St. Luke’s Church, Dresden

Today we’re as soon as once more discussing a church, albeit one wherein only some concert events happen, however all of the extra recordings. Especially within the golden age of vinyl records, the blending desks in St. Luke’s Church in Dresden hardly went chilly, and the best artists of their time have been going out and in. How did this come about?

Built firstly of the twentieth century, St. Luke’s Church was initially certainly one of Dresden’s most important church buildings, accountable for the Protestant catchment space of the southern suburbs. As younger because the historical past of this church is, it has been an eventful one. The bells have been melted down as early as 1917 as a result of the steel was wanted for the entrance strains of throughout World War One. While a Berlin court docket pastor and prince educator labored right here till 1933, the congregation fell aside considerably within the years that adopted, as each line-loyal pastors in addition to avowed freethinkers served there in parallel.

On February 13, 1945, through the main air raids, St. Luke’s Church was additionally broken, which could be seen as each a blessing and a curse: The extravagant spire dome and the Art Nouveau work inside fell sufferer to the flames, which may be very unlucky. However, the injury was thought-about restricted and so the church was not demolished and continued for use.

As early because the Fifties, sound recordings have been made right here, as different halls within the metropolis on the Elbe have been briefly provide. Between 1964 and 1972, the inside was fully renovated beneath the administration of VEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin to create the situations for skilled studio use. A vestry was was an acoustically optimized management room, and a supporting construction within the church inside made it attainable to droop acoustic sails or material panels from in order that the reverberation within the excessive dome could possibly be managed. All the opposite issues wanted to make sure easy workflows have equally been performed, starting from putting in cable ducts to variable platforms to technical rooms and loading ramps.

It is at all times a particular feeling whenever you work in a room the place greats akin to Kleiber, Karajan, Böhm, Kegel, Janowski and others have labored. As a musician – and on this capability I used to be concerned in the latest Rheingold recording – you are feeling a sure stress, as a result of this time round, you actually can not inform anyone that the venue was the issue.

The lack of checkrooms or the truth that the one single rest room is just too small for everybody shouldn’t be the issue, as a result of this room breathes recording historical past, and that’s precisely what conjures up you throughout manufacturing. Few different halls supply such an excellent stability between splendidly simple to excite acoustics and concurrently simply controllable audibility. The room can deal with excessive volumes, however doesn’t want them as it’s simple to get to resonate. So you’ll be able to play a little bit extra finely, extra managed, extra daring. A feast!

Of course, not all colleagues could be heard equally properly, which is one thing that hardly any room can supply in view of such an intensive rating. However, it’s surprisingly simple to familiarize yourself with the sound and to guage your individual contribution to the general sound effortlessly from the room resonances.

I used to be lastly capable of work right here once more. And I’m wanting ahead to subsequent spring with child-like pleasure, when the Valkyrie marches as much as the microphones.

Music suggestions – recordings with typical venue sound

Richard Wagner, Tristan, Staatskapelle Dresden, Carlos Kleiber
Anton Bruckner, Sinfonien Nr. 1–9, Staatskapelle Dresden, Eugen Jochum
Robert Schumann, Sinfonien, Staatskapelle Dresden, Wolfgang Sawallisch
Wagner, Der Ring des Nibelungen, Marek Janowski (achten Sie auf die Farben in den Streichern!!!)

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January 24, 2024 at 10:27AM