran at <strong>the</strong> same time, you can do<br />

whatever you like. So <strong>the</strong> piece does<br />

not have <strong>the</strong> same aura. Its orig<strong>in</strong>al<br />

aura is gone. We should still be aware<br />

of <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al mean<strong>in</strong>g and stay<br />

close to <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al, but look for abstract<br />

mean<strong>in</strong>g with<strong>in</strong> it. And if you<br />

put an im<strong>age</strong> of <strong>the</strong> Koran <strong>in</strong>stead<br />

of a church on <strong>the</strong> cover, <strong>the</strong>n it<br />

becomes even more about religion.<br />

You should be aware of <strong>the</strong> fact that<br />

it’s no longer <strong>the</strong> 18th century but a<br />

lot of labels and artists behave as if it<br />

still is. Th<strong>in</strong>k<strong>in</strong>g like this can harm <strong>the</strong><br />

genre!”<br />

There is a huge opportunity for<br />

photographers <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> transition<br />

away from brown! After all, <strong>the</strong><br />

graphic designer’s <strong>in</strong>genuity usually<br />

only comes <strong>in</strong>to play at <strong>the</strong> end of<br />

<strong>the</strong> process and <strong>the</strong>refore <strong>the</strong>y have<br />

to work with what ends up on <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

plate. Collaborat<strong>in</strong>g with visionary<br />

photographers will surely br<strong>in</strong>g out<br />

<strong>the</strong> quirks and <strong>the</strong> extraord<strong>in</strong>ary<br />

compell<strong>in</strong>g beauty that seems to<br />

be fall<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> brown, murky<br />

abyss. “The featured artists are<br />

photographed <strong>in</strong> old build<strong>in</strong>gs, so I<br />

have to make someth<strong>in</strong>g out of that.<br />

It already starts <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> conversation<br />

between <strong>the</strong> record<strong>in</strong>g artist and<br />

photographer. We should collaborate<br />

with photographers that are<br />

more <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> contemporary art<br />

<strong>in</strong>stead of us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> status quo photographers.<br />

We can make a bridge<br />

<strong>the</strong>re, because this is someth<strong>in</strong>g<br />

you cannot <strong>in</strong>fluence as a graphic<br />

designer. If not <strong>the</strong>n you just get on<br />

with it.”<br />

31


And You Must Suffer © Koen Broos<br />

‘it’s been<br />

recorded<br />

hundreds<br />

of times,<br />

so why use<br />

<strong>the</strong> same<br />

approach<br />

aga<strong>in</strong>?’<br />

32


po<strong>in</strong>t of view<br />

‘we should still be aware of<br />

<strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al mean<strong>in</strong>g and stay<br />

close to <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al, but look<br />

for abstract mean<strong>in</strong>g with<strong>in</strong> it’<br />

posed silhouette, <strong>the</strong> purest use of<br />

colour, <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>the</strong>matically balanced<br />

p<strong>age</strong> layout (1:1 ratio grid), and <strong>the</strong><br />

early 18th century typeface are<br />

carefully brought toge<strong>the</strong>r to enhance<br />

<strong>the</strong> aes<strong>the</strong>tic characteristics<br />

of Bach’s partitas and sonatas. But<br />

<strong>the</strong> im<strong>age</strong> <strong>the</strong>y orig<strong>in</strong>ally sent me<br />

had a brown background with Julia<br />

Fischer wear<strong>in</strong>g a p<strong>in</strong>k dress – and<br />

her hair happens to be blond. These<br />

elements comb<strong>in</strong>ed meant that <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> end it all turned out brown. So<br />

I thought – what can I do with this?<br />

I dived <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong>: <strong>the</strong> exposed<br />

quality, focus<strong>in</strong>g on just one <strong>in</strong>strument<br />

was strik<strong>in</strong>g so I made a<br />

story around that. The <strong>music</strong> is very<br />

delicate and fresh. The result is that<br />

you’re still very close to <strong>the</strong> piece<br />

but <strong>in</strong> a contemporary way.”<br />

Could design<strong>in</strong>g album art veer<br />

more towards contemporary art<br />

than graphic design? Is this even<br />

possible? Because an album cover<br />

designer is somebody who man<strong>age</strong>s<br />

to strike a healthy balance between<br />

be<strong>in</strong>g a visionary and be<strong>in</strong>g a team<br />

player – to carry out <strong>the</strong> wishes of<br />

artist man<strong>age</strong>rs, performers and<br />

so on. “There’s a need for disruption.<br />

Urania records, PENTATONE,<br />

Concertgebouw and Challenge are<br />

all labels that are really mak<strong>in</strong>g a<br />

statement and are very consistent<br />

about it. Where I th<strong>in</strong>k this visionary<br />

design happens is <strong>in</strong> contemporary<br />

opera. Soon we have <strong>the</strong> Opera Forward<br />

Festival <strong>in</strong> Amsterdam and <strong>the</strong><br />

Dutch National Opera is perform<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Bach’s St. John Passion. “You Must<br />

Suffer” is <strong>the</strong> tagl<strong>in</strong>e and <strong>the</strong> artist<br />

has created artwork with im<strong>age</strong>s of<br />

an x-ray of rats be<strong>in</strong>g crucified as<br />

<strong>the</strong> st<strong>age</strong> design. You can do that <strong>in</strong><br />

art. (As an artist <strong>in</strong> Holland anyway!<br />

I have grown up <strong>in</strong> this tradition.)<br />

Pierre Audi is <strong>the</strong> artistic director<br />

of <strong>the</strong> Dutch National Opera and<br />

is known for this provocative style.<br />

I saw Wagner’s Parsifal with st<strong>age</strong><br />

designs by Anish Kapoor. The designs<br />

played on a subconscious mood<br />

level and it was so beautiful. If you<br />

used a photo of a st<strong>age</strong> design by<br />

Anish Kapoor for an album cover,<br />

it would work where <strong>the</strong> ‘church<br />

performance’ photography would<br />

fail. It takes <strong>in</strong> form and light and<br />

reflection, because Parsifal is about<br />

reflection. It’s much more mean<strong>in</strong>gful<br />

than hav<strong>in</strong>g a portrait of <strong>the</strong><br />

opera s<strong>in</strong>ger who s<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>the</strong> role of<br />

Parsifal, or a picture of <strong>the</strong> goblet.<br />

There’s nuance to it because <strong>the</strong><br />

opera has such a clear story. There<br />

is so much more richness than a guy<br />

stand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> front of an orchestra<br />

wear<strong>in</strong>g brown.”<br />

33


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

There is fur<strong>the</strong>r room for change <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>classical</strong> album art, not just conceptually<br />

but even <strong>in</strong> terms of <strong>the</strong><br />

basics: typography and dimensions.<br />

“There are very specific titles <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>, compared with any<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r genre. Opus numbers, full<br />

titles, conductor, soloist, sometimes<br />

multiple composers, and all opus<br />

numbers for each work listed. For<br />

<strong>digital</strong> we should just cut it out. In<br />

a thumbnail you don’t see anyth<strong>in</strong>g<br />

anyway – text can just look like a<br />

white l<strong>in</strong>e. I create two versions of<br />

every album cover – one for <strong>digital</strong>,<br />

one for physical. When you buy it <strong>in</strong><br />

hard copy you have more text on<br />

<strong>the</strong> cover, but <strong>in</strong> <strong>digital</strong>, this is not<br />

necessary.”<br />

“For stream<strong>in</strong>g and download<strong>in</strong>g it<br />

doesn’t even have to be a square<br />

anymore. Your screen is a rectangle,<br />

not a square. It can be changeable<br />

so that when you download an<br />

album, <strong>the</strong>re can be a cover that<br />

becomes <strong>in</strong>teractive depend<strong>in</strong>g on<br />

screen size. In <strong>the</strong> not-too-distant<br />

future, album art could even have<br />

mov<strong>in</strong>g im<strong>age</strong>s or exist <strong>in</strong> a virtual<br />

reality. Square CD-size will still work<br />

when it’s advertised <strong>in</strong> a magaz<strong>in</strong>e<br />

or <strong>in</strong> thumbnail size, but it’s not <strong>the</strong><br />

only dimension we need to work<br />

with. V<strong>in</strong>yl on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, is a<br />

fixed size and is sold on a merchandise<br />

level, so from a design po<strong>in</strong>t<br />

of view, v<strong>in</strong>yl should be treated<br />

separately, as a work of art, as with<br />

posters and so on.”<br />

So why is <strong>the</strong>re so much brown <strong>in</strong> <strong>classical</strong>? This conversation confirmed<br />

some of my suspicions of how sepia tones and ‘play<strong>in</strong>g it safe’ can h<strong>in</strong>der<br />

<strong>the</strong> perception of what is an extraord<strong>in</strong>ary, excit<strong>in</strong>g and vibrant genre. We<br />

can rest assured though that <strong>the</strong> genre is already be<strong>in</strong>g shaken up and we<br />

have lots more <strong>in</strong>novation to look forward to, not just <strong>in</strong> design but on multiple<br />

levels of creativity.<br />

Parsifal © Monika Rittershaus & Ruth Walz<br />

JOOST DE BOO<br />

Art Direction and Graphic Design at<br />

Pentatone Music and <strong>primephonic</strong>.<br />

Previously worked at design studios<br />

<strong>in</strong> Utrecht, Toronto and New York.<br />

Studied at <strong>the</strong> Rietveld Academie,<br />

Utrecht School of <strong>the</strong> Arts and <strong>the</strong><br />

Rhode Island School of Design.<br />

34


title goes here<br />

Our artists put all <strong>the</strong>ir heart<br />

and soul <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

“ An unrivalled<br />

<strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

experience<br />

through<br />

superior<br />

audio<br />

technology.“<br />

Now available at<br />

<strong>primephonic</strong>.com/pentatone<br />

www.pentatone<strong>music</strong>.com<br />

35


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> chronicles<br />

From physical CD to Napster fileshar<strong>in</strong>g<br />

and from iTunes to purposebuilt<br />

<strong>classical</strong> stream<strong>in</strong>g platforms<br />

with richer metadata and room for<br />

discovery, <strong>the</strong> <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry<br />

has evolved beyond what any <strong>in</strong>dustry<br />

maverick could have foreseen. The<br />

ability of technology to change how<br />

we listen to <strong>music</strong> has had a gamechang<strong>in</strong>g<br />

effect which has accelerated<br />

considerably from <strong>the</strong> turn of <strong>the</strong><br />

millennium up to <strong>the</strong> present day.<br />

<strong>primephonic</strong> editor Rachel Deloughry<br />

had <strong>the</strong> opportunity to speak to PETE<br />

DOWNTON, Deputy CEO of 7<strong>digital</strong><br />

about this excit<strong>in</strong>g era.<br />

of stream<strong>in</strong>g<br />

36


tech <strong>in</strong>sights<br />

i.<br />

an unprecedented<br />

timel<strong>in</strong>e<br />

guess I saw <strong>the</strong> tail end of what had become<br />

I <strong>the</strong> CD boom that had driven growth <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

recorded <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry. To provide a little bit<br />

of context, I jo<strong>in</strong>ed Warner Music Group <strong>in</strong>itially<br />

<strong>in</strong> 1996 and worked <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> physical bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> UK company. To give you a sense of what<br />

that meant <strong>in</strong> practical terms: when I jo<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

Warner Music, <strong>the</strong>re were five major record<br />

labels. Between us, we employed upwards of<br />

40,000 staff around <strong>the</strong> world, manag<strong>in</strong>g pr<strong>in</strong>cipally<br />

<strong>the</strong> physical distribution of <strong>music</strong>. Of<br />

course <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> was a mean<strong>in</strong>gful part of<br />

that activity.<br />

And so, <strong>the</strong>re was a transition <strong>in</strong> 1999<br />

when peer-to-peer first emerged as a major<br />

consideration for <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry. With Napster,<br />

one saw that <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry had, to a degree,<br />

anticipated <strong>the</strong> shift to <strong>digital</strong>. But it tried to<br />

make <strong>digital</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> im<strong>age</strong> of physical, by offer<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> same k<strong>in</strong>d of products <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> same k<strong>in</strong>d<br />

of way but on an <strong>in</strong>ternet retail basis. I always<br />

refer to that period <strong>in</strong> recorded <strong>music</strong> as ‘<strong>the</strong><br />

abbreviated griev<strong>in</strong>g process’. We began with<br />

denial, we experienced anger, which resulted <strong>in</strong><br />

us su<strong>in</strong>g pretty much everybody!<br />

And <strong>the</strong>n <strong>in</strong> 2003 we reached acceptance<br />

with <strong>the</strong> launch of iTunes. Hav<strong>in</strong>g worked<br />

at Warner as part of <strong>the</strong> team that helped br<strong>in</strong>g<br />

iTunes to <strong>the</strong> market, it had become apparent<br />

from <strong>the</strong> previous year or so that <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry<br />

needed help: it needed help to organise<br />

itself and to make this transition, because<br />

<strong>the</strong> old rules didn’t really apply any more. We<br />

were struggl<strong>in</strong>g to organise ourselves and our<br />

own assets, let alone determ<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g and dictat<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> way <strong>music</strong> should be distributed. So<br />

we were really fortunate that around <strong>the</strong> same<br />

time that this was tak<strong>in</strong>g place, we were at <strong>the</strong><br />

forefront of <strong>the</strong> discussions lead<strong>in</strong>g up to <strong>the</strong><br />

launch of iTunes. At Warner, Roger Ames, our<br />

global chairman and CEO, was <strong>the</strong> first senior<br />

executive from <strong>the</strong> recorded <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry to<br />

eng<strong>age</strong> with Steve Jobs and <strong>the</strong> team at Apple.<br />

And so we saw up close <strong>the</strong> transition that <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>in</strong>dustry needed to make. However when iTunes<br />

launched, it was regarded <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> technology <strong>in</strong>dustry<br />

as <strong>the</strong> last roll of <strong>the</strong> dice for Apple. Apple<br />

was a bus<strong>in</strong>ess that was completely dwarfed<br />

by <strong>the</strong> big <strong>in</strong>ternet and mobile players of <strong>the</strong><br />

time, by companies like Nokia and o<strong>the</strong>rs who<br />

were worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Apple<br />

was a relatively niche player <strong>in</strong> that marketplace.<br />

So, one of <strong>the</strong> th<strong>in</strong>gs that really enabled<br />

