M8 Dudamel concert rebroadcast on Saturday

[Constantin]

For those who feel like it, this Saturday, there may be an opportunity at your local movie theater to see Gustavo Dudamel conduct the Mahler 8 in Caracas, Venezuela.

This is a rebroadcast, and some folks report accoustics problems at their local theaters.
If you know your local theater has good sound, this might be an opportunity to hear M8 with more than 1,000 performers.  It's a lot less expensive than travelling to South America would have been.

Here's a webpage to find more:  http://www.fathomevents.com/performingarts/event/laphil_mahler.aspx?d=2/18/2012

Here is a webpage where you can locate theaters in various countries:
 
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/liveinhd/unitedstates.aspx

Constantin

[barry guerrero]

I may go Saturday to a theater in Mtn. View, Ca. (between Palo Alto and San Jose). I'm hoping that I'll be able to hear the vocalists better than I could in The Shrine. Also, I'm hopeful that they'll use the Simon Bolivar's splashy sounding Paiste tam-tam at the end of Part II. I normally don't like Paistes, but the L.A. Phil. underplayed their dark sounding Wuhan. Also, the organ in The Shrine was too loud for much of the soft organ writing in Part I. I'm quite certain that the organ was getting sucked back into the mikes for The Shrine's Meyer sound system (which did an excellent job of projecting the horns and woodwinds, without sounding the slightest bit artificial). In other words, I'm hoping that balances will be better in the Caracas broadcast.

Barry

[sperlsco]

Wow, this looks like it is even available in Houston theaters.  I'll have to beg off of supervising my son at a birthday party, but this looks like something I cannot miss. 

[barry guerrero]

Scott,

You might not regret checking this out. It was hard to tell for certain from where we were seated, but it seemed as though the cast of soloists were pretty darn good. Soprano I was terrific throughout, as were the baritone and bass-baritone solos in Part II. It would be difficult to guess how the tenor might sound if he were using his 'full voice'. He had a cold during the L.A. performance, and intentionally held back because of it (obviously didn't want any notes to crack, etc.). But if the sound system is good at your local theater, this might be a pretty exciting experience.

Barry

[Constantin]

Thanks, Barry.  My big question was wondering who the soloists were, and if they were at least tolerable.
Somewhere, I read that Anna Larsson was singing.  She's been very good, I thought, in M2 and M3.

[Stürmisch Bewegt]

Europeans of us will be happy to read your comments about the event.

Perhaps we'll have a chance to see the performance later on TV channels  like ARTE or MEZZO.

[James Meckley]

My big question was wondering who the soloists were, and if they were at least tolerable.

According to the program, the soloists in LA were:

Manuela Uhl, soprano 1 (Magna Peccatrix)
Julianna Di Giacomo, soprano 2 (Una Poenitentium)
Kiera Duffy, soprano 3 (Mater Gloriosa)
Anna Larsson, alto 1 (Mulier Samaritana)
Charlotte Hellekant, alto 2 (Maria Aegyptiaca)
Burkhard Fritz, tenor (Doctor Marianus)
Brian Mulligan, baritone (Pater Ecstaticus)
Alexander Vinogradov, bass (Pater Profundus)

I recently got access to a rather decent "in house" recording of the LA event and the soloists all seemed at least tolerable and some were quite fine—though, as Barry has written elsewhere, they projected less well than one might have hoped. And, my god, was the organ loud!

James

[Constantin]

Thank you, James.  I'm glad to see the possibility that Anna Larsson will be among the soloists.

Yes, reports are that the organ was too loud.  I usually prefer a strong voice for the organ, so this will be a trial of just how much organ I really want to hear!

Constantin

[waderice]

Yes, reports are that the organ was too loud.  I usually prefer a strong voice for the organ, so this will be a trial of just how much organ I really want to hear!

From the photos I saw of the Los Angeles concert at another thread here at the Gustav Mahler Board, it looked like the speakers for the organ were placed too close to the front.  Maybe they should have been placed on either side of the chorus as opposed to the mid-point sides of the orchestra to balance things out, or even simply, to turn the speaker amplifier down.  Maybe the sound balance people out in the audience during rehearsals found the organ to be loud, maybe some too soft.  The hall itself was known to have acoustical problems.

Wade

[James Meckley]

I don't know if this is a misprint, but in Gustavo Dudamel's February e-newsletter—which I just received today—the claim is made that his Caracas performance of Mahler 8 will comprise 1,400 musicians, beating the LA count by 40 percent! Surely a record for those who keep track of such things.

I can't attend tomorrow's movie-thing—I'll be recording a different orchestra in a different city—but I do plan to attend the "encore" movie-thing on February 29, despite my firm belief that the money would be better spent on the inevitable Blu-ray release.

