This quite spectacular recording for Pan Classics of the legendary Vienna Sextet was made in a small church in Blumenstein, Switzerland, using a single pair of Neumann M149s.

The original dry recording ... and from the final CD, brought to life again by the Pure Space reverb impulses, this time from the ‘film’ set: IR2290, which has an extremely resonant top end whilst remaining balanced in the mid-range, the final mix.

The copyright in these tracks is owned by Pan Classics.

Acoustic of the recording enhanced significantly using IR 1748.

Every year a professional jury of classical music reviewers grants the 'Edison Classical Music Awards' of the Dutch Edison Foundation. The ‘Edison’ is an initiative of the NVPI, an umbrella organization in which producers and distributors of CDs are united. Only a limited number of these members are involved in the production and/or the distribution of classical CDs. The Edison jury makes its selection from the productions the NVPI members came up with themselves. It will be clear that the importance of the affiliated members plays a vital role in the acceptance of the CDs that are due for nomination. It is striking that the crisis that is taking place in the world of the classical CDs is also reflected in the productions that qualify for nomination.

Simon Fox-Gál grew up in musical surroundings (his grandfather was the composer Hans Gál) and started the cello at the age of five, and the piano at the age of eight. After a six-year training as record producer (Tonmeister) at the Hochschule für Musik in Detmold, Germany, he set up base in London, working initially for Swiss record label Pan Classics and ex-Decca recording outfit Classic Sound.

His work is now for the well-established continental recording company Musica Numeris, and as freelance record producer and editor for a number of labels in the UK and abroad.

Simon has made recordings for the labels EMI/Virgin Classics, Erato, Warner, NMC, Sony Music, Pan Classics, Campanella Musica, Mirare, Hungaroton, Ambroisie, Avie, Cypres, Naxos, Alba, and BMG/RCA. Editing work has included a substantial number of Decca/Universal releases.

To contact Simon Fox, email him at simon.fox at dsl.pipex.com.

Recorded in August 2004 at St Mary's Church, South Creake, Norfolk, UK
Producer: Jonathan Freeman-Attwood; Balance engineer & editor: Simon Fox-Gál
AVIE records, 2005: AV2054

Gramophone magazine - Editor’s Choice, June 2005 
MusicWeb Record of the Month, April 2005

This recording was made in a church, but best results were obtained by using a very up-front dry mix based upon a main system of 2 Neumann KM143’s with only a small amount of additional ambience from a more distant pair of Neumann KM130’s - dry mix - and generating reverb from this signal using IR1748. Here’s the mix with reverb added:

The copyright in these tracks is owned by Laurence Dreyfuss.

“The sound is crisp and clear, yet warm and vibrant.” – Musicweb International

"It was Hippocrates who, in 'the Nature of Man', first identified the four temperaments so as to help diagnose illness. Corresponding to four essential bodily 'humours' or fluids (...) a patient was treated based on the humour the physician reckoned to be most dominant. The temperament also evoked one of the four types of personalities." Thus Laurence Dreyfus begins his liner notes to Phantasm's recording of music for viol consort by four composers of the English renaissance: Tallis, Parsons, Byrd and Ferrabosco I. He then identifies the 'temperaments' which were most characteristic of them. Tallis is the sanguine, reflected by the optimistic character of his music. Parsons is the choleric, who is quick to anger. Melancholy, which leads to sadness, is a feature of Byrd, whereas Ferrabosco is the phlegmatic, who is unshakeable. These features are represented by the choice of pieces by the respective composers in this programme.

"I am not sure about the relationship between the four temperaments and music. I have looked into several encyclopedias and music books, and couldn't find any reference to 'temperament' in the sense it is used here. I also think it is highly speculative to link a composer's personality to his music. If a composer in the Elizabethan era writes a lot of melancholic music, this doesn't necessarily mean he is a melancholic person himself, as melancholy was much in vogue at the time.

"I hasten to add that Laurence Dreyfus admits nuances in his temperament-based characterisation of composers when he writes: "Naturally, the emotions expressed in any given piece are too complex to be reduced to one humour and none of my attributions are meant as all-embracing. In fact, all four composers modulate skilfully between the temperaments, just in different ways. All people, according to this way of thinking, are subtle admixtures of the humours."

"As a consequence the 'four temperaments' seem to me little more than a stepping-stone to present very different kinds of music for viol consort as composed in the English renaissance. If it was Phantasm's goal to demonstrate how varied the repertoire for viol consort was, then they have succeeded quite brilliantly. Listening to the pieces which are based on the famous 'In nomine' theme, for instance, one is impressed by the many ways composers have dealt with it.

