Look sharp: chance to buy live CD straight after the concert
Charlotte Higgins, arts correspondent
Tuesday February 7, 2006
The Guardian
Sometimes a concert is so good that as the final notes die away, all you want to do is experience it over again, right away.
On Thursday Sir John Eliot Gardiner and his orchestra, the English Baroque Soloists, will make that possible, creating what is believed to be the fastest classical CD release.
As audiences leave Sir John Eliot's concert at Cadogan Hall in London, they will be able to walk away with a live recording of the music played in the first half of the evening - Mozart's Symphonies Nos 39 and 41 - produced by his own label, SDG.The practice of selling live recordings of concerts right after the event is not unknown: the Pixies produced limited-edition, custom-packaged CDs of the concerts on their 2005 tour, for instance, which they sold through their website.
But this is a first for the classical world, and also the first time a commercial label will produce a live CD that members of the audience will be able to take away at the end of the concert. "There's something about the unvarnished reality of a live recording - it brings back the memories of the moment," said Sir John Eliot.
On Thursday night, CD masters will be made and then, during the interval and the second half, 1,000 copies produced. Members of the audience will be able to buy the CD on the spot (£10 for about an hour's music). A further 2,000 will be produced, for sale through SDG's website.
Sir John Eliot is no stranger to live recordings. Usually a rehearsal is recorded too, so mistakes can be "patched over" if needed. On Thursday, however, there will be only one chance, and no safety net.
"There is a lot of pressure - but that adds to the frisson," said Sir John Eliot. "We hope that there will be the feel of the music being forged in the furnace. No, there is no margin for error, but I trust my musicians - they will give it their bottom dollar. Does it matter if there is the odd glitch?" If Thursday's departure is successful, Sir John Eliot foresees a series of "SDG On the Night" recordings. He said the move was part of a trend away from the studio, where recordings are becoming increasingly unaffordable.
"Maybe the studio has had its day," he said. "I don't pooh-pooh it, because it was a fantastic period, it gave us a great opportunity to experiment in the 1970s and 80s. But there's something artificial about studio recordings. I always tried to create a live 'feel'."