Life after Live music
16-18 June, Centre de Documentation de Musique Contemporaine (Cité de la Musique), Paris
We look back at a successful conference in Paris, attended by more than 50 participants from all over Europe.
The subject of the Meeting was “life after live music” – what do the professional chamber choirs do to keep their music alive after and beyond concerts? Traditionally, classical music ensembles have concerts recorded for radio broadcasting (nationally, or internationally via the EBU); and they make regular recordings, either in studio or in concert, to be released on cd’s. But in recent years we have seen a drastic change in this process. Only a few select ensembles can count on a cd company doing the work for them. On the other hand the costs of self-producing have fallen dramatically, making self-released recordings a feasible alternative for most ensembles. In addition, technical improvements have allowed musical organizations to expand into video-recordings next to audio. That raises the question: what is the best way to capture a performance, and what is the best way to bring it to the public?