Organizing a solo Lute concert.

I am not sure where to post this, but I guess here is a good start.

I have a world know Lutenist, etc...(Rafael Bonavita) who graciously responded to my email asking when is he coming to the US. He responded that he has no contacts here in the USA.

This brought me back to an email from a local chamber Music director who said that the reason he hasn't ever invited a lutenist to play in the church the concerts are held is due to acoustics. Which in itself is weird as I see on Youtube concerts in all kinds of non-optimal venues.

I guess my question is, if played on a school auditorium, should I use some kind of acoustic treatment to the stage behind the instrumentalist? Should it be amplified through the PA system? Probably the player himself has his ideas.

Another Question: If I decided to tackle this on my own...Any tips or ideas?

 

I think a school auditorium is a bad idea, in terms of acoustics, aesthetics, and size. I'm not sure how large of a crowd you can realistically expect. It is always better to have a smaller venue that looks packed than a large venue that is half empty.

In terms of acoustics and amplification, I would ask what kind of configurations he has used in various live situations.

Are you looking to do this in New York, given your location, or North Jersey? Maybe a local college or university with a strong music department would want to be involved?

 

Here's the problem—the lute is not a "concert" instrument. It simply does not produce enough volume to fill your typical concert venue. I have recorded many concerts with the lute, either solo or as part of a consort. In the consorts , the lute is always the slightest, softest sound in the consort. Lute recitals really shouldn't be presented in a room that holds more than 60 people, tops. I know those wonderful Astree productions of Hopkinson Smith suggest this big robust sound but don't let that fool you, that's the sound of the instrument in a room where you can hear "Hoppy's" breathing and no one else's. If this had been a 'real' concert, you would mostly be hearing the breathing of the person sitting next to you. So, if you present this concert, it would be better off held in a large living room than in a typical concert venue.

 

That is funny!

Yeah, I agree with what you guys are saying...I guess maybe a church could work. I saw Paul O'Dette at the 92nd St. Y...that is the largest venue I have ever seen a solo player at. In Youtube, most are from Europe (in homes, cafes, small auditoriums, churches). Now I see why its hard to organize these in the US. Between travel, lodging, etc...hard to break even.

 

I know a brilliant player who uses a small unobtrusive amp, which he sits on
This works better than when he performs with an orch
Then he has wedges in the orchestra, this produce too big an image and sounds wrong

 

Exactly. Berkeley California has lots of small concert venues and lots of lute players but even there Hopkinson Smith had a "House Concert." Laurette Goldberg's "Musicsources" held something like 60. Paul O'dette had a concert there, turned out better than I feared. The ceilings at Musicsources were only 7' high, room was something like 16' x 50'. I suspect the low ceilings helped with the lute, usually the sound was too dry and hard but in this case the acoustic helped support the lute's tone. David Tayler, a resident of Berkeley, has played in a lot of concerts I've recorded. His sound tends to project a bit more than most lute players I've heard. He's played the theorbo as part of a large consort, managed to cut through the texture quite well. But most of the time the lute works out better as a recording instrument than as a performing instrument.

By the way, i recall sitting mid-hall at Grace Cathedral for Jan Garbarek [a saxophone player] and the Hilliard Ensemble. The acoustics there were so weird, you mostly heard audience noises.

 

If you do this because it intrigues you, expect to probably lose money and possibly to put the performer off you. The best bet is when a performer has a chance to provide a masterclass at a music academy, and if they do not opt to put a gig on, then that is the time to offer, and in that process, attempt to be highly collaborative with them, as they are surrounded by music lovers and have a spectacular output of graduated music lovers on lists also. I used to be a jazz promoter, and we would meet as a group of volunteers, and discuss the artists available. If we felt there was too much of a degree of risk involved, and/ or the artist was high maintenance, we exercised option b, buying a ticket to see someone else put them on.

 

I have to disagree. The pre-eminent venue for guitar (and lute) concerts in NYC is the Kaufmann Auditorium at the 92nd St. Y. Now, I will admit, I am not totally unbiased (having been involved with them for many years), but I have had no trouble hearing and enjoying recitals in this 900 seat space.

 

I heard Jan and the Hilliards in a huge Cathedral recently and it sounded sublime Robin.

 

Ironically, you don't see much of this type of performance due to the loot involved.

 

Ask Sting!
(I'm sorry. Carry on.)

 

lol..he doesn't count!

 

He'll be performing on Broadway.

http://www.today.com/popculture/sting-announces-hell-star-broadways-last-ship-1D80314116