What makes the Vienna Philharmonic sound unique?
The Vienna Philharmonic is a legendary orchestra, famous for its unique sound and famous waltzes played during the New Year’s concert. But what makes it so special? What is the secret of the Viennese sound?
“The special thing, which somehow the whole world envies us, is the rhythm and the way we perceive it – says Daniel Froschauer, first violin and president of the Vienna Philharmonic -. The anticipation of the second note that comes a little ‘first, and the third that comes a little later. All combined with a beautiful melody tailor-made for our orchestra “.
Passion and craftsmanship
But the distinctive Viennese sound goes far beyond the iconic waltzes. It was also shaped thanks to passion and craftsmanship. Violinist Benjamin Morrison regularly takes his instrument to the luthier. For the New Zealander, care and precision are essential to preserve the sound of the instrument.
“I always notice, especially when the musicians of the Vienna Philharmonic come to me, that the focus is on the quality of the sound, a richer sound and a warm timbre – luthier Matthias Wolff told Musica. the sound to an incredible extent with a few small tricks. First of all the bridge, where it is positioned, how much it is cut. In the bridge alone there are so many elements that can have a huge effect on the sound “.
Shaping the sound
For Austrian clarinetist Daniel Ottensamer and French bassoonist Sophie Dervaux it is essential to shape the sound through the way the musician plays. “It’s hard to explain the uniqueness of the Vienna Philharmonic. It has a lot to do with tradition, of course, but I’m not sure it’s just the sound,” says Ottensamer.
Dervaux agrees: “It’s something special. For example, you never play too bright. You play very round, very soft.” Explaining the dark quality of the Viennese sound, Ottensamer adds: “What always strikes me is the subtlety of the sound. You try not to play too directly in certain passages. The notes rise gradually and don’t always have a clear beginning.”
Unique tools
Some instruments in the orchestra are very different from those played in other parts of the world. “The Viennese clarinet is with a little more wood – says Ottensamer -. It’s a little thicker, more voluminous, and therefore creates a darker sound. This brings us to the Viennese sound itself. This built sound blends particularly well. with the other instruments of the orchestra “.
The sound it produces is so distinctive that it has become the subject of academic research. At the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Gregor Widholm and his team unveiled the secrets of one of these unique instruments, the Viennese kettledrum.
“In Vienna and only in Vienna there is goat skin – says Widholm -. These goat skin have a particular characteristic. Along the spine, the skin is particularly thin and therefore some modes of vibration that are formed are much stronger”.
Explaining in more detail, Widholm adds: “You can see very well in a 3D graph, how after the beat the rhythms decay evenly compared to the international plastic-skinned eardrum, which has more irregular frequencies among the vibration modes. . This means that the sound structure of the Viennese eardrum has a more musical tone, while the international eardrum is more percussive. “
Describing the deep timbre that his instrument produces, the timpanist Thomas Lechner told Musica: “It is a sound that on the one hand allows me rhythmic concision, but on the other hand it always blends homogeneously with the orchestral sound. You can always When the sounds of the orchestra’s instruments blend together, this is the Viennese sound for me. There are moments in the concert when I feel this sound wraps around my chest like a warm coat and touches my heart and soul. “.
The continuous pursuit of excellence
Since the 19th century, the perpetual pursuit of excellence has been forged in the orchestra’s home, the Musikverein in Vienna. Describing how the concert hall helped shape the orchestra’s distinctive style, Froschauer states: “The Musikverein’s Golden Hall is our home and the sound we produce here is simply our sound. If you were in our orchestra. in 1875, you would have played at the opera with Verdi. And then you would have gone to the Musikverein and you would have played with Richard Wagner. All this has our generation without sound. And this sound has always remained. We pass it on from generation to generation without talking about it. “
Legendary maestro and pianist Daniel Barenboim has a longstanding relationship with the orchestra. “The first time I played with the orchestra was in Salzburg in the 60s – remembers Barenboim -. I was sitting at the piano, surrounded by 60-70 musicians who played as a community. It was about being together and creating together . It was a dream. “
“Spiritually together”
But what does it feel like to be part of one of the great orchestras recognized around the world for its unique style? “There is a special feeling here when you tell people that you are a musician, they take you very seriously – says Dervaux -. It’s not like anywhere else, where if you say ‘I’m a musician’ people ask you ‘and what else do you do. to live?'”.
Ottensamer adds: “Of course Vienna, as we all know, is a world capital of music and this presence, this importance, that music has here – but also culture as a whole – is extraordinary. something very special, because it is so important here. ”
“Vienna and all of Austria are proud of the Vienna Philharmonic and I think this is very important – says Barenboim -. The orchestra is unique. When they play they become one and this shapes everything. And this is the most important word. important: together, spiritually together “.