Mahler 8 from the Aspen Music Festival

[James Meckley]

The Aspen Music Festival will present Mahler 8 this Sunday 19 August at 4:00 PM (Mountain Time). Robert Spano will conduct and the audio will be streamed live by Colorado Public Radio at the following URL:

www.cpr.org

More information here:

http://www.aspenmusicfestival.com/index.cfm?method=c.eventDetail&eventID=4734&layout=1&swf_plugin=0,1,3

James

[Clov]

I'll check it out. Thanks for the information.   

Does anyone know how to record live feed or playback from a radio broadcast on  the computer?   

I'm sure there are many ways to do this, but they're probably all quite technical. 

Hopefully not.

 

[barry guerrero]

Try to search for an online radio channel that's broadcasting those concerts. They'll often times have links that you just follow. It's usually not very difficult. Trust me, if I can do it, ANYBODY can do it. Even something as simple as 'Aspen Music Festival broadcast' in your Google search may yield results. Good luck.

As far recording a broadcast from an online source goes, that's out of my league.

[ptoye]

I'll check it out. Thanks for the information.   

Does anyone know how to record live feed or playback from a radio broadcast on  the computer?   

I'm sure there are many ways to do this, but they're probably all quite technical. 

Hopefully not.

 

I use TotalRecorder on my Windows machine. http://www.totalrecorder.com/index.htm

A bit late, I'm afraid, but may be useful next time.

[Clov]

thanks for the information ptoye.

good to know. 

[Roland Flessner]

I attended this concert as part of my summer vacation.

I sat about halfway back and a bit left of center. I found the acoustics in the Music Tent particularly foggy in the bass. The back-of-auditorium brass was impressive. I don't have a surround sound system and it was good to hear these spatial effects as Mahler intended. The only M8 I've heard "live" was on the lawn at Ravinia, which does not really count.

The orchestra, mainly quite young musicians, did a very creditable job, and  I was impressed with Maestro Spano's idiomatic conducting. I would describe the soloists as decent without displacing those on favorite recordings, with the possible exception of Mater Gloriosa, who was particularly fine. (I'm not sure who it was; will check the program later.) Vinson Cole, originally scheduled as the tenor, was replaced by Russell Thomas, who was probably a big improvement, based on my limited experience with Mr. Cole. The performance seemed to have problems with pianissimos not getting much below mezzo forte, especially in the hushed section preceding the Chorus Mysticus.

Despite those caveats, I am very glad to have attended.

[barry guerrero]

"The performance seemed to have problems with pianissimos not getting much below mezzo forte, especially in the hushed section preceding the Chorus Mysticus."

I don't think that that's too surprising for an outdoor performance. The problem is, the performers usually can't hear themselves and each other if they're performing/singing too softly. They're not getting any feedback due to the lack of acoustics.

All in all, sounds like it was pretty darn good outdoor M8. Lucky you!   

[Roland Flessner]

The Music Tent, despite its name, is closer to an indoor than an outdoor venue. It's a permanent structure with a solid central roof section and walls, and only the "doughnut" from the roof to the walls is a soft material. Acoustically, it might make a better impression with a smaller ensemble, but obviously M8 presents a challenge just about anywhere. It's hard to imagine a successful performance here in Chicago at Orchestra Hall.

One cool aspect is that you can sit on the lawn for free. In my case, since this was part of a 3000-mile vacation, I was glad to buy a ticket. But it's nice to know that locals short of funds could enjoy good music without having to pay, especially since just about everything involving Aspen is so expensive. I'm not sure the sound outside the tent is amplified, but the tent "walls" are doors that swing open.

OT, I stayed at a ranch that is between Aspen and the Maroon Bells, and did the Crater Lake hike at the Bells. After that, I did a variety of hikes for three days in Rocky Mountain National Park. A memorable vacation, mixing high culture with some of the most beautiful country on earth.

[barry guerrero]

A memorable vacation, mixing high culture with some of the most beautiful country on earth.

Mahler would approve!