"An interesting aspect of this recording is the performance of Byrd's 4-part Mass. It is noted in the booklet that it wasn't unusual in those days to perform vocal music with instruments only. It is a tribute both to the quality of the composition as to the level of playing that the content of the mass comes through very clearly in this instrumental performance. The sections of the mass are interspersed with settings of 'In nomine' - the theme of which comes from John Taverner's Mass Gloria tibi Trinitas, creating a kind of liturgical setting.

"Another item which particularly pleases me is the first piece of the programme: Tallis's 'A Solfing song', which was originally written for viol consort, but has a strongly vocal character, and could easily be sung on a given text. Another fine contribution is Robert Parsons' 'A Song called Trumpets', with its fanfare-like motifs. He was the most experimental of these four composers, and puts the performers to the test in his 'Ut re mi fa sol la': "The texture becomes 'untamed' in a moment of panicked frisson when all four players enter a distinct time zone (...), each forced to count in a way which disrupts the others. (...) The piece became addictive once we made it to the end without 'falling off' the ever-present precipice. Which took a good while." It is good to know that they are human after all.

"This recording is an impressive addition to the growing list of brilliant recordings by Phantasm, many of which have received or have been nominated for awards. Another good candidate for an award - the playing is outstanding. The sound is crisp and clear, yet warm and vibrant. The melancholy of some pieces is just as well realised as the more joyful works, where the ensemble displays a strong sense of dynamics and rhythm. In short, this disc presents English consort music in its full glory."

- Johan van Veen

Phantasm, a quartet of viols founded in 1994, catapulted into international prominence when its debut CD won a Gramophone Award for the Best Baroque Instrumental Recording of 1997. Since then, they have released eight further recordings and have become recognised as the most exciting viol consort active on the world scene today.

Phantasm's latest CD, Four Temperaments was released at the end of February. This disc, featuring the music of Byrd, Ferrabosco, Parsons and Tallis follows the success of Phantasm's 2004 CD of Orlando Gibbons Consorts for Viols which won a Gramophone Award for Early Music and was a finalist for Gramophone's Record of the Year.

Phantasm was founded in 1994 by Laurence Dreyfus, who dreamed of forming a viol consort embodying the highest artistic standards. Inspired by the great twentieth-century string quartets, Phantasm have championed a bold and passionate style of consort playing which does full justice to its magnificent repertoire.

The international members of the quartet (from Britain, Finland and the US) all trained on modern instruments, but were drawn to the viol consort because of the dazzling sonority of the ensemble and the independence of lines cultivated by the complex polyphony. Specialising in music from the 16th to the 18th centuries, the quartet have been applauded across the globe for their moving performances, which embrace the eloquent fantasies of Byrd and Gibbons, the magical works of Lawes and Purcell, even new arrangements of Bach and Mozart.

Visit Phantasm Website

This recording was made in the large Snellman hall in Kokkola, Finland. However, the liveliness of the venue was still able to be enhanced using the Pure Space reverb impulses.

Here’s the original recording, with no reverb added. And here’s the same excerpt, including IR 1648:

And from the same disc, a reverb tail. This example demonstrates how easily the impulse-generated reverb can be integrated into the natural acoustic, to transform a slightly dead-sounding dye-away into something more vibrant:

Original ‘natural’ recording. And with reverb IR 1648.

N.B. for the 5.1 surround mix incorporated on this SACD/CD hybrid, the same IR1648-generated reverb was used for the mix.

The copyright in these tracks is owned by Alba Records.

The Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra has been a professional orchestra only since 1989, but its homogeneous sound and dynamic impact are the result of years of playing together. Juha Kangas, the artistic director, founded the orchestra in 1972.

The orchestra's repertoire covers all periods in the history of music from the Baroque to the present day. The Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra has made an outstanding contribution to the promotion of contemporary Finnish music and had works written and dedicated to it by many Finnish composers. It also has close contacts with composers in Scandinavia and the Baltic states and has premiered over 90 works to date, many of them commissioned by the orchestra itself.

The Chamber Orchestra regularly performs with top international soloists and has released over 40 discs. Its foreign tours have taken it to several European contries and to Japan. This year the orchestra will visit Estonia, St. Petersburg and Japan, and in October it will debut in the USA with a concert in new York.

The orchestra was awarded the music prize of the Nordic Council in 1993. In 1995 the Chamber Orchestra and its conductor Juha Kangas were awarded the Luomus Prize by the Finnish Composers' International Copyright Bureau (Teosto) and in spring 1998 the Madetoja Prize by the Society of Finnish Composers.

