Piano placement for concerto

[Richard Moody]

Was this in Davies hall if not which one?   Did they use "sound
reinforcement"?     ----rm

----- Original Message -----
From: Phillip Ford <fordpiano@earthlink.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2003 6:17 PM
Subject: Piano placement for concerto


> Over the weekend I went to a concert by the San Francisco
Symphony.  Jean-Philippe Collard was the piano soloist in the
Poulenc concerto.  The piano placement was a first for me.  The
piano had been placed in the center of the orchestra with the tail
up against the conductor's podium and the keyboard away from the
audience so that when the pianist was seated he was facing the
conductor and the audience.  The top of the piano had been
removed.
> In terms of coordination between pianist and conductor this
arrangement seems to make a lot more sense than the conventional
arrangement.
> In this hall, from my usual seat in the first balcony, the piano
sound was dramatically different than it is with the usual
placement of piano center left at front of stage, pianist in
profile, and lid up.  The piano sounded much more part of the
ensemble rather than like a separate voice detached from the
orchestra.  Also, the balance of the piano sound was altered.  The
midrange and treble were more pronounced with the bass being less
dominant.  To my ears concert pianos often have an overdominant
bass end.  That was not the case in this concert.  The pianist
could still get a powerful bass sound when he wanted, and he
occasionally did, but for 'normal' playing the piano sound had a
better balance for my taste.  Also, for better or worse, you could
not see the pianists hands, so your attention was not diverted by
watching him play, and you could concentrate on listening to him
play.
> I also thought it was refreshing to see both conductor and
pianist using a score (and turning their own pages) rather than
working from memory.
>
> Phil F
>
>
>
> Phillip Ford
> Piano Service & Restoration
> 1777 Yosemite Ave - 130
> San Francisco, CA  94124
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