Warner to have a disproportionate impact was<br />

see<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> transformation of an idea as simple<br />

as iTunes, and watch<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> reality of that idea<br />

play out <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> marketplace. I remember vividly<br />

on <strong>the</strong> second full day of iTunes sales <strong>in</strong> North<br />

America, receiv<strong>in</strong>g a phone call from <strong>the</strong> North<br />

37


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

‘we thought, if only we could get this th<strong>in</strong>g that<br />

meant so much to people and make it available us<strong>in</strong>g<br />

new technologies and new <strong>digital</strong> channels’<br />

American team say<strong>in</strong>g that <strong>the</strong>y had sold a million<br />

downloads, which was <strong>the</strong> forecast for <strong>the</strong><br />

first year! So this gave us a tremendous confidence<br />

that <strong>music</strong> still had a real relevance. If we<br />

could f<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong> right comb<strong>in</strong>ation of technology,<br />

partners and distribution, and <strong>the</strong> confidence<br />

that <strong>music</strong> would cont<strong>in</strong>ue to have a valuable<br />

role <strong>in</strong> people’s lives, if we could br<strong>in</strong>g those<br />

th<strong>in</strong>gs toge<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong>n it was a signpost for <strong>the</strong><br />

way <strong>the</strong> market might evolve.<br />

That said, if you were to<br />

look at what happened after<br />

iTunes, <strong>the</strong>re was a renewed<br />

confidence <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry<br />

and many larger players tried<br />

to replicate what Apple had<br />

done. Microsoft <strong>in</strong> particular<br />

had a tremendous <strong>in</strong>itiative<br />

with many of <strong>the</strong> world’s retailers<br />

<strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> consumer<br />

electronics<br />

manufacturers,<br />

but nobody ever really replicated it <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> form<br />

of <strong>music</strong> downloads. The <strong>in</strong>dustry bubbled as<br />

a download <strong>in</strong>dustry until 2007 when Spotify<br />

came along. Now, at <strong>the</strong> same time, we were<br />

constantly look<strong>in</strong>g at what Rhapsody (<strong>the</strong> new<br />

name for Napster) was do<strong>in</strong>g, and we were see<strong>in</strong>g<br />

that if you deliver a compell<strong>in</strong>g product to a<br />

<strong>music</strong> fan, <strong>the</strong> levels of eng<strong>age</strong>ment were fabulous.<br />

I th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>the</strong> reality was that <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry<br />

wasn’t prepared to make that transition. And I<br />

don’t th<strong>in</strong>k consumers were ei<strong>the</strong>r.<br />

So if you th<strong>in</strong>k about where <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry<br />

was: this was 2003 or 2004 and iTunes<br />

had given great confidence to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry.<br />

We thought, if only we could get this th<strong>in</strong>g that<br />

meant so much to people and make it available<br />

us<strong>in</strong>g new technologies and new <strong>digital</strong> channels.<br />

Everyth<strong>in</strong>g looked very rosy. What actually hap-<br />

pened was that <strong>the</strong> transition from an old CD<br />

bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong>to a new <strong>digital</strong> retail<br />

bus<strong>in</strong>ess turned out to be a<br />

relatively niche opportunity, <strong>in</strong><br />

that it didn’t broaden!<br />

iTunes was a success<br />

<strong>in</strong> its own right but it was where near reach<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> same<br />

levels of consumers that <strong>the</strong><br />

physical CD had ever reached.<br />

Frankly, consumers and fans<br />

were look<strong>in</strong>g for more depth<br />

<strong>in</strong> a <strong>music</strong>al experience and for <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

fans, it was just underwhelm<strong>in</strong>g. The way that<br />

<strong>classical</strong> record<strong>in</strong>gs were be<strong>in</strong>g presented on<br />

no-<br />

<strong>in</strong>ternet services was almost impenetrable. It<br />

was a model that was built around pop <strong>music</strong><br />

and driven by popularity. It was <strong>in</strong>conceivable<br />

to most <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> collectors and fans that<br />

<strong>the</strong>y would use <strong>digital</strong> to replace <strong>the</strong>ir old physical<br />

<strong>music</strong> library. To be fair, Apple have done a<br />

38


tech <strong>in</strong>sights<br />

better job than most to enrich what <strong>the</strong>y do,<br />

but fundamentally those services were about<br />

pop <strong>music</strong> and hit songs and genres o<strong>the</strong>r than<br />

<strong>classical</strong> and <strong>the</strong>y certa<strong>in</strong>ly didn’t lend <strong>the</strong>mselves<br />

to discovery of <strong>classical</strong> works for <strong>the</strong><br />

simple fact of <strong>the</strong> metadata. It was impenetrable.<br />

Download<strong>in</strong>g didn’t take off <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>classical</strong><br />

world <strong>in</strong>itially. Consumers have always wanted<br />

to upgrade to someth<strong>in</strong>g better, but it wasn’t<br />

better <strong>in</strong> terms of <strong>the</strong> convenience of discovery.<br />

Arguably as important was <strong>the</strong> denigration<br />

of sound quality. The trade-off between convenience<br />

and quality certa<strong>in</strong>ly lost a lot of consumers<br />

who had previously been <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

collectors and jazz <strong>music</strong> collectors. There was<br />

no comparison between what <strong>the</strong>y were be<strong>in</strong>g<br />

offered as a download and what <strong>the</strong>y had been<br />

offered <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> physical world. And it wasn’t just<br />

those genres that struggled.<br />

We reached a ceil<strong>in</strong>g because of so much<br />

that was happen<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> people’s <strong>digital</strong> lives. If<br />

we look at what happened <strong>in</strong> film and TV over<br />

<strong>the</strong> same period, <strong>the</strong> quality, experience and<br />

convenience was gett<strong>in</strong>g better and better.<br />

Music, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r hand, has tried to take <strong>the</strong><br />

physical experience and copy it across, bus<strong>in</strong>ess<br />

model and all, onto a <strong>digital</strong> platform. So<br />

we were constantly try<strong>in</strong>g to f<strong>in</strong>d companies<br />

that would deliver not only <strong>the</strong> convenience of<br />

<strong>digital</strong> but at least as good a quality of an experience<br />

as we had found <strong>in</strong> previous formats. If<br />

you th<strong>in</strong>k about it, dur<strong>in</strong>g that period Rhapsody<br />

was do<strong>in</strong>g reasonably well – it was a service<br />

that had a million or so users but it never really<br />

broke out <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>stream because <strong>the</strong><br />

consumers were f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g it difficult to get <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

heads around not only recurr<strong>in</strong>g subscriptions,<br />

but also <strong>the</strong> idea of be<strong>in</strong>g able to access <strong>music</strong><br />

as opposed to collect<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong>.<br />

Music is so important for people’s self-expression<br />

and <strong>the</strong> act of collect<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong> itself,<br />

that ritual of <strong>music</strong> buy<strong>in</strong>g is art of <strong>the</strong> experience.<br />

We <strong>the</strong>n fast-forward to 2007 and <strong>the</strong><br />

launch of Spotify; not only did Spotify do a lot<br />

for <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry <strong>in</strong> terms of <strong>the</strong>ir techni-<br />

cal capability comb<strong>in</strong>ed with a <strong>music</strong> obsession,<br />

but it was <strong>the</strong> first time we’d seen that <strong>in</strong> a s<strong>in</strong>gle<br />

company. And I th<strong>in</strong>k ironically it was able<br />

to grow, develop and improve because it didn’t<br />

come from North America. North America has<br />

this tendency to burn brightly and often to<br />

burn out but Spotify was able to thrive, <strong>in</strong>itially<br />

across a s<strong>in</strong>gle territory and <strong>the</strong>n <strong>in</strong> a handful of<br />

territories. It really had <strong>the</strong> breath<strong>in</strong>g space to<br />

build and develop and improve on <strong>the</strong> experience.<br />

And meanwhile, all <strong>the</strong> time Spotify were<br />

improv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong>ir experience, customers were<br />

becom<strong>in</strong>g more accustomed to access <strong>music</strong><br />

as opposed to ownership, or access<strong>in</strong>g content<br />

based on someone else’s schedule. Spotify allowed<br />

audiences to access content accord<strong>in</strong>g<br />

to <strong>the</strong>ir own schedules and lifestyles. So I<br />

th<strong>in</strong>k between 2007 and 2014, we were go<strong>in</strong>g<br />

through this transition <strong>in</strong> consumer behaviour<br />

and Spotify dragged <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry kick<strong>in</strong>g<br />

and scream<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> stream<strong>in</strong>g era. A lot of<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>frastructure that was necessary for <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry to completely change its model<br />

was developed <strong>the</strong>n.<br />

But still, it’s fair to say that while Spotify provides<br />

a great experience for someone who is a<br />

ma<strong>in</strong>stream <strong>music</strong> lover – someone who wants<br />

pop, <strong>classical</strong>, rock, and many of <strong>the</strong> contemporary<br />

genres – it’s not a f<strong>in</strong>ished article when it<br />

comes to <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>. For <strong>the</strong> different ways<br />

you want to search <strong>the</strong> catalogue as a <strong>classical</strong><br />

<strong>music</strong> fan or collector, <strong>the</strong> bar is set pretty high.<br />

You want to search by composer or by work,<br />

understand<strong>in</strong>g that an overture is not necessarily<br />

a full work, for <strong>in</strong>stance. The <strong>in</strong>frastructure<br />

necessary to deliver <strong>classical</strong> still wasn’t <strong>in</strong> place<br />

by 2014 when I th<strong>in</strong>k stream<strong>in</strong>g really started to<br />

ga<strong>in</strong> momentum.<br />

39


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

such as Chromecast, you now have <strong>the</strong> ability<br />

to stream to your hifi system. It’s an <strong>in</strong>credibly<br />

excit<strong>in</strong>g time to start to serve those audiences<br />

<strong>in</strong> a way that genu<strong>in</strong>ely is an upgrade to a much<br />

better experience. So for 7<strong>digital</strong>, and for me<br />

personally, it is a really excit<strong>in</strong>g time.<br />

I worked <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> early days of DVD audio<br />

and SACD and I was <strong>in</strong>volved <strong>in</strong> attempt<strong>in</strong>g<br />

to resuscitate <strong>the</strong> DVD audio format <strong>in</strong> 2000<br />

when <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry had frankly missed probably<br />

its most obvious opportunity to drive a<br />

new wave of growth by follow<strong>in</strong>g up on what<br />

had been <strong>the</strong> most successful consumer pack<strong>age</strong><br />

media format of all time. The <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry<br />

could not organise itself to deliver those<br />

products as an experience, despite <strong>the</strong> fact<br />

that <strong>the</strong>y had tremendous momentum. And<br />

<strong>the</strong>n at that po<strong>in</strong>t <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry stopped for <strong>the</strong><br />

best part of a decade <strong>in</strong>vest<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> audio quality.<br />

We’re now start<strong>in</strong>g to see all <strong>the</strong> major labels<br />

and <strong>in</strong>dependent labels, especially <strong>in</strong> <strong>classical</strong>,<br />

gear up to deliver not just <strong>the</strong> catalogues but<br />

also new releases, contemporary artists and<br />

work<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> much higher resolution. So over <strong>the</strong><br />

next couple of years, <strong>the</strong>re are opportunities<br />

for bus<strong>in</strong>esses to evolve which means that <strong>music</strong><br />

fans don’t have to compromise on quality or<br />

convenience any more.<br />

If we look at ano<strong>the</strong>r phenomenon over<br />

<strong>the</strong> last few years, namely <strong>the</strong> resurgence of vi-<br />

ii.<br />

experience, search<br />

and discovery<br />

I<br />

th<strong>in</strong>k stream<strong>in</strong>g has done a fantastic job at<br />

replac<strong>in</strong>g a lot of our listen<strong>in</strong>g habits and has<br />

even improved <strong>the</strong>m. Now we are start<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

see <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> be<strong>in</strong>g made available on<br />

various stream<strong>in</strong>g platforms <strong>in</strong> a way that’s appropriate,<br />

and it’s be<strong>in</strong>g made possible because<br />

<strong>the</strong> record labels <strong>in</strong> particular have been forced<br />

to look closely at <strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>ds of metadata that<br />

are necessary to underp<strong>in</strong> a <strong>classical</strong> stream<strong>in</strong>g<br />

service. And <strong>the</strong>y are start<strong>in</strong>g to build someth<strong>in</strong>g<br />

that supports services that are fit for purpose<br />

<strong>in</strong> terms of search and discovery. But also<br />

we are only now see<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> com<strong>in</strong>g toge<strong>the</strong>r of<br />

services and devices <strong>in</strong> a way that makes it possible<br />

for people to access a stream<strong>in</strong>g service<br />

and to listen to <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong> a quality that I th<strong>in</strong>k<br />

most <strong>classical</strong> aficionados would appreciate. If<br />

you give somebody <strong>the</strong> convenience and ability<br />

to browse through a catalogue, that’s f<strong>in</strong>e,<br />

but you’ve also got to experience it. The ability<br />

to stream higher quality is thanks to bandwidth<br />

improvements but also because of progress<br />

that’s been made <strong>in</strong> deliver<strong>in</strong>g new formats <strong>in</strong><br />

high resolution. That now means that <strong>the</strong> context<br />

is <strong>the</strong>re and <strong>the</strong> tools necessary to deliver<br />

really compell<strong>in</strong>g <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> experiences<br />

on <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternet are just becom<strong>in</strong>g available.<br />

That’s on <strong>the</strong> service side. If you comb<strong>in</strong>e<br />

this with developments <strong>in</strong> connected devices,<br />

particularly audio devices and platforms<br />

40


tech <strong>in</strong>sights<br />

‘it’s be<strong>in</strong>g made possible because <strong>the</strong> record labels <strong>in</strong><br />

particular have been forced to really look closely at<br />

<strong>the</strong> k<strong>in</strong>ds of metadata that are necessary to underp<strong>in</strong> a<br />