The Famous OCO Sound

Orchestras are known by their sound, assuming that they have one that is recognisable. The Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra certainly does, and one which even the uninitiated will quickly learn to identify. Although describing a sound in words is virtually impossible, that of the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra is beyond all doubt its strongest distinguishing feature. Cultivating it has been one of the Orchestra’s basic missions right from the very beginning, and spotting it inevitably brings immense pleasure. The vision of both the conductor and of every member of the Orchestra is singularly clear in this respect.

With its unique sound and intensity of interpretation, the Ostrobothnian Chamber Orchestra provides the listener with the keys to hearing and understanding music in a new way: freely and spontaneously, unhampered by any preconceived ideas or schools. Ostrobothnian Website

The material for this CD was recorded at live performances at Bozar, Brussels, Belgium. With an orchestra of this size and full house, the acoustic was effectively completely dry on the recording. The ambience on the final master was created entirely using Classical IR 1543.

“The recorded sound is exceptional: if Kazushi Ono and the Orchèstre Symphonique de la Monnaie, caught live in Brussels, sound as sumptuous as this, why do we suffer so many pinched recordings from elsewhere? With dazzling sound and polished performances, the music takes on added lustre.” Entertainment Times Online

BBC Music Magazine gave this album five stars for both performance and sound: '...excellent performances, stunningly well recorded, a fine addition to [the] composers' discography'. - Calum MacDonald, April 2005

In 2002 Kazushi Ono was appointed Music Director of La Monnaie, the Royal Opera House of Belgium, succeeding Antonio Pappano. This followed appointments as General Music Director of the the Baden-Württemberg State Theatre in Karlsruhe from 1996 to 2001, Chief Conductor of the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra from 1990 – 1996 and the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra where he was Principal Conductor from 1992 and where he still holds the position of Conductor Laureate and Artistic Advisor.

In addition to his activities at La Monnaie he frequently guest conducts with orchestras such as the NDR Hamburg, Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, RAI di Torino, Ensemble Intercontemporain, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra at the Musikverein. This season he makes his debut at the Chatelet in Paris with Henze The Bassarids with the Orchestre Philharmonique.

Born in Tokyo, Kazushi began his training as a conductor at the State High School for Fine Arts and Music. He also studied with Leonard Bernstein at the Tanglewood Music Festival and with Wolfgang Sawallisch and Giuseppe Patane at the Bavarian State Opera, going on to win First Prize in the Arturo Toscanini Competition in 1987. Warner Classics Biography of Kazushi Ono

This recording was made using Earthworks QTC1’s as the main pair. The live acoustic of the hall is present, but not enough to allow the music to breath; a bigger, more expansive space is needed. This is supplied by Classical imulse IR 1543, one of my favourites: light in the bass, lively in the treble, and has a pronounced ‘rebound’ in the tail.

Here is the dry original.
And here is the mix incorporating IR 1543:

The copyright in these tracks is owned by Eva Fox-Gál.

Gal [Gal], Hans (b Brunn, nr Vienna, 5 Aug 1890; d Edinburgh, 3 Oct 1987).

Austrian composer and musicologist. He studied composition with Mandyczewski and music history with Guido Adler at Vienna University, completing the doctorate in 1913 on the style of the young Beethoven. Two years later he won the newly created Austrian State Prize for composition. From 1919 until 1929 he was lecturer in music theory at the university, and the period between the end of World War I and 1933 saw his rapid rise to success as a composer, above all with his second opera Die heilige Ente, performed in some 20 theatres. After winning the Columbia Schubert centenary prize for his Sinfonietta in 1928, he was appointed director of the Mainz Conservatory (1929--33). On Hitler's accession to power in 1933 he was instantly dismissed and the performance and publication of his works were banned because he was Jewish. He returned to Austria, but was driven out by the Anschluss in 1938 and fled to England. Tovey invited him to Scotland, where he settled in 1939 and was appointed lecturer at Edinburgh University in 1945. From that time he played an active part in the musical life of the city, not only as lecturer, but also as conductor, pianist, musical personality and founder-member of the Edinburgh International Festival. He remained active as a composer but never re-established his pre-war career and relatively little of his output is known.

