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Sound opinions
While I’m as susceptible as anyone to a name-check, I feel I should put things right apropos Jessica Duchen’s appreciative review of Trio Isimsiz’s Rubicon recording, which I produced, of piano trios by Brahms, Korngold and Coll: ‘… excellent recorded sound … I’m not at all surprised to see Andrew Keener credited here’ (February issue). Jessica is by no means the first reviewer to mix up the roles of producer and engineer. The producer is the musical supervisor of a recording session, counsellor to the artist if the artist is open to such things, sees to it that everything is covered well in one take or another, and strives to balance today’s demand for accuracy with preserving the flow of the music. And yes, I suppose the producer carries the can in the last analysis. Good producing should, in a sense, be ‘invisible’, showing up only if he or she has let something pass which is a distraction – such as an audible edit, incompatible takes etc. It’s a ‘people job’ too. The engineer’s role, seated at the mixing desk, requires no less of a human touch, but it is the engineer who mixes and balances the sound. No less than a producer, the role demands a high degree of musical discernment. The great EMI producer Christopher Bishop has said that a producer without a good engineer is lost. He’s right. On this occasion, it was Oscar Torres whose beautiful engineering prompted Jessica’s admiring words.
Andrew Keener, New Malden
Short changed?
As always, there are plenty of wonderful things among the nominees for this year’s BBC Music Magazine Awards. However, I was a little surprised to see that the list includes Isabelle Faust’s recording of Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto. I have nothing against the performance, which is wonderful. However, it is the only substantive work on the disc, accompanied by some interesting, but minor miniatures, the entirety lasting under 44 minutes. Paying full price essentially for a 25-minute work is decidedly short shrift. This example of shrinkflation may not bother your jury, who get their copies for free, but surely your awards should give some thought to those of us trying to build a collection on a limited budget.
Cecilia Phillips, Cornwall
Not Oscar
