|
Om os |
|
When Barbarossa issued its first record in 1982 (Pas De Deux) it was with a wish to try and "return to nature". I had discussed the problem with several guitarists who thought it was very odd that they had to perform in a studio with no accoustics, that not only had to be added on later artificially, but the frequency rate and dynamics probably had to be altered as well. At the same time, knowing how much the studio cost was like having a taximeter ticking away in the background, and this, combined, with impatient technicians, made many artists find the recording situation stressful and not the place in which they felt inspired to give their best performance.
All the records made by Barbarossa are recorded on the island of Ærø that has 8.000 inhabitants, and which lies in the eastern end of the Baltic. Most of the recordings have taken place in Bregninge church which has perfect accoustics in peaceful surroundings. No recordings are done before the musicians feel themselves to be ready, and this has meant that not only has it been possible to do several of the recordings without cuts but also to achieve that intensity of performance that a good musician in good surroundings is able to give. We are convinced that technically the best results are achieved when the signals travel the shortest possible distance, in the earliest recordings 2 Calrec condensing microphones were inserted through a home-made amplifying system to give direct access to an Otari two-track master machine. I have not used noise reduction systems which destroy authentic dynamics and tone. However, it was decided to use a carefully adjusted Dolby A system when recording CDs as the tapes were edited by analogy, and then transfered to a 1-bit digitally converter.
The earliest records have been made according to the "French" system with microphones placed at reciprocal 15cm intervals at an angle of about 50˚.
All the musicians participating in the recordings are Danish and trained at music conservatories in Odense and Århus, and all of them later supplemented their education by studying in other European countries.
Søren Buhl |
|
Ophav: Jens Cornelius
Trio Odino: Shapes and Shades. Barbarossa 0696. Spilletid 39'.
Citat fra anmeldelsen: Endnu en overraskelse er, at lyd-kvaliteten i denne beskedne produktion slår de øvrige omtalte kammermusik-cd'er med flere længder. I teksthæftet er opgivet med hvilke enkle midler optagelsen er kommet i hus. Man tror det gerne, for med gode ører når man langt med små midler. Men alligevel: Det må være ubehageligt for de store danske selskaber dacapo og Kontrapunkt at se sig lydmæssigt distanceret af et lille ydmygt undergrundsforetagende - fra Ærø! Dacapo bryster sig i sit katalog med at præsentere »the very highest standard in Danish sound engineering«. Det holder ikke, hvad denne korte, regulære cd tilfældigvis beviser.
|
|
Bugré / Barbarossa |
|
ÆRØ |