All right, I just cast 100% of the votes! I guess that won't last. I would think everybody would want to hear about the pursuit of a gong...
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If I can understand your stories, everybody in this world can understands.
Don't worry.
Regards
The French dyslexic who speaks badly English.
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ok, here the blood and tears story (not the most amusing of my recording stories).
Blood part:
Hero day. Our lead trumpet player Fredi has to play one of our infamous double-sessions. That means 6 recording hours.
Fredi already had recorded the whole Piccolo trumpet during the first recording year. Now they were in the middle of the C-Trumpet recordings. One of the performance legati projects was on the "to do" list.
They recorded with few pauses, they wanted to finish earlier.
After 5 hours of recording Michael, our artistic director, suggested Fredi to finish the session.
Here I have to say, that some musicians get really addicted during the recordings. That can happen when they are recording a long time for VSL; Fredi did for more than one year.
So Fredi said: No, only one octave left, we finish this project today.
And he played and played. At last: two samples left. Fredi stops playing (he stands with his back to the studio window): "I can't play anymore. We'll finish it next time."
Michael: "Come on, two samples, we'll make a short break, and then will get them."
Fredi: "No, it's impossible."
It was first time that he said something is impossible. Michael, a little worried, entered the recording stage.
Fredi stood there, blood dropping to the floor. His lip was burst.
Tears part:
One day I visited our team in the recording stage. Michael said hello to me and told me that they had the first tears during a recording session today. One of our female cello players.
I dimayed: "Oh my god, Michael. What did you say to her?"
(Our musicians are sacred).
Michael: "Nothing. Everything was fine, during contucting I realized that the girl had tears on her cheek."
What happened: They had recorded runs during the last three days. It was the last cello recording day for the first edition, and they had to finish a couple of the "runs" projects.
All musicians knew that the time schedule was tight, so they played very concentratedly.
The left hand of the poor girl started hurting. Playing fast runs is very challenging for the left (fingering) hand. But as none of the other players seemed to have any problems, the girl wanted to be brave and played and played. At last her pains were so massive that she couldn't hold back her tears but didn't stop playing either.
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So Herb,
Who was the first person (OK, couple) to do the wild thing on the Silent Stage floor?
[[;)]]
Bruce
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Herb,
That's an amazing story about the trumpet. I can understand how a musician could get so involved with doing the recording, getting it done, as a technical or even athletic challenge as well as a job, especially since it is to result in such an important end product, that he might have to be stopped by physical means.
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Hehe Bruce, the stage floor - I don't know.
The floor is full of markers and tapes, but the studio is on the countryside.
So we have a wonderfull garden at the rear with a beautiful creek...
I deleted the "blood and tears" poll to keep the votes for the other stories, some of them are really funny (IMO).
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The one instrument, which will never be recorded (which makes elephants happy) story:
The story begins during my active days as a cellist at the Vienna Opera. I loved to play Puccini (great themes for the cellos).
One of my best experiences was when I played Tosca for the first time. Second act, a very quiet but superdramatic passage.
Celli and bassi playing lonely pizz with big breaks between.
At that moment a deep “whhhooooomp” started sounding behind me, coming from the back of the stage.
It was not loud, but unbelievably deep, and I felt an air breeze.
That gave me the creeps. One minute later again this “whhooomp”. Wonderful…
From this day on Tosca was my favorite opera, but I never thought of asking what this “whhoommp” is.
13 years later when the recordings for VSL started, I remembered that situation and asked our percussionist
who also plays in the opera. He smiled: “That’s our elephant drum.”
“Elephant drum?”
“Yeah, an incredible large bass drum with an elephant skin.”
I got shining eyes, because I saw the chance to capture my goose-flesh:
“I will talk with the director of the Vienna Opera. We will record this drum in the opera
and place the mics exactly where I was sitting during Tosca. You place the drum on the exact same place…”
The musician was embarrassed and looked to the floor.
“What’s the problem?”
“Last week they hit on the drum too strongly and the elephant skin tore.”
“And…”
“We don’t know when we get a new skin, you can buy it only in the US.”
“Any alternatives?”
“Rhino skins. But they are much more difficult to get.”
“Ok, we have time, we’ll wait for the new elephant skin.”
Months later the musician told me that the new skin has arrived, and I should phone him the next days for a recording session.
So I did, but:
“They have a problem with the skin, it is a little too small. But they try to stretch it slowly over a couple of days.”
I crossed my fingers, but no chance. The skin tore again.
“When will the next skin come?”
“Never, it’s too expensive. They will simulate it with electronical stuff from now on.”
Maybe better this way. No elephant blood sticks on VSL hands.
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These stories are GREAT (though I feel for the poor people involved!! Blood Sweat and tears: they should all get credit in your manual. Seriously, I'd like to see everyone's name: it heelps give us a connection to the orchestra we are USING.
Rob