<strong>classical</strong> stream<strong>in</strong>g service’<br />

nyl, I th<strong>in</strong>k it’s evidence of demand without a<br />

product. It tells us about <strong>the</strong> way that people<br />

want to eng<strong>age</strong> with <strong>music</strong> and what’s important<br />

about <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir lives. There are certa<strong>in</strong><br />

needs and requirements that are currently not<br />

be<strong>in</strong>g satisfied by <strong>the</strong> exist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>digital</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

marketplace and by that I mean <strong>the</strong> depth that<br />

you get from be<strong>in</strong>g able to understand more of<br />

<strong>the</strong> composer, <strong>the</strong> producer, <strong>the</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>eer, <strong>the</strong><br />

artist, <strong>the</strong> songwriter. The story around <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

and <strong>the</strong> context about <strong>the</strong><br />

way <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> has been created<br />

has always been a part of<br />

<strong>the</strong> experience and so if I look<br />

at today’s most widely used<br />

stream<strong>in</strong>g services, <strong>the</strong>y‘re<br />

great at f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g th<strong>in</strong>gs and<br />

mak<strong>in</strong>g th<strong>in</strong>gs available that<br />

are popular, but <strong>the</strong> depth of<br />

context isn’t really <strong>the</strong>re. That<br />

creates tremendous opportunities<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry, to provide services<br />

that really do meet <strong>the</strong> expectations of those<br />

who are look<strong>in</strong>g for more depth, both <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

quality of <strong>the</strong> audio, listen<strong>in</strong>g to works from different<br />

orchestras, be<strong>in</strong>g able to form <strong>the</strong>ir own<br />

op<strong>in</strong>ions about <strong>the</strong> best performances, and also<br />

<strong>the</strong> stories and <strong>the</strong> context around those works.<br />

So context is everyth<strong>in</strong>g and if we’re to look at<br />

where we are <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> transition from a physical<br />

pack<strong>age</strong>d media bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong>to a <strong>digital</strong> stream<strong>in</strong>g<br />

bus<strong>in</strong>ess, I th<strong>in</strong>k we’re <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> first hour of<br />

<strong>digital</strong> <strong>music</strong>. In some ways it’s pa<strong>in</strong>ful to say<br />

that because I’ve been at it for 20 years, but it<br />

feels like we’re just gett<strong>in</strong>g started. And <strong>the</strong>re<br />

are ways we can approach new technologies to<br />

make it easier to discover and navigate <strong>the</strong> catalogue<br />

and <strong>the</strong>n br<strong>in</strong>g ano<strong>the</strong>r context around<br />

those record<strong>in</strong>gs. The next few years are go<strong>in</strong>g<br />

to be tremendously excit<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>music</strong> lovers<br />

of all persuasions. I’m tremendously<br />

excited about this.<br />

But at <strong>the</strong> heart of it all is <strong>the</strong><br />

storytell<strong>in</strong>g. The way that you<br />

experience and re-experience<br />

<strong>music</strong>, <strong>the</strong>re needs to be tremendous<br />

depth to it and we<br />

are only just gett<strong>in</strong>g started<br />

<strong>digital</strong>ly.<br />

41


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

iii.<br />

<strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> <strong>digital</strong><br />

<strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>novation<br />

But at least we’re gett<strong>in</strong>g started with <strong>the</strong><br />

right tools now. There are more catalogues<br />

available, better metadata and fewer technical<br />

barriers. We forget how far we’ve travelled <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> last 24 months. So many of those early challenges<br />

have been removed and that creates a<br />

fantastic platform for <strong>in</strong>novation. The work is<br />

not f<strong>in</strong>ished by any stretch of <strong>the</strong> imag<strong>in</strong>ation.<br />

Over <strong>the</strong> last 2 or 3 years, <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry – <strong>the</strong><br />

likes of Universal Music Group, Decca, Naxos,<br />

Deutsche Grammophon – has<br />

become focused on how we<br />

make sure <strong>the</strong> <strong>classical</strong> experience<br />

is compell<strong>in</strong>g. And<br />

<strong>the</strong>re’s a resurgence <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>terest<br />

<strong>in</strong> artists and repertoire.<br />

So despite <strong>the</strong> fact that<br />

<strong>the</strong> relative share of <strong>the</strong> <strong>digital</strong><br />

marketplaces has been challeng<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> over<br />

<strong>the</strong> past few years, I’m really<br />

encour<strong>age</strong>d by <strong>the</strong> focus on <strong>in</strong>vestment that<br />

we’re see<strong>in</strong>g across <strong>the</strong> major labels and <strong>the</strong><br />

major <strong>in</strong>dependent producers of <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

and just a great example of where <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dus-<br />

try is headed. At CES (Consumer Electronics<br />

Show) this year <strong>in</strong> Las Vegas, three major record<br />

labels came toge<strong>the</strong>r to demonstrate not just<br />

a desire to help support high resolution <strong>music</strong>,<br />

but also that <strong>the</strong>y are <strong>in</strong>vest<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> and mak<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong>se services available. So I am encour<strong>age</strong>d<br />

about what <strong>the</strong> next few years will look like for<br />

all <strong>music</strong>al genres, but particularly <strong>classical</strong> and<br />

jazz that have been so under-served <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> last<br />

few years.<br />

Goldman Sachs published a report not<br />

so long ago about what <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry will<br />

look like <strong>in</strong> 2025.The most significant th<strong>in</strong>g<br />

about this authoritative report is that it pulls<br />

toge<strong>the</strong>r all elements of <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry and<br />

looks at <strong>the</strong>m through a s<strong>in</strong>gle<br />

lens. The challenge of <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry over <strong>the</strong> last<br />

couple of decades has been<br />

fragmentation, and that is just<br />

as significant <strong>in</strong> pop <strong>music</strong> as<br />

it is <strong>in</strong> <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>. Once<br />

you separate <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong><br />

artist and repertoire from an<br />

ability to generate revenue,<br />

<strong>the</strong>n it becomes challeng<strong>in</strong>g<br />

to cont<strong>in</strong>ue to <strong>in</strong>vest. For <strong>the</strong> first time, we’re<br />

beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g to look at <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry through a s<strong>in</strong>gle<br />

lens which is tremendously encourag<strong>in</strong>g for<br />

all genres of <strong>music</strong>. And I’m a cynic. I’ve been<br />

do<strong>in</strong>g this too long to be easily conv<strong>in</strong>ced of<br />

<strong>the</strong>se th<strong>in</strong>gs! So I can safely say, it really is an<br />

excit<strong>in</strong>g time for <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry.<br />

The advice I’d give to those new to<br />

stream<strong>in</strong>g is: you’ve got to try it. You’ve got to<br />

42


tech <strong>in</strong>sights<br />

‘so context is everyth<strong>in</strong>g and if we’re to look at where<br />

we are <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> transition from a physical pack<strong>age</strong>d media<br />

bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong>to a <strong>digital</strong> stream<strong>in</strong>g bus<strong>in</strong>ess, I th<strong>in</strong>k we’re<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> first hour of <strong>digital</strong> <strong>music</strong>’<br />

look at <strong>the</strong> simplicity of <strong>the</strong> way that stream<strong>in</strong>g<br />

is now be<strong>in</strong>g delivered and <strong>the</strong> simplicity of<br />

tak<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> off a computer and mak<strong>in</strong>g it<br />

available through your audio system. The advances<br />

we’ve seen <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> last 12 months means<br />

it’s a whole different proposition now. F<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong><br />

service that’s right for you because not all services<br />

are equal <strong>in</strong> terms of <strong>the</strong>ir focus on context<br />

or <strong>the</strong> breadth of content. The great th<strong>in</strong>g<br />

is that <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry is now <strong>in</strong> a growth phase.<br />

So it’s easy to get a taste of this and give it a<br />

try. You don’t have to let go of your CD or v<strong>in</strong>yl<br />

collection to give it a go now. I th<strong>in</strong>k people will<br />

be pleasantly surprised at just how far it has developed<br />

just <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> last 18-24 months.<br />

PETE DOWNTON<br />

Deputy CEO of 7<strong>digital</strong>.<br />

He jo<strong>in</strong>ed Warner Music Group <strong>in</strong> 1996.<br />

In 2014 he jo<strong>in</strong>ed 7<strong>digital</strong>, <strong>the</strong> B2B<br />

<strong>digital</strong> <strong>music</strong> and radio services<br />

company.<br />

1999<br />

Peer-to-peer<br />

<strong>music</strong> shar<strong>in</strong>g<br />

with Napster.<br />

2003<br />

iTunes launched.<br />

Apple was still a<br />

niche company.<br />

2007<br />

Spotify<br />

launched.<br />

Beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g of<br />

<strong>the</strong> concept of<br />

access<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong><br />

ra<strong>the</strong>r than<br />

collect<strong>in</strong>g it.<br />

2014<br />

Improved metadata,<br />

break<strong>in</strong>g<br />

ground for <strong>classical</strong><br />

stream<strong>in</strong>g.<br />

2017<br />

<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

launches 100%<br />

<strong>classical</strong> stream<strong>in</strong>g<br />

platform.<br />

43


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

1<br />

KATHERINE<br />

STREAMING BETA TESTER<br />

“I have enjoyed stream<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

available <strong>music</strong> dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> beta<br />

period. I hope that when you go to<br />

production <strong>the</strong>re is at least a tier of<br />

service that is compatible with my<br />

listen<strong>in</strong>g habits. If I had to crowd out<br />

some o<strong>the</strong>r aspect of my <strong>music</strong>al life<br />

<strong>in</strong> order to justify whatever I had to<br />

pay <strong>the</strong>n I would not do that.”<br />

“I have used <strong>the</strong> service more dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> beta than I would on aver<strong>age</strong><br />

over <strong>the</strong> long term, as I did postpone<br />

some o<strong>the</strong>r th<strong>in</strong>gs to focus here<br />

because of <strong>the</strong> limited time.”<br />

“I was just play<strong>in</strong>g a piece by a<br />

composer I know, but a work of his<br />

that is less familiar to me. And my<br />

first thought was “I like this <strong>music</strong>ally<br />

but maybe I'd prefer a different<br />

version.”<br />

2<br />

“The <strong>music</strong> is awesome – I am pretty<br />

sure we all agree on that – and I am<br />

grateful to have had <strong>the</strong> opportunity<br />

to hopefully make <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>al product<br />

a success.”<br />

“So I went to <strong>the</strong> “work <strong>in</strong>fo” choice<br />

that lives at <strong>the</strong> top of <strong>the</strong> bar and<br />

clicked. I was shown <strong>in</strong>formation<br />

about <strong>the</strong> piece that <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>the</strong><br />

date and place of its premiere<br />

AND – of <strong>in</strong>terest to me – o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

record<strong>in</strong>gs of this piece that I will go<br />

and explore soon.”<br />

“I wish to report that I am a fan of<br />

this feature – please keep it! And<br />

thank you!”<br />

ALI KHAN<br />

NEW SOUNDS CONSULTING<br />

3<br />

HEESANG JEON<br />

FORMER HEAD OF PRODUCT<br />

AT 7DIGITAL<br />

“I have been wait<strong>in</strong>g for a <strong>classical</strong> stream<strong>in</strong>g<br />

service for a long time. It's great that my<br />

needs as a user are be<strong>in</strong>g f<strong>in</strong>ally met!”<br />

4<br />

DON MCINTOSH<br />

STREAMING BETA TESTER<br />

“Metadata for <strong>music</strong> is always an issue but<br />

especially for <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>, simply because<br />

<strong>the</strong>re are no standards. What I see on<br />

<strong>primephonic</strong> is better than what I get from<br />

most CDs.”<br />

“So far I played two releases and connected it to my<br />

system via Bluetooth <strong>in</strong> my car system. Very nice. Keep<br />

up <strong>the</strong> great work.”<br />

BOWERS & WILKINS HEADPHONE GIVEAWAY<br />

We held a competition<br />

for beta testers to<br />

w<strong>in</strong> a set of Bowers &<br />

Wilk<strong>in</strong>s P7 headphones.<br />

Their exquisite design<br />

and breathtak<strong>in</strong>g sound<br />

are a high-end treat for<br />

<strong>the</strong> one lucky w<strong>in</strong>ner.<br />

And that w<strong>in</strong>ner is:<br />

Don McIntosh<br />

44


tech <strong>in</strong>sights<br />

<strong>the</strong> stream<strong>in</strong>g<br />

user experience<br />

In 2017 <strong>primephonic</strong> launches its stream<strong>in</strong>g service, which complements <strong>the</strong> high-res<br />

download store, add<strong>in</strong>g a new dimension to <strong>the</strong> 100% <strong>classical</strong> platform. The successful<br />

beta phase was well-received by <strong>the</strong> users, giv<strong>in</strong>g a great sense of satisfaction and<br />

<strong>the</strong> road ahead looks promis<strong>in</strong>g. Here is what some of <strong>the</strong> beta testers had to say.<br />

45


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

The scope of labels<br />

<strong>primephonic</strong> offers is<br />

astound<strong>in</strong>g. This means<br />

that <strong>the</strong> diversity of<br />

<strong>music</strong> available on<br />

<strong>primephonic</strong> ranges<br />

from <strong>the</strong> staples of <strong>the</strong><br />

symphonic repertoire<br />

to au<strong>the</strong>ntic period<br />

<strong>in</strong>struments, to brand<br />

new compositions<br />

by <strong>the</strong> cutt<strong>in</strong>g-edge<br />

composers of today. In<br />

<strong>the</strong>se label portraits,<br />

we <strong>in</strong>troduce. you to <strong>the</strong><br />

people beh<strong>in</strong>d some of<br />

<strong>the</strong> labels.<br />

WORDS BETH ADELMAN<br />

harmonia mundi<br />

CHRISTIAN GIARDIN<br />

As <strong>the</strong> focus of <strong>the</strong> early <strong>music</strong><br />

movement moved from scholarship<br />

to <strong>music</strong>ianship <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1970s and<br />

1980s, it was harmonia mundi that<br />

<strong>in</strong>troduced <strong>the</strong> world to <strong>the</strong> some of<br />

<strong>the</strong> first stars of <strong>the</strong> genre, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Anonymous 4, William Christie and<br />

