Symphonova .. a bright future?

[mikehopf]

Just got a CD of Canadian orchestral music which uses a new technology called Symphonova, described in the following blurb from Records International:

Unusual here extends beyond the repertoire to its means of performance: "Symphonova" is the brand name and trademark of a package of inventions which allow single string, wind and brass players to produce the sound of a symphony orchestra (and, apparently, do it in real spaces with actual audiences present and not just for recording). This means that it suddenly is a lot cheaper to record what you, our staunch customers, want most - orchestral recordings.

It sounds great to my untrained ears...but just imagine the possibilities: all those symphonies & concertos which we long to hear can now be played by one or two soloists saving the expense of a full symphony orchestra!  Surely better than those tinny MIDI recordings.

Or am I just dreaming?  Over to you Alan & Mark.

[Mark Thomas]

Over to me? Why, Mike?

[Alan Howe]

Et moi?

[matesic]

With some experience of multitracking myself to fake performances of multi-instrumental works, I'd agree it's preferable to MIDI and possibly even the more sophisticated synth packages you can plug into music notation software, but surely no adequate substitute for the real thing? But I'll read their web site and listen to the youtube recordings with interest.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Having visited the website and listened to the soundbites, I can honestly say that it is marvellous and very convincing, BUT... I do not think it will replace the real thing - nor do I think it is intended to do so. But as a means of bringing large scale orchestral music into small venues I cannot fault it.

[matesic]

Maybe it's just me, but I'm getting a distinct whiff of the farmyard here. The conductor makes a pretty good sales pitch but read the small print. The missing parts are apparently supplied by software controlled by his "team", elsewhere referred to as "the symphonist", who presumably you have to hire along with all the kit in lieu of a full orchestra. The principles and mechanics of it are left completely unspecified. Exactly how do a handful of woodwind players create the minimum of 10 independent parts necessary to perform the romantic repertoire? The magically created parts are apparently amplified, not through unromantic loudspeakers but actual instruments. I see brass instruments apparently mounted on loudspeakers, presumably vibrating in sympathy with the sounds that are mostly generated in the boxes. Similarly, the stringed instruments are positioned around the floor to vibrate in sympathy, but the volume of sound they contribute must be tiny as compared with that coming from the loudspeakers. The sympathetic vibrations will also lack the crucial element caused by the interaction of a bow with the strings. I didn't see any woodwind similarly positioned.

I could go on, but why are there no extended sound samples of well-known pieces one can read the score along with?