[TPIN] Orchestral Balance

[Michael Anderson]

Its really hard to tell from the back row. It is even hard to tell from the
podium. You need a recorder out in the hall to know for sure.

Much of our literature is really hard to play without projecting and being
aggressive. It looses its sparkle if you back way off and suck on it so that
you aren't overblowing a lame string section.

Was this a regional orchestra, major orchestra? Lots of smaller orchestras
have cut way back on the number of strings for financial reasons. They
shouldn't program huge works or they should raise the money to have beefy
string sections.

MA


> From: <Achias1 at mchsi.com>
> Date: Tue, 05 Feb 2008 15:13:26 +0000
> To: TPIN <tpin at tpin.okcu.edu>
> Subject: [TPIN] Orchestral Balance
> 
> After hearing a local orchestra perform Debussy's "La Mer," I need to bring up
> a
> subject that is likely to open a can of worms - orchestral balance.
> 
> Everything about the performance was fine except that the brass kept
> overbalancing the strings (hopefully, I won't lose my "Ba__s Against The Wall
> Trumpet Players' Club" membership card for that statement.)
> 
> Evidently, this has been a problem even with major orchestras in the past few
> years. If not overbalancing brass, then the overall volume level rising.
> 
> I think that part of the skill of playing well in an orchestra is knowing how
> to
> balance and I consider it a flaw when a player doesn't listen and balance
> well.