Les Arts Florissants, Andreas Scholl,<br />

and Andrew Manze.<br />

The French label was founded <strong>in</strong><br />

1958 by Bernard Coutaz, who simply<br />

wanted to record <strong>music</strong> that he<br />

thought was beautiful. His quest<br />

for excit<strong>in</strong>g new sounds led him<br />

to <strong>the</strong> emerg<strong>in</strong>g proponents of<br />

historically <strong>in</strong>formed performance.<br />

“There was a special focus on a<br />

quest for excellence, l<strong>in</strong>ked to <strong>the</strong><br />

notion of au<strong>the</strong>nticity: more period<br />

<strong>in</strong>struments, return<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> orig<strong>in</strong>al<br />

manuscripts, and above all, <strong>the</strong> idea<br />

of explor<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> repertoire with a<br />

new perspective, always question<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> score, never accept<strong>in</strong>g it<br />

without ask<strong>in</strong>g questions,” expla<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

harmonia mundi’s current head of<br />

classics, Christian Giard<strong>in</strong>.<br />

Coutaz passed away <strong>in</strong> 2010, leav<strong>in</strong>g<br />

his widow, Eva Coutaz, <strong>in</strong> charge<br />

46


community<br />

of <strong>the</strong> company. In 2015 she sold<br />

harmonia mundi, still with a solid<br />

l<strong>in</strong>e-up of early <strong>music</strong> artists, to <strong>the</strong><br />

eclectic European <strong>in</strong>dependent label<br />

PIAS. At <strong>the</strong> time, PIAS co-founder<br />

Kenny Gates called harmonia mundi<br />

“a hidden gem.”<br />

“The spirit of cont<strong>in</strong>uity,” is what<br />

Giard<strong>in</strong> said he’s after as harmonia<br />

mundi cont<strong>in</strong>ues to grow. “The<br />

master<strong>in</strong>g of historically <strong>in</strong>formed<br />

performance is now at <strong>the</strong> highest<br />

level possible, with such artists as<br />

Isabelle Faust, Alexander Melnikov,<br />

Jean-Guihen Queyras, René<br />

Jacobs, Andreas Staier and Kristian<br />

Bezuidenhout. But new artists have<br />

been jo<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> label <strong>in</strong> recent<br />

years.”<br />

The cont<strong>in</strong>uity shows <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

commitment to uncover<strong>in</strong>g<br />

someth<strong>in</strong>g new and fresh <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>music</strong> <strong>the</strong>y record. For example, <strong>the</strong><br />

conductor Brad Lubman is a brilliant<br />

advocate for new <strong>music</strong>, Graham<br />

Ross a leader <strong>in</strong> choral <strong>music</strong>,<br />

and <strong>the</strong> stunn<strong>in</strong>g soprano Sophie<br />

Karthäuser stars <strong>in</strong> opera and song.<br />

“They embody that new generation:<br />

new perspectives, new repertoire,<br />

and a new sound,” Giard<strong>in</strong> enthused.<br />

2L<br />

MORTEN LINDBERG<br />

“There is no method available today<br />

to reproduce <strong>the</strong> exact perception<br />

of attend<strong>in</strong>g a live performance,<br />

with all its commercial limitations.<br />

On <strong>the</strong> contrary, we should<br />

create <strong>the</strong> sonic experience that<br />

emotionally moves <strong>the</strong> listener to a<br />

better place,” said Morten L<strong>in</strong>dberg,<br />

founder and CEO of 2L. “That leaves<br />

us with <strong>the</strong> art of illusion when it<br />

comes to record<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong>.”<br />

This pursuit of <strong>the</strong> perfect illusion<br />

makes 2L record<strong>in</strong>gs sound almost<br />

as if <strong>the</strong>y are play<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>side your<br />

head. “Recorded <strong>music</strong> is no longer<br />

a matter of a fixed one- or twodimensional<br />

sett<strong>in</strong>g, but ra<strong>the</strong>r<br />

a three-dimensional envelop<strong>in</strong>g<br />

situation; a sculpture that you can<br />

literally move around and relate to<br />

spatially,” L<strong>in</strong>dberg expla<strong>in</strong>ed. “As<br />

record<strong>in</strong>g eng<strong>in</strong>eers and producers,<br />

we need to do exactly <strong>the</strong> same as<br />

any good <strong>music</strong>ian: <strong>in</strong>terpret <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>music</strong> and <strong>the</strong> composer’s <strong>in</strong>tentions<br />

and adapt to <strong>the</strong> medium where we<br />

perform.”<br />

The Oslo-based label started out as<br />

a production company <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> early<br />

1990s. But as <strong>the</strong> major labels scaled<br />

back <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong> record<strong>in</strong>gs,<br />

L<strong>in</strong>dberg said, “we wanted to move<br />

forward. Our obvious solution was<br />

to start our own label.” 2L currently<br />

has 10 to 15 releases per year, all on<br />

Pure Audio Blu-ray and HiRes files.<br />

Most feature Nordic artists and<br />

contemporary composers.<br />

2L record<strong>in</strong>gs have garnered 28<br />

Grammy nom<strong>in</strong>ations s<strong>in</strong>ce 2006—<br />

mostly <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g and sound<br />

categories. L<strong>in</strong>dberg has a hard time<br />

expla<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> science beh<strong>in</strong>d how<br />

<strong>the</strong>y make such beautiful illusions,<br />

say<strong>in</strong>g “It's a mixture between<br />

<strong>in</strong>tellect and <strong>the</strong> heart.”<br />

He cont<strong>in</strong>ued, “2L records <strong>in</strong> roomy<br />

acoustic venues—large concert<br />

halls, churches and ca<strong>the</strong>drals. This<br />

is actually where we can make <strong>the</strong><br />

most <strong>in</strong>timate record<strong>in</strong>gs. [There is<br />

a] spaciousness due to <strong>the</strong> absence<br />

of close reflect<strong>in</strong>g walls. Mak<strong>in</strong>g an<br />

ambient and beautiful record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

is <strong>the</strong> way of least resistance.<br />

Search<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>e edge between<br />

direct contact and spaciousness—<br />

that’s <strong>the</strong> real challenge!”<br />

Sono Lum<strong>in</strong>us<br />

COLLIN J RAE<br />

Like so many audiophile companies,<br />

Sono Lum<strong>in</strong>us began as an<br />

eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g studio and eventually<br />

branched out to record under its<br />

own label. It started <strong>in</strong> 1995 when<br />

<strong>the</strong> founders of Cisco Systems,<br />

Sandy Lerner and Len Bosack,<br />

decided that <strong>the</strong>ir knowledge of<br />

<strong>digital</strong> signal process<strong>in</strong>g could<br />

be applied to recorded <strong>music</strong>, to<br />

gorgeous effect.<br />

They married a studio made for<br />

natural acoustics (a 100-year-old<br />

former Episcopal church with a 25<br />

foot vaulted wood ceil<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>the</strong><br />

orig<strong>in</strong>al heart p<strong>in</strong>e floor<strong>in</strong>g) with <strong>the</strong><br />

best possible technology and <strong>the</strong><br />

m<strong>in</strong>imal possible mik<strong>in</strong>g, to end up<br />

with a remarkably natural sound.<br />

Ten years later, <strong>the</strong>y bought up <strong>the</strong><br />

entire catalogue of Dorian, one of<br />

<strong>the</strong> first audiophile labels and an early<br />

<strong>music</strong> pioneer, and launched Sono<br />

Lum<strong>in</strong>us as an <strong>in</strong>dependent label.<br />

47


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

Today, <strong>the</strong> focus is still on us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

highest technology to create <strong>the</strong><br />

most natural ambient sound. Sono<br />

Lum<strong>in</strong>us was <strong>the</strong> first American<br />

record label to release Pure Audio<br />

Blu-ray discs. All record<strong>in</strong>gs today<br />

are made <strong>in</strong> 192kHz/24-bit stereo<br />

versions as well as 7.1-channel,<br />

96kHz/24-bit, and 5.1-channel,<br />

192kHz/24-bit surround sound, and<br />

Auro-3D 9.1-channel record<strong>in</strong>gs. As<br />

label CEO Coll<strong>in</strong> J Rae said, “Once<br />

you have recorded someth<strong>in</strong>g, you<br />

can always go down [<strong>in</strong> quality] but<br />

you can’t go up.”<br />

These days Sono Lum<strong>in</strong>us records<br />

an eclectic mix of early and<br />

contemporary <strong>music</strong>, two genres<br />

that Rae said are “relatable as an<br />

aes<strong>the</strong>tic; <strong>the</strong>re’s someth<strong>in</strong>g similar<br />

about <strong>the</strong> sonic quality and <strong>the</strong><br />

atmosphere.” So, for example, Jory<br />

V<strong>in</strong>ikour play<strong>in</strong>g Bach Partitas on <strong>the</strong><br />

harpsichord is com<strong>in</strong>g out around<br />

<strong>the</strong> same time as Nordic Affect and<br />

a programme of new <strong>music</strong> from <strong>the</strong><br />

Icelandic Symphony Orchestra.<br />

“We want to support artists who<br />

are actively eng<strong>age</strong>d with <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

audience,” said Rae. “I’m try<strong>in</strong>g to<br />

take a holistic view and up <strong>the</strong> ante<br />

on what<br />

LSO Live<br />

BECKY LEES<br />

LSO Live was born <strong>in</strong> 2000, when<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong>ians of <strong>the</strong> London<br />

Symphony Orchestra decided<br />

<strong>the</strong>y needed to control <strong>the</strong>ir own<br />

record<strong>in</strong>g legacy. “LSO Live was<br />

set up to be profitable, but we also<br />

had o<strong>the</strong>r reasons,” said Becky Lees,<br />

head of LSO Live. These <strong>in</strong>cluded<br />

replac<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>come lost from <strong>the</strong><br />

decl<strong>in</strong>e of traditional record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

deals, ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g a high level of<br />

exposure for <strong>the</strong> orchestra, and<br />

reach<strong>in</strong>g a wider audience through<br />

<strong>digital</strong> distribution—someth<strong>in</strong>g LSO<br />

has been pioneer<strong>in</strong>g. “We were<br />

adamant that only <strong>the</strong> artist truly has<br />

<strong>the</strong>ir long-term bus<strong>in</strong>ess <strong>in</strong>terests at<br />

heart.”<br />

While o<strong>the</strong>r orchestras have s<strong>in</strong>ce<br />

launched <strong>the</strong>ir own labels, LSO Live<br />

was <strong>the</strong> first. It grew out of <strong>the</strong><br />

structure of LSO itself, “a collective<br />

built on artistic ownership and<br />

partnership,” said Lees. “The LSO<br />

is still owned and governed by its<br />

members, and <strong>the</strong> chairman is an<br />

elected member of <strong>the</strong> orchestra.”<br />

The <strong>music</strong>ians decide what to<br />

record, <strong>the</strong>y control all rights, and<br />

share <strong>the</strong> profits.<br />

LSO Live record<strong>in</strong>gs really are<br />

live; <strong>the</strong>y edit toge<strong>the</strong>r several<br />

live performances—comb<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

best features of live and studio<br />

record<strong>in</strong>gs. “We wanted to capture<br />

<strong>the</strong> energy and emotion of our<br />

concerts, and for that we need a<br />

high-quality sound,” said Lees. “We<br />

are a world-class orchestra. We don't<br />

compromise on <strong>the</strong> quality of our<br />

performances and we don't feel we<br />

should compromise on <strong>the</strong> quality of<br />

our record<strong>in</strong>gs.”<br />

The label was founded when Sir<br />

Col<strong>in</strong> Davis was at <strong>the</strong> helm, and<br />

a lot of his core repertoire was<br />

featured—Berlioz, Haydn, Sibelius.<br />

With Simon Rattle now ready to<br />

pick up <strong>the</strong> baton, “There will be a<br />

greater diversity to <strong>the</strong> orchestral<br />

programme, and that will broaden<br />

<strong>the</strong> offer on LSO Live,” Lees said.<br />

“Simon believes passionately <strong>in</strong><br />

liv<strong>in</strong>g composers and each season<br />

will beg<strong>in</strong> with a new commission.<br />

It's our <strong>in</strong>tention to record <strong>the</strong>se<br />

for <strong>the</strong> label. We have also added<br />

Gianandrea Noseda and François-<br />

Xavier Roth to <strong>the</strong> roster. We look<br />

forward to some excit<strong>in</strong>g record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

projects with both conductors.”<br />

48


title goes here<br />

The energy and emotion<br />

you only experience live<br />

Verdi<br />

Requiem<br />

Gianandrea<br />

Noseda<br />

Erika Grimaldi<br />

Daniela Barcellona<br />

Francesco Meli<br />

Michele Pertusi<br />

Simon Halsey<br />

London Symphony Chorus<br />

<br />

‘Sheer majesty’<br />

The Guardian<br />

<br />

‘Irresistible’<br />

Sunday Times<br />

<br />

‘Electric’<br />

The Guardian<br />

The debut album from <strong>the</strong><br />

virtuoso LSO W<strong>in</strong>d Ensemble<br />

Album of <strong>the</strong> week<br />

Sunday Times<br />

‘This could turn out to be <strong>the</strong><br />

f<strong>in</strong>est Sibelius cycle’<br />

The Observer<br />

lsolive.lso.co.uk<br />

49<br />

Listen on <strong>primephonic</strong>


for life on an<br />

epic scale<br />

WORDS RACHEL DELOUGHRY<br />

There’s someth<strong>in</strong>g e<strong>the</strong>real about <strong>music</strong> that<br />

speaks to humanity. Music expresses emotion<br />

sonically without <strong>the</strong> need for langu<strong>age</strong> or<br />

text. Music doesn’t even need to be understood<br />

to be enjoyed.<br />

Hear<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> words ‘<strong>music</strong>’ and ‘universe’ <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> one sentence br<strong>in</strong>gs many th<strong>in</strong>gs to m<strong>in</strong>d<br />