Of his 110 published works, more than half were composed in Scotland. His values were deeply rooted in the tonal tradition of the Austro-German musical style. Though an inheritor of the legacy of Brahms, he had by the time of his twenties found his own distinctive musical language to which, regardless of changing musical fashions, he remained true. It unites many elements: the clarity, playful humour and formal mastery of early Classicism; the chromatic harmony and extended tonality of early 20th-century, pre-serial music; a Schubertian love of melody; the lyricism and emotional restraint of Brahms and the contrapuntal textures that remained fundamental to his style. His deep insight into the life and work of great musicians is shown in his books -- on Brahms, Schubert, Wagner and Verdi.

More info on Hans Gal

A pianist of rare quality’ - Daily Telegraph

Leon McCawley leapt into international prominence in 1993 when he won both First Prize in the Ninth International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna and Second Prize in the Leeds International Competition, building on earlier national first prize successes in the Piano Section of the BBC Young Musician of the Year and the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Pioneer Young Soloist of the Year in 1990. Since then, his CD releases of Barber, Beethoven and most recently, Schumann have established McCawley as a pianist of great integrity, bringing freshness and vitality to both popular and lesser known repertoire.

McCawley’s deeply committed performances and engaging musicality have made him a favourite wherever he performs. In recent seasons he has given highly praised recitals at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Wigmore Hall and LSO St Lukes in London, at the Philharmonie and Konzerthaus in Berlin, the Prinzregententheater in Munich, the Musikverein in Vienna, Tonhalle in Zurich, Festival Radio France in Montpellier, Rudolfinum in Prague and, Washington DC’s Kennedy Center. As a chamber musician he has enjoyed fruitful collaborations with the Nash Ensemble, The Lindsays, Belcea and Chilingirian Quartets, Emma Johnson, Andrew Marriner and Steven Isserlis.

As a concerto soloist, McCawley is frequently heard with many of the leading British orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, the City of Birmingham Symphony, Bournemouth Symphony, Hallé and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He is regularly broadcast on BBC Radio 3, with the BBC Orchestras as well as in recital and, has performed at the BBC Proms several times. Further afield, McCawley has played concertos with, amongst others, Adelaide Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Vienna Symphony and Vienna Chamber Orchestra and worked with conductors including Mark Elder,Paavo Järvi,Andrew Litton, Kurt Masur, Sakari Oramo, Simon Rattle and Yan Pascal Tortelier.

Born in 1973, McCawley studied at Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester with Heather Slade-Lipkin before moving to the US where he continued his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia with Eleanor Sokoloff. He also acknowledges Nina Milkina for her inspiration and guidance.

Since 2004 he has performed with, among others, the City of Birmingham Symphony/Sakari Oramo, the Netherlands Philharmonic/Joseph Swensen, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Daniele Gatti. Forthcoming London performances include a recital at SBC’s International Piano Series in May 2005, and a concerto appearance with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields as part of the Barbican’s Mostly Mozart Festival in July 2005.

McCawley has made three recordings to date: Barber’s Music for Solo Piano for EMI/Virgin; Beethoven: Piano Works on Sanctuary Classics; and, most recently a double disc of Schumann’s piano music for Avie Records. The Schumann was selected as "Editor's Choice" in the March 2004 edition of Gramophone. Due for release later this year is a recording of all Hans Gal’s music for piano, for Avie Records.

Here’s an extract from the CD. No dry excerpt available. There is almost no perceivable acoustic on the original recording - practically speaking, all that is heard here is generated by the impulses 1748 and 1550 (for the orchestra and voice respectively). The main pair for the orchestra is Earthworks QTC1, and a Soundfield MKIV for the voice

Excerpt from the recording.
The copyright in this track is owned by Adrian Chandler, 2005.

Review from MusicWeb Record of the Month, March 2005:

"The mastermind behind this terrific CD, Adrian Chandler, is not only Director of La Serenissima and a violinist of flair and distinction; he is also a meticulous scholar, as his excellent booklet notes reveal. He has clearly engaged in much fruitful research in preparing for this recording, even carrying out imaginative reconstruction where necessary.

"The result is a rich musical treat. All of this music was written by the ‘Red Priest’ for use in the Chapel of the Pietá, the Convent School for orphans (or ‘foundlings’) in Venice. The music on the generously filled disc consists of three instrumental concerti and two solo vocal cantatas, Laudate Pueri and Salve Regina. These are sung by the Scottish soprano Mhairi Lawson, who turns in thoroughly delightful performances. She gives the more lyrical movements, such as the very beautiful Et Jesum Benedictum that concludes Salve Regina, an easy and natural expressiveness, while she is more than equal to the bravura of the quicker movements. Laudate pueri contains much that represents Vivaldi at his very best, for example Quis sicut Dominus with its tip-toeing staccato in the strings.

