Korgscrew
Group: Super Admins
Posts: 3511
Joined: Dec. 1999 |
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Posted: Feb. 21 2008, 21:36 |
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I did actually try quizzing someone about what the setup would be like (out of a potential need to know rather than just geeky curiosity! ), but ended up being told about the plans to record it rather than what kind of sound reinforcement would be in place (it wasn't a technical person I was speaking to, and the answer sort of did answer my question, so I didn't pursue it any further).
The Guggenheim isn't a particularly big venue audience-wise, but it's of course not designed as a concert hall, so it might turn out to have acoustics that really don't help to support the sound of a soloist (and besides, the issues already mentioned definitely apply), so I definitely think that at least Mike's guitar will be amplified. There's a fair chance that they might even run absolutely everything through the desk, especially if Mike has any say in how things are done - he seems to like that level of control being available.
Amplification certainly does get used for classical performances - I went to a performance of Berlioz's Te Deum at the Albert Hall last year where the choir was amplified. I have no idea why, really; it was a large choir and I really didn't think it seemed necessary, though I can only suppose that the concern was balancing the sound with the organ. Still, I can't say I liked it - the sound was rather bright and seemed to obviously come from the overhead speaker arrays rather than from the stage, which I found rather disturbing. It doesn't have to be that way, of course, it just needs a little care taken in balancing things right.
Pieces can of course be arranged so as not to give the guitar quite so much of a hard time (which Music of the Spheres hasn't been), but to get the guitar really up front like it is in most recordings, there isn't really any option other than amplifying the guitar (or putting the orchestra in another room  ).
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