– from <strong>the</strong> Ancient Greeks to space travel,<br />

or maybe <strong>the</strong> sound of Holst’s The Planets or<br />

Bartok’s Mikrokosmos. Space can be perceived<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>music</strong>, ei<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong> terms of physics and<br />

acoustics or on a more abstract level with<strong>in</strong><br />

our imag<strong>in</strong>ation. The universe holds a special<br />

place; a source of wonder and mystery, it can<br />

be admired and contemplated and it’s up to us<br />

how deep we want to delve. The same can be<br />

said of <strong>music</strong>.<br />

50


title goes here<br />

c. 495BC<br />

The connection between<br />

<strong>music</strong> and outer space was<br />

already observed <strong>in</strong> Ancient<br />

Greece and frequently discussed<br />

by <strong>the</strong> likes of Plato,<br />

Aristotle and Socrates. The<br />

ma<strong>the</strong>matician Pythagoras<br />

suggested that celestial bodies<br />

emit a unique humm<strong>in</strong>g<br />

sound based on <strong>the</strong>ir orbital<br />

revolution, known as <strong>music</strong>a<br />

universalis or Music of <strong>the</strong><br />

spheres.<br />

1781<br />

Sir William Herschel was a<br />

German-born English composer<br />

and astronomer from<br />

<strong>the</strong> 18th century. Although<br />

better known for his work as<br />

an astronomer, Herschel led<br />

a short but successful <strong>music</strong><br />

career, with an astonish<strong>in</strong>g<br />

18 symphonies to his name,<br />

as well as concertos for oboe<br />

and viola. Us<strong>in</strong>g a telescope<br />

<strong>in</strong> 1781 he found <strong>the</strong> planet<br />

Uranus, <strong>the</strong> first planet to be<br />

discovered s<strong>in</strong>ce antiquity. .<br />

1914<br />

Holst was an <strong>in</strong>novative English<br />

composer, most famous<br />

for his orchestral work, The<br />

Planets. He was a modest<br />

and <strong>in</strong>troverted character<br />

and spent <strong>the</strong> majority of<br />

his career as an educator as<br />

well as a composer, hold<strong>in</strong>g<br />

many teach<strong>in</strong>g positions <strong>in</strong><br />

various schools throughout<br />

his life. The use of bitonality<br />

and dissonance <strong>in</strong> The Planets<br />

creates a unique and <strong>in</strong>dividual<br />

element to <strong>the</strong> work. It<br />

ga<strong>in</strong>ed immediate attention<br />

and most of his cont<strong>in</strong>u<strong>in</strong>g<br />

fame rests on this strik<strong>in</strong>g<br />

work.<br />

1918<br />

In our solar system, <strong>the</strong>re is<br />

a m<strong>in</strong>or planet named after<br />

Hildegard of B<strong>in</strong>gen, <strong>the</strong><br />

German Benedict<strong>in</strong>e abbess,<br />

composer, writer, scientist<br />

and philosopher of <strong>the</strong> Medieval<br />

period. The m<strong>in</strong>or planet<br />

898 Hildegard, which orbits<br />

<strong>the</strong> sun, was discovered on 3<br />

August 1918.<br />

1961<br />

On 12 April 1961 a melody<br />

was whistled <strong>in</strong> space for <strong>the</strong><br />

first time. Russian cosmonaut<br />

Yuri Gagar<strong>in</strong>, <strong>the</strong> first ever<br />

human <strong>in</strong> space, whistled <strong>the</strong><br />

patriotic song "The Mo<strong>the</strong>rland<br />

Hears, The Mo<strong>the</strong>rland<br />

Knows" by fellow-Soviet Dmitri<br />

Shostakovich, on board<br />

<strong>the</strong> Vostok 3KA-3 (Vostok1).<br />

1977<br />

The Voy<strong>age</strong>r Interstellar<br />

Record is a compendium of<br />

human achievement which<br />

was recorded on a gold-coated<br />

phonograph and sent<br />

<strong>in</strong>to space on <strong>the</strong> Voy<strong>age</strong>r <strong>in</strong><br />

1977. It is currently float<strong>in</strong>g<br />

through space at least 11.6<br />

billion miles away from Earth.<br />

In his book, The Murmurs of<br />

Earth (1978), <strong>the</strong> astronomer<br />

and astrophysicist Carl<br />

Sagan refers to <strong>the</strong> curation<br />

of this artefact – what was<br />

chosen and why. Sagan<br />

declares that <strong>the</strong> decision to<br />

<strong>in</strong>clude <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> of Johann<br />

Sebastian Bach was a case of<br />

unashamed show<strong>in</strong>g off. The<br />

full playlist consists of tracks<br />

of <strong>music</strong> by Bach, Mozart,<br />

Beethoven and many popular<br />

and non-Western numbers.<br />

51


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

Grammy Award w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g viol<strong>in</strong>ist August<strong>in</strong> Hadelich has made a name for himself as one of <strong>the</strong><br />

foremost <strong>music</strong>ians of his generation. Born <strong>in</strong> Italy to German parents, Hadelich thrived at <strong>the</strong><br />

Juilliard School <strong>in</strong> New York where he evolved from young prodigy to fully-fledged concert soloist,<br />

emerg<strong>in</strong>g as one of today’s most sought-after <strong>music</strong>ians. He plays on <strong>the</strong> 1723 “ExKiesewetter”<br />

Stradivari viol<strong>in</strong> which is on loan to him from <strong>the</strong> Stradivari Society of Chicago. <strong>primephonic</strong><br />

editor Rachel Deloughry caught up with him to discuss his listen<strong>in</strong>g preferences.<br />

WORDS RACHEL DELOUGHRY PHOTO ROSALIE O'CONNOR<br />

how do i listen:<br />

august<strong>in</strong> hadelich<br />

AUGUSTIN HADELICH<br />

Born <strong>in</strong> 1984 <strong>in</strong> Tuscany, Italy, to<br />

German parents.<br />

He is a graduate of <strong>the</strong> Instituto<br />

Mascagni <strong>in</strong> Livorno, Italy and <strong>the</strong><br />

Juilliard School <strong>in</strong> New York<br />

He won a Grammy for Best Classical<br />

Instrumental Solo <strong>in</strong> 2016 for his<br />

record<strong>in</strong>g of Henri Dutilleux’s Viol<strong>in</strong><br />

Concerto ('L'Arbre Des Songes') with<br />

<strong>the</strong> Seattle Symphony and Ludovic<br />

Morlot.<br />

He plays on <strong>the</strong> 1723 “ExKiesewetter”<br />

Stradivari viol<strong>in</strong> which is on loan to<br />

him via <strong>the</strong> Stradivari Society of<br />

Chicago.<br />

“When I perform viol<strong>in</strong> concertos,<br />

<strong>the</strong>y are usually <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> first half of<br />

<strong>the</strong> programme but I almost always<br />

listen to <strong>the</strong> second half of <strong>the</strong><br />

concert, which I greatly enjoy! I<br />

also listen to many record<strong>in</strong>gs for<br />

research (especially o<strong>the</strong>r works by<br />

<strong>the</strong> same composer as <strong>the</strong> piece I<br />

am perform<strong>in</strong>g). However, because<br />

my ear is next to <strong>the</strong> viol<strong>in</strong> so much<br />

when I'm practis<strong>in</strong>g, rehears<strong>in</strong>g or<br />

perform<strong>in</strong>g, I do also f<strong>in</strong>d silence<br />

to be very relax<strong>in</strong>g, someth<strong>in</strong>g<br />

which is very hard to come by<br />

<strong>the</strong>se days! I don’t like background<br />

<strong>music</strong> (for example <strong>in</strong> restaurants),<br />

especially if it is <strong>classical</strong>, s<strong>in</strong>ce I<br />

<strong>in</strong>variably start listen<strong>in</strong>g and <strong>the</strong>n<br />

can’t keep up with <strong>the</strong> conversation!<br />

I still have my m<strong>in</strong>idisc player<br />

although I haven’t used it <strong>in</strong> years.<br />

I generally listen to <strong>music</strong> on <strong>the</strong><br />

computer, ei<strong>the</strong>r over speakers<br />

or headphones. I can never quite<br />

understand people who listen to<br />

<strong>music</strong> while walk<strong>in</strong>g or runn<strong>in</strong>g - I<br />

would run <strong>in</strong>to th<strong>in</strong>gs or get lost if<br />

I did that. The computer I take with<br />

me when I travel doesn’t actually<br />

have a CD player, so I usually buy<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> that I want to listen to<br />

on iTunes. I feel it’s important for<br />

<strong>music</strong>ians to buy record<strong>in</strong>gs – we<br />

have to set a good example!<br />

When I’m study<strong>in</strong>g a new work,<br />

stream<strong>in</strong>g makes record<strong>in</strong>gs more<br />

easily accessible. However, I<br />

have also found that some of my<br />

favourite record<strong>in</strong>gs are not <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

stream<strong>in</strong>g libraries. And sometimes<br />

I f<strong>in</strong>d that it’s just nice to take out a<br />

CD and hold it <strong>in</strong> your hand!<br />

One th<strong>in</strong>g I love about <strong>the</strong> <strong>digital</strong><br />

revolution is that it has changed<br />

<strong>the</strong> programm<strong>in</strong>g of albums: it<br />

used to be common to record <strong>the</strong><br />

52


title goes here<br />

‘i greatly<br />

prefer to<br />

listen to<br />

<strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> concert<br />

sett<strong>in</strong>g’<br />

repertoire of one composer on<br />

each album, for example, <strong>the</strong> 3<br />

Brahms sonatas, so that it could be<br />

easily found <strong>in</strong> a store, under “B for<br />

Brahms.” If <strong>the</strong>re was Schubert on<br />

<strong>the</strong> same disc, however, would <strong>the</strong><br />

disc be filed be under B or S? Such<br />

categorical conundrums are now<br />

obsolete, as we can now easily use<br />

search eng<strong>in</strong>es to f<strong>in</strong>d composers,<br />

works, or performers we want to<br />

hear or buy. We can programme<br />

albums more creatively, more like<br />

a concert programme. Personally, I<br />

love record<strong>in</strong>gs with highly contrast<strong>in</strong>g<br />

repertoire and often f<strong>in</strong>d<br />

anthologies bor<strong>in</strong>g!<br />

I greatly prefer to listen to <strong>music</strong> <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> concert sett<strong>in</strong>g. There is someth<strong>in</strong>g<br />

special about be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a hall<br />

with many o<strong>the</strong>r people, listen<strong>in</strong>g<br />

to <strong>music</strong> that is be<strong>in</strong>g created <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> moment. But I do also enjoy<br />

<strong>the</strong> record<strong>in</strong>g process. Music is an<br />

ephemeral th<strong>in</strong>g and record<strong>in</strong>g a<br />

work after years of study<strong>in</strong>g and<br />

play<strong>in</strong>g is very satisfy<strong>in</strong>g.’<br />

The new record<strong>in</strong>g of Lalo and<br />

Tchaikovsky concertos with <strong>the</strong><br />

LPO are my first live record<strong>in</strong>gs<br />

and <strong>the</strong>y are <strong>the</strong> perfect works to<br />

record live! Play<strong>in</strong>g Tchaikovsky<br />

at 10.00am <strong>in</strong> a record<strong>in</strong>g studio<br />

just would not work because this<br />

work thrives on <strong>the</strong> excitement<br />

of <strong>the</strong> concert hall. On <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r<br />

hand, I knew that my record<strong>in</strong>g<br />

of <strong>the</strong> Adès concerto had to be<br />

a studio record<strong>in</strong>g, as only <strong>the</strong>n<br />

would we be able to work out <strong>the</strong><br />

more subtle details <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> complex<br />

score. I was also really happy with<br />

my record<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> Bartók and<br />

Mendelssohn concertos with <strong>the</strong><br />

Norwegian Radio Orchestra and<br />

Miguel Harth-Bedoya on AVIE.<br />

53<br />

At <strong>the</strong> moment I am record<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong><br />

24 Caprices of Pagan<strong>in</strong>i for Warner<br />

Classics, which will be released<br />

<strong>in</strong> early 2018. The caprices are<br />

really fun, <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g and beautiful<br />

pieces, which are unfortunately<br />

often treated more like etudes. I<br />

feel very strongly about Pagan<strong>in</strong>i's<br />

<strong>music</strong> because I grew up <strong>in</strong> Italy,<br />

where he is beloved as a composer<br />

and his works are played operatically,<br />

more like Ross<strong>in</strong>i.”<br />

how do I listen playlist<br />

Henri Dutilleux: L’arbre des songes,<br />

II Vif Interlude 2<br />

Seattle Symphony Media<br />

Édouard Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole, I<br />

Allegro non troppo<br />

LPO<br />

J.S. Bach : Herr Jesu Christ, wahr’<br />

Mensch und Gott, BWV 127: Die Seele<br />

ruht <strong>in</strong> Jesu Händen Ste<strong>in</strong>way & Sons<br />

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Viol<strong>in</strong> Concerto<br />

<strong>in</strong> D major, I Allegro moderato<br />

LPO<br />

Henri Dutilleux: Nocturne for Viol<strong>in</strong> &<br />

Orchestra “Sur le même accord”<br />

Seattle Symphony Media<br />

Béla Bartók: Mikrokosmos, Sz. 107, BB<br />

105, Vol. 6 - Dance <strong>in</strong> Bulgarian Rhythm VI<br />

Gramola Records


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

<strong>music</strong> &<br />

architecture<br />

TEXT RACHEL DELOUGHRY<br />

The Berl<strong>in</strong> Philharmonie,<br />

home of <strong>the</strong> Berl<strong>in</strong> Philharmonic<br />

Orchestra, is one of<br />

<strong>the</strong> most renowned concert<br />

halls <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world, celebrated<br />

for its acoustical brilliance<br />

and its visual and spatial <strong>in</strong>genuity,<br />

with organic acoustics<br />

at <strong>the</strong> centre of it all. The<br />

fact that it was built dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> lifetime of Herbert von<br />

Karajan – a tower<strong>in</strong>g figure <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> world of conduct<strong>in</strong>g and<br />

<strong>the</strong> orchestra’s longest-serv<strong>in</strong>g<br />

conductor – is monumental<br />

<strong>in</strong> itself. The Berl<strong>in</strong><br />

Philharmonic Orchestra was<br />

already recognised as one of<br />

<strong>the</strong> world’s great orchestras,<br />

so <strong>the</strong> construction of one<br />

of <strong>the</strong> wonders of modern<br />

architecture cemented<br />

<strong>the</strong> orchestra’s status and<br />

brought forth a hall appropriate<br />

for an orchestra of<br />

such calibre.<br />

The architect, Hans<br />

Scharoun, was celebrated<br />

for his organic architecture<br />

and this harmonious<br />

balance between nature<br />

and build<strong>in</strong>gs has stood <strong>the</strong><br />

test of time. Scharoun was a<br />

member of an architectural<br />

collective called Der R<strong>in</strong>g,<br />

from which expressionist<br />

architecture emerged with a<br />

socialist <strong>age</strong>nda. It dissolved<br />

<strong>in</strong> 1933 and many members<br />

left Germany dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> war.<br />

Scharoun, however, stayed<br />

<strong>in</strong> Germany and worked on<br />

<strong>the</strong> restoration and re-construction<br />

of bombed-out<br />

build<strong>in</strong>gs. Interest<strong>in</strong>gly, he<br />

discreetly anticipated his<br />

architectural plans for a<br />

post-Nazi Germany by creat<strong>in</strong>g<br />

watercolours of cityscapes<br />

– secret architectural<br />

bluepr<strong>in</strong>ts <strong>in</strong> disguise.<br />

The <strong>in</strong>side of <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong><br />

concert hall <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Berl<strong>in</strong><br />

