Recording Unorthodoxy

Our orchestral recordings with St Petersburg Philharmonic artists are being done in an unorthodox way. We have experimented with the elimination of large string sections and recorded Symphony No. 7 and Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2 and 3 using only a quintet for the strings, with one section Principal or other leading artist on each part. The following picture shows a typical recording setup.

We have made a number of interesting observations. First, there is a precision and clarity to the string playing that is difficult to hear when large string sections are used; each musician plays like a soloist and is more stimulated. When there is a wind section, the wind sounds are also invariably clear and precise. They are never “drowned out” by an overpowering string sound, as sometimes happens in large orchestras. In the recording studio, the balance between strings and winds/percussion is reasonable even with no volume enhancement of the strings.

We are very pleased with the results of our experiments and will continue to record orchestral works in this way.

Click here for a presentation given by Peter Schlein Uppsala University in December 2008 on the question: Are Large Orchestral String Sections Necessary ?

Look at VIDEOS of recording sessions and listen to edited versions of Symphony No. 7 and Piano Concertos 1, 2 and 3.