Some years ago, I attended a live performance of Berlioz’s titanic Requiem, played by a combined ensemble comprising the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre. It was a spectacle unlikely to be repeated, so you can imagine my surprise when I was presented with a free mass-produced CD of the concert as I left the auditorium.
Recording technology is now so swift and precise that it dazzles us. It exudes glamour, offering a magical escape from mundane frustrations. I was impressed by my CD, and yet it had also stolen my subjective memory of the live experience. The palpable pleasure shared by performers and audience had become a flat object in my hand, allowing little opportunity for personal recollection.