Philharmonie has been frequently<br />

described as “tentlike”<br />

and German filmmaker<br />

Wim Wenders called it “a<br />

huge <strong>music</strong>al <strong>in</strong>strument <strong>in</strong><br />

itself”. Acoustics are centre<br />

st<strong>age</strong>. The concert st<strong>age</strong> of<br />

<strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong> hall is placed centrally,<br />

with audience seat<strong>in</strong>g<br />

situated all <strong>the</strong> way around.<br />

Symmetry is not one of its<br />

features – <strong>in</strong> fact, it is noted<br />

for its offset terraces of<br />

seat rows at elevations that<br />

irregularly <strong>in</strong>crease around<br />

<strong>the</strong> platform. While this may<br />

not seem unusual, it charted<br />

new architectural territory<br />

and <strong>in</strong>spired <strong>the</strong> same asymmetrical<br />

features <strong>in</strong> more<br />

recent concert halls such as<br />

<strong>the</strong> Walt Disney Concert Hall<br />

by <strong>the</strong> architect Frank Gehry<br />

and Jørn Utzon’s Sydney<br />

Opera House.<br />

54


title goes here<br />

<strong>music</strong> & architecture<br />

playlist<br />

Richard Wagner: Tristan und Isolde,<br />

Prelude to Act I<br />

Warner<br />

Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 40<br />

<strong>in</strong> G M<strong>in</strong>or, K.550 I Molto allegro<br />

(1996 - Remaster) Warner<br />

Jean Sibelius: F<strong>in</strong>landia, Op.26<br />

(2002 - Remaster)<br />

Warner<br />

Claude Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande,<br />

L. 88, Act I Scene I Interlude<br />

Warner<br />

Richard Strauss : Don Quixote, Op. 35,<br />

Variation V - Don Quixote’s vigil dur<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong> summer night Warner<br />

55<br />

Christoph Willibald Gluck: Orfeo et<br />

Eurydice, Act IV “Jái perdu mon Eurydice”<br />

Warner


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

amplify your life<br />

with <strong>primephonic</strong><br />

Our catalogue items have become as diverse<br />

as <strong>the</strong>y are numerous, with just <strong>the</strong> right<br />

picks for <strong>the</strong> explorer, <strong>the</strong> adventurer and <strong>the</strong><br />

pioneer <strong>in</strong> <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>.<br />

56


catalogue<br />

57


unconventional<br />

<strong>in</strong>struments<br />

<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

Every <strong>music</strong>al <strong>in</strong>strument started life as an <strong>in</strong>vention, as a piece<br />

of technology. In most cases <strong>the</strong>y went through hundreds of trials<br />

and modifications In a way <strong>the</strong> most successful <strong>in</strong>struments<br />

are those, like <strong>the</strong> viol<strong>in</strong> or <strong>the</strong> piano, which have gone through<br />

so many perfections and modifications that <strong>the</strong>ir evolution has<br />

reached a dead end, rema<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g essentially unchanged for decades<br />

or centuries. However, for every <strong>in</strong>strument that reached<br />

this st<strong>age</strong>, <strong>the</strong>re are hundreds if not thousands of failed experiments,<br />

impractical designs and creations simply too weird to<br />

become popular amongst <strong>music</strong>ians or composers. Here are a<br />

few <strong>in</strong>struments that, for one reason or ano<strong>the</strong>r, failed to make<br />

it <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> ma<strong>in</strong>stream.<br />

WORDS MATT ADOMEIT<br />

ILLUSTRATIONS BOB MOLLEMA<br />

NAIL VIOLIN<br />

The nail viol<strong>in</strong> is one of many<br />

<strong>in</strong>struments, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> S<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Saw, that work on <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>ciple of<br />

bow<strong>in</strong>g a sheet or spike of metal.<br />

Invented <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> mid-18th century by<br />

Johann Wilde, a German viol<strong>in</strong>ist,<br />

it takes <strong>the</strong> form of several nails of<br />

vary<strong>in</strong>g lengths arranged <strong>in</strong> a circular<br />

or semicircular shape and stuck <strong>in</strong>to<br />

a wooden soundboard. The sound<br />

can be sharp and grat<strong>in</strong>g, and <strong>the</strong><br />

range and tonality is severely limited.<br />

Comb<strong>in</strong>ed with a quiet volume, it is<br />

no surprise that <strong>the</strong> nail viol<strong>in</strong> failed<br />

to catch on. Its close relative, <strong>the</strong><br />

s<strong>in</strong>g<strong>in</strong>g saw, cont<strong>in</strong>ues however to<br />

enjoy popularity as a folk <strong>in</strong>strument,<br />

particularly <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> United States.<br />

GLASS HARMONICA<br />

Oddly enough, <strong>the</strong> glass harmonica<br />

falls <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> same category as <strong>the</strong><br />

nail viol<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> that sound is produced<br />

by direct friction from a non-toneproduc<strong>in</strong>g<br />

object. In this case<br />

however it is not a bow but <strong>the</strong><br />

human hand. The modern version<br />

was <strong>in</strong>vented by none o<strong>the</strong>r than<br />

Benjam<strong>in</strong> Frankl<strong>in</strong>, and comprises<br />

a mechanical device similar to a<br />

la<strong>the</strong> on which a variety of glass<br />

disks are mounted, with <strong>the</strong> wider<br />

(and lower pitched) disks on <strong>the</strong><br />

left. As <strong>the</strong>se sp<strong>in</strong>, simple contact<br />

with a human f<strong>in</strong>ger emits an eerie<br />

pitch, rem<strong>in</strong>iscent of <strong>the</strong> sound of<br />

rubb<strong>in</strong>g one’s f<strong>in</strong>ger around <strong>the</strong><br />

rim of a w<strong>in</strong>e glass. The popularity<br />

58


<strong>in</strong>struments<br />

brilliant simplicity to it, operat<strong>in</strong>g<br />

based on <strong>the</strong> distance of <strong>the</strong><br />

player’s hands from two medal rods,<br />

one to control pitch and one for<br />

dynamics. It emits a pure, spooky<br />

sound emblematic of decades<br />

worth of movie soundtracks. But it<br />

has however had some success <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> concert hall as well, with Dmitri<br />

Shostakovich be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> most famous<br />

composer to write for it. The Ondes<br />

Martenot, <strong>in</strong>vented less than ten<br />

years after <strong>the</strong> Therem<strong>in</strong>, can be<br />

thought of its logical cont<strong>in</strong>uation.<br />

Although <strong>the</strong>y share some sonic<br />

properties, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g cont<strong>in</strong>uous<br />

pitch, <strong>the</strong> Ondes Martenot is more<br />

complicated and features multiple<br />

speaker cab<strong>in</strong>ets and a sound<strong>in</strong>g<br />

board with str<strong>in</strong>gs. Although <strong>the</strong><br />

Ondes Martenot can still be found <strong>in</strong><br />

France where it was <strong>in</strong>vented, it has<br />

not enjoyed <strong>the</strong> same longevity as<br />

<strong>the</strong> Therem<strong>in</strong>.<br />

of <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument used to be much<br />

higher than most people realize, with<br />

many notable composers <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g<br />

Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss<br />

writ<strong>in</strong>g <strong>music</strong> for it. However, it<br />

began to decl<strong>in</strong>e precipitously <strong>in</strong><br />

popularity by <strong>the</strong> mid-19th century,<br />

perhaps due to <strong>the</strong> legend that<br />

listen<strong>in</strong>g to <strong>the</strong> sound for too<br />

long would drive <strong>the</strong> listener (or<br />

performer) mad.<br />

ORCHESTRION<br />

Also fall<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> relatively small<br />

category of <strong>in</strong>struments that are<br />

largely mechanical <strong>in</strong> nature but<br />

not electronic, <strong>the</strong> orchestrion<br />

can refer to a variety of <strong>in</strong>ventions<br />

of dazzl<strong>in</strong>g complexity that arose<br />

around <strong>the</strong> turn of <strong>the</strong> 19th century.<br />

Essentially a “super-organ”, <strong>the</strong><br />

aim of <strong>the</strong> orchestrion is to imitate<br />

even more of <strong>the</strong> timbres from<br />

<strong>the</strong> orchestra, often <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g all<br />

of <strong>the</strong> w<strong>in</strong>d <strong>in</strong>struments and many<br />

percussion <strong>in</strong>struments. Although<br />

<strong>the</strong> nearly endless possibilities<br />

were surely tantaliz<strong>in</strong>g, <strong>the</strong> sheer<br />

cost, size and complexity of <strong>the</strong><br />

orchestrion ensured from <strong>the</strong><br />

start that only a few would ever be<br />

produced. Syn<strong>the</strong>sizers have also<br />

replaced many of <strong>the</strong> roles that <strong>the</strong><br />

orchestrion was designed to fill.<br />

THEREMIN<br />

Perhaps <strong>the</strong> most famous<br />

“alternative” <strong>in</strong>strument, <strong>the</strong><br />

Therem<strong>in</strong> was <strong>in</strong>vented <strong>in</strong> 1919 by <strong>the</strong><br />

Russian physicist Leon Therem<strong>in</strong>,.<br />

In addition to be<strong>in</strong>g one of <strong>the</strong> only<br />

<strong>music</strong>al <strong>in</strong>struments to operate<br />

without physical contact between<br />

<strong>the</strong> performer and <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument,<br />

it is also <strong>the</strong> first famous electronic<br />

<strong>in</strong>strument. The Therem<strong>in</strong> has a<br />

EWI<br />

In recent years, countless <strong>digital</strong><br />

devices have been added to <strong>the</strong><br />

grow<strong>in</strong>g pool of <strong>in</strong>struments vy<strong>in</strong>g<br />

for attention. Many of <strong>the</strong>se take<br />

<strong>the</strong> form of keyboard <strong>in</strong>struments,<br />

hence <strong>the</strong> special significance of <strong>the</strong><br />

EWI, or Electronic W<strong>in</strong>d Instrument.<br />

With variable sett<strong>in</strong>gs that can<br />

duplicate <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>ger<strong>in</strong>gs of <strong>the</strong> flute,<br />

oboe and saxophone, toge<strong>the</strong>r with<br />

sensors that can detect changes <strong>in</strong><br />

dynamics and vibrato, and a whole<br />

catalogue of syn<strong>the</strong>sized sounds, <strong>the</strong><br />

EWI is ano<strong>the</strong>r extremely versatile<br />

<strong>in</strong>strument. Made famous mostly by<br />

jazz and genre-cross<strong>in</strong>g saxophonists<br />

such as Michael Brecker and Bob<br />

M<strong>in</strong>tzer, it was never taken seriously<br />

as a concert <strong>in</strong>strument. However<br />

with <strong>the</strong> additional breath sensors,<br />

<strong>the</strong> possibilities of <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument<br />

are <strong>in</strong> many ways even more<br />

59


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

numerous than on a traditional<br />

keyboard syn<strong>the</strong>sizer, ensur<strong>in</strong>g that<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument will cont<strong>in</strong>ue to be<br />

used <strong>in</strong> new and excit<strong>in</strong>g ways.<br />

MANDOBASS<br />

Despite its niche status today, <strong>the</strong><br />

mandol<strong>in</strong> used to be surpris<strong>in</strong>gly<br />

popular, particularly <strong>in</strong> early 20th<br />

century America. By <strong>the</strong> onset of<br />

World War II, hundreds of mandol<strong>in</strong><br />

orchestras had sprung up all over<br />

North American and Europe,<br />

typically featur<strong>in</strong>g mandol<strong>in</strong>s,<br />

mandolas and mandocellos (which<br />

correspond to <strong>the</strong> three highest<br />

<strong>in</strong>struments <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> viol<strong>in</strong> family) <strong>in</strong><br />

addition to <strong>the</strong> occasional guitar or<br />

contrabass. See<strong>in</strong>g an opportunity to<br />

create orchestras consist<strong>in</strong>g entirely<br />

of mandol<strong>in</strong>-family <strong>in</strong>struments,<br />

several companies, most notably<br />

Gibson, began manufactur<strong>in</strong>g<br />

mandobasses <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> early 1910s.<br />

Typically tuned identically to a<br />

contrabass but with frets and<br />

an A-style mandol<strong>in</strong> body, <strong>the</strong>se<br />

awkward and uncomfortable-look<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>in</strong>struments were produced until <strong>the</strong><br />

1930s, when <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>in</strong> mandol<strong>in</strong><br />

orchestras began to wane.<br />

SHOFAR<br />

The Shofar is <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument most<br />

closely associated with many Jewish<br />

ceremonies and holidays. Crafted<br />

from a ram’s horn, <strong>the</strong> Shofar is<br />

typically used to emit a pierc<strong>in</strong>g<br />

tone or rapid burst of short notes,<br />

and is mentioned numerous times<br />

throughout <strong>the</strong> Old Testament.<br />

Interest<strong>in</strong>gly, <strong>the</strong> asymmetrical<br />

shape of <strong>the</strong> air cavity often<br />

means that <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument does<br />

not follow <strong>the</strong> normal overtone<br />

series, and <strong>the</strong> organic nature<br />

of <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument makes <strong>the</strong>m<br />

nearly impossible to tune, which is<br />

‘it is quite<br />

likely that<br />

many of<br />

<strong>the</strong>se supposedly<br />

obsolete<br />

<strong>in</strong>struments<br />

will witness<br />

a resurgence’<br />

perhaps <strong>the</strong> reason <strong>the</strong> Shofar is<br />

traditionally played solo. Nowadays<br />

it can regularly be found <strong>in</strong> Israeli<br />

pop <strong>music</strong> and is even called for <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> score of Edward Elgar’s “The<br />

Apostles,” although a flugelhorn is<br />

often substituted for reasons of<br />

convenience.<br />

HURDY-GURDY<br />

Despite its comical name and<br />

bizarre construction, <strong>the</strong> hurdygurdy<br />

is a surpris<strong>in</strong>gly versatile<br />

<strong>in</strong>strument. Although it is technically<br />

a str<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>strument, <strong>the</strong> mechanics<br />

of play<strong>in</strong>g are truly unique. The<br />

performer’s right hand turns a wheel<br />

that rubs aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> str<strong>in</strong>gs, while<br />