"This, and all the other instrumental music, is realised superbly by the players of La Serenissima, the enlarged chamber ensemble named after the city of its inspiration; the name being, of course, a poetic soubriquet for Venice itself. The string sound is pure and bold, yet capable of great subtlety when required. They are underpinned by a continuo section of great richness: the harpsichord of Joseph McHardy, the theorbo (bass lute) of Richard Sweeney, and the organ playing of Robert Howarth.

"Despite the scholarship, there is nothing ‘academic’ about the performance of this music. Indeed, it is exuberant and often full of élan and humour. The final movement of RV554a is a sprightly Allegro which inspires McHardy to an outrageous three octave glissando, more normally associated with jazz pianists – fun!

"Elsewhere, fine contributions come from cellist Sarah McMahon and organist Robert Howarth, the latter in the two concerti with organ solo parts. It’s not clear whether Howarth is playing the organ of the lovely old church in East Sussex where this is recorded; I doubt it, as, as far as I can gather, that instrument dates only from the late 19th century. Thus I think it is an imported chamber instrument that is used. Very fine it sounds, too.

"The balance at all times is exemplary – everything can be heard with clarity and great beauty. Vivaldi is a funny old composer; sequences of mind-numbing repetitiveness are so often succeeded by sudden twists of utter harmonic or textural magic. Infuriating, but, in performances as wonderful as these, you can’t help loving it!"
- Gwyn Parry-Jones

This record is a spectacular example of a recording made in a completely dry venue, brought to life entirely through the use of a Pure Space reverberation impulse.

Here is the dry original recording (made using a single pair of Neumann KM130’s).

And here is the sound as released on the CD, brought to life using Pure Space impulse 1610. The key to this is the fact that using sampled reverb of this quality, there’s no need to roll off any HF components (as usually needs to be done with conventional reverb) – on the contrary, by boosting this part of the reverb signal, a greater sense of ‘air’ can be generated.

The copyright in these tracks is owned by David Fruhwirth

Ambience of this recording consists largely of reverb generated by Pure Space classical IR1425.

Jorja Fleezanis, longtime concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra, is a splendid violinist, possessor of a masterful technique and a pure, variable, beautiful, expressive tone. These two recordings admirably illustrate her extraordinarily stylistic versatility and communicative power. In John Tavener's new work Ikon of Eros, written for Fleezanis, the violin represents Divine Eros; playing almost continuously, her tone has an uninflected, celestial purity, floating high above orchestra and chorus. The four-part piece is contemplative, mostly static, except for an oriental-sounding dance. Variety is created through dynamics and contrasting choral and instrumental textures. The style is based on Eastern orthodox liturgy. The soprano sings in unison with the violin, the baritone acts as cantor. In an interview, Tavener describes music as "liquid metaphysics;" learning beauty from "virgin nature," it heals, moves, fills with wonder, expresses a longing for God. He considers all religions sublime, "none remains exclusive." That belief is reflected here.

The Beethoven Sonatas are technically and stylistically impeccable. Both players make their meticulous observance of Beethoven's markings sound musically and emotionally natural. The most startling element is the pianoforte sound: dry, crisp, transparent, with a brittle, rattling quality, especially since Beethoven indicates pedal only in the last two sonatas. Fleezanis plays the early sonatas in a semiperiod style, with delayed, sparing vibrato, swells, and abruptly short notes, though her tone is unfailingly beautiful. Some fast tempos are breathlessly hectic, but most are well suited to the mood, character, and expression of the music, allowing for elegant phrasing, poised changes, and transitions within a flexible but rock-steady rhythm. Among the highlights are the two perhaps most elusive sonatas, Nos. 6 and 10, but listeners will find their own favorites.

- Edith Eisler, stringmagazine.com

Jorja Fleezanis has been concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra since September 1989, assuming that position after nine years with the San Francisco Symphony, eight of them as associate concertmaster. In November 2003, Fleezanis was soloist with the Orchestra under Osmo Vänskä in the John Adams Violin Concerto, a work commissioned and written for her in 1993. She has given first performances of several other important violin works, including Nicholas Maw’s Sonata for Solo Violin and, with violist Thomas Turner, the American premiere of Benjamin Britten’ s Double Concerto for Violin and Viola. A master teacher, she serves on the faculty of the University of Minnesota and is artist-in-residence at the University of California-Davis. She maintains a long-time relationship with the Round Top (Texas) International Festival. Fleezanis plays a Matteo Goffriller violin, made in 1700 and given in 2003 to the Minnesota Orchestra for her use by John and Nancy Lindahl.