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In Reply to: RE: "For the life of me, I CANNOT understand a criticism like this!" posted by Doktor Brahms on August 14, 2016 at 10:27:09
But are you suggesting that the BIS engineers somehow expanded the dynamic range for this recording (beyond what naturally occured in the musicians' playing in the hall)? Or perhaps, if I'm reading your post right, you're thinking that Vanska himself is the culprit? Dave Hurwitz kind of suggests that too - he considers Vanska's extreme dynamics a mannerism. For me, the extremes of the dynamic range are simply an expansion in the arsenal of devices which the conductor can employ to generate even more expressiveness from the music (when used properly - and that qualification is of course a whole can of worms in itself!).
As I say, I do see where you're coming from, so perhaps we just differ as to how extreme a range of dynamics a conductor should use. There are probably a lot of other variables which enter in too, such as the particular piece being played, what kind of hall the orchestra is playing in, etc. Here's a link to Dave's review if you haven't seen it already:
Follow Ups:
I haven't heard the Minnesota Orchestra in many years. However, I have heard the Cleveland Orchestra in Severance Hall many times. Their pianissimo is as soft as anybody's, e.g., the end of Mahler 9. I never have trouble hearing the softest notes they play, and they are not deafening me at full blast either. In contrast, I can't hear the opening of Vanska's Beethoven 9th at a reasonable volume at home without getting NAILED (and not in a good way) at the louder sections of the performance.
I don't claim to know what BIS does with these MN Orch recordings, but they aren't listenable on my system.
A recording can never capture the dynamic range of a live concert
Found the Vanska 6&7 on classics on line. Will listen after the olympics
Alan
I have no problem at all listening to this new Sibelius album (haven't heard the Vanska Beethoven 9th) - as long as my wife and cat are not in the house! ;-)
Thanks for the link. I read the Hurwitz review and found it unsatisfying. He seems to be saying that if an interpretation strikes him as quirky and he doesn't like it, it's a bad performance. Am I being unfair? At any rate, I appreciate the fact that Vanska is not just doing a by-the-numbers cycle with his current orchestra. Good for him for trying to find some innovative twists to his approach to scores that he's done probably dozens of times. Mr. Hurwitz surely recognizes that what he hears as mannered intervention might strike other listeners as fresh and invigorating.
And you're absolutely right about the dynamics: I see them as Vanska's "thing," rather than any unnatural intervention on the part of the BIS engineers.
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