<strong>the</strong> left hand changes <strong>the</strong> pitch<br />

through a series of wooden keys,<br />

result<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> a bizarre cross between<br />

a bowed <strong>in</strong>strument and a keyboard<br />

<strong>in</strong>strument, powered by a hand<br />

crank. A series of drone str<strong>in</strong>gs gives<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>strument a bagpipe-like quality<br />

and a characteristic buzz<strong>in</strong>g sound.<br />

Used <strong>in</strong> folk <strong>music</strong> throughout most<br />

of Europe, <strong>the</strong> hurdy-gurdy has<br />

also enjoyed periods of popularity<br />

with <strong>the</strong> upper classes, although it<br />

60


<strong>in</strong>struments<br />

never truly caught on with <strong>classical</strong><br />

composers. It has often been<br />

imitated <strong>in</strong> <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>, most<br />

famously <strong>in</strong> Der Leiermann (The<br />

Hurdy-Gurdy Man) <strong>in</strong> Schubert’s<br />

W<strong>in</strong>terreise.<br />

DIDGERIDOO<br />

The didgeridoo is an ancient<br />

<strong>in</strong>strument that has been played by<br />

<strong>in</strong>digenous Australians for at least<br />

1,500 years. Rang<strong>in</strong>g between 1<br />

and 3 metres <strong>in</strong> length, <strong>the</strong> sound<br />

of <strong>the</strong>se massive aerophones is<br />

<strong>in</strong>stantly recognizable by its deep<br />

dron<strong>in</strong>g quality and pulsat<strong>in</strong>g<br />

overtones. The technique to play<br />

it often requires <strong>the</strong> performer<br />

to employ circular breath<strong>in</strong>g, and<br />

accomplished players such as Mark<br />

Atk<strong>in</strong>s have been known to play<br />

for nearly an hour without tak<strong>in</strong>g<br />

a breath. Although <strong>the</strong> didgeridoo<br />

is a traditional <strong>in</strong>strument, more<br />

recently it has found its way <strong>in</strong>to<br />

<strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong>, particularly through<br />

Australian composers such as Peter<br />

Sculthorpe, Sean O’Boyle and<br />

William Barton.<br />

<strong>the</strong> triple concerto for banjo, double<br />

bass and tabla “The Melody of<br />

Rhythm”, along with Béla Fleck and<br />

Edgar Meyer.<br />

With <strong>the</strong> advent of <strong>digital</strong> <strong>music</strong> and<br />

syn<strong>the</strong>sizers, <strong>the</strong>re are even more<br />

obscure and uncommon <strong>in</strong>struments<br />

<strong>in</strong> existence today than ever<br />

before. When <strong>the</strong>se are comb<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

with <strong>the</strong> vast number of traditional<br />

and folk <strong>in</strong>struments from around<br />

<strong>the</strong> world, it is clear that <strong>the</strong> standard<br />

Western orchestral <strong>in</strong>struments<br />

represent only a t<strong>in</strong>y fraction<br />

of <strong>the</strong> possible range of sounds<br />

available. As <strong>the</strong> boundaries between<br />

genres cont<strong>in</strong>ue to dissolve<br />

and composers cont<strong>in</strong>ue to search<br />

for new tonal possibilities it is quite<br />

likely that many of <strong>the</strong>se supposedly<br />

obsolete <strong>in</strong>struments will witness a<br />

resurgence, both <strong>in</strong>side and outside<br />

of <strong>the</strong> concert hall.<br />

TABLA<br />

The tabla is <strong>the</strong> most recognizable<br />

and widespread <strong>in</strong>strument used<br />

<strong>in</strong> H<strong>in</strong>dustani Classical <strong>music</strong>,<br />

centered <strong>in</strong> present-day Nor<strong>the</strong>rn<br />

India. The tabla consists of two small<br />

drums of different size and pitch<br />

that are played with <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>gers<br />

and heel of each hand, <strong>the</strong> latter<br />

be<strong>in</strong>g used to apply pressure and<br />

change <strong>the</strong> pitch. Outside of India<br />

<strong>the</strong> most prom<strong>in</strong>ent tabla player is<br />

undoubtedly Zakir Hussa<strong>in</strong>, who has<br />

made serious <strong>in</strong>roads <strong>in</strong>to Western<br />

<strong>music</strong> through collaborations with<br />

<strong>music</strong>ians from John McLaughl<strong>in</strong> to<br />

Charles Lloyd. Hussa<strong>in</strong> also found<br />

his way <strong>in</strong>to American concert halls<br />

as a performer and co-composer of<br />

unconventional<br />

<strong>in</strong>struments playlist<br />

Zakir Hussa<strong>in</strong>: Overture<br />

Phaia<br />

Peter Sculthorpe: Str<strong>in</strong>g Quartet No. 12,<br />

“From Ubirr” (Earth Cry)<br />

Sono Lum<strong>in</strong>us<br />

Schubert: W<strong>in</strong>terreise D. 911 - XXIV.<br />

Der Leiermann (The Hurdy-Gurdy Man)<br />

harmonia mundi<br />

Camille Sa<strong>in</strong>t-Saëns: The Carnival of<br />

<strong>the</strong> Animals – VII Aquarium<br />

Chandos<br />

Edgard Varèse: Amériques<br />

Seattle Symphony Media<br />

Olivier Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie<br />

Introduction<br />

Ond<strong>in</strong>e<br />

61


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

62


eviews<br />

what <strong>the</strong> critics say<br />

JESSICA<br />

DUCHEN<br />

MELANIE<br />

GARRETT<br />

TRISTAN<br />

RENFROW<br />

KEVIN<br />

PAINTING<br />

DVOŘÁK: SYMPHONY NO.8; CARNIVAL OVERTURE<br />

SUK: SERENADE FOR STRINGS<br />

BAVARIAN RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA,<br />

MARISS JANSONS (CONDUCTOR)<br />

BR KLASSIK 900145<br />

Some commentators can be bizarrely mean about<br />

Dvořák, regard<strong>in</strong>g him as somehow <strong>the</strong> best of <strong>the</strong> second-rate<br />

composers. He’s not quite Brahms – nobody<br />

else could ever be Brahms, let’s face it<br />

– and <strong>in</strong>deed, championed by <strong>the</strong> German<br />

composer, he perhaps spent too<br />

long <strong>in</strong> his shadow. Still, <strong>the</strong>re’s a quality<br />

to him that is unique – call it, perhaps, a<br />

purity of soul, and a deeply Czech one,<br />

too. It can be elusive, and what it needs<br />

to do, most of all, is to make you smile,<br />

dance and cry at <strong>the</strong> same time.<br />

The Symphony No. 8 <strong>in</strong> G m<strong>in</strong>or is concise<br />

and concentrated, with a strong<br />

core of <strong>classical</strong> form, which is perhaps why it packs <strong>the</strong><br />

punch it does. Unlike his concertos, <strong>in</strong> which Dvořák<br />

sometimes had a slight tendency to sprawl, here he presents<br />

never a note too many. This is distilled Dvořák, <strong>the</strong><br />

Czech rhythms unmistakable <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> lilt<strong>in</strong>g third movement,<br />

<strong>the</strong> passion for nature rebound<strong>in</strong>g softly through<br />

<strong>the</strong> open<strong>in</strong>g allegro con brio’s second subject – recall<strong>in</strong>g<br />

birdsong, perhaps, on <strong>the</strong> flute – and <strong>the</strong> twist <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

pit of <strong>the</strong> stomach deep <strong>in</strong>side <strong>the</strong> cello-rich open<strong>in</strong>g<br />

<strong>the</strong>me’s harmonies.<br />

This account of <strong>the</strong> symphony was recorded live at<br />

Munich’s Gasteig last year, and despite <strong>the</strong> hall’s slightly<br />

difficult acoustic it proves that Mariss Jansons has at his<br />

disposal one of <strong>the</strong> most luxurious orchestral<br />

sounds <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world. The Bavarian<br />

Radio Symphony Orchestra sh<strong>in</strong>es<br />

with high polish and a generous heart,<br />

and Jansons balances its elements to<br />

near-ideal calibration. The str<strong>in</strong>gs match<br />

<strong>the</strong> brass and w<strong>in</strong>d for lustre and <strong>the</strong>y<br />

respond to Jansons’ mix of seriousness<br />

and gentle wit, of thrill and lilt, with<br />

alacrity and unanimity. The rhythmic approach<br />

is rigorous, extremely discipl<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

– <strong>the</strong>re is no h<strong>in</strong>t of self-<strong>in</strong>dulgence <strong>in</strong><br />

<strong>the</strong> up-tempo allegros – but Jansons never loses sight of<br />

<strong>the</strong> softer side of Dvořák’s soul, handl<strong>in</strong>g rubato with a<br />

light, deft touch, and lett<strong>in</strong>g str<strong>in</strong>g portamenti offer just<br />

<strong>the</strong> right amount of sensuality.<br />

63


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

But if you th<strong>in</strong>k <strong>the</strong> Dvořák is drop-dead gorgeous, just<br />

listen to <strong>the</strong> Josef Suk Serenade for Str<strong>in</strong>gs. Suk, Dvořák’s<br />

pupil and also his son-<strong>in</strong>-law, likewise suffers from<br />

overshadow syndrome. His Serenade, though, is easily as<br />

f<strong>in</strong>e as Dvořák’s; dat<strong>in</strong>g from 1893-4, it f<strong>in</strong>ds <strong>the</strong> composer<br />

match<strong>in</strong>g chamber-like <strong>in</strong>teraction with richness<br />

of sonority, and captur<strong>in</strong>g to a tee that Bohemian ache<br />

of m<strong>in</strong>gled beauty and sorrow. The play<strong>in</strong>g flows with<br />

apparent effortlessness, yet one has <strong>the</strong> feel<strong>in</strong>g every<br />

note is be<strong>in</strong>g cherished.<br />

The recorded sound is excellent: <strong>the</strong> Gasteig acoustic<br />

seems relatively unproblematic <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> Dvořák, and <strong>the</strong><br />

Suk, a studio record<strong>in</strong>g, is warm and clear, beautifully<br />

enhanc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> sat<strong>in</strong>y str<strong>in</strong>gs.<br />

– Jessica Duchen<br />

RICHARD STRAUSS: EIN HELDENLEBEN<br />

& MACBETH<br />

FRANKFURT RADIO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA,<br />

ANDRÉS OROZCO-ESTRADA (CONDUCTOR)<br />

PENTATONE 5186582<br />

The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra has obta<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

a prestigious reputation worldwide for <strong>the</strong>ir excellent<br />

<strong>in</strong>terpretations, especially of Romantic and late Romantic<br />

<strong>music</strong>. They are considered one of <strong>the</strong> top Mahler and<br />

Bruckner orchestras.<br />

The relationship between PENTATONE and <strong>the</strong> Frankfurt<br />

Radio Symphony extends more than ten years back<br />

with <strong>the</strong> release of a remastered<br />

SACD version of Rachman<strong>in</strong>ov’s Piano<br />

Concerto No. 2 and <strong>the</strong> Rhapsody<br />

on a Theme of Pagan<strong>in</strong>i with soloist<br />

Werner Haas and conductor Eliahu<br />

Inbal. Follow<strong>in</strong>g this release came two<br />

more albums with <strong>the</strong> highly esteemed<br />

conductor Eliahu Inbal, namely Sa<strong>in</strong>t-<br />

Saëns’s Symphonies Nos. 1 and 2 and an<br />

album of works for flute and oboe by<br />

Bell<strong>in</strong>i, Molique, Moscheles, Rietz and<br />

Vivaldi.<br />

Half a decade later, <strong>the</strong> orchestra returned for a<br />

record<strong>in</strong>g of Strav<strong>in</strong>sky’s The Rite of Spr<strong>in</strong>g and The<br />

Firebird with PENTATONE, this time under <strong>the</strong> baton<br />

of <strong>the</strong> much sought-after conductor Andrés Orozco-<br />

Estrada. This album, released <strong>in</strong> early 2016, received<br />

much praise. Audio Review was impressed by <strong>the</strong><br />

“ruthless dynamic <strong>in</strong>tervals” and <strong>the</strong> “rich tonal palette”<br />

while Gramophone complimented <strong>the</strong> orchestra’s<br />

responsiveness and <strong>the</strong> ability of Orozco-Estrada as he<br />

“unearths an astonish<strong>in</strong>g amount of detail”. PENTATONE<br />

also received a great deal of praise for <strong>the</strong>ir “awesomely<br />

precise record<strong>in</strong>g”.<br />

With a history of successful record<strong>in</strong>gs with<br />

PENTATONE, it comes as no surprise that <strong>the</strong>ir newest<br />

album, conta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g Strauss’s tone poems E<strong>in</strong> Heldenleben<br />

and Macbeth, are also impressive.<br />

The orchestra performs E<strong>in</strong> Heldenleben flawlessly; at<br />

times a bit tentative, perhaps afraid to crack notes or<br />

distort <strong>the</strong> sound at some of <strong>the</strong> most <strong>in</strong>tense moments<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> open<strong>in</strong>g sections. The backst<strong>age</strong> trumpet fanfare<br />

lacks clarity, certa<strong>in</strong>ly due to <strong>the</strong> position<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong><br />

players; <strong>the</strong>ir <strong>in</strong>tonation is excellent<br />

and <strong>the</strong>y exude an enormous amount<br />

of energy, <strong>in</strong>vigorat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> orchestra.<br />

The dynamics of <strong>the</strong> orchestra are<br />

surpris<strong>in</strong>gly extreme, from barely a<br />

whisper <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> w<strong>in</strong>d to a (well-balanced)<br />

storm. Not only is <strong>the</strong> viol<strong>in</strong> solo<br />

splendidly performed, <strong>the</strong> trumpet<br />

and horn solos are heroically executed<br />

with <strong>the</strong> support of <strong>the</strong> bombastic<br />

str<strong>in</strong>g play<strong>in</strong>g. The orchestra builds to<br />

an <strong>in</strong>credible climax toge<strong>the</strong>r, with <strong>the</strong><br />

trumpets and trombones lead<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> way.<br />

Strauss’s first <strong>in</strong>frequently heard tone poem, Macbeth,<br />

is also featured on this album. It is certa<strong>in</strong>ly <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g<br />

to hear Strauss’s f<strong>in</strong>al tone poem followed by his first.<br />

The style is quite different, and sometimes this first<br />

tone poem is referred to as a transitional work, though<br />

Strauss was not affected by such criticism. Macbeth uses<br />

a smaller sett<strong>in</strong>g than E<strong>in</strong> Heldenleben, but <strong>the</strong> sense<br />

of drama between two ‘heroes’– Lady Macbeth and<br />

64


eviews<br />

Macbeth – is still evident, as characterized by woodw<strong>in</strong>ds<br />

and low <strong>in</strong>struments respectively. This drama is much<br />

more subtle than E<strong>in</strong> Heldenleben.<br />

The record<strong>in</strong>g quality is excellent, allow<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> listener<br />

to experience <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> with <strong>the</strong> depth and special<br />

awareness of a live concert. Comb<strong>in</strong>ed with <strong>the</strong><br />

orchestra’s “outstand<strong>in</strong>g w<strong>in</strong>d section, its rich str<strong>in</strong>g<br />

sound and its culture of dynamic performances”, it<br />

creates an unforgettable listen<strong>in</strong>g experience.<br />

The accompany<strong>in</strong>g booklet is <strong>in</strong> a convenient <strong>in</strong>teractive<br />

and colourful pdf format full of <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g tidbits about<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong>, <strong>in</strong> both English and German.<br />

– Melanie Garrett<br />

PHILIP GLASS: GLASSWORKS AND INTERVIEWS<br />

WITH THE COMPOSER<br />

PHILIP GLASS ENSEMBLE<br />

SONY CLASSICAL G010003613671W<br />

Widely recognized as one of <strong>the</strong> most prom<strong>in</strong>ent <strong>music</strong>al<br />

figures of <strong>the</strong> 20th century, Philip Glass, <strong>the</strong> self-proclaimed<br />

“bad boy of modern <strong>music</strong>” is credited with<br />

be<strong>in</strong>g one of <strong>the</strong> founders of <strong>the</strong> American m<strong>in</strong>imalist<br />

movement along with Steve Reich, La<br />

Monte Young and Terry Riley. The Sony<br />

Classical UK label’s recent release of<br />

his 1982 album Glassworks also features<br />

an enthrall<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>terview with <strong>the</strong> composer,<br />

provid<strong>in</strong>g context and <strong>in</strong>sight<br />

<strong>in</strong>to his career and process.<br />

As an exemplary student of <strong>the</strong> Julliard<br />

School and recipient of various grants<br />

and awards, Glass’s early accolades<br />

evaporated after he radically redef<strong>in</strong>ed<br />

his compositional approach while liv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> Paris.<br />

He refers to his early work as <strong>music</strong> that he had merely<br />

learned without representation of his own compositional<br />

voice. In search of a more personal style, he decided to<br />

abandon his academic approach, subsequently arriv<strong>in</strong>g<br />

at a very reduced form of <strong>music</strong> which was based on<br />

process and simple repetitive structures. Glass remarks<br />

“I got rid of everyth<strong>in</strong>g I had learned very systematically.”<br />

His new approach was <strong>in</strong>itially met with misunderstand<strong>in</strong>g<br />

and rejection until he formed his own ensemble<br />

shortly after mov<strong>in</strong>g to New York <strong>in</strong> 1967. His dist<strong>in</strong>ctive<br />

use of rhythm, tonality, arpeggios and repetitive structures<br />

became central to <strong>the</strong> work that he is known for<br />

today.<br />

Regarded as one of his most iconic compositions,<br />

Glassworks was composed <strong>in</strong> 1981 for <strong>the</strong> Philip Glass<br />

Ensemble to be recorded and released as a studio album<br />

<strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g year. In an attempt to appeal to a wider audience,<br />

<strong>the</strong> six-movement piece presented ano<strong>the</strong>r new<br />

direction <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> composer’s development while ma<strong>in</strong>ta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g<br />

his trademark style. The codified glassisms are well<br />

represented: motor rhythm, repetitive structures, chord<br />

progressions, electro-acoustic voice doubl<strong>in</strong>gs and a<br />

constant stream of arpeggios. With<br />

<strong>the</strong> addition of tuneful melodies and<br />

shorter pieces, he man<strong>age</strong>d to make<br />

Glassworks more accessible to a larger<br />

audience which greatly contributed to<br />

his renown and recognition.<br />

The order of movements is constructed<br />

<strong>in</strong> a way that <strong>the</strong> slow, peaceful Islands<br />

and Façades alternate between <strong>the</strong> frenetic<br />

Floe and Rubric giv<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> album<br />

a natural undulat<strong>in</strong>g shape. Open<strong>in</strong>g,<br />

performed entirely by solo piano, <strong>in</strong>troduces <strong>the</strong> composition<br />

with a simple triple over duple polyrhythmic drive<br />

and repeated chord progressions that emanate a melancholic<br />

mood. With regard to <strong>the</strong> choice of solo piano,<br />

Glass states, “what I was try<strong>in</strong>g to evoke <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> open<strong>in</strong>g<br />

was a feel<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>in</strong>timacy.” Us<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> same compositional<br />

material, Clos<strong>in</strong>g returns to <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>timacy of Open<strong>in</strong>g by<br />

gradually reduc<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> full ensemble orchestration until<br />

<strong>the</strong> piano is left alone to conclude <strong>the</strong> album.<br />

The <strong>in</strong>strumentation of flutes, saxophones, horns,<br />

viola, cello and syn<strong>the</strong>sizers comb<strong>in</strong>e to create peculiar<br />

timbres and a decidedly amplified sound <strong>in</strong> Glassworks.<br />

Because of his prom<strong>in</strong>ent emphasis on sound quality,<br />

Glass worked closely with sound eng<strong>in</strong>eer Kurt Munkac-<br />

65


<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

si, treat<strong>in</strong>g him as an <strong>in</strong>tegral member of <strong>the</strong> ensemble<br />

as well as mak<strong>in</strong>g him co-producer of <strong>the</strong> album. Glass<br />

found it imperative to keep sound eng<strong>in</strong>eer<strong>in</strong>g an “<strong>in</strong>house<br />

operation” to achieve <strong>the</strong> ideal sound quality of his<br />

amplified <strong>music</strong> ensemble as opposed to rely<strong>in</strong>g on hired<br />

sound eng<strong>in</strong>eers of venues who would not be as familiar<br />

with <strong>the</strong> <strong>music</strong> and ensemble sound.<br />

As Philip Glass approaches his 80th birthday, this new<br />

release of Glassworks paired with an engag<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>terview<br />

with <strong>the</strong> composer <strong>in</strong>forms a fresh perspective on <strong>the</strong><br />

sem<strong>in</strong>al 1982 work.<br />

– Tristan Renfrow<br />

BRAHMS: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2, OP. 83<br />

BEETHOVEN: SONATA NO. 23, OP. 57<br />

“APPASSIONATA”<br />

SVIATOSLAV RICHTER (PIANO)<br />

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, ERICH LEINS-<br />

DORF (CONDUCTOR)<br />

SONY CLASSICAL G010001718537R<br />

On 15 October 1960 <strong>in</strong> Chicago, Sviatoslav Richter gave<br />

his e<strong>age</strong>rly awaited North American debut with a sensational<br />

performance of Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2<br />

<strong>in</strong> B-flat major with <strong>the</strong> Chicago Symphony Orchestra<br />

conducted by Erich Le<strong>in</strong>sdorf, <strong>the</strong> latter stand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong><br />

at short notice for Fritz Re<strong>in</strong>er who had been taken ill.<br />

The concert created quite a stir, one critic writ<strong>in</strong>g that<br />

Richter gave “<strong>the</strong> performance of a lifetime”. Two days<br />

later, <strong>the</strong> work was recorded by RCA to<br />

produce an <strong>in</strong>stant classic that has never<br />

been out of <strong>the</strong> catalogue, released<br />

here <strong>in</strong> a remastered version.<br />

Richter recorded <strong>the</strong> work n<strong>in</strong>e times<br />

between 1950 and 1969 but it is this<br />

performance with <strong>the</strong> CSO/Le<strong>in</strong>sdorf<br />

that is widely regarded as a landmark<br />

and it earned a Grammy Award <strong>in</strong> 1961<br />

for “Best Classical Performance - Concerto<br />

or Instrumental Soloist”. However,<br />

<strong>the</strong> ever fastidious Richter was dissatisfied with it, exclaim<strong>in</strong>g<br />

“one of my worst records, even though people<br />

still praise it to <strong>the</strong> skies. I can’t bear it!”<br />

Listen<strong>in</strong>g to this vibrant record<strong>in</strong>g afresh, it’s hard to<br />

agree with Richter as his performance is revelatory.<br />

Incandescent without be<strong>in</strong>g impos<strong>in</strong>g or mannered, he<br />

tosses aside <strong>the</strong> phenomenal technical challenges with<br />

alacrity – just listen to <strong>the</strong> susta<strong>in</strong>ed crescendo <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

open<strong>in</strong>g cadenza, <strong>the</strong> startl<strong>in</strong>g pianissimo octave pass<strong>age</strong>s<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> second movement or <strong>the</strong> ease with which he<br />

despatches massive chords and dramatic flourishes. It’s<br />

matched with play<strong>in</strong>g of great sensitivity <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> mesmeris<strong>in</strong>g<br />

slow movement with f<strong>in</strong>e cantabile play<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong><br />

orchestra throughout. All <strong>in</strong> all, a performance not to be<br />

missed.<br />

Follow<strong>in</strong>g his debut <strong>in</strong> Chicago, Richter went on to give<br />

a series of wildly successful recitals a few days later at<br />

Carnegie Hall <strong>in</strong> New York. The first programme featured<br />

five Beethoven Sonatas and concluded with a now legendary<br />

performance of “<strong>the</strong> Appassionata Sonata”. Richter’s<br />

record<strong>in</strong>g of <strong>the</strong> work shortly after for RCA “raised<br />

<strong>the</strong> bar for all of us” noted <strong>the</strong> pianist Malcolm Fr<strong>age</strong>r,<br />

“…no one was able to play [it] without worry<strong>in</strong>g that <strong>the</strong><br />

audience might have <strong>the</strong> sound of<br />

Richter’s performance <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir ears.”<br />

It’s an astonish<strong>in</strong>g and susta<strong>in</strong>ed performance,<br />

played with sear<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>tensity<br />

and conviction by Richter and it’s a<br />

rollercoaster of tension and drama. A<br />

respite to <strong>the</strong> adrenal<strong>in</strong> rushes is given<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> tender slow movement which<br />

has f<strong>in</strong>e filigree f<strong>in</strong>ger pass<strong>age</strong>s. But it’s<br />

<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> f<strong>in</strong>al movement where Richter<br />

really lets rip. While some pianists<br />

match his demonic speed few can equal <strong>the</strong> almost visceral<br />

<strong>in</strong>tensity of his play<strong>in</strong>g. Exhilarat<strong>in</strong>g and breathless,<br />

it’s an unforgettable performance and a must-buy <strong>in</strong> this<br />

remastered version.<br />

– Kev<strong>in</strong> Pa<strong>in</strong>t<strong>in</strong>g<br />

66


HISTO<br />

title goes here<br />

RIC<br />

AL<br />

Day by day <strong>primephonic</strong> takes you on an<br />

historical journey through <strong>classical</strong> <strong>music</strong><br />

<strong>primephonic</strong>.com/calendar<br />

CAL<br />

ENDAR<br />

67


1808<br />

<strong>primephonic</strong><br />

BEETHOVEN PREMIERES HIS WORKS IN A FOUR-HOUR CONCERT<br />

22 December 1808<br />

Ludwig van Beethoven premiered a few of his most celebrated works <strong>in</strong> Vienna, <strong>in</strong> a concert that lasted<br />

four hours. The performance at Theater an der Wien <strong>in</strong>cluded his Fifth Symphony, Sixth Symphony, Piano<br />

Concerto and Choral Fantasy, all conducted by Beethoven himself. It was <strong>the</strong> writer E.T.A. Hoffmann who<br />

first noted down and published elements that established <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>in</strong>ciples of Romanticism <strong>in</strong> a review of<br />

Beethoven’s 5th Symphony around 18 months later, declar<strong>in</strong>g it one of <strong>the</strong> most important works of <strong>the</strong> time.<br />

His terms were <strong>in</strong> contrast to <strong>the</strong> formality and restra<strong>in</strong>t that were <strong>the</strong> def<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g features of <strong>classical</strong> forms.<br />

1910<br />

FIRST BROADCAST FROM NEW YORK’S METROPOLITAN OPERA<br />

13 January 1910<br />

The first experimental broadcasts of live performances from <strong>the</strong> st<strong>age</strong> of <strong>the</strong> Metropolian Opera New<br />

York took place. Radio pioneer Lee De Forest carried out an experimental live transmission from <strong>the</strong><br />

opera st<strong>age</strong> of Pucc<strong>in</strong>i’s Tosca. This was followed by ano<strong>the</strong>r partial broadcast <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g day, of<br />

Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, starr<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> legendary Enrico Caruso.<br />

1922<br />

FIRST COMPLETE SYMPHONIC CONCERT BROADCAST LIVE ON RADIO<br />

10 February 1922<br />

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra became <strong>the</strong> first orchestra ever to perform a full symphonic concert<br />

live on air. The orchestra, with guest pianist Artur Schnabel, was conducted by Ossip Gabrilowitsch and<br />

broadcast live on <strong>the</strong> American radio station WWJ.<br />

68


1992<br />

CLASSIC FM WAS LAUNCHED<br />

7 September 1992<br />

title goes here<br />

Classic FM, <strong>the</strong> UK's first national commercial <strong>classical</strong> radio station, was launched. The first work to be<br />

broadcast was Handel's an<strong>the</strong>m Zadok <strong>the</strong> Priest, a celebratory an<strong>the</strong>m that Handel had composed for <strong>the</strong><br />

coronation of K<strong>in</strong>g George II <strong>in</strong> 1727; it has been performed at every British coronation ever s<strong>in</strong>ce, as well as<br />

be<strong>in</strong>g used widely <strong>in</strong> film and television and as <strong>the</strong> an<strong>the</strong>m for <strong>the</strong> UEFA Champions League.<br />

2006<br />

FIRST LIVE STREAM OF AN OPERA IN HD FROM THE METROPOLITAN OPERA<br />

1 December 2006<br />

The Met: Live <strong>in</strong> HD first appeared <strong>in</strong> December 2006 featur<strong>in</strong>g live transmissions shown <strong>in</strong> high def<strong>in</strong>ition<br />

<strong>in</strong> movie <strong>the</strong>atres around <strong>the</strong> world. The Met also developed a programme for US students to attend <strong>the</strong>se<br />

broadcasts for free at <strong>the</strong>ir schools.<br />

2008<br />

MEDICI TV LAUNCHED<br />

1 May 2008<br />

After film<strong>in</strong>g and broadcast<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> Verbier Festival <strong>in</strong> 2007, <strong>the</strong> medici.tv video platform was officially<br />

launched on 1 May 2008 with 200 programmes available onl<strong>in</strong>e.<br />

69


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