Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihuxn.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!ihuxn!jho From: jho@ihuxn.UUCP (Yosi Hoshen) Newsgroups: net.music.classical Subject: Re: boring live performances Message-ID: <648@ihuxn.UUCP> Date: Wed, 2-May-84 12:31:27 EDT Article-I.D.: ihuxn.648 Posted: Wed May 2 12:31:27 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 3-May-84 08:44:00 EDT References: <465@flairvax.UUCP> <4113@utcsrgv.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 52 It is not clear to me whether live performances produce better music. In recent years, I attended quite a few piano recitals by big name pianists. Only, on rare occasions, I found the live performance really exciting. Most recently, I attended Murray Perahia's performance of Beethoven and Schubert music. This was a very pleasant surprised. Perahia had few misses, but the performance was exciting, and full with life. On the other hand, I recall a dull Brendel performance. I guess, we cannot expect our performers to be at their top all the time. Leonard Bernstein has been the proponent of live recording. His Brahms Symphonies performances are well known. Recently, Philips Issued a new recording of Wagner's Tristan und Isolde, with Bernstein and The Bavarian Radio Orchestra. These can be considered semi-life performance. Each act of the three acts was recorded separately. Audience was present during the recording session. I find this recording very exciting. Bernstein puts a lot of passion and fire in the music. I liked Isolda (Hildegard Behrens). Peter Hofmann, Tristan, is somewhat weaker, yet, I enjoyed his singing. I felt that, there was a good balance between voice and orchestra. Occasionally, the voice was somewhat submerged by the orchestra sound. To describe it more accurately, the human voice sounded as one of the orchestral instruments. I found this effect very desirable. I have one question, Is it possible to have a real great performance of Wagner's Ring cycle? Last year broadcast (Gotterdammerung Live!) from Bayreuth was enjoyable, although some of the voices were far from great. Is it possible to gather a great ensemble of singers to perform the Ring? I don't think that live performances is the answer to better music. Some of studio recording are great (e.g. Smetana Quartet recording of Beethoven and Mozart String quartets on Deneon CDs) and full of spirit. The important factor is the attitude of the performer. I think there one great advantage for live recording is that the recording engineers are more restricted in manipulating the sound. They cannot place their microphones too close to the performer (I hope so) and they have less variables to play with. Less microphones and less mixing is a great advantage for classical recording. To conclude, one cannot make a clear statement that a live performance has an advantage over studio performance. -- Yosi Hoshen Bell Laboratories Naperville, Illinois (312)-979-7321 Mail: ihnp4!ihuxn!jho