BTW, does anyone know why this thread is titled "rebroadcast"? It is a live feed, isn't it?

James

[barry guerrero]

"From the photos I saw of the Los Angeles concert at another thread here at the Gustav Mahler Board, it looked like the speakers for the organ were placed too close to the front.  Maybe they should have been placed on either side of the chorus as opposed to the mid-point sides of the orchestra to balance things out, or even simply, to turn the speaker amplifier down.  Maybe the sound balance people out in the audience during rehearsals found the organ to be loud, maybe some too soft.  The hall itself was known to have acoustical problems."

Wade

My impression was that this was a very old theater organ. To me, it appeared that it had the usual larger speakers (or grids, whatever) on the sides of the stage, just as they usually are for most old theater organs. I didn't notice any speakers located in the middle. However, in addition to the grids for the organ, there were two very long Meyer Sound System speakers that mounted above the stage as well. They looked very similar to the ones that are mounted in Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall (I'm right across the street from there as I type this). There were four very narrow and discreet microphones hanging somewhere over the woowinds. To me, they looked very similar to the mikes that feed the Meyer system in Zellerbach. I really suspect that much of the problem was that the organ sound was getting sucked into the Meyer system, thus getting amplified a second time. Maybe I'm wrong about that.

I know that they had to be using the Meyer system because you could hear every single little bleep and bloop from the woodwinds without them being doubled at all. The horns - who were also not doubled - came through loud and clear as well. And that was without any kind of acoustical 'anything' for them to bounce their sound off of.

My other impression was the organist was fighting to keep control of the organ. He seemed to be constantly changing stops and making adjustments. He probably just needed more time to practice that particular part, on that particular organ. Also, if he had been practicing on that organ earlier, they may not have had the Meyer system turned on! Thus, he wouldn't have heard what the hall and his instrument would sound like in the heat of battle.

[Constantin]

"I know that they had to be using the Meyer system because you could hear every single little bleep and bloop from the woodwinds without them being doubled at all. The horns - who were also not doubled - came through loud and clear as well. And that was without any kind of acoustical 'anything' for them to bounce their sound off of. "


Barry, thank you for your very lucid and logical analysis of what might likely be the reason for "too much organ."

It will help me enjoy the performance to have in mind this explanatory information, should the organ volume seem oppresively overbearing.  At least I won't torture myself with speculation as to some hidden motivation that Dudamel might have for increasing the organ's voice.

--Constantin

[barry guerrero]

No, I strongly doubt that the heavy organ was an interpretive decision on Dudamel's part. This was a one-off performance, and they probably had very little time to rehearse everyone together in The Shrine. For me, the problem with the organ wasn't so much during the loud moments, but that it was too loud for much of the soft organ writing in Part I. In fact, I had noticed organ in sections of Part I that I had NEVER noticed it being before. Hopefully this will all sort it self out better in Caracas.

[barry guerrero]

Got to the movie show. The balances were definitely better than where we were seated in The Shrine. The vocalists were all really good. It's amazing that such a deep and powerful bass-baritone voice came out of such a relatively small guy. This was a really musical performance. For my taste, the end of Part II - the orchestral postlude - could have been just a tad slower, and  the very last note could have been  held just a bit longer as well. But still, it was a very musical experience. The Venezuelan choir people were terrific, and the children's voices were much bigger sounding than they were in L.A. Great show. Our theater had reasonably good sound.

By the way, excellent camera work too.

[Constantin]

I agree entirely with Barry's description of the Dudamel M8 rebroadcast yesterday.

They do seem to have adjusted some accoustical problems, as I found the organ almost a bit lower in volume than my usual preference.
Yes, it was amazing to hear such a deep and powerful bass-baritone coming from a man rather small in physical stature.  I also appreciated the emotion and passion he showed, as he seemed to be squeezing out every possible drop of emotion in every note he sang.

To my taste, as to Barry's the final note of Part 2 was held a tad too short.  This is minor; more personal preference.

I did enjoy the way the spotlight lit up Mater Gloriosa, a few minutes before she sang.  This helped prepare the audience for her later dramatic vocal entry.  The shimmering golden dress, and her theatrical aura as a personification of Mater Gloriosa also helped achieve a dramatic impact.  I never expected to see a "magic moment" that would rival  Gerti Zeumer, who sang Mater G for Bernstein's Vienna Philharmonic video.

All the choirs and choruses in this Caracas performance greatly exceeded my expectations too.

It was not the greatest M8 I've seen or heard, but it was certainly quite good, and I know of several Mahler newcomers who came away moved and convinced of Mahler's greatness.  One of them told me, and I quote:    "All I can say is oh.my.god.  Most spectacular experience of my life.  I don't  ever need to listen to music again"

I do believe she will listen to Mahler.  I'll see to it.

--Constantin