To me, Viennese sound is shapely, rounded, curvy, sensual and yet subdued. It’s not a matter of becoming homogeneous but rather retain independence. As conductor Zubin Mehta stated “it’s not only the sound but relaxed rhythm, it’s organized sloppiness. That’s something that other people can’t do. In general, they never make an ugly sound.” Tonally, it can be soft and round or bold and strident but not confrontational. Italian pianist Carlo Grante says Viennese orchestras are “never too present and contain nuanced sound and articulation”. Ready to hear the difference? Put together by the University of Performing Arts Vienna, this website contains clips comparing orchestral sound. Although it is in German, you can right-click translate to English. Regardless, it’s fairly straightforward There are simply 2 categories, 1 that is from “Wiener” or Vienna and the other, from another orchestra to compare. Simply click on the speaker icon to play both samples. I rather enjoyed listening to the contrast of these excerpts. It gives you a bit better understanding of what is trying to be achieved both by the performer and the instrumentation pertaining to the Viennese tradition. With this backdrop in mind, I would like to turn our attention to pianos and how this relates. A few months back I spoke with Ferdinand Braeu from Bösendorfer in Austria, Vienna. We discussed the newly designed Vienna Concert (VC) models that were debuted in prototype form a few years ago at NAMM in California. This year, I had the wonderful opportunity to play the finished result. They are delightful – one of the few pianos that I have played that I could describe as smooth as glass. The sustain is incredible, especially at the top end (where most pianos sharply drop off). The touch is luxurious and the tonal palette incredibly wide. How does one achieve this sound in the newly designed VC pianos? I asked Ferdinand Braeu a few questions about it. Glen Barkman: It says on Bö that the new VC series “remains true to our sound philosophy.” What is your sound philosophy?įerdinand Braeu: Our sound philosophy is based on Vienna’s tradition of piano building and the worldwide reputation of our music (e.g., the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra). #LIMEX VIENNA GRAND PIANO SOUND MODULE SERIES#
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |