Orchestral Idiosyncrasies in the Jet Age.
Fri, Mar 19 2010, 7:26PM
Alex Ross, writing in the March 22 edition of The New Yorker Magazine referred to a recently held month long Carnegie Hall concert marathon featuring orchestras from Chicago, Boston, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Leipzig, Amsterdam, St. Petersburg, two from New York and, (from Minneapolis,) the Minnesota Orchestra as "an unofficial orchestral Olympics." One of Mr. Ross' general observations had to do with a particular sound he observed that might be described as "national" - geographic if you like both in spirit and execution. If I understand Mr. Ross' intent, "the edgy attack of German clarinets, the peculiarly pungent Russian brass, the unforced weight of the Dutch en masse" are observable differences unique to specific orchestras. To which I can only add, viva la difference! But with the mobility of today's music performing public, are there still orchestras say more German sounding, (what ever that might be,) for example? Does Leipzig sound more Deutch than say Dresden? Is the L.S.O. more British sounding than say the Philharmonia or the New Phil.? And what effect does a conductor have on the unique sound of a particular orchestra? Has Sir Simon, for example, modified the Berlin Phil. into something less German sounding? Does the Vienna Phil. sound different under different conductors? When G asked music critics to rank the world's orchestras a while back, was the Concertgebouw selected because of its splendid ensemble integration and Dutch sensibilities - aka "the unforced weight of the Dutch en masse"? And do American orchestras still have a particular sound? If so determined by region, budget, conductor, other? Does say Chicago still have what I call their unified brass section best remembered from the Reiner years of the 1950s and early '60s? Do or does the liquid strings of the Philadelphia Orchestra under Ormandy or the New York Phil's razor sharp attack under Bernstein, Boston's lushness under Munch and/or the overall precision of Cleveland under Szell still exist as unique elements to an orchestra's identity? Or are there so many world class orchestras and conductors today it would be difficult to identify one from the other in a sort of blind listening test? As always, I await your comments. Best, Hal.
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 12:10AM
#2
RE: Orchestral Idiosyncrasies in the Jet Age.
The notion that all or most orchestras sound alike today is a myth. I believe this is the result of the tendency of so many classical musicians and fans to idealize the past and long for"the good old days, which never actually existed.
It's a physical impossibility for orchestras to ever sound alike because they consist of different musicians playing different makes of instruments in concert halls with different acoustical qualities.
There have been changes in the way some orchestras sound because of changing personnel as musicians retire, but no international sameness. German orchestras still sound German, French orchestras French,etc. The Czech Philharmonic has preserved its unmistakably Czech sound in its distinctive wood wind and brass; when it plays Czech music, it sounds unmistakably Czech in a way which non-czech orchestras do not.
When we talk about orchestra sounds, we often mistake the degree of lushness in an orchestra,or leanness etc as their distinctive sounds. But each orchestra has woodwind and brass players with markedly different timbres which do not vary with the degree of lushness or leanness.
But an orchestra should not have one unvarying,one size fits all sound; it should change its sound according to the composer or nationality of the music. A Debussy orchestral work should not sound the same as a Richard Strauss tone poem, or a Stravinsky ballet score, or a Mozart or Beethoven symphony.
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 6:35PM
#3
RE: Orchestral Idiosyncrasies in the Jet Age.
Hi Myron, good to hear from you. I certainly agree with your observation regarding the smoother sound of some of the newer Russian Orchestras like Maestro Pletnev's many recordings with Russian National Orchestra - DG productions like Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty" or Prokofiev's "Cinderella" have (IMO,) definitely raised the performance level bar to new heights. But more importantly, I find these recordings totally captivating not because of their apparent performance perfection but for their wide level of emotional dynamics and unencumbered dramatic narrative. Best, Hal.
Thu, Mar 25 2010, 7:06PM
#4
RE: Orchestral Idiosyncrasies in the Jet Age.
Superhorn, it would be interesting to try and determine the nationality of a particular orchestra just by listening. For example does Paavo Jarvi conducting Beethoven with Kammerphilharmonie, Bremen sound more regionally identifiable than say a recording of the same music with Bernard Haitink and the L.S.O.? Certainly the performances are unique for all the reasons you stated above but is there an observable sense of national substance to go along with, (what seems to me,) to be choices of individual style? Best, Hal.
Fri, Mar 26 2010, 2:53PM
#5
RE: Orchestral Idiosyncrasies in the Jet Age.
I haven't heard Paavo Jarvi's Beethoven cycle, but I've heard some very enthusiastic reports about it. Since it's with a German chamber orchestra, it probably will have for example, a German oboe sound, very different from the kind of oboes in American orchestras,for example.
In fact, I often have identified the nationality of an orchestra when I tune into a recording already in progress and then hear the name of the conductor and orchestra announced when it's finished.
Fri, Mar 26 2010, 5:34PM
#6
RE: Orchestral Idiosyncrasies in the Jet Age.
Superhorn, then you definitely have a disciplined golden ear. Well done. I still have the ear but not as much discipline as years past - making my focus beyond the music to the performance less often. Best, Hal.
Hi Hal,
These days I find it impossible to differentiate between the best orchestras on record; to my ears at least, though this could be due to unfamiliarity. I think the biggest change over the past decades has been in Russian orchestras; it's always a thrill to hear past recordings from Mravinsky/Svetlanov et al., with the characteristic rasping brass. It's absent today (unless composer called for) and a pity. And yes, today there are many world-class orchestras, or perhaps better to call them well-drilled and rehearsed, but doesn't this make them predictable? Of course the standard of individual musicianship is exceptional in modern orchestras today and this probably accounts for the very high standards shown by what we call even provincial orchestras. Does this mean that we are now intolerant of musician errors? All the best, Myron.